2002 - Bustle Is Promised Scheduling Duties

[CajunRebel]

Exactly. No one seems to remember that under Stokley we played 2-3 games against Division 1-AA schools almost every year. They just remember that we had winning records.

And even though we play 2-3 tough BCS money games every year, people want Bustle fired because 6-6 isn't good enough.

When it's all said and done all anyone remembers is the record.

igeaux.mobi

[tdncz]

Its not ALL the record. Although the record is a big part, it is the absolute and CONSISTENT idiotic play calling that I have not been able to stand for over 4 years.
Remember 4 off-guard runs -- IN A ROW -- on the LSU 1???

[Just1More]

_ Exactly. No one seems to remember that under Stokley we played 2-3 games against Division 1-AA schools almost every year. They just remember that we had winning records.

And even though we play 2-3 tough BCS money games every year, people want Bustle fired because 6-6 isn't good enough.



igeaux.mobi _

I remember everything during the Stokley years... not just the records. I remember that every team we played, we never felt like we weren't capable of winning the game. Big programs weren't considered "money games"... they were considered "potential launch pads".

Oh... and all of the teams that we are currently sharing a conference with were either D1AA or didn't have a football program in the 80s and 90s.

It isn't Stokley's fault... and it isn't Bustle's fault... the size and success of our football program rests in the hands of the President and AD of the university. 90% the President and 10% the AD... at UL.

[zephyr]

_ Its not ALL the record. Although the record is a big part, it is the absolute and CONSISTENT idiotic play calling that I have not been able to stand for over 4 years.
Remember 4 off-guard runs -- IN A ROW -- on the LSU 1??? _

There will always be room in a coach's playbook for criticism. I've often criticized Bustle for his unwillingness to deviate from time to time from the zone read and run out of various formations or circumstances. I used to also pull my hair out when watching us play 10 yards off of WR's but blitzing 6 guys on 3rd and 4 when the other team's QB can make a simple adjustment and complete a 5 yard route time and time again. However, I also remember some poor playcalling when Baldwin would actually run the option with John Van Cleave which was an oxymoron of sorts. I also remember not having a viable rushing attack since the days of Brian Mitchell and people complaining that we could never move the ball. Recently, we've had one of the more productive offenses, especially rushing, of any team in the country. The point is, while Bustle does do some questionable things, I can't hide behind the fact that he's done a lot of positive things with this program over the past 8 years or so and has now made 6-6 unacceptable.

I do believe that Bustle is very limited in his ability to make the schedule, or at least the OOC part of it. I understand both sides as we need these money games to supplement our budget which is now as active as it has ever been to help update and upgrade facilities while doing so without a major backing from the community with private dollars. I would also like to see less BCS romps and more games like Ohio, Kent St, maybe La. Tech etc.. but its harder to schedule those guys because they are all doing the same thing, playing the big boys.

We are all seeing what one great year can do for a program by watching what is going on in Houston. Those guys have bigtime recruits now looking at their program and their coach is being mentioned for huge jobs. Last year put those guys on the map and they will possibly benefit from it for some time. We need this same type of year, although it is unlikely something close would certainly put us in better standing with some of the recruits that we might have lost to bigger schools.

[HoustonCajun]

_ I remember everything during the Stokley years... not just the records. I remember that every team we played, we never felt like we weren't capable of winning the game. Big programs weren't considered "money games"... they were considered "potential launch pads".

Oh... and all of the teams that we are currently sharing a conference with were either D1AA or didn't have a football program in the 80s and 90s.

It isn't Stokley's fault... and it isn't Bustle's fault... the size and success of our football program rests in the hands of the President and AD of the university. 90% the President and 10% the AD... at UL. _

Remember our 1996 schedule where we went 5-6 against certainly our most formidable schedule ever? That year and particularly the win over Texas A&M should have been our springboard to greater football success. To my recollection, Dr. A further cut our athletic budget the following year and we went downhill going 1-10 and 2-9 under Stokley, then the Baldwin years.

I don't think Stokley ever got the credit he deserved for what he did for UL football because Dr. A didn't allow him to win.

I'll also never forget talking to our AD, Nelson Schexnayder, at the Texas A&M game and saying to him that THIS is what UL football is all about and what we all want our games to be like week-in and week-out. Nelson replied something to the effect that he couldn't handle this kind of attendance and all the work that went with it each week. That left me speechless. Well, we all know what happened after that. That, to me, epitomizes while UL is what it is.

UL has never been about winning and about giving our coaches the resources to be successful. We have been a 1A program in name only. I truly believe Dr. A wanted the distinction of being a 1A program but had no intention of doing anything to elevate our program. I was hoping our new administration would take a different attitude, but am yet to see any difference in operations.

Nonetheless, this is the kind of schedule I wish UL played every year instead of all the former 1AA schools that not only dot our schedule but make up our conference. And, we haven't won against that. We have only a couple of years to prepare for perhaps the final conference realignment that is surely coming. I don't see the preparation nor the proclamation that we are moving in that direction. It's not too late, but the clock is ticking and time is quickly slipping away while schools like Troy and MT are passing us by. UL simply can't let this final opportunity elude us.

Florida (A) - Loss
Texas A&M (H) - Win
Southern Miss (A)- Loss
Louisiana Tech (A) - Win
Houston (H) - Loss
Ark. State (H) - Win
UAB (A) - Loss
Memphis (H) - Win
Virginia Tech (A) - Loss
Northern Illinois (H) - Win
Texas Tech (A) - Loss

[zephyr]

_ Remember our 1996 schedule where we went 5-6 against certainly our most formidable schedule ever? That year and particularly the win over Texas A&M should have been our springboard to greater football success. To my recollection, Dr. A further cut our athletic budget the following year and we went downhill going 1-10 and 2-9 under Stokley, then the Baldwin years.

I don't think Stokley ever got the credit he deserved for what he did for UL football because Dr. A didn't allow him to win.

I'll also never forget talking to our AD, Nelson Schexnayder, at the Texas A&M game and saying to him that THIS is what UL football is all about and what we all want our games to be like week-in and week-out. Nelson replied something to the effect that he couldn't handle this kind of attendance and all the work that went with it each week. That left me speechless. Well, we all know what happened after that. That, to me, epitomizes while UL is what it is.

UL has never been about winning and about giving our coaches the resources to be successful. We have been a 1A program in name only. I truly believe Dr. A wanted the distinction of being a 1A program but had no intention of doing anything to elevate our program. I was hoping our new administration would take a different attitude, but am yet to see any difference in operations.

Nonetheless, this is the kind of schedule I wish UL played every year instead of all the former 1AA schools that not only dot our schedule but make up our conference. And, we haven't won against that. We have only a couple of years to prepare for perhaps the final conference realignment that is surely coming. I don't see the preparation nor the proclamation that we are moving in that direction. It's not too late, but the clock is ticking and time is quickly slipping away while schools like Troy and MT are passing us by. UL simply can't let this final opportunity elude us.

Florida (A) - Loss
Texas A&M (H) - Win
Southern Miss (A)- Loss
Louisiana Tech (A) - Win
Houston (H) - Loss
Ark. State (H) - Win
UAB (A) - Loss
Memphis (H) - Win
Virginia Tech (A) - Loss
Northern Illinois (H) - Win
Texas Tech (A) - Loss _

I don't know how much MT is passing us by. Sure, they had a nice year this year and won their bowl game but they've done little in recent years to separate themselves from us. One could argue that they've underachieved as much as any team in the conference and I'd need more consistency from them to say they've done anything to put themselves in the upper echelon of this conference

[cajun4life]

Nearly everyone in the conference will pass us by as long as we do not make substantial facility improvements. Those improvements must include dorms. Our dorms are deplorable, Legacy Park is a nice complex, but we do not fund our scholarships based off of the cost of Legacy Park, instead we base them off of the CC. The difference in cost is around $1000 per semester. This limits the amount of athletes that can live in Legacy Park. We need the RCAF to start a capital campaign to raise funds for numerous improvement, dorms being one and increase housing fund so our athletes don't live in rooms that are in worse shape than government housing.

Until that happens we will continue to float around .500 in football because we can not seal the deal on the better athletes that we get to come in on visits.

[DaddyCajun]

_ I'm not too sure if some of you know this, but Coach Bustle is a personal friend of my dad's. He told my dad that next season we play 8 conference games, and we play a big game against Kansas State over there. _

We play OSU at home also and that should be considered a BIG game. Next years schedule will be very tuff.........

[Hammer58]

_ We play OSU at home also and that should be considered a BIG game. Next years schedule will be very tuff......... _

I believe OSU is trying to negotiate a buyout or a postponement of that visit.

[HoustonCajun]

_ Nearly everyone in the conference will pass us by as long as we do not make substantial facility improvements. Those improvements must include dorms. Our dorms are deplorable, Legacy Park is a nice complex, but we do not fund our scholarships based off of the cost of Legacy Park, instead we base them off of the CC. The difference in cost is around $1000 per semester. This limits the amount of athletes that can live in Legacy Park. We need the RCAF to start a capital campaign to raise funds for numerous improvement, dorms being one and increase housing fund so our athletes don't live in rooms that are in worse shape than government housing.

Until that happens we will continue to float around .500 in football because we can not seal the deal on the better athletes that we get to come in on visits. _

I was told the dorm rooms in the CC are being totally renovated floor by floor and most of the floors are completed by now. I know this is a critical element for UL, particularly in recruiting. Can anyone verify that and give us the current status of the improvements?