Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns at No. 23 Georgia Bulldogs
Saturday, Sept. 4, 2010 Sanford Stadium Athens, GA – 11:21am CT
Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns (0-0) About This Week…
The Cajuns face Georgia for the first time in school Sept. 5 at #23 Georgia (SEC Network) 11:21am history…Kickoff is set for 11:21am (CT) live on the SEC Sept. 11 ARKANSAS ST.* (SBC Network) 2:30PM Network…The Bulldogs enter the season No. 23 in the AP Sept. 18 OPEN Top 25 after finishing 2009 with an 8-5 record and an Sept. 25 MIDDLE TENN* (SBC Network) 2:30PM Independence Bowl victory over Texas A&M.
Oct. 2 at North Texas* (SBC Network) 6:30pm Looking Ahead to Next Week…
Oct. 8 OKLAHOMA ST. (ESPN2 HD) 8:00PM UL faces Arkansas State on Sept. 11th…The game has been Oct. 16 at Troy St.* 6:00pm moved up from its original 6pm kickoff to 2:30pm on the Oct. 23 WESTERN KENTUCKY* 4:00PM Sun Belt Network…It’s the earliest ever SBC start for UL. Oct. 30 at Ohio 1:00pm Nov. 6 at Mississippi TBA 2009 Cajuns Top National Rankings… Sacks Allowed (16) – 14th Interceptions (16) – 23rd Nov. 13 at Florida Atlantic* (SBN-WC) 6:00pm Red Zone Eff. (89%) – 16th Turnovers Gained (26) – 29th Nov. 20 FIU* (SBN-WC) 6:00PM th th Net Punting (37.56) – 25 Punt Return Def. (6.15) – 26 Nov. 27 at La.-Monroe* (SBN-WC) 2:30pm 3rd Down Conv. (42.4%) – 36th Kickoff Ret. Def. (20.15) – 26th Fewest Penalties (5.5) – 39th Turnover Margin (+.25) – 45th
2009 Season Notes…
Collegepressbox.com Brad McGuire and Ladarius Green combined for the third
Collegepressbox.com is the official media website longest passing play in school history with a 91-yard TD vs.
for Sun Belt Conference football. Access and Troy…Dwight Bentley’s 70-yard INT return vs. North download weekly game notes, quotes, statistics, Texas was the sixth longest in Cajuns history…Cajun Field
media guides, headshots, logos and more for the set a single-game attendance mark with 41,357 vs. Southern
conference and each of its member schools. Login and the season total of 111,998 was the most since 1988.
information will be distributed to accredited media or Statistical Points of Interest… you can apply for a password by sending an e-mail to The Cajuns were 112-of-182 passing (61.5%) with seven [email protected] passing TD’s to just one interception in the team’s six victories in 2009…UL was 6-2 when the defense forced at least two turnovers…The Cajuns allowed only three sacks in 2009 Sun Belt Football Standings their six victories…UL has won all six games in which quarterback Chris Masson appeared under center and did School Conference Overall NOT throw an interception. Conversely, UL is 1-8 in games Troy 8-0 9-4 where Masson throws a pick.
Middle Tennessee 7-1 10-3 Cajun Field Tunnel Intimidating… Louisiana-Monroe 5-3 6-6 In an article stating: The right entrance can get visitors off Florida Atlantic 5-3 5-7 on the wrong foot, Ryan McGee from ESPN The Magazine Louisiana 4-4 6-6 confidentially sampled players in each of the 11 conferences Arkansas State 3-5 4-8 to name which rival has the most intimidating tunnel. The Florida International 3-5 3-9 Sun Belt’s feared entrance was Cajun Field. An anonymous North Texas 1-7 2-10 quote stated…"I hate going out that tunnel. They have some Western Kentucky 0-8 0-12 horrible, horrible fans. It's a good thing for them, though." http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=5452951 South Alabama Coming in 2013 Sun Belt Conference Affiliated with the Bowl Championship Series (BCS), R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, GMAC Bowl, Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, Birmingham Bowl and Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl.
NEW ORLEANS – For the first time in Sun Belt Conference history, two conference teams will be guaranteed admission into the postseason. During the offseason, the conference continued its partnership with the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl and entered into a primary bowl partnership with the GMAC Bowl.
Additionally, the Sun Belt Conference has secondary tie-ins with the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl, the Birmingham Bowl, and the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Bowl. Teams from the Sun Belt Conference will be eligible to play in these bowl games if they have a winning record and the primary contracted partners are unable to fill the spots in these games.
2010-11 COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL SCHEDULE Bowl Game Date/Time (ET) Site Matchup Network New Mexico Dec. 18 / 2:00 p.m. Albuquerque, N.M. Mountain West vs. WAC ESPN uDrove Humanitarian Dec. 18 / 5:30 p.m. Boise, Idaho MAC vs. WAC ESPN R + L Carriers New Orleans Dec. 18 / 9:00 p.m. New Orleans, La. C-USA vs. Sun Belt ESPN Beef ‘O’ Brady’s St. Petersburg Dec. 21 / 8:00 p.m. St. Petersburg, Fla. Big East vs. C-USA [Sun Belt] ESPN MAACO Las Vegas Dec. 22 / 8:00 p.m. Las Vegas, Nev. Mountain West vs. Pac-10 ESPN S.D. County Credit Union Poinsettia Dec. 23 / 8:00 p.m. San Diego, Calif. Mountain West vs. Navy (WAC) ESPN Sheraton Hawaii Dec. 24 / 8:00 p.m. Honolulu, Hawaii C-USA vs. 7-win Hawaii or WAC ESPN Little Caesars Pizza Dec. 26 / 8:30 p.m. Detroit, Mich. Big Ten (Sun Belt) vs. MAC ESPN AdvoCare V100 Independence Dec. 27 / 5:00 p.m. Shreveport, La. ACC vs. Mountain West ESPN Champs Sports Dec. 28 / 6:30 p.m. Orlando, Fla. ACC vs. Big East ESPN Insight Dec. 28 / 10:00 p.m. Tempe, Ariz. Big Ten vs. Big 12 ESPN EagleBank Dec. 29 / 2:30 p.m. Washington, D.C. ACC vs. C-USA ESPN Texas Dec. 29 / 6:00 p.m. Houston, Texas Big Ten vs. Big 12 ESPN Valero Alamo Dec. 29 / 9:15 p.m. San Antonio, Texas Big 12 vs. Pac-10 ESPN Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Dec. 30 / 12:00 p.m. Dallas, Texas C-USA vs. Mountain West [Army] ESPN New Era Pinstripe Dec. 30 / 3:20 p.m. Bronx, N.Y. Big 12 (Notre Dame) vs. Big East ESPN Franklin American Mortgage Music City Dec. 30 / 6:40 p.m. Nashville, Tenn. ACC vs. SEC ESPN Bridgepoint Education Holiday Dec. 30 / 10:00 p.m. San Diego, Calif. Big 12 vs. Pac-10 ESPN Meineke Care Care Dec. 31 / 12:00 p.m. Charlotte, N.C. ACC vs. Big East ESPN Hyundai Sun Dec. 31 / 2:00 p.m. El Paso, Texas ACC vs. Pac-10 CBS AutoZone Liberty Dec. 31 / 3:30 p.m. Memphis, Tenn. C-USA vs. SEC [Big East] ESPN Chick-fil-A Dec. 31 / 7:30 p.m. Atlanta, Ga. ACC vs. SEC ESPN Dallas Football Classic Jan. 1 / 11:00 a.m. Dallas, Texas Big Ten vs. Big 12 [C-USA/MAC] ESPN Outback Jan. 1 / 1:00 p.m. Tampa, Fla. Big Ten vs. SEC ABC Capital One Jan. 1 / 1:00 p.m. Orlando, Fla. Big Ten vs. SEC ESPN Gator Jan. 1 / 1:30 p.m. Jacksonville, Fla. Big Ten vs. SEC ESPN2 Rose Bowl Game Jan. 1 / 5:00 p.m. Pasadena, Calif. BCS vs. BCS ESPN Tostitos Fiesta Jan. 1 / 8:30 p.m. Glendale, Ariz. BCS vs. BCS ESPN Orange Jan. 3 / 8:30 p.m. Miami, Fla. BCS vs. BCS ESPN Allstate Sugar Jan. 4 / 8:30 p.m. New Orleans, La. BCS vs. BCS ESPN GMAC Jan. 6 / 8:00 p.m. Mobile, Ala. MAC vs. Sun Belt ESPN AT&T Cotton Jan. 7 / 8:00 p.m. Arlington, Texas Big 12 vs. SEC FOX Birmingham Bowl Jan. 8 / 12:00 p.m. Birmingham, Ala. Big East vs. SEC [MAC/C-USA/SBC] ESPN Kraft Fight Hunger Jan. 9 / 9:00 p.m. San Francisco, Calif. Pac-10 vs. WAC ESPN Tostitos BCS National Championship Jan. 10 / 8:30 p.m. Glendale, Ariz. BCS No. 1 vs. BCS No. 2 ESPN Notre Dame is eligible for all bowls in which the Big East has a commitment, as well as the BCS.
Head Coach Rickey Bustle…
Rickey Bustle has guided the Cajuns for eight seasons and enters his ninth year in Cajun Country in 2010. Louisiana won six games in four of the past five seasons, a stretch not equaled at UL since 1986‐89. In fact, since the 2005 season, only one other Sun Belt school can boast four bowl eligible seasons. One of Bustle’s proudest moments was seeing four‐time All‐Sun Belt selection Tyrell Fenroy become just the 7th player in NCAA history to rush for 1,000 yards in four consecutive seasons. Bustle is credited with 51 All‐Sun Belt selections in addition to the 2005 SBC Freshman of the Year (Tyrell Fenroy), 2006 SBC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year (Jerry Babb), 2008 SBC Offensive Player of the Year (Michael Desormeaux) and 2008 SBC Player of the Year (Fenroy). In addition to winning the Walter Camp Football Foundation National Offensive Player of the Week, several Ragin’ Cajuns under Bustle have been considered for many prestigious national awards, including; Doak Walker Award Watch List & Semifinalist, Lou Groza Award Watch List, Mackey Award Watch List, Outland Trophy Watch List, Rimington Trophy Watch List, Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List and William V. Campbell Trophy Candidate. Following the 2010 NFL Draft, a total of 19 Ragin’ Cajuns coached by Bustle have either been drafted or signed free agent contracts. North of the border, Bustle has seen a pair of offensive linemen selected in the CFL Draft – Jesse Newman was the third overall pick in 2008 and Nasser Jamal was the first pick of the sixth round in the 2010. In addition, 11 players have been invited to play in post‐season all‐star bowl games, with a handful of those players earning multiple invitations. Under Bustle, the Cajuns have been .500 or better at home in seven of his eight seasons. Louisiana went 4‐2 at home in 2009, which included a 17‐15 upset over Big XII‐member Kansas State. Bustle holds a 24‐20 (.546) career record at home. In addition to raised expectations, Bustle has brought professionalism and discipline to the program. From 2002‐09, the Cajuns have committed the fewest penalties in the Sun Belt Conference and UL boasts the fewest penalties per game over that span. The fans have also taken notice, as 763,975 have attended games since 2002 for an average of over 17,300 per game. UL has topped 100,000 fans in a season three times since 2004, including 111,998 last season. The Bustle‐era owns four of the 15 biggest crowds in Cajun Field history, including a school‐record 41,357 to open the 2009 campaign. UL owns has the SBC record for largest home stadium crowd (41,357), second‐largest home stadium crowd (33,828) and largest conference game attendance (29,031). The Cajuns led the SBC in attendance in 2004 and 2008. The Cajuns went 6‐5 (.546) in 2005 to mark UL’s first winning record since 1995. Along with a winning season in 2005 came a share of the Sun Belt Conference championship. After starting 1‐5 (0‐2), Louisiana roared back into the SBC race with with five straight victories, including a 54‐21 win at La.‐Monroe to claim the first school title since the 1994 Big West crown. Bustle was rewarded with a two‐year contract extension following the 2005 campaign, which lengthens his contract through 2010. His contract was extended again following the 2009 season. Bustle saw his winning percentage increase each of the first four seasons since taking the job in 2002, but regressed to .500 in 2006. His 6‐6 record in 2006 was only deemed a regression because of the high standards and raised levels of expectations by the Cajuns and their fans. In fact, Bustle’s 12 wins from 2005‐06 were the most in a two‐year period since 1994‐95. Coach Bustle was victorious 23 times in his first five seasons with the Cajuns from 2002‐06, including 11 of the last 17 games. UL won only nine games in the five seasons prior to Bustle’s arrival from 1997‐ 2001. The Summerville, S.C., native, became the 24th head coach in Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns football history on December 13, 2001. For seven seasons prior to his appointment as head coach of the Cajuns, Bustle served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Va. Tech. With the Hokies, Bustle developed some of the finest quarterbacks in college football. Bustle is a 1976 graduate of Clemson, where he received a bachelor’s degree in parks and recreation administration. He was a four‐year letterwinner as a wide receiver for the Tigers
QUICK NOTES ABOUT COACH BUSTLE At the half under Coach Bustle- At Home: Leading (18-2), Trailing (3-16), Tied (3-2) On Road: Leading (10-4), Trailing (4-31), Tied (0-1)