Bustle Hired as USM OC

[Lexhead]

http://www.clarionledger.com/article...Eagles-offense

Veteran Bustle will lead Eagles offense
6:39 PM, Dec. 24, 2011

HONOLULU — Newly hired Southern Miss offensive coordinator Rickey Bustle said he planned to watch the Golden Eagles closely on TV during Saturday night's Sheraton Hawaii Bowl.

The former Louisiana-Lafayette head coach wanted to see what talent he will have to work with next season.

"I'll kind of put a blinder on for (quarterback Austin Davis)," Bustle said.

Davis won't be available in 2012, but Bustle has been told he'll have plenty of talent in the backfield.

Bustle said Saturday during a phone interview he plans to implement an offensive system that's not much different than the one outgoing coach
Larry Fedora has used over the last four years, breaking most of USM's offensive records.

"We want to put an up-tempo offense on the field and change speeds, keep it spread out, and sometimes not," Bustle said. "We want to keep people guessing. We're all coming from different backgrounds a little bit. There's more than one way to run what they call a spread offense. We really want to sit down and look at a lot of film and look at what they're best at. We'll start at square one. We'll carry over some things. We'll add some things. It will be a building process this spring."

Bustle spent the 2011 season as the quarterbacks coach at Tulane after serving nine years as the ULL coach.

Bustle had two stints as offensive coordinator at Virginia Tech, running the Hokies' offense in 1993 and 1995-2001.

He also served as offensive coordinator at South Carolina in 1994 and Louisiana-Monroe in 1986.

Bustle said he has plenty of respect for USM football and new coach Ellis Johnson, and those are the main reasons he accepted the job to come to Hattiesburg.

"First of all, I know Ellis and I know what kind of coach and person he is," Bustle said. "I've known him and I'm also from the South Carolina area. We coached against each other and I've always had the greatest respect for Ellis and what he's done. I think the people he's also talking about hiring will be great additions to the staff."

Outgoing USM offensive coordinator Blake Anderson served on Bustle's staff at ULL in 2007.

Bustle said he plans on picking Anderson's brain on what to expect from the returning players at Southern Miss.

[HOUCajun]

Awesome for RB

[cajunhawk]

Congrats to Ricky...he deserves the chance.

[locoguano]

I think he is back in his proper position as an OC. That isn't a shot either... its a reality.

[moorecajun]

This really is great for RB; I thought he might be out in the cold after the Tulane dismantling ... but he has come out of this in a great spot. I wish him the best UNTIL we play and/or are recruiting the same player(s)!

And it is ironic that he has displaced their former OC whom RB gave a shot to after he was out of coaching for a few years, only to bolt for USM a year after Rickey let him prove himself!

[Duggie35]

I'm happy for coach Bustle, he's a good man.

[RedBug58]

Having Ricky at USM may help us with scheduling So Miss and possibly give us another friend in CUSA.

[RaginFan2]

Congrats to Ricky! Glad to see good things happening for a good man! Will he be maintaining a residence in Lafayette? Is his wife staying at UL (for now at least)?

[RaginFan2]

Dis RB get a chance to attend the NO Bowl and see his many players do well? I sure hope so.

[CajunFan3406]

Dis RB get a chance to attend the NO Bowl and see his many players do well? I sure hope so.

He was there from what I heard.

[RaginFan2]

He was there from what I heard.

That would be cool, if so!

[Boomer]

He is now like every other coach in the state ---I pull against them!!!! nice guy ---BUT they are all our enemies!!!1---please don't let this start a we want so and so to win deal!!!!