Ragin' Cajuns seek breakout year
LOUISIANA La. - Rickey Bustle knows all about the near misses, close calls and heartbreaks.
In fact, probably more than anyone else, Bustle has spent a few restless nights the last eight months breaking down and rehashing the memories of the University of Louisiana at Lafayette's oh-so-close 4-7 season in 2004.
The four victories were ULL's most since 1996, but the ones that got away provided both frustration and optimism.
Last season, UL lost three games by three points (all Sun Belt Conference games) and another by four. Against Sun Belt Conference standard-bearer North Texas, the Cajuns were within three points in the fourth quarter before losing 27-17.
All told, five of ULL's losses were by a total of 23 points.
Bustle, the Ragin' Cajuns' fourth-year coach, has done the math and knows how close his team was to breaking through a year ago. But the longtime Virginia Tech assistant doesn't want his team to settle for what-ifs any more. He made that point clear Friday at the Cajuns' annual media day.
"My expectations are to win more games than we lose," Bustle said. "Realistically, the last few years, I didn't know how we'd come out. I didn't think we'd come out great, but I thought if our kids kept working hard, playing hard, we'd head in the right direction. I think it's very fair for our fans to expect us to win football games and that's the way I feel about. … That's what I expect out of our football team."
What Bustle expects and what transpires on the field this season might hinge largely on how well the Cajuns feed off their lingering memories of last season.
UL returns 17 starters from last year and there didn't seem to be a lack of motivation on Friday.
"We've come real close to breaking through, but a few plays here and there have stopped us from getting where we want to be," junior quarterback Jerry Babb said. "We're making progress every year, but we have to win some of those close games."
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By RANDY ROSETTA
rrosetta@theadvocate.com
Advocate sportswriter
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Re: Ragin' Cajuns seek breakout year
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