The Book: 2004 FOOTBALL

[NewsCopy]

Despite a tough 1-2 start, the Ragin’ Cajuns were very upbeat leading into this week of practice. The team enjoyed terrific weather so far, although forecasts call for showers on Thursday, which could lead to the Cajuns first indoor practice of the season. Following the one-game home stand, the Cajuns will return to the road for three straight road games.

Tim Rebowe on ... The week...

"We had a great week. We put K-State behind us and came out ready to work on Monday. The weather was overcast and it was cool [on Wednesday]. I like what we were able to do this week."

Conference play...

"The players realize it's the Sun Belt opener for both teams and what is at stake. Being 1-0 in the SBC is important for us. Starting the conference with a win would be nice considered we have a difficult three-game road swing ahead of us. But if you lose, it's not the end of the world. I was at ULM when we beat North Texas in both teams' first-ever SBC game. The Mean Green lost, but hasn’t lost in the conference since."

Middle Tennessee's strength...

"Their quarterback is one of the top guys in the country in completion percentage and Kerry Wright is one of the best wide receivers in the country. They like to spread the field and throw the ball around a lot more than what we have faced so far. The problem is Wright is not the only receiver you have to stop. They have a lot of weapons and I think they are going to try to run the ball on us as well."

Preparing to stop the MT offense…

"It's going to be a big challenge for our defense and a big challenge for our secondary. We've taken some different reps in practice this week. The scout team has given us different looks and formations. It's been the same type of practice, but we've seen some different looks."

Expecting more work in the secondary....

"It's not like the other teams haven't thrown the ball on us at all. We also have to go against our offense in practice every day and you know how they can throw the ball."

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[NewsCopy]

Cajun safety faces pass-happy offense this time around

LOUISIANA La. — Antwain Spann knows how to adjust on the run.

That ability has made the 6-foot, 185-pound senior a valuable asset to UL Lafayette’s football program since his arrival from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College in 2003.

Spann played cornerback last season and is now at free safety for the Ragin’ Cajuns, symbolically changing his jersey number from 35 to 6 this fall.

Now, after three weeks of facing teams that relied on the ground game, he and his teammates in the secondary will be switching gears when the Cajuns host pass-happy Middle Tennessee this Saturday in the Sun Belt Conference opener.

“We’re not really going to do anything different,” Spann said after Wednesday’s practice. “We still have to concentrate on our assignments. The safeties will be playing deeper this week because Middle Tennessee likes to throw the ball.

“We have to make sure we execute, that’s all.”

Middle Tennessee boasts one of the best receivers in the country in Kerry Wright, and the Cajuns are counting on a busy night from the Blue Raiders after battling star running backs like Ryan Moats and Darren Sproles in two games on the road at Louisiana Tech and Kansas State.

“We know this week we’re going to be tested in the air,” Spann said. “I think we’ve got a pretty good secondary. We’ve got good depth. As long as we come to play, I know we can play with anybody.”

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Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[Turbine]

Based on all D1 classification rankings

UL offense vs MT defense
UL Pass offense 103rd
MT Pass defense 237th

UL Rush offense 133rd
MT Rush defense 53rd

MT offense vs UL defense
MT Pass offense 3rd
UL Pass defense 33rd

MT Rush offense 230th
UL Rush defense 235th

[El Sidonio]

my question is this. Since both of our pass offenses are better than our rush offenses, do you think either team will try and exploit the rush at all? I mean, we're both expecting each other to use mainly pass offense, so do you think either one of us will try to sneak in some rush offense to throw the other off? Just curious.

God Bless.

[cajun1978]

I think Middle will try to run on us. I think they would be crazy not to since we haven't shown that we can stop the run. Of course, they don't have a RB the caliber of the 3 we've faced so far. This game will be very fun to watch.

[TuffGuy84]

Well, I think we'll run the ball fairly well as we have face teams focused on stopping the run. La Tech blitzed all the time when we played them, which kind of killed our run game, so we started throwing some dump off screens and stuff. I think in the game, we will take whatever is given, if that is the run, well, were gonna run.

Tuffguy

[NewsCopy]

If the focus hasn't been on MTSU's quarterbacks, it has been on the Blue Raiders' opponents' quarterbacks this season.

While Coach Andy McCollum has shuffled Clint Marks and Josh Harris in the MTSU starting lineup behind center, the Blue Raiders defense has faced a talented — if not outstanding — QB every week.

That has been the case even with the opening game against Florida, which features Heisman Trophy candidate QB Chris Leak, being postponed until Oct. 16.

In the first game, the Blue Raiders had to contend with Akron's Charlie Frye, another Heisman candidate who is currently ranked ninth nationally in passing. Last week, Florida Atlantic's Jared Allen lit the defense up with three TD passes in the third quarter.

And this week, it's Louisiana-Lafayette's Jerry Babb, a dual-threat QB who carried the ball four times for 101 yards last week against Kansas State and is third in the Sun Belt Conference averaging 210.3 passing yards per game.

Tonight's game is the Sun Belt Conference opener for MTSU (1-1) and UL-Lafayette (1-2).

''This is our third great quarterback to play against,'' McCollum said. ''It's been unusual to go against one at Akron and then one against Florida Atlantic that are both just really good quarterbacks and this is another one that can run and throw and do it all.''

Babb did it all as a freshman in helping the Rajun' Cajuns get past MTSU in one of the nation's most exciting games last season, a 57-51 four-overtime win in Murfreesboro. Babb accounted for 474 total yards (435 passing, 39 rushing) and four TDs (three passing, one rushing) in the contest where UL-Lafayette snapped a 14-game road losing streak.

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Mike Organ
The Tennessean.
259-8021
morgan@tennessean.com

[NewsCopy]

LOUISIANA La. — Fan support for UL Lafayette football can be an off-and-on thing.

Brian Mitchell is arguably the best player in Ragin’ Cajun history, yet when the record-setting quarterback was a senior in 1989, the average home attendance was 16,089 at 31,000-seat Cajun Field.

Troy Wingerter remembers it well.

“I remember being here for the (1986) Oklahoma State game, and it was packed in the stands,” said Wingerter, a standout center from 1988-91 and now an assistant coach on Rickey Bustle’s UL staff.

“I remember playing Southern Miss for homecoming (1990), and it was packed in the stands. The same for Alabama in 1990 and Texas A&M in 1996.

“But I also remember Brian’s last game, and I don’t want to leave kids with that.”

An announced crowd of just over 12,000 was on hand for Mitchell’s swan song, which of course he won in dramatic fashion.

“The bottom line is that you come out to play the game,” Wingerter said. “Technically, you’re playing for your team and for the honor and glory of your school. But there are intangibles that are added when you have that 12th man in the stands.

“It’s no coincidence that in all of our big wins, there have been a large number of butts in the seats. I think it’s egregious for our alumni to not be in the stands.

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Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

Ragin’ Cajun attendance may threaten 1-A status

LOUISIANA La. — If University of Louisiana fails to average 15,000 fans per home game at Cajun Field in the 2004 season, the Cajuns will not drop immediately from the ranks of Division 1-A football.

But the school could find its status in jeopardy if it continually misses that mark, set two years ago by the NCAA as a requirement for remaining in the top echelons of college-level sports.

“The NCAA has suspended the penalty phase for this year,” said Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Wright Waters. “They’ll look at the numbers in January and see what they want to do then.

“But, if a school does not meet that standard this year, and the number remains at 15,000, then the school will be placed on restricted status and be ineligible for postseason play in 2006.

“Then, if they don’t meet it again in 2006, in 2007 they would be out of Division 1-A.”

“For the first year, we have to maintain 15,000 in home attendance on an annual basis to remain a member of Division 1-A,” said Athletic Director Nelson Schexnayder.

“Previously, we just had to average 17,000 once every four years. We require actual attendance figures, not just paid attendance. So, if someone buys a ticket, they need to use it.

And students will be counted (only) when they attend.”

The Cajuns drew 22,117 for the Sept. 4 season opener against Northwestern State and have since played competitively in road losses at Louisiana Tech and Kansas State.

Today’s 6 p.m. Sun Belt Conference opener against Middle Tennessee should draw well over 20,000 in order for the Cajuns to build on that early attendance momentum.

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Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[Turbine]

Computer problems when I got home from the GREAT WIN over Middle Tennessee.

Great game huh?

[NewsCopy]

LOUISIANA La. — Louisiana had been on the road for two weeks, dropping competitive games at Louisiana Tech and Kansas State.

The last time Ragin’ Cajun fans saw their team in person, coach Rickey Bustle’s squad was holding on for a 14-7 season-opening victory over Division 1-AA Northwestern State before 22,117 fans.

On Saturday, the Cajuns opened Sun Belt Conference play at Cajun Field against Middle Tennessee, and they got a boost to make sure they got the job done.

A crowd of 25,083 showed up, the No. 12 crowd in stadium history and the largest audience at home since 1996.

What they saw was a dramatic 24-17 Cajun victory, saved in the final minute of play by a goal line interception by Antwain Spann — just the kind of game that might bring crowds back when UL returns for homecoming on Oct. 23 against Arkansas State.

“The crowd was awesome,” said running back Dwight Lindon, a Comeaux High product who rushed for 63 yards and a touchdown. “It’s time we got things back at UL right.”

“It was a great, great crowd,” Bustle said. “It’s been a long time since that many people have seen the Cajuns play.”

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Bruce Brown
bbrown@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

Game-saving interception wraps up clutch effort by Cajuns’ defensive unit

LOUISIANA La. — Antwain Spann was waiting for that one play, the one that would spell victory or defeat for him and his Universtiy of Louisiana teammates.

After nearly four quarters of watching Middle Tennessee dump and dink passes in the flats, he somehow knew that, on this play, the Blue Raiders were taking a shot downfield.

“When number one (MT wide receiver Kerry Wright) came running out, he was looking right at me,” Spann said. “I figured this was the time that they were going to go for it.”

The Blue Raiders had the ball at the Ragin’ Cajuns’ 30 with under a minute to play, trailing 24-17 with a second-and-13, and Raider quarterback Clint Marks faded back and was looking for Wright all the way.

Spann stepped in front of the pass right at the goal line, coming up with the game-clinching interception that gave the Cajuns their second straight home win and gave them their first conference-opener victory since 1994.

“That was a bad read on my part,” said Marks of the last-ditch pass. “They had done a good job of stopping Kerry, especially on the deep ball. We came out in the second half and didn’t do what we needed to do.”

“You can’t fault Clint for that,” said Raider coach Andy McCollum. “We were taking a shot, and he was trying to throw to our best player.”

“We’ve got some playmakers back there now,” said Cajun defensive coordinator Brent Pry. “C.C. (Brown) made some big hits over the middle and Antwain had a big interception for us. Those guys are making plays, and they’re also making the younger kids get better and now they’re starting to make plays.”

The Raiders had the nation’s third-most productive passing offense entering the game, and still managed to complete 35-of-46 passes behind Marks’ strong left arm. But those completions accounted for only 242 yards, more than 100 under MT’s season average. Wright had eight catches but was limited to 76 yards.

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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@lafayette.gannett.com