Football 1996

[Turbine]

6-5 *

Coach: Nelson Stokley.

The season started with quarterback Jake Delhomme holding an NCAA best 32 game starting streak, along the way during the 96 season came what many Louisiana fans consider to be the biggest win in school history, a motivated 29-22 win over national powerhouse Texas A&M. That was not however their only big game of the year. Headed by national champion Florida, the season included four teams ranked in the preseason Top 25 and four teams that concluded their seasons by playing in bowl games.

Future NFL draftees OT Anthony Clement, and WR Brandon Stokley, accompanied Jake Delhomme for his senior campaign. Opponents of the Cajuns lined up a total of 85 future NFL draftees against them. On average Jake and Co. had to face 7.73 NFL draftees each week, with only 2 of their own to counter.

With the 42.5 to 1 talent odds that they were up against, the Cajuns still produced a 4th straight winning season. Although it did take a Texas Tech forfeited win to accomplish this goal. Still, with Anthony Clement protecting Jake, and sophomore Brandon Stokley catching his passes, the numbers continued to be impressive 20 Touchdowns, 2901 yards, and not once during the senior campaign did the team suffer back to back losses.

At no time during his career did the Cajuns suffer 3 losses in a row, and in fact in the 4 years that Jake was "the man" the Cajuns suffered back to back losses on only 3 occasions. Jake Delhomme had established himself as a proven leader a winner, who raises the level of play for those around him.

Jake closed out his college career with nine consecutive 250+ yard passing games, and an NCAA best 43-game starting streak of which he once said "the thing I'm most proud of is I played four years without having any injury. That means a lot to me. I've been lucky, and it's been fun.''

Statistically he wrapped up his career with 64 touchdowns and 9216 yards, which was good enough up to that point to be the 22nd best career yardage in NCAA history. He did this without a system and with minimal tools.

Several system quarterbacks have in the 4 years since surpassed his career numbers, but even now he ranks as the 29th most prolific passer in NCAA history.

* 1 win came via Texas Tech forfiet

SEASON RECORDS
OFFENSE

Pass - Jake Delhomme 201 of 377 for 2901 yards* 20 td*

Receiving - Brandon Stokley 81 catches* 1160 yards 7 td

Rush - Kenyon Cotton 194 carries for 858 yards 7 td

Scoring - Kenyon Cotton 48 points

DEFENSE

Sacks- Paul Cabble 9

Interceptions- Damon Mason 4

Tackles- Damon Mason 135


* All-time UL record

[Turbine]

This weekend, Houston football fans will find out how well Cajun cooking sits with them.

A rested Houston Cougars team will face the Southwestern Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns 7 p.m. Saturday at Cajun Field for the first time in more than half a century.

The Cougars are coming off an open week that gave injured players time to rest and recover from injuries.

"The players came back and had a good (workout)," said Houston head coach Kim Helton. "They ran hard, looked pretty sharp."

Southwestern Louisiana has the same record as UH (2-2), including an upset win over Texas A&M for the Cajuns.

"Houston is probably the most improved team in the country right now," said USL head coach Nelson Stokley.

"They run the football extremely well (and) run hard," Stokley said. "Both of their backs run very hard, so they're going to once again give our defense a very difficult assignment in trying to take those things away (during the second half)."

USL receiver Brandon Stokley was named Louisiana Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against Louisiana Tech. A repeat of his 10 caught passes for 190 yards performance could be quite a load for the young Cougar secondary.

"Stokley is a good wide out, (and) the quarterback is a good thrower," Helton said.

Helton says the game will be very competitive because both teams are very similar to one another.

"(USL) is a very good football team, one of those teams in the country that doesn't always get all the praise they should get," said Helton. "It's a game we can win and it certainly gonna take our best effort."

The Ragin' Cajuns have one of the best defenses in the country in terms of takeaways and turning those opportunities into points.

Eight turnovers against A&M played a big factor in the upset win.

The USL defense is probably one of the top five teams in the nation in terms of scoring points after causing turnovers, Helton said.

Avoiding turnovers has been a focus for several offensive players during practice.

"We have been going through our regular drills at practice where the defense is trying to strip the ball from me," Cougars running back Antowain Smith said.

"There is more emphasis on protecting the ball and not giving it up," he said.

Smith said the Cougars will utilize the run and not allow the Ragin' Cajun defense to set the tempo of the game by attempting to pass the ball on every down.

"We're going into the game trying to run the ball," Smith said. "I feel that we can run the ball against them. If we protect the ball against their defense, there's no doubt in my mind we should come out (with a win).

"There's no doubt in my mind we will run the ball well," he added.

The Houston defense has improved since linebacker Vaughn Washington came back from an ankle injury.

Washington missed the first three games of the season but had eight tackles against Southern California Sept. 21.

"Vaughn Washington makes a big difference to UH when he plays middle linebacker," Helton said.

The injury hindered Washington's speed, which he said is one of his strengths and will help against a team he considers will become tired.

Washington thinks the game will be a battle during the first half, but said "we should dominate them (during the second half)."

The rest of the Story

Marco Delgado
The Daily Cougar

[NewsCopy]

Indians, Ragin' Cajuns both seeking third win

Both the Indians and the Ragin' Cajuns of the University of Southwestern Louisiana will seek their third victory of the season when they meet at 4 p.m. Saturday in Lafayette, La.

Each team enters the game with a 2-3 record.
ASU head coach John Bobo said the game is important for both teams, because the winner will expunge its losing record.

The Cajuns sport wins against Texas A&M University and Louisiana Tech University, while falling to the University of Florida, Southern Mississippi University and the University of Houston.

Bobo said: "They have already beaten Texas A&M, who at the time was 10th in the country. They've already beaten a very, very good Louisiana Tech team who has already beaten a good Mississippi State team. They have the potential to beat some of the top teams in the country."

Cajun View

USL has beaten the Indians six of the last seven times. The Cajuns have won the last three matchups by a combined score of 78-12, including a 33-9 victory last season.

The head coach of USL, Nelson Stokley, is in his 11th season with the team and has a 6-2 record against ASU. Like the Indians, the Cajuns are in their first season as an independent after spending the last three seasons in the Big West Conference. In the Big West, USL shared two league titles in 1993 and 1994 and finished second in the league in 1995.

USL's Offense

USL's offense is led by senior quarterback Jake Delhomme. In three seasons as starting quarterback, Delhomme has never lost to the Indians. He has completed 39 of 69 passes for three touchdowns with only one interception. On the season, he has thrown for 1,242 yards and six touchdowns.

Stokley said, "I don't think there's a better quarterback in the country than Jake."

Delhomme's main target is Stokley's son, Brandon Stokley. So far this season, the 6-0, 175-pound sophomore has caught 41 passes for 645 yards and three touchdowns.

USL's ground attack is led by 6-1, 255-pound senior Kenyon Cotton. Bobo said Cotton is hard to tackle. For the season, Cotton has 95 rushes for 348 yards and three touchdowns.

Cajun Defense

The USL defense has been the strength of the team for the last few seasons.

The Cajun defense revolves around its secondary.

The USL secondary is led by two returning All-Big West selections, seniors Britt Jackson and Damon Mason.

Mason, a 5-9, 170-pound strong safety leads the team with 58 tackles and three interceptions. Jackson, a 5-9, 182-pound cornerback, has broken up six passes and has two fumble recoveries.

Another strong part of the USL defense is its linebackers. The Cajuns return two All-Big West performers, seniors Pat Brennan and Kelcy Dotson.

The rest of the story

By Barry Groomes, Herald Staff

[LatvianCajun]

Is there any place that I could order me a video of that great game?

[ok278]

Does anyone at least have a scanned photo of the scoreboard?

[ULouisiana]

I have a VCR tape of the game.........

I live in Houston.

[CajunNation]

There are several bootleg tapes out there. One of my friends has it. Whenever I need to remind myself that we were once pretty good, I watch it.

It would be cool to run it again as a special on one of the Lafayette channels if that's possible.

[CDeb]

Originally posted by ok278
Does anyone at least have a scanned photo of the scoreboard?

The 1997 media guide has that on the cover, but I don't think I have a copy.

[NewsCopy]

In a matchup in which the teams checked their defenses at the gate, the University of Southwestern Louisiana walked out with a 42-31 victory, quelling ASU's bid to spoil Homecoming Saturday at Cajun Field in Lafayette, La.

The game was a see-saw battle with ASU rallying from 14 points behind in the second and third quarters. The Indians led late in the third quarter after Indian cornerback Chappell Mitchell's 95-yard interception return for a touchdown off USL quarterback Jake Delhomme.

The Ragin' Cajuns roared back with a drive featuring runs by freshman Darren Brister and a 53-yard reception by wideout Donald Richard. Receiver Brandon Stokley put USL ahead for good with a 12-yard touchdown catch from Delhomme to give the Cajuns a four-point lead.

ASU had a slim chance of pulling the game out late, trailing by 11 points with 1:39 to play. But Indian junior quarterback Brent Pettus had a pass intercepted on a first and goal play.

"At the end of the game, our plan was to score and go for the on-side kick," ASU head coach John Bobo said. "Then we'd try to put it into overtime with a field goal."

USL (3-3) racked up 588 yards in total offense, including the emergence of Brister, who tagged the Indians for 204 yards and three touchdowns.
Brister, who backs up senior Kenyon Cotton, had averaged only 25.4 yards per game on the season. He surpassed his average in the first quarter.

The Indians forced three turnovers, which Bobo called a key factor before the contest. The Cajuns have an opportunistic defense that used five interceptions three weeks ago to down then-No. 9 Texas A & M University .

ASU (2-4) capitalized on a Cotton fumble on USL's first offensive play by covering 33 yards in two plays and capping the drive with ASU running back Corey Walker's 28-yard TD run. ASU trailed 28-21 at that point. Walker appeared to be back to last year's form of a top-10 all-purpose yardage leader by dragging All-Big West safety Damon Mason and two other defenders with him into the end zone.

ASU's highest point output of the season was not enough to keep pace with USL's high-octane offense, which scored two touchdowns on its first two possessions.

"There were some critical mistakes that we made in the game," Bobo said. "You couldn't say it was our day because we didn't make the plays we should have."
ASU plays Southeast Missouri State University at 2 p.m. Saturday in Indian Stadium for Homecoming.

The source

Kelly Ponder
Herald

[NewsCopy]

COLLEGE STATION – Much like a truckload of other Texans who traveled east into the Louisiana bayous that crazy weekend, Sept. 14, 1996, is a Saturday I’ll never forget. For as much as what happened off the field in Lafayette, La., as on the field. And on the field was about as memorable as it gets for Aggies fans, in a bad way. Louisiana-Lafayette, then known as Southwestern Louisiana, defeated the three-touchdown favorite Aggies 29-22 a decade ago down in the swamps. The Ragin’ Cajuns are this Saturday’s opponent at Kyle Field. Ten years ago, A&M turned the ball over eight times – a tidy package of four interceptions and four fumbles. The Lafayette natives call their field The Swamp because it’s below sea level, and the Aggies played most of the game like they were trying to hold the football underwater. It just kept popping out. An oft-forgot item about then-USL: the Cajuns featured a future Super Bowl quarterback in Jake Delhomme and a future Super Bowl receiver in Brandon Stokley. On the field that night for the Aggies was a future NFL star – and then freshman – in running back and return man Dante Hall. Before the game, Bryan-College Station Eagle writer Larry Bowen and I were trying to park his rental car – a land yacht, he dubbed it – and pulled into a space around a bunch of crazy, cuttin’ loose Cajun tailgaters. A woman yelled at us and asked if we were with Sen. Thibodaux’s party or some sort, because that was his parking area. Sounded good to me. “Then why do you have Texas license plates?” she screamed. We moved the car. Hours after the game ended, Larry and I were devouring some Denny’s along the main drag, still scratching our heads from what we’d witnessed in The Swamp, when we heard a ruckus outside that soon turned to a roar. I thought Huey P. Long had come back to life, the way the Louisianans were carrying on. Turns out they were marching the goalposts down the street around midnight, headed goodness knows where. We watched the posts march by, and then turned our attention back to our pancakes. The rest of the story Brent Zwerneman Express-News Staff Writer

[DestinCajun]

"The next year, USL put a picture of the scoreboard and fallen goalposts from that crazy night in Lafayette on the cover of its media guide. The Aggies made ’em pay with a 66-0 victory at Kyle Field, partially soothing the sting from a year prior."


So, that's the reason they beat us so badly in '97. I never knew that.
(LMAO)

[CajunCharlie]

'Pears to me that the Aggies are counting their chickens before they are hatched. Funny he didn't mention that for that Sept 14 home game Aggie fans, arriving by bus, were throwing firecrackers at Cajun fans.

Their fun was short lived when the Cajun fans began lighting the firecrackers and throwing them back.

[RedBug58]

Hours after the game ended, Larry and I were devouring some Denny’s along the main drag, still scratching our heads from what we’d witnessed in The Swamp, when we heard a ruckus outside that soon turned to a roar. I thought Huey P. Long had come back to life, the way the Louisianans were carrying on.

Turns out they were marching the goalposts down the street around midnight, headed goodness knows where. We watched the posts march by, and then turned our attention back to our pancakes.

"Denny's"??? We've never had a "Denny's" in Lafayette. The goal post was carried to "Ray's Sports Bar". They would have had to been in Luthers, what was the Mexican place on the corner, or one of the fast food places across Congress. (Methinks this Aggie was still crying in the stadium) Also a little advice to the Aggies..............Some of the best food in the country is right here in Lafayette. It's not hard to find food better than "Denny's"!!

[Turbine]

There used to be a Denny's on Evangeline Thruway, though I doubt they made it that far.

What was Mel's Diner (across from the Horse Farm) called 10 years ago (denny's type) ? It's "along the main drag" and not that far from Cajun Field. If fans were still carrying the post at midnight . . . . ???

[Ewhite]

There used to be a Denny's on Evangeline Thruway, though I doubt they made it that far.

What was Mel's Diner (across from the Horse Farm) called 10 years ago (denny's type) ? It's "along the main drag" and not that far from Cajun Field. If fans were still carrying the post at midnight . . . . ???

It was called Mel's Diner back then. He may have been PC about the fact he was probably at Ray's drinking beer. I thought I heard a story that the goalpost had gone down Johnston at one point.

There will be a Denny's in College Station, maybe it's a premonition. I hope so.