The Book: 2004 FOOTBALL

[Turbine]

coach Gibson in action

[bigearl]

sweet, I hope that happens!

[Zeebart21]

From what I understand, it looks good for at least some of these guys to get that year back..

Z.

[DestinCajun]

Originally posted by bigearl
I thought Smith was a junior??????

Smith is a senior. He played his freshman year in 2000 after he signed with us over the LaTexsters.

[KingTiger]

Well Cajun fans, football season is upon us! I wanted to drop in to wish you guys luck and hope you have a safe, prosperous & HEALTHY football season. I am hoping to be there for a few of the games this season. I WILL be there for the UNT game. Hope it is cold as an iceberg. (I'm a fall/winter kind or person. However, I pay dearly when the weather changes. Old battle wounds........!!) Anyways, best of luck to the Cajuns! Peace!

[Crawfish]

Thanks King. Will be happy to meet you at the delphi tailgating tent. We have been known to provide food and drink to hungry travelers.

[NewsCopy]

NCAA Football Preview - Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns

2003 SEASON IN REVIEW: UL had been the doormat of the Sun Belt Conference since its existence, but that began to change last season. The club finished the 2003 season in a tie for second place in the Sun Belt with a respectable 4-3 mark. The Ragin' Cajuns went just 4-8 overall last season, but the four wins was their most since the 1996 season. The Cajuns were actually in the midst of a horrendous season, losing their first seven games, before a funny thing started to happen; the team started winning. For a program that has been just terrible over the years, it shockingly won four of its last five games, including a thrilling 57-51 four-overtime victory over Middle Tennessee State. While most teams would have packed it in after seven consecutive losses to start the year, the Cajuns didn't and they will now look to carry their momentum over from last year's late surge.

2004 ANALYSIS:

OFFENSE: Last season, UL-Lafayette used an air attack to generate most of its offense and this year should be the same with the return of play caller Jerry Babb. The sophomore with a big arm really came on for the Cajuns toward the end of the season, accounting for 10 touchdowns over the team's final five contests. Babb finished the 2003 season throwing for 1,502 yards and six touchdowns, while rushing for 232 yards and five scores. Taking some of the pressure off Babb will be tailbacks Chester Johnson and Dwight Lindon. Johnson ran for 421 yards and five touchdowns last season, while Lindon scooted for 228 yards and three scores. Both tailbacks should see an increase in their production this season with the return of three starters on the offensive line. Highlighting the line is 6-7 tackle Brandon Cox, who started 12 games as a true freshman in 2003. He will be accompanied by two of the team's more experienced players in center Ronnie Harvey and guard Bryan Lloyd. As for the wide receiver corps, the Cajuns lost their top threat in Fred Stamps, but they still have plenty of other capable bodies to fill in. Bill Sampy is a star in the making and will be counted on heavily this year after grabbing 39 balls for 486 yards and three scores last season. Kemmie Lewis will also make an impact in his first season with UL-Lafayette last year, pulling down 27 balls for 234 yards and a score.

DEFENSE: The Cajuns' defense was certainly their weak point last season, ranking 100th in total defense (439.0 ypg) and 102nd in scoring (34.6 ppg). UL-Lafayette will switch from a multiple eight-man front to a more conservative 4-3 alignment in 2004 which should help prevent big plays. Up front the team was decimated by graduation this past offseason with no starters returning. Euguene Kwarteng and Travis Bass have the most playing experience on the line, as they appeared in all 12 games last season. Stanley Smith in the only returning starting linebacker from last year and will be counted upon to lead a young LB corps. Stanley made 24 tackles in a injury riddled 2003 season, but has made several big plays over his career. He will be joined by freshman Mark Risher and junior Tyler Norman, both of whom have very limited experience if any. The secondary will surely be the strength of the Cajuns' defense this season with all four starters returning from a year ago. Corners Terryl Fenton and Jerrell Carter were solid for UL-Lafayette in 2003, combining for 63 tackles and seven passes broken up. They will be joined by strong safety C.C. Brown and free safety David Prater. Brown, a juco star, was the team's best defensive player last season, finishing with 67 tackles, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. Prater was no slouch either, as he came up with a team-best 68 stops in his first year as a starter.

The rest of the story

From The Sports Network

By Ralph Lauro, College Football Staff Writer

[Turbine]

Ross Rix and mom after Fall Scrimmage.

[Turbine]

Ross turning it upfield after a catch.

[NewsCopy]

Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns worked through their first scrimmage of the fall on Wednesday afternoon at Cajun Field. Head coach Rickey Bustle’s club saw 104 snaps, of which 20 were dedicated to special teams.

The outcome was pleasing to both sides, although both the offense and defense showed some inconsistencies. Mental errors, offside penalties, bad snaps, missed tackles and dropped passes littered the scrimmage nearly as frequently as good blocks, quick runs, sharp passes and hard hits.

“One of the best things that I saw today was that the players knew where to line up every play,” said Bustle. “The coaches didn’t have to do a lot of yelling to line guys up.

“Hopefully we can go back and look at the film and find something that everyone can get better at.”

Ten players participating in camp were held out of the scrimmage for precautionary reasons.

Quarterback Jerry Babb moved the first team (red) offense on the first series of the day, with the help of a long completion to Travis Smothers. Chester Johnson helped the white and red offenses pick-up first downs on the next two series.

Each of the Cajuns running backs enjoyed some success on the afternoon, making defenders miss while picking-up positive yards.

The rest of the story

[Turbine]

[RedBug58]

Ross was highly touted out of high school. He may now be coming into his own......