The McNeese game on September 15, 2007 was the last straw for me. In my time as a student at UL, from 2001-2006 I never ever missed a single home game. Rain or shine, I was there. I even quit my job because they wouldn't let me off so that I could go to the game vs North Texas back in 2004 that was broadcasted on ESPN2...ofcourse that was a lost. I loved UL football. Almost everyday I wore red, I proudly displayed my flag out of the window of my car. I had UL jerseys, license plates, decals, everything.
That all came to a screeching halt at that McNeese game. I drove from Huntsville, Texas to Lafayette just for that game. A trip of about 4 hours or 250 miles. At the time gas was about $3 a gallon, so I spent $75 on gas alone that weekend. $75 is alot of money when I was only making about $1000 a month. But, it was worth it because I loved my Cajuns.
What I saw on September 15, 2007 just made me sick to my stomach. Seeing the lack of effort in getting blown out by McNeese was deplorable. Having grown up in Lake Charles, this game meant a lot to me because I always had it in my mind that McNeese had nothing on UL academically and in athletics. Boy, was my world turned upside down. I had to drive back to Lake Charles that night and hear about it in the news and read about it in the paper. That's when I realized why Cajun football gets no respect from the rest of Louisiana.
That being said, there comes a time when enough is enough. When you've spent as much money and time as you're going to spend supporting a football program that always seems ready to turn the corner, but somehow gets stuck in the intersection. I love UL, I'm proud of my alma mater, but the football program leaves much to be desired.