The Book: 2004 FOOTBALL

[CajunCharlie]

# 7 TAILGATING CAJUN STYLE!!!!!

[Cajun1997]

#8) Because "our" Ragin' Cajuns are playing.

[texascajun]

#9) Because Homecoming is a perfect time to rally around your team and help pick their spirits up.

[NewsCopy]

Two tough losses have Cajuns 'circling wagons'

LOUISIANA La. -- Two weeks ago, following back-to-back victories, Rickey Bustle and his University of Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns appeared primed to make a serious run at the Sun Belt Conference championship.

Today, talk at the ULL athletic complex isn't so much about championships as it is survival.

A 35-32 loss at New Mexico State on Oct. 9 and a shocking 38-25 loss to Idaho on Saturday have all but quashed ULL's title hopes and, now, the Cajuns (3-4) find themselves having to win three of their final four games just to clinch a winning season.

"The thing we've got to do now is we've kind of got to circle the wagons," Bustle said Monday at his weekly news conference. "Our conference championship hopes certainly are much dimmer.

"It's tough for anybody in any league to win a conference with two losses, but, mathematically, it can be done. We've got to win games to make that happen."

It certainly won't be easy.

Saturday, the Cajuns host Arkansas State, a team that defeated giant-killer Troy last weekend, 13-9. Then, following an open week on Oct. 30, the Cajuns host defending champion North Texas and Troy before ending the season at Louisiana-Monroe. The latter defeated Idaho 16-14 a week before the Cajuns fell to the Vandals.

"The good thing is that we're playing the teams who are ahead of us (in SBC standings)," said Bustle. "So anything can happen in this league and we'll keep our hopes up."

Bustle said he was disappointed in his team's performance in Idaho, a game the Cajuns were expected to win. After falling behind the Vandals, 21-0, the Cajuns rallied to within 24-19 heading into the final period.

But the Vandals, who rushed for 210 of their 250 ground yards in the second half, scored back-to-back touchdowns to go up 38-19 and spoil the Cajuns' hopes of a comeback.

The rest of the story

GLENN QUEBEDEAUX
The Advocate

[NewsCopy]

JONESBORO -- Safety Alex Peoples recovered a fumble he forced with 6:36 left to play as the Indians of Arkansas State held off the Trojans of Troy, 13-9, to keep conference title hopes alive. The win by ASU (2-5. 2-1) kept thoughts of a conference crown alive for another weekend.

The Indian defense forced three turnovers, including the key forced fumble by Peoples, while holding the Trojans to just 249 yards on the night. ASU head coach Steve Roberts attributes his teams success in part to physical play.

"I'm really proud of how physical we played tonight and how hard we played," said Roberts. "We had a lot of guys step up and play tremendous football for us. It was just a good old fashioned smash-mouth football game."

It was a game similar to one played in a different era. Both teams relied heavily on the running game and field position, and the second half went the way of the Indians.

The Indian defense held the Trojans (3-3, 1-2) to 95 yards of offense in the second half while switching around the field position. ASU averaged starting from its own 43 while Troy's average start was its own 25. Field position led to ASU's two second half field goals by kicker Eric Neihouse, the difference in the game.

"We made the plays we needed to make at critical times in order to win," said Roberts. "I thought there were several big things that occurred in the ball game. One, Eric Neihouse put through two key field goals for us and gave us the four-point lead which I thought was huge."

The rest of the story

[NewsCopy]

LOUISIANA La. — Rickey Bustle can tell you in July what his Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns are supposed to be doing on a Tuesday in November.

He prides himself on organization and planning, so last weekend’s re-structured, delayed, lengthy trip to Idaho was full of stress.

Each stage brought added challenges to keeping the Cajuns focused on their Sun Belt Conference game with the Vandals, but Bustle tried to be like the man in the commercial who says, “never let them see you sweat.”

“I think the biggest thing for me was, don’t overreact,” Bustle said. “I told the coaches that we just have to roll with the flow.

“It was a tough trip, and things did not go like we had planned. We had kids who didn’t get the word that we would be delayed, waiting for the bus at 6:30 (a.m.) to go to the airport. Then they were told 8:15, then 9:15.”

The Cajuns didn’t take off from Lafayette until 10:45 a.m. last Friday. They re-fueled in Denver, landed in Spokane, Wash., and bused 2 1/2 hours to Moscow, Idaho, for a walk-through at the Kibbie Dome.

They finally arrived at the Red Lion Hotel in Lewiston, Idaho, at 8:30 p.m., 10:30 by their body clocks.

“I could not overreact, because that’s the way I want the coaches and the players to be,” Bustle said. “And I told the young guys that I thought they handled this thing well. They rolled with it pretty well. It was just a wearing day. We were supposed to practice at 2 p.m. and didn’t get to until 6:30, quarter to 7.

“But, I do believe that whatever time it’s at, you’ve still got to go play, and we didn’t do that.”

The rest of the story

Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

LOUISIANA La. — Of all the weeks in the fall semester, this one is the hottest on Louisiana’s campus. Not because of the atypical October heat, but because it’s homecoming week.

All week, fans will be humming, “Fight on Cajuns. Fight on to victory...”

The countdown to Saturday’s homecoming game against Arkansas State kicked off Monday at the Alumni Center with a pep rally attracting hundreds of students and fans.

“The whole week is about school spirit,” said Claire Pettit, a mathematics sophomore. Pettit is also the Union Program Council committee chair heading up homecoming festivities.

The Ragin’ Cajuns take on Arkansas State at 4 p.m. Saturday.

The team is 3-4, but hasn’t lost a game at home. Fans hope they’ll come back from back-to-back losses to defeat the Indians at homecoming.

The rest of the story

Marsha Sills
msills@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

LOUISIANA La. - Each week Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football coaching staff honors its outstanding players from the previous week’s game by designating the Hooters/Credeur's Players of the Week.

The Hooters/Credeur’s Special Forces Player of the Game Award went to punt returner Jerrell Carter. Filling in for an injured Ricky Thomas, Carter returned two punts for 53 yards and also had two kickoff returns for a combined 69 yards.

Carter had the Cajuns longest punt return of the year, returning the first Idaho punt of the second half for 44 yards, and helped set the Cajuns up with great field possession throughout the game.

There were no offensive or defensive players of the game.

The offensive and defensive scout team players of the week were Alexis Washington and Bo Wofford, respectively.

Jarrell Carter received the Kahuna Award for the biggest hit on special teams, after he nailed Idaho punt returner Jimmy Labita – forcing him out of the game - during the Cajuns first punt.

The Thumper Award, for biggest hit on offense, went to wide receiver B.J. Crist. There was no Hammer Award for biggest hit on defense.

The Louisiana coaching staff would like to thank Hooters and Credeur’s for sponsoring the Cajuns weekly and spring football awards

LOUISIANA SI

[El Sidonio]

Some teams of interest. Do y'all agree?

17. LSU 4-2
68. Louisiana Tech 3-3
92. New Mexico State 2-4
95. North Texas 2-4
100. Arkansas State 2-5
101. Tulane 1-4
102. Troy 3-3
105. UL Monroe 3-3
110. Idaho 2-5
111. UL 3-4

Only one I don't really agree with is LA. Tech, the others I can live with.

God Bless.

[CajunKate]

The UL standing on this poll makes my stomach hurt. I know we are rebuilding, but it is still difficult to see teams like Idaho and UL-Monroe ahead of us. Seems like that light at the end of the tunnel may turn out to be the locomotive this year. Doesn't matter to me, though. I'll still be in the stands cheering my heart out. It'll be that much sweeter when we finally have a great season again.

[KimoSC]

They get that from the College Football News - their analysis is suspect at best.

[o.c.dan-g]

#10 Because it's fun and I'll be there with my crew.