The Book: 2004 FOOTBALL

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Troy November 13 (Swamp)

1-2 Punch: The old saying that if the right hand doesn't get you, the left hand will, well, great cliche. However, would it'd be a bit more on point to say that if the right hand and the left hand work together in symphonic harmony, they can destroy you? Perhaps, maybe just more food for thought, but the 1-2, right/left hand combination that is cat quick defensive end Demarcus Ware and big play free safety Derrick Ansley makes the Troy State defense a force in their first year in the Sun Belt.

Ware's ability to make plays in the opponent's backfield has made him a prime focus for foes. He has registered 35.5 tackles for loss and 15 sacks over the last two years as a starter, which he has done against the likes of Nebraska, Virginia, Marshall and Arkansas. Definitely not your Weak Sisters of the Poor. He's a jet rush end, only topping the scales at 230, beating tackles with pure speed. His ability to get off the ball and into the backfield forces opponents to 'chip' on him, using a back to 'assist' a tackle in pass protection, or flat out double him with a tight end. Considering the pressure that Ware can put on the QB, it makes Ansley's job at free safety much, much easier. However, as good as Ware is off the corner, Ansley doesn't need anyone's coattails to ride; he's in his own class.

Although he looks like a spindly, rail-thin corner, Ansley is a hard hitter who led the Trojans in tackles in 2003 with 94. But, run support ability aside, it's his ability to defend the pass that makes him worth his weight in gold (okay, so he is a buck seventy five if he's lucky, but he's still valuable beyond belief). The Trojans' star free safety registered nine interceptions, which would have tied for the conference lead with Johnathan Burke of Arkansas State if the Trojans had been in the conference in 2003. But, the real impact will be felt when the two of them work in concert with one another.

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[CajunKahouna]

Really, really great!

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New Mexico State October 9th (New Mexico)

Aggies Head coach: Tony Samuel 8th year: 29-51 Returning O Lettermen: 21 Returning D Lettermen: 27 Returning ST Lettermen: 2 Lettermen Lost: 20 Ten Best Players 1. OG Steve Subia, Sr. 2. LB Richard Glover, Sr. 3. LB Jimmy Cottrell, Jr. 4. DE Aubrey Dorisme, Sr. 5. QB Buck Pierce, Sr. 6. RB Tony Joseph, Soph. 7. QB Paul Dombrowski, Jr. 8. DE Chris Sneed, Soph. 9. DE Greg Scaffidi, Sr. 10. FS Matt Griebel, Jr. 2004 Schedule 9/4 at Arkansas 9/11 at California 9/18 Troy 9/25 New Mexico 10/2 at UTEP 10/9 Louisiana 10/23 at North Texas 10/30 Fla Intl 11/6 MTSU 11/13 at Fla Atlantic 11/20 at Utah State

How much torture can one program take? Seemingly always a play or two here or there from being Sun Belt champions over the first few years in the league, New Mexico State went into 2003 with the team that had the talent and experience to finally pull it off. There was one major problem; no team in college football came through less clutch in close games. There was the 13-10 season finale loss to North Texas with the Mean Green winning on late field goal set up by a 73-yard drive. There was the 28-24 loss to Arkansas State with the Indians scoring the game-winning touchdown with just over three minutes to go, and the Aggies seeing their final drive stall on the ASU 13-yard line. There was the late interception that led to a game-winning field goal for UL Lafayette in a 26-24 come-from-behind win. And, of course, there was the letdown of all letdowns against Idaho as the Vandals scored 35 second half points overcoming a 31-7 deficit to win with 14 seconds to play. Reverse those four games and the Aggies finish 7-5 and fired up for a huge 2004. On the plus side, the defense should be better now with ten returning starters. That experience alone will count for something in close games. So it will be up to the offense, with only three returning starters, to not turn the ball over at the worst times, and to put points on the board after amassing all the yards it does. This is a Sun Belt title-caliber team, it just has to find a way to finally close the deal. The Schedule: This could be interesting as the Aggies catch a rebuilding Arkansas team right off the bat. Troy State and MTSU come to Las Cruses, but the road visit to North Texas will be the big one. Closing out with two pesky road games at Florida Atlantic and Utah State might ruin a winning season.

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Thanks to the timely thinking of Glen Raggio and a little typing, we are able to offer a calendar download for the University of Louisiana 2004 Football season. The file is in csv format, and ready for calendar import. Right click on download button then Save Target As

Football Schedule for your PDA

[gorcajun]

It import without any problems into MS Outlook and my wife has also Hot-Sync with her palm pilot. Thanks a lot, Turbine

[ULexcite]

I downloaded the football schedule into my iPAQ 5450 and it works great. I look forward to being notified automatically. Thanks to all involved, I hope you do the same for baseball and tennis.

[Doyle]

Cajuns win by the score of 31-17. Defense is huge in stopping NSU's 2A high school-type offense. We will look a little sluggish in the get go, but after a half of looking horrible against the purple ladies, we will get it together and start our season off right...........winners, its time for a change. Also, look out La Tech this year is not the year of the bull dog.............. see you cajun fans at the "bourbon bowl". later "Twomp-five"

[Doyle]

NSU is never good. They take all 45 guys that go to that "dry county" of a town and tell them that if they play football the school will buy there books and pay half of their tuition which calculates to about $75 after you carry the 1. We have bigger, better athletes on our volleyball team. I feel confident that we win by approx. 3 touchdowns, and feel great heading into our game at Ruston college. The bus trip will be one to remember, "if possible", but I will definitely not forget the WIN!!!!!!! "twomp-five"

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UL Monroe Nov. 20 (at Monroe)

You need a bit of bad luck to be 1-11 bad, and UL Monroe had more than its share. Granted, the team brought on it's own problems not being able to come through with any big plays in crunch time, but to lose six games by a touchdown or less is just plain unfair. A fortunate bounce one way or the other or a big play or two late, and the Indians could have 8-4.

That might be oversimplifying things since any team that loses to two D-IAA teams is going to have major issues, but that doesn't mean the Indians can't turn things around quickly. After all, this is the Sun Belt and not the SEC they're trying to improve in.

There needs to be far more consistency from the lines and the secondary has to learn how to stop someone from throwing the ball. There are as many good playmakers to work around as any Sun Belt team outside of North Texas, so it will be up to many of the young and inexperienced prospects to shine right away. The faster that happens, the fast ULM can become a relevant team in the league race.

The Schedule: Four road games among the first five might seem daunting, but at Wyoming and at Idaho aren't killers. There's no reason for ULM not to go at least 4-1 at home, while missing New Mexico State will be a big help in conference play. It's nice to get rival UL Lafayette at home to close out.

Best Offensive Player: Sophomore RB Kevin Payne. One of the Sun Belt's best all-around backs, Payne put up 1,462 total yards as ULM's workhorse. He'll have help carrying the offensive load, but he needs to once again be a big performer for the offense to improve.

Best Defensive Player: Senior LB John Winchester. The NFL scouts will be checking out the 6-3, 240-pound tackling machine as he has great range and a good nose for the football. He'll have to be the star of the front seven with long-time defensive star Maurice Sonnier gone.

Key player to a successful season: The secondary seemed to try and give up big plays last year. It gave up a below average 232 yards per game through the air, bit was 114th in the nation in pass efficiency defense. The safeties should be strong, so Mikkal Henry and Cash Mouton have to be much tighter on the corners for there to be much improvement.

The season will be a success if ... ULM wins six games. If just a few of last year's close losses turn into wins, this shouldn't be a problem. This is Charlie Weatherbie's second season as the head coach, so now is where the improvement has to begin.

Key game: Nov. 20th vs. UL Lafayette. As the saying goes, if you're going to win one game, make sure it's against your arch-rival. ULM has been able to do that the last two years and made the saying true with its one victory last year coming against UL Lafayette. The Indians want to close out the season on a high note and if all goes well, this could be the win needed for a winning

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Louisiana Tech, September 11 (Ruston)

Bulldogs Head coach: Jack Bicknell III 6th year: 27-32 Returning O Lettermen: 22 Returning D Lettermen: 32 Returning ST Lettermen: 0 Lettermen Lost: 19 Ten Best Players 1. RB Ryan Moats, Jr. 2. OG Aaron Lips, Jr. 3. OT Adrian Gonzalez, Sr. 4. LB Byron Santiago, Sr. 5. CB Corey Brazil, Sr. 6. NT Chris Van Hoy, Sr. 7. TE Aaron Capps, Sr. 8. WR Tramissian Davis, Sr. 9. SS Michael Johnson, Sr. 10. OT Lester Brown, Sr. 2004 Schedule 9/6 Nevada 9/11 UL Lafayette 9/18 at Miami 9/25 at Tennessee 10/2 Fresno State 10/9 at Auburn 10/16 at SMU 10/23 UTEP 11/6 at Hawaii 11/13 Tulsa 11/20 at Boise State 11/27 at Rice

Louisiana Tech seems to be one of those programs that just can't put it all together lately. The defense came up with a great performance against Fresno State, but the offense didn't show up in a 16.6 loss. The offense exploded on Hawaii and Nevada, but the defense didn't show up. Things are starting to change around Louisiana Tech and if there isn't a ton of improvement this year, there will be even bigger changes. Head coach Jack Bicknell has created a solid program that won the WAC a few years ago, but now things have slipped. The conference has gotten a little bit better and the offense hasn't been as potent as it used to be. The defense was the worst in America allowing more than 505 yards per game. The potential is there for a huge turnaround as the offense should be able to run the ball with ease with Ryan Moats working behind one of the WAC's best lines. The defense can't be any worse, and it will be more aggressive in the new 3-4 style. There are still major holes to be filled (quarterback, proven receiver and pass rush), but enough pieces are in place to demand a winning season. Anything less could mean a very different look next year at this time. The Schedule: Two words: cha-ching. Louisiana Tech likes the big payday that comes from playing the big name teams, and they'd love nothing more than a Michigan State-like road win over Tennessee, Auburn and/or Miami. The end is a killer with three tough road games and Tulsa in the final four contests. Best Offensive Player: Junior RB Ryan Moats. One of the most productive players in the WAC, Moats ran for 1,300 yards while also showing great hands in the passing game. There's no reason to think he can't have another All-WAC season with all five starters returning to the line.

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