Cure Bowl Final: Louisiana 24, Tulane 41

[angeleast]

Very disappointed with the loss, but not totally surprised. The look on those kids faces after the loss at App State 2 weeks ago really worried me.....from the standpoint of perhaps they had left it all on the field......they wanted that game and could have won it without mistakes. Anyway, probably tough to get up after that loss.



And yes, everyone step away from the ledge. Most of us figured we'd be lucky to get to 5 wins this season. Looking back, we should have gotten to 8 with the Coastal game.

Let's sign one of the top classes in the country next week and move on.

Thanks Coach Napier for a thrilling season and I look forward to the future.

Great post

[Turbine]

The Leopards lost today, not the Cajuns.

[angeleast]

How would you know what "our plan" was today?? Are you psychic, or did Coach Napier discuss his "plan" with you before the game??? I have watched then USL since the 1950s, played in high school and college as a First Team All-Stater, coached at small schools where losing was commonplace and then onto outstanding teams where my teams went unbeaten for three years. My two daughters were outstanding athletes in multiple sports and were great winners but gracious in defeat, as I taught them. Sports is not "all about competing and winning" as you stated. It is about doing your very best at all times in BOTH victory and defeat. All of my teams were prepared to win, but most of all, were going to give their all for the whole game and let the scoreboard take care of itself. If that was always done, then they were winners whether they were ahead or behind. You say that "losing is not an option in life or sports" but that is not true. I have buried friends and relatives that could not overcome illness and disease, but to the bitter end fought the good fight like true Warriors of God. They may have lost their lives, but not without battling the insidious, unbeatable foe within themselves to their human limits. Your temper tantrum over losing a ball game is unfortunate, but these players did not go on that field expecting to play as poorly as it turned out. Not being able to be your best in every contest happens in sports and in life. I would expect you to realize this before members of your family and you traverse the roads of life. NOBODY wins ALL OF THE TIME, so you had better learn how to cope with adversity or be a sad sack with a bad attitude each and every time a decision goes against you on the court, in the gym or, more importantly, in the game of life.

Well said coach.. and I know for a fact that you were a real COACH..

[82Cajun]

Look, at the end of the day, I LOVE OUR CAJUNS and we want the best and want to succeed and move on to the next best conference which is not the Fun Belt.

You asked about my plan:
We need to do what Coach Rebowe is doing at Nicholls and focus on what the SEC and Clemson is doing.
Recruit within our area the best talent (150 miles) this will help with attendance in our stadium
Starting with the Quarterback at St. Thomas More he is a Junior.
But we have to be sure we are evaluating talent and not miss out on the 2 stars
We need 3, 4, & 5 star talent.
Identify the local football players and ensure that their parents want their sons to play at Louisiana so they can watch them play. This will also put people in the stands.
We need to start scheduling more of the Alabama and MS State type schools in Power 5 conferences that will put us on TV.
We need more TV time, but in the Sun Belt this will not provide this competitive advantage
Players want to be on TV so the NFL scouts can see them during football games.
We need to utilize our NFL and past NFL alumni more on the sidelines so the athletes can relate and talk to them.
We need to become a brand of coaching our players up to the NFL and use Louisiana as a marketing tool to attract more high level football players to come to Louisiana
Utilize traveling camps within the state of Louisiana to create more branding of the Louisiana Ragin Cajun brand including Northwest and Northeast LA.
Identify who the best talent in the state and use our alumni base to increase awareness and pressure for them to attend Louisiana.
At the end of the day, we desperately need to get out of the Sun Belt Conference.
If the BCS goes to a 8 team playoff, we will end up like UCF and on the outs.
I have more of the plan but not enough room to write.
Please do not question my love of my Cajuns, i am just frustated that we had a chance today to showcase who we are and it fell miserably short.
I think Coach Napier is the coach we need but his last two game have been questionable.
GEAUX CAJUNS, I LOVE YOU>

[Big Buds]

How much does this really hurt a solid recruiting staff?

It's not like the victory in '13 vs. Tulane opened a pipeline in NOLA or something.

[DieHard1280]

Very disappointed with the loss, but not totally surprised. The look on those kids faces after the loss at App State 2 weeks ago really worried me.....from the standpoint of perhaps they had left it all on the field......they wanted that game and could have won it without mistakes. Anyway, probably tough to get up after that loss.

And yes, everyone step away from the ledge. Most of us figured we'd be lucky to get to 5 wins this season. Looking back, we should have gotten to 8 with the Coastal game.

Let's sign one of the top classes in the country next week and move on.

Thanks Coach Napier for a thrilling season and I look forward to the future.

If they stick after the poop fire today. cULture took a pretty big in-state hit today.

[Turbine]

The Louisiana victory over Tulane in 2013, coupled with the results of today, make the next matchup a very interesting encounter.

[Cajunfanatico]

So we fell short. So what 82Cajun? Did you think we'd play 14 games this year? I didn't. Most here didn't as well.

Napier took a wrecked locker room, a team that had quit on last year's staff, held them together, taught them to play for one another, not themselves, and won more games than most of us though possible.

Do I expect more next year? Of course I do, even though we still don't know how good we'll be a that ALL IMPORTANT qb slot.

We could have been looking at a 2 or 3 win season if Maggard had made a terrible mistake and made the wrong hire. He didn't. This staff is going to sign a great class this year, followed by another a year from now, and we're going to kick some ___.

Today's loss will soon be a distant memory.

[BrockMeaux]

How much does this really hurt a solid recruiting staff?

It's not like the victory in '13 vs. Tulane opened a pipeline in NOLA or something.

Fans overestimate the impact - one way or another - of one game on an athlete deciding where they're going for the next 3-5 years of their lives. I don't think this game will have much negative impact at all on our staff or class.

At least in my opinion.

[Cajunfanatico]

The Louisiana victory over Tulane in 2013, coupled with the results of today, make the next matchup a very interesting encounter.

Tulane is in YEAR THREE of a rebuild. Keep that in mind when looking at today's results. Had McMillan not signed with them just before the season started, we may have had a different opponent in the Cure Bowl because they may not have made it. McMillan was the difference.

[Big Buds]

82Cajun,

We have something like 15-17 3 stars committed right now. This is a first in program history and if all sign will likely go down as the best Louisiana class in program history.

I believe the sTm QB has an offer.

Recruiting kids in a 150 mile radius in efforts to boost attendance is asinine.

The BCS went away like 5 years ago.

[Gueydanmike1969]

Well said coach.. and I know for a fac t that you were a real COACH..

Thanks Angeleast. You were a pleasure to coach and are now undoubtedly a winner in the game of life!