Cajuns Football: A Slow Climb

[Turbine]

This would apply even if a coaching change had been made.

Next year UL plays 6 bowl teams (mentioned by Walker) and 6 non bowl teams.

Since UL is bowl eligible it fits squarely in the middle of next years caliber of opponents, UL should go 6-6 minimum.

[CajunRed]

_ This would apply even if a coaching change had been made.

Next year UL plays 6 bowl teams (mentioned by Walker) and 6 non bowl teams.

Since UL is bowl eligible it fits squarely in the middle of next years caliber of opponents, UL should go 6-6 minimum. _

So if we had changed coaches and he did not win 7 games, he should be fired.

[zephyr]

_ Everyone needs to stop looking at just the record. We lay eggs with Bustle and his staff. We start out 1-0 against Southern. We beat K-State to go 2-0. Big time win. A couple bounces go our way and we are in the game against LSU but that doesn't happen. 2-1. We get stomped by Nebraska. Although we weren't expected to win, a little disheartening. 2-2 going into conference. Better than the 1-3 record expected. We start out 2-0 in conference over NT and WKU going into homecoming against a 1 win FAU. We get our @$$es handed to us. Ok, we are 2-1 in conference and 4-3 overall. And the skid of horrible 2nd half play has begun. We lose to another 1 win team in FIU. 4-4. We then go to stAte and knock them off which we weren't supposed to do. 5-4. Go to MT and lead at half only to make no adjustments and mark down the L. 5-5. We beat ULM as we should and get beat by Troy to finish 6-6.

We won 2 games that we were not expected to win. Big seasons for programs like us consist of ALWAYS winning the games you should and then some. Beating K-State and stAte means nothing when we lose to other bottomfeeders like FIU and FAU. With those 2 wins, our 6-6 expectations were immediately escalated to 8-4 expectations. Bustle and his staff did not meet expectations and therefore are not doing their job. _

If you want inconsistency, here's another little thing I thought of. Go back to the 2005 and 2006 seasons. This is what we thought would be the turning point of our program. 2005 we start off badly and If I remember correctly, we go 1-5 out of the gate. We then hit stride and win the next 5 games tying for the league title. Then, in 2006, we start out pretty well at 4-2. If you add those 5 games in 2005 and the 6 in 2006, we have a span where we go 9-2 which has to be the best 11 game stretch of any coach we've had. The problem, that stretch was not in the same season. However, play during this period was very solid. However, the bookends of that run are not as pretty. That stretch is surrounded by a 3-9 record and many of those losses came in the 2006 conference season. While those two seasons were fairly identical with a combined record of 12-11, you can see there was a lot of inconsistency mixed in. I thought that was calling card for Bustle's tenure here.

[zephyr]

_ You did not address my question concerning years like next year... which will include "3" very strong BCS programs. Will you expect us to win 7 of our last 9 games? And will that be expected of any future coaches we have? _

I will say this. Even with next year's challenging schedule, I think that expectations of 7 wins is not too much to ask. I believe a win over Ohio is highly possible and 6 wins in conference is certainly not too much to ask for a team that will return the most starters of anyone in the league while other teams have had some severe losses of great players.

[GeauxCajuns]

_ So if we had changed coaches and he did not win 7 games, he should be fired. _

obviously not, no one expects a coach to come in-in year one and catch fire. hence three years to build a program(not 8 like some believe in south La) if we could have gotten a new coach and gone 6-6 i think it would make a tremendous statement towards that new coach. no one got on bustle for having an awful season his first year, everyone said give him time, same with a new coach, if he comes in and does the same thing (6-6)in his first year as bustle would in his last, we are 1 year ahead of where we would be if bustle goes 6-6 and gets canned.

[CajunRed]

_ If you want inconsistency, here's another little thing I thought of. Go back to the 2005 and 2006 seasons. This is what we thought would be the turning point of our program. 2005 we start off badly and If I remember correctly, we go 1-5 out of the gate. We then hit stride and win the next 5 games tying for the league title. Then, in 2006, we start out pretty well at 4-2. If you add those 5 games in 2005 and the 6 in 2006, we have a span where we go 9-2 which has to be the best 11 game stretch of any coach we've had. The problem, that stretch was not in the same season. However, play during this period was very solid. However, the bookends of that run are not as pretty. That stretch is surrounded by a 3-9 record and many of those losses came in the 2006 conference season. While those two seasons were fairly identical with a combined record of 12-11, you can see there was a lot of inconsistency mixed in. I thought that was calling card for Bustle's tenure here. _

I'm not trying to simply be a Bustle defender, but I am trying to be realistic.

1) Who is the SunBelt (outside of Troy, which unfortunately plays and recruits in a difference world than the rest of the league) has not laid eggs in a game or two during each season?
2) Who in the SunBest has (outside of Troy) has won more games in the past 5 years than UL?

[Turbine]

_ So if we had changed coaches and he did not win 7 games, he should be fired. _

No and history says such. Bustle's record his first year was worse than Baldwin's last year.

[CajunRed]

_ No and history says such. Bustle's record his first year was worse than Baldwin's last year. _

But I thought you said 6 and 6 was not good enough? That means if we are going to change, it should be for an improvement... which begins at 7 and 5.

[GeauxCajuns]

_ But I thought you said 6 and 6 was not good enough? That means if we are going to change, it should be for an improvement... which begins at 7 and 5. _

so we should wait til bustle drives us to 3-9 and then start to rebuild with a new coach?
you're very intelligent

[CajunRed]

There are only "2" programs in the country with lower budgets to work with than ours. In our conference, there is only 1. In spite of that, only Troy has more wins than us in the past 5 years. In the state, only LSU has more during the same 5 years.

We continue to hand our program 2 to 3 losses before they get started each year, then demand the team wins the 7 or 8 of the remaind 9 or so games. Is that realistic?

[HOUCajun]

_ so we should wait til bustle drives us to 3-9 and then start to rebuild with a new coach?
you're very intelligent _

Do you know for a fact that will happen? Nothing that is happening now points to a 3-9 record.

[Turbine]

_ But I thought you said 6 and 6 was not good enough? That means if we are going to change, it should be for an improvement... which begins at 7 and 5. _

I didn't say it wasn't good enough for a new coach, I didn't say it wasn't good enough for Bustle. What I said was UL should go 6-6 minimum.

[CajunRed]

_ so we should wait til bustle drives us to 3-9 and then start to rebuild with a new coach?
you're very intelligent _

Sorry... smart ass... I didm't realize we had gone 3 and 9. I'll go check the record again.

[KACajun]

_ But I thought you said 6 and 6 was not good enough? That means if we are going to change, it should be for an improvement... which begins at 7 and 5. _

Are you my wife...because you sure sound like her!!!

[GeauxCajuns]

_ There are only "2" programs in the country with lower budgets to work with than ours. In our conference, there is only 1. In spite of that, only Troy has more wins than us in the past 5 years. In the state, only LSU has more during the same 5 years.

We continue to hand our program 2 to 3 losses before they get started each year, then demand the team wins the 7 or 8 of the remaind 9 or so games. Is that realistic? _

in a conference like the sunbelt, yes... maybe its me but i always strive to be better, not just say its good enough to be average