The Book: 2007 Football

[rhineaux]

Â_ I agree Rhineaux! Such a heart breaker, but also felt so good to see the boys play at such a high level! You got to make it down from H-Town for this weekends game...we need your physical support! Â_

gotcha covered on that one esquire. I haven't missed a home game in a long time and don't plan to start now. my first season out of school and in the H was last year and I made 6 of 6. plan to do the same this year. a 3 hour drive is nothing compared to a full day of tailgating and getting to watch this team play.

hope to see all ragin pagin readers out there with their friends this weekend.

[NewsCopy]

LOUISIANA La. - After a near-upset of the South Carolina Gamecocks, Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns are to set to open their 2007 home schedule this Saturday against the Ohio Bobcats at Cajun Field. UL head football coach Rickey Bustle held his second weekly media luncheon of the season Monday at the Cox Communications Athletic Center. Saturday, the Ragin' Cajuns (0-1) did not turn the ball over, while allowing only one sack in their 28-14 season-opening loss at South Carolina. Junior quarterback Michael Desormeaux (New Iberia, La.) led all rushers with 21 carries for 116 yards and a touchdown. Tyrell Fenroy (LaPlace, La.) added 88 yards on 16 carries, moving him into third place on the school's all-time rushing list with 2,338 yards. Fenroy needs 94 more yards to move into a second-place tie with Darren Brister (2,432 yards). Fenoy is now less than 1,000 yards away from becoming UL's career rushing leader. Saturday's best performance came from junior Jason Chery (Delray Beach, Fla.), who was named the Sun Belt Conference Special Teams Player of the Week Monday. Chery made every solo tackle on special teams for the Cajuns Saturday night. UL kicked-off three times, with each tackle coming from Chery, holding the Gamecocks to less than 20 yards per kickoff return. During punt coverage, every punt was fair caught or downed except one, which was returned for only one yard before being tackled by Chery, who boasts 35 career tackles in 24 games. Louisiana welcomes the Bobcats (1-0) to "The Swamp" for the first time this weekend. Ohio, the 2006 Mid-American Conference East Division champion, is the Cajuns' second consecutive opponent to have played in a bowl game last season. Last season, Ohio lost 28-7 to Southern Miss at the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala. The rest of the story RaginCajuns.com

[NewsCopy]

Without so much as touching the football or seeing the field for a defensive snap, Jason Chery won one of the Sun Belt Conference's weekly honors for the season's first weekend. Chery was named the league's Special Teams Player of the Week for his kick coverage during UL's 28-14 loss at South Carolina Saturday. The Cajuns' starting wide receiver made four kick-return tackles - every one that UL made in the game - against the Gamecocks. "He likes doing that," said Cajun coach Rickey Bustle. "He likes getting downfield and making tackles. He's a tough kid and he takes a lot of pride in that." The award, voted upon by media covering the conference, is believed to be the first-ever Sun Belt honor that did not go to a kicker/punter or a return specialist since the league began football in 2001. The rest of the story Dan McDonald dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

[NewsCopy]

  The irony wasn't lost on UL linebacker Brent Burkhalter.

The Ragin' Cajun football team is drawing muted praise for its season-opening performance, coming back from an early two-touchdown deficit to tie South Carolina Saturday before eventually falling 28-14. But Burkhalter knows what could have been.

"South Carolina's got a good offense," he said, "and we've been getting patted on the back as a defense. But then we watch the film and see how many mistakes we made. We could have done a lot more, we could have done so much better.

"We had a bunch of missed assignments. That's a bad thing, but it's sort of uplifting at the same time because we can fix those missed assignments."

"Our guys looked at the film and saw the plays we gave up on Saturday and how sometimes we didn't stay on people," UL coach Rickey Bustle said Monday. "But the opportunity was there for us to beat South Carolina, and our players saw that, too."

The rest of the story

Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com

[Gbbaseball7]

It really sucked being in Baton Rouge and not being able to see the game. I was however able to get a running update from my boy as he and those that stayed home watched the game. It was great to hear how competitive we were against such a quality program as SC. I can only spell good things to come this year. As with any beginning we still have things to work and build upon. I think the Coaches will focus on the positives and go forward. Look out Ohio your coming to our town now. Geaux Cajuns!!!!!!

See you all this Saturday--lets rock the house.

[DestinCajun]

_ How nice was it to see Jordan Jackson make a sweet grab?

I've been waiting to see that since we grabbed him out of Bunkie 10 years ago or so...

Most Cajun fans had given up on him... with him, Nevels, Chery Smith, Lee plus a bunch of freshmen...

I think this may be the deepest I've ever seen the Cajuns at wideout... _

Ditteaux! I don't know all the details but his career just hasn't panned out the way one would have hoped. Here's hoping Jordan has a great senior season.

[Gbbaseball7]

_ In the six games Desormeaux played in 2005, he ran the ball quite a bit and was not injured. He is pretty durable. Do you guys remember the wishbone/veer teams of the 70's and 80's? Those QB's ran just as much as Desormeaux and most held up fairly well. In fact it is sometimes more dangerous to get hit in the pocket as the blow comes from the blind side. When you are running you brace yourself for the contact. _

MD is a tough kid. Playing football is rough and sometimes you get the air knocked out of you. I believe that he has the teams confidence and is a great leader, just what we need and what the QB position is suppose to be--leadership and guts, and there isn't a player on the field that has more guts than Mike. He is our man and I am glad.

[VObserver]

_ What your statistics don't show is what happens during games when the opponent has stopped your running game forced to you into third and long situations. When you look at the loses to UNT, Troy and ULM; the Cajun offense ran the ball well at times, but could not convert third and long downs. Other words, we could not pass effectively. That is what the coaching staff is trying to eliminate this year, to be more consistant throwing the ball. _

..and what YOUR analysis doesn't show is just how tentative our QB was in the running game last year; a factor which contributed greatly to us being in 3rd and long much too often. Over the last two years when our QBs have been aggressive running the option, NO team in our conference has slowed down our running game; none will this year, either.

[USLJim]

I have to be honest and say, I was ready to turn off the TV and radio after the first 6 minutes, but I found my LOYALTY and stayed with it with some excitement.

I like the fact we did not FOLD, we held our OWN and showed promise. I liked Desormeaux performance even though I felt he ran some downs when I didn't think he needed too. His performance was galant and showed HEART. Fenroy is the man, but What I saw of Wallace's performance was VERY PROMISING. Here is my take on Fenroy and Wallace. Fenroy is a north-south runner, Wallace is like a Rabbit, quick on his feet and can make moves on the secondary like I hoped I he could do. I felt the coaching staff did not USE WALLACE ENOUGH. I think if there is one person other than Fenroy who will make a difference this year, it is Wallace. If he keeps a cool head and runs like a scared rabbit, watch out, HE will be super. That is my only disappointing comment about our offensive play calling other than the calls inside the USC 5 yard line. Could have been better.

Defensively, I agree on stoppong 3rd and long plays and the sweeps. Got to stop those runs and passes across the middle. Defensive line, GOOD JOB.
Great interception also.

My biggest problem with Bustle is his kicking game. The kickoffs and punting game has to be the worst in the BELT. I would rather kick it in the end zone and have no run backs and them get it on the 20 than that high time consuming kick offs where they get the catch the ball on the 15 and run it back 15-25 yards. It ain't working. As for a punter, Why in the world can't we find and give a scholarship to a great, good, super, kicker. One who doesn't fold under pressure. It amazes me how we take the kicking game for granted.

ALL in ALL , I was proud of the Cajuns, the adjustments made were noted and I see alot of promise and TEAMWORK.

There is not other place I would rather be on a Fall football day than Cajun Field and with Krewe de Chew and friends.
GEAUX CAJUNS

[NewsCopy]

The Bobcats lost one offensive guard, but picked up another, head coach Frank Solich said Monday at his weekly press conference. The news, however, wasn’t any better for sophomore defensive end Ernie Hodge. Ohio guard Mike Eynon will be shelved for the next “two to four” weeks with a knee sprain, Solich said. Eynon was filling in for expected starter Paul Johnson, who missed Saturday’s season-opening 36-14 win over Gardner-Webb with a knee injury of his own. Johnson, however, is expected to start in this week’s road game at Louisiana-Lafayette. “It helps a great deal,” Solich said. “We’d like to have them both, but if we can at least have one of the two ready to go then that keeps us from having to move people around in the offensive line. That’s when you start to get a little bit more vulnerable.” Two other starters on the line, center Tommy Stuck and right guard Matt Miller, left Saturday’s game with injuries, but Solich said both would be back and ready to start against the Ragin’ Cajuns. In the secondary, the status of safety Michael Mitchell also remains unresolved. Mitchell was to have an MRI done on his injured right shoulder on Monday, but Solich did not rule him out for Saturday’s tilt in Louisiana. The rest of the story JASON ARKLEY Sportswriter

[Sam22224]

_ Anyone who comments on precisely what happened would be correct. As to an evaluation... for the first game of the season, away, at an SEC opponent... every single aspect of our performance was extremely good. I was overwhelmingly pleased. Overwhelmingly pleased. Any doubt about new coaches, new starting QB, only having a running game, so on and so forth, were completely dispelled. We even executed the short sure pass routes correctly and successfully. You do not make an assessment of a downfield passing game based on your first game, against an SEC defense, away, and with a QB that is just getting his hands on the controls.

Everything from here on out will be a challenge, but I see no reason for excuses or prognostications of doom. Overwhemingly pleased. _

You are overwhemingly pleased with a 14 pt loss to an SEC team who won 3 of 8 SEC games last yr and who was playing w/o its starting QB? May I come work for you?

[rhineaux]

_ You are overwhemingly pleased with a 14 pt loss to an SEC team who won 3 of 8 SEC games last yr and who was playing w/o its starting QB? May I come work for you? _

I'd hire you, but you have to have a college degree, so oh well.