USM @ USA

[Policarp]

Id be shocked if USM doesn't do a smaller more targeted version of the Texas State roster overhaul......they need new experienced players AND a lot of them to have any chance to make a quick rebound. Focus on 3 positions in portal: OL, DL and then blow up your NIL credit card on a decent QB or two.

The biggest concern for Coach Hall and staff........Recruiting and development of skill positions from HS/JC in MS (plus 150-200 mile radius of Hattiesburg) shouldn't be an issue in building a quality 2 deep AND quickly.....but somehow it is a major concern.

[JamesTheJeweler]

But hey, USM has great home attendance.

At least their fans show up win or lose. You're saying that like it's a bad thing. We can't get what they got when we're winning.

[billbeck451]

Will Hall’s contract.

https://footballscoop.com/news/detai...-southern-miss

well the writing may be on the wall, the fans are turning against Hall and there are a few deep pocket donors that could step up to pay that exit fee

[moorecajun]

At least their fans show up win or lose. You're saying that like it's a bad thing. We can't get what they got when we're winning.

You bring up a very good point. Why do they show up and we don't?

My answer: they are FANS of their team. They go to the game to watch THEIR team play and they cheer them on, they are involved in the game because they want their team to win.

There are many, many posts on here about what to do to fix this. IMO, the answer is inside of each person, the passion for the CAJUNS needs to be there. The other stuff is fluff. So, how do you instiil in a UL student, a UL alumni, an Acadiana native, the passion of being a CAJUN?

If we can answer that we fix a lot of woes.

[RaginDave]

This is a great example of how close many G5 teams are away from being extremely relevant to completely irrelevant. What I mean by this, is we went from being a Top 20 team to a barely .500 team overnight in one season, granted it was a coaching loss and a number of players leaving after that coaching loss, but USM is a great example of this. They were everyone's expected darling of the SBC last year after turning around their previous poor seasons and finishing the season 7-6 with a win over Rice in the Lending Tree Bowl, one year later with very little turnover, they are 1-6 with awful losses across the board.

You can say the same about many teams in the MWC, CUSA, MAC and AAC as well. Tulane showed how they can go from a mediocre team to the darling of the national spotlight overnight.

The margin for error for a G5 team that is close to being relevant and a top 25 team is so slim, a few losses of players here or there and a 9-3 team can be 3-9 pretty quickly. I think App State is going through that right now as is Coastal Carolina as well as us. That is what makes the SBC so interesting, the middle of the pack to the top are only separated by a small margin and if something happens player wise that changes drastically.

I think the Cajuns have proven they are really close to being really good, but they are also a player or 3 away in the right position from having issues.

I could see UL winning all 6 of their remaining games or going 2-4, that is how close they are to being either a 10-2 or a 6-6 team. I still think if all things go well, ULM, Arkansas State and USM should be wins, Georgia State, Troy and USA are going to be all out wars.

But that being said, ULM, A-State and USM are all teams that have players that could challenge us if we do not play up to our potential.

[Winning]

But hey, USM has great home attendance.

USM has a losing record with a passionate fan base. Cajuns have a winning record with a commuter fan base. Hooray

[TheProphetSpeak]

This is a great example of how close many G5 teams are away from being extremely relevant to completely irrelevant. What I mean by this, is we went from being a Top 20 team to a barely .500 team overnight in one season, granted it was a coaching loss and a number of players leaving after that coaching loss, but USM is a great example of this. They were everyone's expected darling of the SBC last year after turning around their previous poor seasons and finishing the season 7-6 with a win over Rice in the Lending Tree Bowl, one year later with very little turnover, they are 1-6 with awful losses across the board.

You can say the same about many teams in the MWC, CUSA, MAC and AAC as well. Tulane showed how they can go from a mediocre team to the darling of the national spotlight overnight.

The margin for error for a G5 team that is close to being relevant and a top 25 team is so slim, a few losses of players here or there and a 9-3 team can be 3-9 pretty quickly. I think App State is going through that right now as is Coastal Carolina as well as us. That is what makes the SBC so interesting, the middle of the pack to the top are only separated by a small margin and if something happens player wise that changes drastically.

I think the Cajuns have proven they are really close to being really good, but they are also a player or 3 away in the right position from having issues.

I could see UL winning all 6 of their remaining games or going 2-4, that is how close they are to being either a 10-2 or a 6-6 team. I still think if all things go well, ULM, Arkansas State and USM should be wins, Georgia State, Troy and USA are going to be all out wars.

But that being said, ULM, A-State and USM are all teams that have players that could challenge us if we do not play up to our potential.

^^^

[facelessjonmoon]

But hey, USM has great home attendance.

It's better than ours has been the last few years .

[Jeaux]

USM has a losing record with a passionate fan base. Cajuns have a winning record with a commuter fan base. Hooray

Ok dude that's been a poster for 3 months and 17 post with nothing to contribute except negativity. Commuter school my azz

[Winning]

Ok dude that's been a poster for 3 months and 17 post with nothing to contribute except negativity. Commuter school my azz

From the advocate article…

“Since his arrival in Lafayette in 2017, Maggard’s heard all the reasons for low football attendance.

They range from LSU football being 50 miles away to UL being a commuter school to a lack of football tradition.

“It’s not that I don’t buy any of those things,” Maggard said. “We just don’t spend a lot of time worrying about things we can’t control.”

Truth hurts. Sorry pal.

[Turbine]

You bring up a very good point. Why do they show up and we don't?

My answer: they are FANS of their team. They go to the game to watch THEIR team play and they cheer them on, they are involved in the game because they want their team to win.

There are many, many posts on here about what to do to fix this. IMO, the answer is inside of each person, the passion for the CAJUNS needs to be there. The other stuff is fluff. So, how do you instiil in a UL student, a UL alumni, an Acadiana native, the passion of being a CAJUN?

If we can answer that we fix a lot of woes.

I've been recommending the Utah MUSS model since I first became aware of it 10 years ago.

Utah "MUSS" went from a nothing burger fan base to one of the best in the country in less than 20 years.

MUSS starts with freshman orientation and membership.

https://ulink.utah.edu/s/1077/20/sig...gid=1&pgid=941

[Jeaux]

From the advocate article…

“Since his arrival in Lafayette in 2017, Maggard’s heard all the reasons for low football attendance.

They range from LSU football being 50 miles away to UL being a commuter school to a lack of football tradition.

“It’s not that I don’t buy any of those things,” Maggard said. “We just don’t spend a lot of time worrying about things we can’t control.”

Truth hurts. Sorry pal.

If UL is a commuter then what is your LaTech? 3-5 in the worst D1 confrence with no hope of getting better. 5000 actual attendance with conference games just starting. Oh right, not a commuter school cause it in the middle of BFE and no one in their right mind wants to go. A trailer park school I guess

Yeh we have our issues here and there but we have more upside than any "commuter" school. We hold most of the NO bowl attendance records. 31,000 for the conference championship game here. Even the vaunted hillbillies at App State had only 18k when they hosted us for the last time in Boone. And we do this while having a 500 pound gorilla 50 miles to the east. We still fight on. We still have fun and we are the ones still 'Winnin". So ___ off trying to tell us who we are