Soon after UL's Mike Desormeaux took a knee in the closing seconds, wrapping up a 42-28 win over Middle Tennessee on Wednesday, the senior quarterback tracked down his head coach Rickey Bustle.

The two men share a long hug, celebrating a Senior Night victory that snapped a three-game losing streak and helped the Cajuns gain bowl eligibility for the third time in four years.

"For some reason, the past few weeks we hadn't been playing well on Saturdays," Desormeaux said. "But tonight we found a way to turn it on and get it done.

"And it feels so good."

Desormeaux teamed with senior running back Tyrell Fenroy and an opportunistic defense to put UL (6-6 overall, 5-2 Sun Belt) in position to earn its first bowl bid in 38 years.

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Joshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • December 4, 2008