The Book 2008 Football

[waterboy]

_ Does anyone know anything about the Ragin Cajun Club? I was reading through Bustle's contract and the Ragin Cajun Club pays all the incentives and benefits. _

It's a mandatory assessment on your season tickets. For baseball it is $20.00 per ticket for bleachers, $50 per for Patio box and $100 for Box and chairback. Don't have football bill anymore, but I am pretty sure it is similar.

[KAjunRaider]

_ Good question. I would also like to see more home games, but not on a Wednesday night...what was that all about? Just to be on ESPN + or whatever channel it was on. _

I wonder how many thousands of dollars that cost your university?

I bet MT would have brought 2 or 3 hundred more.

How many more Cajuns fans would have bought tickets?

[gorcajun]

UL has rarely played a game after Thanksgiving. Without students in town for the long weekend and families taking trips, albeit in a down economy, I think the attendance on 12/3 vs 11/29 is "relatively comparable". The one thing that suffered was the intensity of tailgating.

[CajunNation]

I'm a GREAT fan of both UL baseball and of Coach Robe... but UL baseball is not as "consistent" as you might think. Add up the conference championships and regional play wins over the past 10 years. Its not quite as good as you might think till you go through the exercises.

I've studied them, and lived through them, and can say that aside from the Omaha club, there is virtually no difference in the quality of product put on the diamond by Robe as there was by Boulanger.

What has allowed us to make more waves on the national scene the past several years, without a doubt, has been the NCAA going to the Super Regional format as oppossed to the 7 team Regionals of the past.

[CajunNation]

But, in reality, we are always hunting for all those needles in the haystacks. The issue is... so is everyone else.

I find this a bit funny. I mean, exactly what would they call Tyrell? He is the definition of "Needle in a haystack".

Or, maybe their next argument will be that the "needle" must be at QB to make a difference. OK, so, that would mean that Desmo is NOT a difference maker?

C'mon people, I've got a million of 'em.

[zephyr]

_ Robe has shown that he can win and does it pretty consistently...if Robe would have more seasons like last year, in which expectations were not met I believe you would hear a few people call for new blood. _

That is my point. He has had some success but last year and a couple of previous years were anything but consistent. Last year we were talking about going to the college world series but at the end we were just hoping to make the conference tourney. With success comes higher expectations and he and that team did not live up to them at all. To me, that's more frustrating than this years or even last year's football team.

[zephyr]

_ I don't know where you were back in April, May, and June, or maybe you just don't remember, but there were a lot of criticisms of the baseball program and its underachievements. _

I was here baby and what I heard was no sort of backlash as to what Bustle and even Lee are receiving. People were NOT calling for Robe's head and basically just gave him a pass after a week or two. With those increased successes in the past, there comes higher expectations and he did not live up to them.

[CajunNation]

96-97 5-6 (3-1 at home)
97-98 1-10 (0-6 at home)
98-99 2-11 (2-2 at home)
99-00 2-9 (2-3 at home)


should I keep going?

No, not necessary.

The program was solid for almost 4 DECADES before the aforementioned timeframe.

Now, it is true that Bustle inherited a dead program. Many here submit that as reason to excuse, well, anything.

I've got much more on this topic. I assure you. However, let's do a little comparison, just for giggles.


BUSTLE'S FIRST TWO YEARS(02-03)

6-17 record
7 BCS games played and lost

BUSTLE'S LAST TWO YEARS(07-08)

9-15 record
4 BCS games played and lost


Do you see it?

If we had scheduled the same number of BCS games the last 2 years as we did the first 2 years, Bustle and the Cajuns would have virtually the same record for both periods.

Remember, this is after all of the facility improvements, all of the increases in funding, all of the increases in recruiting dollars, the best RB in Cajun history, the second-best running QB in Cajun history, etc. etc.

Just so you know, I'll probably be back after next season with the same comparison of the first 3 years with the last 3 years. Care to guess what it will look like?

[zephyr]

_ No, not necessary.

The program was solid for almost 4 DECADES before the aforementioned timeframe.

Now, it is true that Bustle inherited a dead program. Many here submit that as reason to excuse, well, anything.

I've got much more on this topic. I assure you. However, let's do a little comparison, just for giggles.


BUSTLE'S FIRST TWO YEARS(02-03)

6-17 record
7 BCS games played and lost

BUSTLE'S LAST TWO YEARS(07-08)

9-15 record
4 BCS games played and lost


Do you see it?

If we had scheduled the same number of BCS games the last 2 years as we did the first 2 years, Bustle and the Cajuns would have virtually the same record for both periods.

Remember, this is after all of the facility improvements, all of the increases in funding, all of the increases in recruiting dollars, the best RB in Cajun history, the second-best running QB in Cajun history, etc. etc.

Just so you know, I'll probably be back after next season with the same comparison of the first 3 years with the last 3 years. Care to guess what it will look like? _

Its hard to argue with the numbers......The unfortunate thing is that the university is hamstrung with their resources to fire Bustle and be able to pay a qualified coach an attractive salary. I don't think anybody would argue or complain if the administration fired him and brought in a good coach, its just everybody who complains about him forgets about the athletic budget and how anemic it is. If anybody has any thoughts on how to increase it ( maybe through private donations????), that would help our situation more than anything.

[DestinCajun]

I don't think anybody would argue or complain if the administration fired him and brought in a good coach, its just everybody who complains about him forgets about the athletic budget and how anemic it is. If anybody has any thoughts on how to increase it ( maybe through private donations????), that would help our situation more than anything.

This is where our several University of Disneyland Athletic Directors always fall short.

[RaginFan2]

_ This is where our several University of Disneyland Athletic Directors always fall short. _

What are trying to say? C'mon, man, spit it out.

M - I - C, see you real soon, K - E - Y, why? because we like you, ...

[Parrott]

_ WHAT!?!?!?

Are you kidding me?

Either they got some very bad medical advice 2 months ago, or Desmo made a very poor decision in not going forward with the surgery then.

If he gets this surgery back then, we might not have won the league, but we would have gone bowling, and Bustle would be getting a nice extension right now.

As it stands now, Desmo not getting this surgery 2 months ago very well could cost Bustle his job next season.

Amazing. _

Doctors thought he had a torn meniscus because that's what his symptoms pointed to. They could not confirm anything until after taking a look inside his knee. It was a surprise to see something had happened instead to the PCL.

Outside of surgery, only rest would have helped him. For a partially torn PCL to fully heal, you usually need six-to-seven weeks of rest. It's just an unfortunate situation all around.

[DestinCajun]

What are trying to say? C'mon, man, spit it out.

_

I'm saying a lot of pie in the sky fanspeak about staff hirings and firings are about as based in reality as the goings on at Fantasyland and Wonderland. Having the kind of money needed to pay off one coach while paying another trumps everything - which makes it a great item to begin these discussions with.

[DestinCajun]

Outside of surgery, only rest would have helped him. For a partially torn PCL to fully heal, you usually need six-to-seven weeks of rest. It's just an unfortunate situation all around. _

While watching the game I thought the few extra days of rest he got before the Middle Tenn game really did him wonders. He was definitely moving around better and getting a lot more "stuff" on his passes than when he was hurting badly and threw 6 INTs in the UTEP and FAU games combined. I think FAU scored TDs after a couple of those interceptions and UTEP got 1.

Mike Desormeaux had an amazing season and was named first team SBC QB and offensive POY so it makes me wonder what he would have done had he been more healthy during the season.

"Desormeaux, who had previously been on the All-SBC team three times as an all-purpose specialist, was named the first team starting quarterback. Under his guidance, the Cajuns offense led the conference in total yards, rushing yards, yards per game, rushing yards per game, yards per play, third down conversion percentage and touchdowns. The Cajuns rank 16th in the nation in total offense and 24th in scoring. Desormeaux led the conference in total offense and yards per play. He was second in passing yards per attempt and in completion percentage. He badly injured his knee in the Cajuns sixth game of the season (second SBC game) and still ranked second in the SBC in rushing (to Fenroy). With his mobility limited during the conference stretch run, Desormeaux went on to lead the Sun Belt in passing efficiency in SBC only games."

[CajunCharlie]

Bob Heist IS correct when he calls Mike D "the country's most dangerous one legged quarterback."