The Book: 2007 Football

[Jason]

_ Don't listen to them. Our defense is reminiscent of the Steel Curtain squads of the 70's. You guys will be lucky to pick up a first down. When we are on offense, I'd drop back into nickel coverage on most plays, and watch out for the pass to the tight end, it's our favorite. When we have to run our QB can sometimes stumble for a yard or two, but he runs like Sid Bream. _

Great Job....

Now we are doomed!!!

[4LSU]

_ "...Lafayette has it over most places I've been." _

"There are plenty of cajuns in BR I've come to find out."

Yes, especially bout 8 weekends in football season. Wink

"...Lafayette has it over most places I've been."

Never had the pleasure of living in Lafayette, but I have visited often. I enjoy the city and the people, but I could say the same bout the 5 other Louisiana cities I have lived in. I think we either enjoy our life, on the whole, or we don't. No doubt the city is one of many factors, but I think one's own personality and outlook on life is of far greater importance to our feeling of contentment than what city we find ourselves in.

[4LSU]

_ Ouch. There you burned us.

In some places, people actually think education is about learning, about intellectual activities, about innovation, about culture, about originality.

But once again, State has revealed the error of our ways. Education ain't about learning.

It's about FOOTBALL! _

Good to hear from you again, Fun.

I hope all is well with you and yours.

Best of luck with your Cajun's academics and athletics'.

Lonnie

[DestinCajun]

_ Ouch!

DaddyCajun _

I'm still trying to figure out why UL can't be great academically and also have decent football.

If not, then why not?

[DestinCajun]

_ Cajun fans,

For those making the trip to Orlando this weekend, I hope your journey is safe and that you enjoy your stay!

Now, for those who have an encyclopedic knowledge of Cajun football, tell us a little about your team.

I must confess I know little about your team othen than the record and that they seem to put up a ton of yards. Also, there seems to be a debate over whether it is more "proper" or "preferred" to refer to your school as the University of Louisiana or University of Louisiana-Lafayette... a little help so we don't insult your fans out of ignorance would be appreciated!

Who is fun to watch on your team? Who are your biggest playmakers?

How is the team performing vs. expectations? Is this a rebuilding year or do you have new coaches or a lot of young players?

Where did you expect the Cajuns would finish in the Sun Belt Conference before the season began and has that expectation changed at all based on the start of the season?

I'm expecting your team will come in here hungry and eager to win, and I hope our team will be as focused as they were for the conference opener last week... but I'm not taking anything for granted.

Thanks for any info you can give us on your team, and welcome to Florida.

GO KNIGHTS! _

UL played pretty well against USC and could have won on that particular night but we blew serious scoring chances in the 4th quarter with penalties and miscues down close to the Gamecock goal.

Against our next two opponents, Ohio and McNeese, our offense had several chances to take control of the games and didn't do so. As time went by in the second halves of these games and our offense sputtered, the opposing defenses took over and controlled us.

Against Troy we were much more competent on offense and ran the ball quite well but alas did not outscore the Trojans. They took it going away in the second half.

The Cajuns will not win games with their defense, that seems certain. Our only hope is to play error free football and outscore the other guy in the first half and then hope the game is called at halftime.

[CajunFun]

And didn't they break their own law in doing so? The law that prohibited duplicate PhD programs within the state, so as to protect LSU's programs.

I lived in BR for two years and I can honestly say that my beef with that city is not LSU. It's the complete lack of creativity and the fake culture. I saw a commercial for Baton Rouge tourism on television and it touted the city as a center for Zydeco music. Zydeco music! Also, the press out of Baton Rouge after Katrina was almost celebratory of their temporary status as largest city in Louisiana.

Duplication & waste weren't laws, they were a strategic decision the Regents implemented... and which, they have ignored for State whenever necessary.

As for the advantages that both Lafayette and UL have over BR & State, that's a puzzle I've looked at for about 30 years. Why, exactly, IS Lafayette so different from the other cities in the state-- and actually, different from every city I've ever lived in (and I've lived all over the country)?

I have an explanation, and I shared it recently with a marketing group that was in town. It's too long to go into here, but there are a very few, very simple (at least in concept, although not necessarily in execution) details that make us so very, very different.

Fortunately, the State boys & girls don't get it. UL doesn't make Lafayette; Lafayette makes UL. And in the same way that BR can't for their lives figure how a smaller city with less resources constantly outshines them, the State folks are slowly getting the uneasy feeling that UL is doing the same thing to them.

[WriterKnight]

Thanks for the input. I'll be watching for those players on Saturday.

The Knights this year are a bit of a mystery, but that's nothing unusual for long-term fans like myself:

--In the NC State game to open the season we looked unbeatable for 30 minutes, going up 25 - 3 by the half. We left our starters in for the second half but barely hung on to win 25 -23, looking like we couldn't stop Sister Mary's Poor Crippled Orphans. Kevin Smith (#24) our main RB, racked up 217 yards, 177 of them in the first half.

--In the Texas game, we couldn't hold onto the ball. We had 3 turnovers against Texas (giving them 17 points), and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know you won't win many ball games against teams like Texas that way. Smith and Kyle Israel (#7), our starting quarterback, were both effective running the ball on Texas, and the defense played well. After being down 10 - 20 at the half, we outscored Texas 22 - 15 in the second half and nearly pulled off the huge upset.

--In the Memphis game, it finally looked like we wanted to win. We were up 42 - 0 at the half and played mostly second and third string players in the second half, holding on for the 56 - 20 victory. We had a few turnovers in the second half, which were frustrating, but I think Memphis was playing their subs by then as well, so other than making the game look sloppy from the stands they didn't hurt us much.

Key players for us on offense:

#24 - Kevin Smith -- a junior running back that could play for anyone and look good--not sure we'll be able to keep him next year or if the NFL will grab him
#7 - Kyle Israel -- senior starting quarterback; adequate but not flashy and prone to a mistake every now and then
#2 - Mike Greco -- sophomore backup quarterback (transfer); more mobile and crisper passer than Israel, but not as familiar with the offense
#3 - A. J. Guyton -- one of several true freshman wideouts who are making contributions this season
#5 - Rocky Ross -- a junior, our most experienced receiver
#81 - Kamar Aiken -- another freshman wideout that is becoming a crowd favorite and may be the QB's favorite target by season end
#4 - Michael Torres -- our senior place kicker, who has (so far) hit everything he's attempted this season, including a nice 47-yard kick in the Texas game

Key Players on Defense:

#19 - Joe Burnett -- a junior DB who seems to have a nose for INTs and has made some electrifying runbacks of punts in years past (nothing so far this year)
#29 - Sha'reff Rashad -- a solid cover DB, also a junior, who hits hard and has started tackling better this season (a problem for the whole defense last year)
#49 - Bruce Miller -- a freshman DE who is making a lot of tackles in the offensive backfield
#57 - Lawrence Young -- another true freshman LB that is contributing a lot of speed and hard hitting on defense.

This year our main upgrades have been on defense (faster and better tackling, especially the LB corps) and both lines. Honestly, from where I sat in the grandstands, I think our O-line and D-line outplayed Texas on both sides of the ball in the second half of that game. We simply made too many mistakes to win that game, and I agree with Coach O'Leary that there are no moral victories, just "Ws" and "Ls."

In terms of offensive scheme, O'Leary is old school. He likes a 60/40 rush/pass ratio, but in the last two games, I have seen him use the pass to set up the run as well as being more traditional. Most of the passes we complete are short; in fact, I can only think of one or two plays this year where the QB has thrown the ball more than 15 yards in the air. I think as the QBs get more familiar with all the new receivers we have, the more varied our passing attack will become.

[TheFan]

_ Thanks for the input. I'll be watching for those players on Saturday.

The Knights this year are a bit of a mystery, but that's nothing unusual for long-term fans like myself:

--In the NC State game to open the season we looked unbeatable for 30 minutes, going up 25 - 3 by the half. We left our starters in for the second half but barely hung on to win 25 -23, looking like we couldn't stop Sister Mary's Poor Crippled Orphans. Kevin Smith (#24) our main RB, racked up 217 yards, 177 of them in the first half.

--In the Texas game, we couldn't hold onto the ball. We had 3 turnovers against Texas (giving them 17 points), and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know you won't win many ball games against teams like Texas that way. Smith and Kyle Israel (#7), our starting quarterback, were both effective running the ball on Texas, and the defense played well. After being down 10 - 20 at the half, we outscored Texas 22 - 15 in the second half and nearly pulled off the huge upset.

--In the Memphis game, it finally looked like we wanted to win. We were up 42 - 0 at the half and played mostly second and third string players in the second half, holding on for the 56 - 20 victory. We had a few turnovers in the second half, which were frustrating, but I think Memphis was playing their subs by then as well, so other than making the game look sloppy from the stands they didn't hurt us much.

Key players for us on offense:

#24 - Kevin Smith -- a junior running back that could play for anyone and look good--not sure we'll be able to keep him next year or if the NFL will grab him
#7 - Kyle Israel -- senior starting quarterback; adequate but not flashy and prone to a mistake every now and then
#2 - Mike Greco -- sophomore backup quarterback (transfer); more mobile and crisper passer than Israel, but not as familiar with the offense
#3 - A. J. Guyton -- one of several true freshman wideouts who are making contributions this season
#5 - Rocky Ross -- a junior, our most experienced receiver
#81 - Kamar Aiken -- another freshman wideout that is becoming a crowd favorite and may be the QB's favorite target by season end
#4 - Michael Torres -- our senior place kicker, who has (so far) hit everything he's attempted this season, including a nice 47-yard kick in the Texas game

Key Players on Defense:

#19 - Joe Burnett -- a junior DB who seems to have a nose for INTs and has made some electrifying runbacks of punts in years past (nothing so far this year)
#29 - Sha'reff Rashad -- a solid cover DB, also a junior, who hits hard and has started tackling better this season (a problem for the whole defense last year)
#49 - Bruce Miller -- a freshman DE who is making a lot of tackles in the offensive backfield
#57 - Lawrence Young -- another true freshman LB that is contributing a lot of speed and hard hitting on defense.

This year our main upgrades have been on defense (faster and better tackling, especially the LB corps) and both lines. Honestly, from where I sat in the grandstands, I think our O-line and D-line outplayed Texas on both sides of the ball in the second half of that game. We simply made too many mistakes to win that game, and I agree with Coach O'Leary that there are no moral victories, just "Ws" and "Ls."

In terms of offensive scheme, O'Leary is old school. He likes a 60/40 rush/pass ratio, but in the last two games, I have seen him use the pass to set up the run as well as being more traditional. Most of the passes we complete are short; in fact, I can only think of one or two plays this year where the QB has thrown the ball more than 15 yards in the air. I think as the QBs get more familiar with all the new receivers we have, the more varied our passing attack will become. _

If ya'll don't hang 50 on us ya'll had a bad......very bad game.

[RCAJUN90]

Well that should get more women to the games!

Sorry sometimes it is better to laugh than cry.

[LARaginCajun]

Can someone give me an explanation why Jason Chery was given an unsportmanlike penalty on the 85 yard touchdown run?

[srevere51]

_ Can someone give me an explanation why Jason Chery was given an unsportmanlike penalty on the 85 yard touchdown run? _

I believe it was from the dive into the endzone...... I wonder why Troy got away with it twice......

[WriterKnight]

Sad thing is, TheFan, that I've watched the Knights long enough that I feel like they have to PROVE to me they can play to their potential game in and game out. Until they string together several consistent weeks, I will never feel certain which team will show up on game day...