There is nothing wrong with "The Program"

[CajunNation]

Just wanted to present an argument to a few things.

Bustle could have gone out and signed 21 or so junior college players and had a fair season, but I don’t think it’s very likely it would have helped the program?

It goes both ways.

I remember when Tech replaced Joe Raymond Peace with Gary Crowton.

Crowton's first class was around 30 players. More than half of them were JC recruits. People "in the know" on the airwaves around here were very critical of Tech's chosen route of recruiting.

Result?

3 years of Crowton:
21-13 record
wins over Alabama, California, and Mississippi State

next 3 years of Bicknell:
18-17 record
win over Alabama
WAC championship

I would say it worked out pretty well for them.

Are there programs out there that have turned things around in 3 or 4 years or even less? Perhaps, but they are the exception not the rule, and often they simply had good teams but failed to create good programs.

Funny you should mention years 3 and 4. also, I see you like to reference Va Tech. Let's compare.

In years 3 and 4, Beamer's record was 12-9-1
1-A wins: North Carolina State(twice), West Virginia(twice), Virginia, Southern Miss, East Carolina, Vanderbilt, Tulane, Temple, Bowling Green, and Akron

In years 3 and 4, Bustle's record is 5-11
1-A wins: Middle Tennessee State, Arkansas State, Florida International(provisional)
How many more will we win this season?

The program is out adjusting opponents at halftime and is currently outscoring opponents 2-to-1 in the third quarter.

The program is not prepared well to play, and is being outscored 2.5-to-1 in the first half.

The program is putting players in their best position and getting defensive players into the NFL.

C.C. Brown is the only one. Brad Franklin was a Stokley signee. Kyries Hebert was a Stokley signee. Charles Tillman was a Baldwin signee. Wendell williams was a Baldwin walk-on.

The program is signing quality athletes who will be with the program for 4 years.

Bustle has SIGNED on signing day around 95 players so far. On the 2-deep depth chart listed on the athletic website, 14 of the 44 players listed are either Baldwin signees or walk-ons. That's 32% of the 2 deep we didn't sign. In year 4?
The 2 starters at DT are a Baldwin signee and a walk-on. ????? This HAS to be adressed in the off-season with JC recruits.

Finally, for the first time, EVER, a coaching staff will start it's tenure here with 4 losing seasons in a row.

[RaginEsquire06]

"Hot" post HB....

[RaginEsquire06]

My only question to everyone is...How can the other state schools find success in their football programs but UL continues to fall short. What is it that they have over us? L.Tech, Tulane, ULM, NWestern.....Are their facilities better than ours? Is it the fan support? OR is the COACHES? (recruiting methods, coaching styles, competence, etc....) I know it can take one great player to make a difference in a programs ability to win...ie, Brian Mitchel & Jake Delhomme....so, with regards to that, are we playing our BEST players? I know everone will not stop supporting UL in football, however....I know they are, just as I am... sick of losing!

[CajunNation]

Here is another way of looking at things.

There are 52 teams in the SBC, CUSA, WAC, MWC, and the MAC

'02-'04, Bustle's tenure, we have 9 Division 1-A wins.

Of the 52, there are only 12 schools with less than 9 1-A wins in that same timeframe: FIU, FAU, Idaho, Buffalo, Western Michigan, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Ohio, Temple, Central Florida, East Carolina, SMU.

We've already lost to 3 of schools on this list THIS YEAR.(EMU,UCF,FAU)

In case you missed it, FAU and FIU are the only SBC schools with fewer 1-A wins than us in the SBC over the last 3 seasons.

[JMV JustMyView]

Winning at any level would cure things...How can Western Kentucky play football D-II but all other sports at D-I? I would be good it we could do this...

[CajunNation]

Winning at any level would cure things...How can Western Kentucky play football D-II but all other sports at D-I? I would be good it we could do this...

WKY plays Division I in all sports.

Division 1-AA in football.
Division 1 in everything else.

Division II football is played by schools smaller than WKY.


You want us to drop to 1-AA?

Better yet, let's just drop football all together! Then, we could REALLY spend money and improve our Basketball and Baseball teams, right?

I mean, it worked for Lamar. right? Right??

[JMV JustMyView]

WKY plays Division I in all sports.

Division 1-AA in football.
Division 1 in everything else.

Division II football is played by schools smaller than WKY.


You want us to drop to 1-AA?

Better yet, let's just drop football all together! Then, we could REALLY spend money and improve our Basketball and Baseball teams, right?

I mean, it worked for Lamar. right? Right??

You miss the question...I ask how are they able to do this D-I all sports except football. Yes I'm saying we should play D-II in football but not drop the sport.. We would win more which would increase fan base, attitudes, recruits, etc...

[Turbine]

Just wanted to present an argument to a few things.

HOTBOUDIN I don't have time (at the moment) to address all your arguments, but I would remind you we are talking about building a program.

The programs you mentioned had just that "programs" going in. Bustle came into no program to speak of. The schools that are in fact upstarts either have twice the budget or benefited from the free transfer rule, or both.

Do you happen to know the record of Tech in the years leading up to Crowton?

Frank Beamer’s inherited much more of a program when going to V-Tech than Bustle did coming to UL. He inherited a program producing somewhere between 5 and 6 wins a year on average in the previous 12 or so before he took the V-Tech job.

We are talking about building a program (almost) from scratch with no money, and all Bustle has to do is win 12 games in the next two and a half years and UL will be on pace (in number of wins) with what Frank Beamer did at now national power house Virginia Tech.

The UL program is on track for success.

[Turbine]

Yes I'm saying we should play D-II in football but not drop the sport.. We would win more which would increase fan base, attitudes, recruits, etc...

I'm thinking attitudes by some of the diehards might improve but overall interest would disappear.

I know I would not be jacked about the lesser challenge.

For me the challenge is the fun, or at least part of it.

jmo

[Hammer58]

You miss the question...I ask how are they able to do this D-I all sports except football. Yes I'm saying we should play D-II in football but not drop the sport.. We would win more which would increase fan base, attitudes, recruits, etc...

Why do all the proponents of 1AA football assume we would win and sudenly draw more fans? We draw more fans when we have mediocre to good 1A teams. I don't think we could ever expect to get 20,000 for Southland conference games even if we were going undefeated. And as far as the argument that we would be winning, you are assuming we would be getting the same level of talent. Our level of talent would actually be lower. The guys we have recruited came here for the opportunity to play D1A football, not D1AA. Other than guys who went to a D1AA team to play a specific position there rather than come here as an athlete, tell me how many players did we lose to a D1AA team that we offered a scholarship for the same position. I would bet the answer is very few if not none at all. The guys playing D1AA football are talented but they are playing D1AA football because they were lacking size, quickness, speed or some other aspect of their talent was just a little lacking for D1A football. There may be an exception here or there but overall I think that is a true statement.