The Book 2008 Football

[DestinCajun]

This weekend, doing some research, I stumbled across this pix from our 1939 Homecoming... to USM

Nope, that's Galvez & Co kicking the British out of West Fla.

[HoustonCajun]

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USM is committed to at least six home games in order to keep a commitment to those who signed the long term leases on suites and club seats. We have four conference games at home each year and have signed one and ones with teams like Virginia and Kansas who are coming aboard shortly. That one and one situation with those two gives us one home game each year which with conference games gets us at five. That leaves one more which complicates it a bit because we want a super school who demands two from us for one visit to the Rock. Nebraska is set to fill that gap but as you see, it leaves us one home game short every other year so that is the hole we must fill with a team that agress to come to the Rock without a return game. We have had no problem getting McNeese, Jackson State, Southeastern, etc to come in for that game so in doing that our schedule is set, 6 games minimum at the Rock. Setting up a New Orleans game with UL would reduce it to five which is unacceptable. And, from a recruit standpoing, a visit to the Rock far surpasses the Superdome with its sanitized and generic environment. A campus visit exposes them to the hordes of fans, tailgating, campus atmosphere, a beautiful facility with a digital videoboard, etc. Besides, we normally get Tulane in the dome on a conference rotating basis. I like playing the Cajuns but am sure you dont want to continue coming to USM without return visits so this game might be it for a long time. _

Our fans often wonder why we can't get a home and home series with some C-USA schools and most thought it was a school simply looking down at us. Your reasoning makes sense since your boosters who pay a lot for the suites demand the 6 home games a year. We will be looking at stadium expansion/improvements in the near future and will likely be facing the same scenario as you. Every school wants to see BCS competition in their own stadium and, I agree, playing UL in the SuperDome would not benefit either school. It appears that the only long term solution is conference realligment in the near future that will bring us into the same conference. And, a conference with 12 members and a championship game that will help solve the scheduling dilemma.

[SpreadEagle]

All I'm saying is USM has Blake Anderson as offensive coordinator. He sucks at play calling.

As mentioned Anderson is actually the qb coach. I think having him on staff is a plus for USM. He knows your players. He will know their strengths and weaknesses. I am sure he has let it be known to the players and coaches that your offense is for real and you have a very talented pair in your qb and rb.

[HoustonCajun]

_ You guys are overly sensitive. I came here for some friendly pre-game smack to make the game interesting. I haven't said anything hostile towards any of you. _

The smack about who will win and why is fun and we shouldn't be sensitive to that, especially given we haven't won much lately. We'll have to prove it on the field. What bothers me and perhaps many others is the reference to us as Ooh La La. That we do take seriously. Our quest is to the common reference of UL and Louisiana, NOT U La La and NOT Louisiana-Lafayette. Our athletic department is putting out material that refers to us only as Louisiana and UL; however, we still have a ways to go for universal acceptance. We would appreciate USM picking up the UL and Louisiana names and not the demeaning U La La.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it to the game, but will watch it on your webcast. Looks like UL sold out its 2,500 allottment plus another 500 to 1,000 more attending along with our band. It should be a great atmosphere to open the season. As you can tell, we are highly optimistic about this year and many of us are predicting a Cajun win, which would be an upset. Good luck to USM the rest of the year.

[DestinCajun]

An annual game in the Superdome would expand the USM fan base (recruiting) in Louisiana.

How much is that worth? _

He raises an interesting point about the construction of the suites and the kind of commitment, i.e. 6 home games, involved in getting them "under contract" so to speak. We could find ourselves in a similar situation if we go in that direction in the future. Puts another angle on future scheduling.

[ulforlife]

_ I didn't think Blake was OC. Maybe a positions coach or something? _

QB coach, but either way.... he sucks

[GoEagles]

LOL! And, where's the problem? Missy, we just don't buy into your goofy fact filled predictions on how the game will go. Don't get your feathers in a wad over it.

My feathers aren't in a wad. I'm not the one calling people names and making personal attacks. That would be you.

[4LSU]

_ USM - 52
Ooh La La - 13 _

You guys had a total offense ranking of 63 and the Cajuns 49th. You ranked 48 in total D and they were 104th. You are playing at home where you averaged 26,000+ last year and the Cajuns are taking their show on the road where they played in front of 100,000+ at Tennessee last year. You have a new coach and the Cajun's coach begins his 7th season. This is a very important year for Coach Bustle and I'm sure his players know it.

All in all, with you playing at home and having a better D (on paper) it would seem that you guys should carry the day. 52-13 might just a tad wishful.

I will go with 30-23 So. Miss. I would be surprised if it turns out to be the cake walk you envision.

[GoEagles]

The smack about who will win and why is fun and we shouldn't be sensitive to that, especially given we haven't won much lately. We'll have to prove it on the field. What bothers me and perhaps many others is the reference to us as Ooh La La. That we do take seriously. Our quest is to the common reference of UL and Louisiana, NOT U La La and NOT Louisiana-Lafayette. Our athletic department is putting out material that refers to us only as Louisiana and UL; however, we still have a ways to go for universal acceptance. We would appreciate USM picking up the UL and Louisiana names and not the demeaning U La La.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it to the game, but will watch it on your webcast. Looks like UL sold out its 2,500 allottment plus another 500 to 1,000 more attending along with our band. It should be a great atmosphere to open the season. As you can tell, we are highly optimistic about this year and many of us are predicting a Cajun win, which would be an upset. Good luck to USM the rest of the year.

My bad. It was just a play on words that I've seen used for years. I wasn't aware that you were going through the name change. Even your school's own website refers to you as the University of Louisiana-Lafayette.

[TuffGuy84]

You forgot to mention that one side also has a 5-star, 6'6" receiver that runs a 4.5 forty. Your tallest DB is 6'1". Talk about a mis-match. Said WR is also running with the 2nd and 3rd strings because we're so talented and deep at WR. Oh yeah, we also have an All-American TE that no defense has ever had an answer for, along with one of the best running backs in the nation. Our QB's have been very successful going against a better defense all fall than they'll see on Saturday. And it's not like they're true Freshmen. They've been on the team for 2-3 years, have gone through a couple of spring and fall practices, and one has even started a game. If you're expecting our QB to come out and be intimidated, then you're just fooling yourself. The sheer talent around him will make his job simple.

Wow...good for you to have a 5 star 6'6 wideout...it doesnt mean he runs crisp routes or even has done anything at the college level...thus why (surprise surprise) he's running with the second and 3rd string. Newsflash, we had a guy come to us from bunkie, a borderline 4 star athlete, was 6'6 himself, and ran sub 4.5, but he never understood the game, and thus never played...and that wonderful mismatch you're talking about only happens if the guy is good enough to beat out the guys in front of him on the depth chart. We know that god blessed your team with god given talent that every team in the country would love to have. Newsflash, I don't care who we are playing, you're chances of winning go up exponentially if the other team runs out a true freshman QB playing in his first game ever. In one breath you say you don't think of yourself as BCS, yet a post or 2 later, you claim that

"We finished at #37, ahead of multiple BCS schools, with multiple 3 and 4-star players, and a 5-star player that LSU sent the house to sway their way."

Wake up buddy, you haven't won a game this season, and those 3 and 4 star players still have to prove on the field that they can win. I'm all for keeping this cordial, but coming on here and beating your chest while saying that you're gonna win 400-2 is neither flattering nor reality. You're breaking in new offensive, and defensive systems, new QB, and new defensive line. I do think its possible that you win by double digits, maybe 14 and at the same time I feel its possible for us to do the same, but if you're expecting it to be a 40 pt blowout, you're gonna be dissapointed.