The Book 2008 Football

[Boomer]

I know for sure that we were scanning long before some schools and doing a horrible job of it ---many more present then were reported --one game they didn't scan as the fans came in because of the rain!!!! When you look at the fans in sure doesn't look like there are that many!!!! Kinda Tulaneish!!!!!

[Zeebart21]

_ Z, do you believe we had exactly the same average attendance as the ULMers in 2007? If so, I have some mineral rights I want to talk about letting you in on.


2007:
Tech had 18,562
Cajuns and ULM both had the same amount, 16,651. _

Exactly the same!! YES!! As long as those minerals are NO where near the Haynesville Shale I'll give it some consideration!!! LOL!!

[IHateLaState]

_ As for the "best La Tech years being beat in attendance by the worst Cajun years"....

source: http://www.ncaa.org/wps/ncaa?ContentID=1304

2007:
Tech had 18,562
Cajuns and ULM both had the same amount, 16,651.

2006 (the worst year of Tech football history culminating in the firing of Jack Bicknell):
Tech had 14,586
Cajuns had 14,516

2005:
Cajuns had 17,591
Tech had 16,416

2004 - NCAA website not showing a breakdown by school

2003:
Tech had 20,778
Cajuns had 13,995

2002 - On NCAA website only shows top 50 schools for some reason

2001:
Tech had 20,443
Cajuns had 9,456

2000:
Tech had 16,636
Cajuns had 14,624

1999:
Tech had 24,508
Cajuns had 15,901

1998:
Tech had 16,748
Cajuns had 9,548


So out of eight years of official NCAA data, Tech had more 7 times. The aggregate number is also largely in favor of Tech due to some 20K+ years really trumping some sub-10K years for the Cajuns.

The Cajuns are ahead this year though. I guess that would make 7 out of 9 for Tech :P

Not exactly what I'd call "always" in favor of the Cajuns. _

Assuming those figures are correct and for our purposes today I wont argue them....... consider that the time period is the BEST of times for Tech and the WORST of times for UL.... As we suffered through incredibly bad coaching and administrations and Tech went to a couple of Bowl games... so your PEAK then is about 25k....No one knows the ceiling for UL but I would venture to say that given a couple of years of success on the field and a new administration, 35-40k is not out of the realm of possibility....

[Just1More]

Not exactly what I'd call "always" in favor of the Cajuns. _

It's perfectly fair for you to go back to the dark ages of UL football and make comparisons. Tech has never experienced what UL did with the Baldwin years, and the years framing his stretch, due to our admin over many decades. If Tech tried on "a Baldwin" for a year, there would be no college football in Ruston. Bicknell was great for Tech and his worst year was nothing compared to our bottom.

I lived in West Monroe for 3 years, and regularly attended Tech athletic events with my Tech friends. Tech is never operating on less than 7 of the 8 available cylinders (and I commend them for it), but cannot generate a large fan following, is a very small market, and does not have a lot of growth options. UL, on the other hand, has never operated on more than 3 of its 16 cylinders. We have finally decided to engage a couple of extra easily attained cylinders and I strongly feel we are finally moving up. And, I have been in Joe Aillet stadium numerous times and the announced attendance is way off.... I've never figured out how Tech gets by with it, but attendance figures are severely exaggerated.

Whether Tech fans agree or not... you are just about as high as you can get in football... Dooley or no Dooley. UL, on the other hand, has never given football a fair shake. I understand Tech not wanting any affiliation with ULM, or them with you guys for that matter. But, UL and Tech had a good rivalry going. I would not advise re-engaging us now or in the future. I used to think we'd like to play Tech again... now I know WE would LOVE it.

Fenroy is a stud... no doubt... but he is not the only cog in the wheel. Just like no one else knew about Fenroy until he ran onto the scene... you can bank on it that we have recruited extremely well while recovering from the dark ages, and will rocket well beyond Tech in the future. As for our defense... purely an injury issue. Tell Dooley that he is wise to not dare schedule UL.

I'll stand by what I know is going on with OUR program RIGHT NOW, and what this area has in market potential. Either way, good luck to the Dawgs. I have some seriously good Tech friends.

[Ken_Horndawgs]

_ Your a pistol, man. Lets see, a big game in Ruston to become bowl eligible and you are coming to Lafayette for basketball?? HHhhhmmmmm??? Stronger ties to basketball than football??? Have a safe trip.

Z _

I have a family function to attend during the day down south and have to miss the football game.

Fortunately I get to watch the season opening MBB game so the day is salvaged!

[Just1More]

_ I have a family function to attend during the day down south and have to miss the football game.

Fortunately I get to watch the season opening MBB game so the day is salvaged! _

I don't know if you heard, but UL does not have a video feed for the FAU game... if this is one of the attractions that had you skip the Tech FB game to come to Lafayette. Just wanted you to know.

[Trigger74]

This would be crazy. Why play a in-state team that we should be playing yearly.

We need the exposure, so bring on a BCS team.


End of discussion.

[DestinCajun]

This would be crazy. Why play a in-state team that we should be playing yearly.

We need the exposure, so bring on a BCS team.

End of discussion.

We're facing the 3 toughest games of the season with a wounded bunch of Cajun warriors. For that reason the bowl talk isn't all that fun anymore. I hate to say that because I love the fanspeak on bowling.

[Ken_Horndawgs]

_ It's perfectly fair for you to go back to the dark ages of UL football and make comparisons. Tech has never experienced what UL did with the Baldwin years, and the years framing his stretch, due to our admin over many decades. If Tech tried on "a Baldwin" for a year, there would be no college football in Ruston. Bicknell was great for Tech and his worst year was nothing compared to our bottom.

I lived in West Monroe for 3 years, and regularly attended Tech athletic events with my Tech friends. Tech is never operating on less than 7 of the 8 available cylinders (and I commend them for it), but cannot generate a large fan following, is a very small market, and does not have a lot of growth options. UL, on the other hand, has never operated on more than 3 of its 16 cylinders. We have finally decided to engage a couple of extra easily attained cylinders and I strongly feel we are finally moving up. And, I have been in Joe Aillet stadium numerous times and the announced attendance is way off.... I've never figured out how Tech gets by with it, but attendance figures are severely exaggerated.

Whether Tech fans agree or not... you are just about as high as you can get in football... Dooley or no Dooley. UL, on the other hand, has never given football a fair shake. I understand Tech not wanting any affiliation with ULM, or them with you guys for that matter. But, UL and Tech had a good rivalry going. I would not advise re-engaging us now or in the future. I used to think we'd like to play Tech again... now I know WE would LOVE it.

Fenroy is a stud... no doubt... but he is not the only cog in the wheel. Just like no one else knew about Fenroy until he ran onto the scene... you can bank on it that we have recruited extremely well while recovering from the dark ages, and will rocket well beyond Tech in the future. As for our defense... purely an injury issue. Tell Dooley that he is wise to not dare schedule UL.

I'll stand by what I know is going on with OUR program RIGHT NOW, and what this area has in market potential. Either way, good luck to the Dawgs. I have some seriously good Tech friends. _

Dude y'all have been D1A for a lot longer than Tech but haven't done anything with it. All I did was use all of the available information on the NCAA website.

We've been hamstringed by bad administrative decisions from Jim Oakes but finally he is out of the picture. We are setup for success in football and both W and MBB.

I was just pointing out the gross inaccuracy of the "worst cajun attendance is always better than Tech's best" statement. That is laughable. Of course the Cajuns have to have good years for good attendance.

Yes the Cajuns have potential and that is great. No I don't believe for a second that the Cajuns would regularly beat Tech RIGHT NOW.

Maybe we DO need to face off in a bowl game

[Ken_Horndawgs]

_ This would be crazy. Why play a in-state team that we should be playing yearly.

We need the exposure, so bring on a BCS team.


End of discussion. _

....yeah so you can make it 2-86 vs the BCS all time....and 0-3 on the year.

[NewsCopy]

  Howard Schnellenberger gave the warning before the 2008 football season even started.

During Sun Belt Media Days back in July, the eighth-year Florida Atlantic head coach cautioned anyone interested in anointing the Owls as the runaway favorite to repeat as Sun Belt champions. The program went 8-5 the previous season, sharing the league title with Troy before blowing out Memphis in the New Orleans Bowl.

"Remember that what happened in the past has no bearing on the future," Schnellenberger said at the time. "We will have a better football team this year than we had last year."

The rest of the story

Joshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • November 15, 2008

[NewsCopy]

  BOCA RATON — Nobody in the country will face a ground game with a better running back/quarterback combination - at least statistically - than Florida Atlantic will Saturday.

Louisiana running back Tyrell Fenroy and quarterback Michael Desormeaux combine for more than 230 yards per game on the ground, with Fenroy fifth in the nation at 130.8 yards.

Their total, which comes out of a spread option offense, is more than that of 111 teams in the bowl subdivision.

"They are two of the best when it comes to running the football," Owls linebacker Frantz Joseph said.

The Ragin' Cajuns' are 5-4 overall and bring a 4-0 Sun Belt Conference record into Saturday's 4 p.m. game at Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale.

FAU (4-5, 2-2) has won three straight, albeit against sub-par competition, and must win its final three games to have any chance to repeat as conference champion.

Fenroy, a senior, is making history at Lafayette. He is the Sun Belt's all-time leading rusher (4,448 yards) and the NCAA active rushing leader. He is just the seventh player in NCAA history with four consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

If he isn't the favorite to follow FAU's Rusty Smith as the Sun Belt player of the year, then Desormeaux is. He is 15th in the nation in total offense with an average of 284 yards per game.

Overall, Lafayette is averaging 479.6 yards. The Sun Belt record is 481.4 by Middle Tennessee in 2001. Stopping the Ragin' Cajuns' complex and talented offense obviously isn't easy.

"There are so many positions where you can mess up and they can capitalize off that," Joseph said. "It's all about keeping your assignments."

FAU coach Howard Schnellenberger said the key is finding a balance between keeping those assignments and the hot pursuit that sometimes is necessary.

"It would be nice to have both," he said. "Take care of your own responsibility first and then get on the hunt."

By TOM D'ANGELO
Palm Beach Post

[4LSU]

"No one knows the ceiling for UL but I would venture to say that given a couple of years of success on the field and a new administration, 35-40k is not out of the realm of possibility...." _

Gee, finally you post something I can agree with you on.

With the population in the greater Lafayette area, the Cajun enrollment, and the passion for college football found in the South, there is no good reason you shouldn't be able to reach the attendance figures you suggested. Hell, given the things I mentioned, 15-20 thousand should find their way on campus on a nice fall evening by accident.

We shall see next year with the OSU game. I might even have to try making that one. Thing is, I wear the evil grab to sporting events, but that should be ok...chants don't bother me.

[DestinCajun]

We shall see next year with the OSU game. I might even have to try making that one. Thing is, I wear the evil grab to sporting events, but that should be ok...chants don't bother me.

OSU comes to Cajun Field in 2010. Anytime you're ready for real college football (versus pro football) just let me know.

[4LSU]

_ We're facing the 3 toughest games of the season with a wounded bunch of Cajun warriors. For that reason the bowl talk isn't all that fun anymore. I hate to say that because I love the fanspeak on bowling. _

Good luck to the Cajun's. A "wounded warriors" can be a terrible thing to face. Hopefully, Fla Atlantic will soon learn that fact.