MONROE - Who knows how the University of Louisiana and the UL Monroe players will react today?
None of them have ever been in this situation, with one game determining a winning season, conference title and a potential berth in a bowl game for both squads.

The Cajuns haven't been above .500 in a decade and are 25-79 since that 6-5 season in 1995. The last time they were in a conference title chase this late was in 1994 when they won a share of the Big West Conference crown, but missed out on a Bowl trip on a tie-breaker.

For the Indians, it's been even longer. ULM's last winning record came in 1993, when the Tribe went 9-3 as a member of Division I-AA. Since then, it's been a 37-87 streak with no runs at a I-A conference title.
When the teams lock up in what has been dubbed the "Battle of the Bayou" at 2:30 p.m. today at ULM's Malone Stadium, it will likely come down to whichever one handles the pressures of arguably the biggest game of each school's I-A history.

"It's a great rivalry in the state," said Cajun coach Rickey Bustle, "but a lot more things impact this game this year. When you start the year, you just ask for an opportunity to be playing for something in your 11th game."

"This is something everybody dreams about at the beginning of the season," said ULM coach Charlie Weatherbie. "I think everybody will be pretty excited about it, but once that first couple of hits takes place, everybody settles down and plays their game."

Things are very straight-forward for the Indians. A win gives ULM (5-5, 5-1 Sun Belt) the outright Sun Belt title and puts them in the Dec. 20 New Orleans Bowl, to be played at UL's Cajun Field.

ULM still takes a share of the league title with a loss, but would not be eligible for the bowl game with a 5-6 record.

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Dan McDonald
dmcdonald@theadvertiser.com