FB Final: Louisiana 51 Southeastern LA 48

[zephyr]

I remain positive because I know that a lot of progress can happen between the first live contact and the second, and I liked some of the individual play. Now, hang on to your seats because I might be in the MAT camp.

This got real simple for me while I squirmed in my otherwise comfy chair-and-a-half watching this one. It has been nearly four decades since UL was in the SLC, Gulf South, or whatever. In fact, we allegedly compete in an entirely different league, have significantly better resources, and a million-dollar coach. At this point, I think it is reasonable that I should be able to relax when we play a team from the SLC. Instead, I have to sweat a 2 PAT for the win.

Reminding myself that UL did win the game (because it doesn't feel like it), I submit this:

You cannot lose to the FCS schools of our four-decades-ago past AND make a million dollars. That does not compute. I require more return on my investment. That's my benchmark. I accept that there will be good years and bad; but through it all, what almost happened tonight simply cannot happen.

I don't think that's the MAT camp. I think that's pretty much every cajun fans camp, especially those who have donated significant dollars over the recent years to help fill the requests of the coach to all chip in for the greater good.

[whataburger]

This may have been covered in another post, and it doesn't really make me feel any better, but at least we're not UNLV today.

[ULvictory]

It's all about the return on investment. That doesn't include going to the wire with a middle-of-a-pack FCS Southland school.

[Cajun Soldier]

Yes, I respect a Sunbelt team who competed with a P5 squad yesterday more than The Cajuns today. Next week those teams will get their cupcake game and be playing their backups in third quarter, as they should be.

Next TWO weeks Cajuns will be completely out classed same as we have seen last four years when Cajuns play a P5 team (and 90% of out of conference G5 games).

A loss is a loss no matter how you spin it we are 1-0 all those so call respectable losses are 0-1. We will be beaten by P5 schools and no matter if we lose by 1 or fifty it will be a loss there are no moral victory points in the W-L columns.

[Cajun Soldier]

Sorry. That just isn't true. We can postpone judgement of our team until the cows come home. But to eek out a win over an FCS program... at home... isn't more impressive than holding your own against a P5. It isn't even close.

I hope our players and coaches aren't content with that W and think they're going to play like that against Tulsa and aTm... and not bring loads of shame to themselves, their families, the fans and our school. The offense was excellent against SLU. The defense sucked a vacuum that would drain an ocean. Special Teams coverage was "Horrible Teams" coverage.

Who knows what will happen from here on out... but that defense was TERRIBLE. And I think our coaches need to own that. If they don't, and we are that untalented, we're going to get burned 1000 times this season. I watched to see if SLU was holding and playing dirty. They were not. Our defense and special teams over pursued and played right in to some vastly more ntelligent schemes put on us by SLU's coaching staff. Thank goodness we've, once again, got some great skill players to bale Hud's coaching staff out. They barely did it. But they did it.

so you would give credit to a winless team and hammer an undefeated team. People are so critical on here. Those young men played their butts off and found a way to win. No excuses here but look at the lack of experience we had on the field and they pulled it together, got the big stop when we needed it. I respect that more than losing to A&M on last second field goal if that were to happen because at the end of the year Hud's job wont be saved on moral victories.

[CharlieK]

Move over Eminem!

The rope, it has begun to reek?

[IberiaCajun]

Not all is bleak, areas where weak can be tweaked, I know they haven't peaked.

Where they are leaking will require more than a week to tweek (don't know about tweak). Hope you've seen the peak of their leaks!

[ManAboutTown]

BTW: I broke down and bought an Amazon Fire streaming media thingy, mainly for espn3, and movies. I'm in the process of watching the replay of the game, as painful as that is, but have to say production-wise it is pretty good: extremely clear and sharp pic, fairly good commentary, calling us by our correct name, etc. They also dud a good pre-game clip showing the BBQ TG's, Cajun dancing, great shots of the Tigue and Cajun walk. And at least for now when they show close ups of us after scores, etc., it is in the middle of the red zone.....when it was packed. Kind of putting us in the best light possible.
Was wondering if anyone else watched it via espn3.......
Oh, and I'm watching Calais' second ko return, the one for the 100 yards.

I thought the broadcast was outstanding. Probably the best I've ever seen at Cajun Field.

[zephyr]

so you would give credit to a winless team and hammer an undefeated team. People are so critical on here. Those young men played their butts off and found a way to win. No excuses here but look at the lack of experience we had on the field and they pulled it together, got the big stop when we needed it. I respect that more than losing to A&M on last second field goal if that were to happen because at the end of the year Hud's job wont be saved on moral victories.

The critical nature of this site is due to the notion that this game looks like it will serve as a harbinger of what to expect the rest of the season.

[CajunEXPRESS]

A loss is a loss no matter how you spin it we are 1-0 all those so call respectable losses are 0-1. We will be beaten by P5 schools and no matter if we lose by 1 or fifty it will be a loss there are no moral victory points in the W-L columns.

Nick Saban might differ on moral victories. He's a process guy, and if your technique is better the winning will follow. What happened last night was we were outplayed, out techniques, and won. I can and do guarantee you stAte feels and knows they're a pretty solid team. We on the other hand know and feel totally different.

Unlike stock picking expertise where past performance is no guarantee of future results. In football how you played your last game is a much better indication of the future than the actual results. In the end stAte with it's pretty loss is viewed as a better bet than us based on only knowledge of this one game.

[zephyr]

A loss is a loss no matter how you spin it we are 1-0 all those so call respectable losses are 0-1. We will be beaten by P5 schools and no matter if we lose by 1 or fifty it will be a loss there are no moral victory points in the W-L columns.

You are correct about the loss being a loss but every game win or lose tells you something about your team. There may be no moral victories but losing by 1 to a comparable opponent tells me we were in the game, competed and next time could be different. Losing by 50 tells me we suck and the other team is sitting on their sideline laughing at our coaches sweet muscles bulging out of his high school polo.

[Just1More]

so you would give credit to a winless team and hammer an undefeated team. People are so critical on here. Those young men played their butts off and found a way to win. No excuses here but look at the lack of experience we had on the field and they pulled it together, got the big stop when we needed it. I respect that more than losing to A&M on last second field goal if that were to happen because at the end of the year Hud's job wont be saved on moral victories.

Yes. There are times where I am going to give more credit to a losing effort over a win. If we lose to Ole Miss by not converting a 2 point conversion in the final seconds of the game... you are highly likely going to hear me praise the overall effort. Not to disrespect SLU... but I was at the game... and our defense was horrible. I give credit to our offense and kick return team. The overall performance was not great. And as Zephyr stated... we have only that performance to foreshadow the rest of our season.

Even perennial losers "give it their all". But we don't pay their leader $1 million a year. I expect better than a close win over an FCS team at home. It's disturbing.