2012 Louisiana Football Louisiana Hosts Lamar To Open 2012 Season 12th Annual Herbert Heymann Classic To Feature Tussle For The Sabine Shoe 12th Annual Herbert Heymann Classic The Storyline: After almost a month of preseason drills, Louisiana’s Ragin’ Cajuns Game 1: Lamar (4-7 in 2011) at football team will open the 2012 season hosting Lamar on Saturday, Louisiana (9-4 in 2011) Sept. 1 with kickoff slated for 6:00 p.m. CDT in Cajun Field. the When: Saturday, Sept. 1, 2012, 6:00 p.m. CDT game, which is sponsored by Sonic Drive-Inn, will be televised by the Ragin’ Cajuns Network with Jeff Palermo, Scott Brazda and Erin Co- Site: Cajun Field (ProGrass, 31,000) fiell providing commentary. the contest marks the beginning of the Game Sonic Drive-Inn 111th season of intercollegiate football at UL with Louisiana owning Sponsor: a 62-37-5 record in the 104 previous home openers (UL did not play at home in six seasons) from 1907-18 . the game will also serve as TV: Ragin’ Cajuns Network (Jeff Palermo, the 12th annual Herbert Heymann Classic, honoring the prominent Scott Brazda & Erin Cofiell) Acadiana businessman, community pillar and Cajun fan who passed Radio: Ragin’ Cajuns Radio Network away in 2001 . UL owns a 22-11 lead in the all-time series with La- (Jay Walker, Gerald Broussard & Steve mar, but the two teams have not met since 1989. after not offering Peloquin) football from 1990-2009, Lamar reinstated the program in 2010 and has Participating Stations gone 5-6 and 4-7 in the last two years. the winner of the game will KPEL (1420 AM, Lafayette) Flagship take home the Sabine Shoe, a traveling trophy named after the Sabine KXHT (107.9 FM, Lafayette) river, which helps to form the border between Texas & Louisiana. WGSO (990 AM, New Orleans) the Cajuns return 13 starters and every specialist return from the 2011 KTUX (98.9 FM, Shreveport) KLCL (1470 AM, Lake Charles) team that went 9-4 and won the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. KJEF (1290 AM, Jennings) nine of the starters back are back from the offense that set the school KRJO (1680 AM, Monroe) record with 420 points and was just the second to total over 5,000 yards of total offense (5,130). Series: UL Leads, 22-11 Last Meeting: UL 42, Lamar 33 (at UL, Nov. 11, 1989) UL Web Site: www.RaginCajuns.com Tickets: $30 Reserved, $25 General Admission (Lamar, FIU & Tulane) $25 Reserved, $20 General Admission (Arkansas State, WKU & South Alabama) Season tickets available at RaginCajuns. com and by calling (337) 265-2357 Louisiana (9-4 in 2011) Lamar (4-7 in 2011) Date Opponent Date Opponent Sept. 1 LAMAR Sept. 1 at Louisiana Sept. 8 at Troy Sept. 8 at Prairie View A&M Sept. 15 at Oklahoma State Sept. 15 at Hawai’i Sept. 29 FIU Sept. 22 LANGSTON Oct. 6 TULANE Sept. 29 SOUTHEASTERN LA. Oct. 16 at North Texas Oct. 6 NORTHWESTERN STATE Oct. 23 ARKANSAS STATE Oct. 13 McMURRY Nov. 3 at La.-Monroe Oct. 20 at Central Arkansas Nov. 10 at Florida Oct. 27 SAM HOUSTON STATE Nov. 17 WKU Nov. 3 at Stephen F. Austin Nov. 24 SOUTH ALABAMA Nov. 10 NICHOLLS STATE Dec. 1 at Florida Atlantic Nov. 17 McNEESE STATE Contact: Brian McCann, Sports Information Director (Football Contact) Office Phone: (337) 482-6331 Cell Phone: (216) 798-6376 AX:F (337) 482-6529 Email: [email protected] Head Coach MARK HUDSPETH 9-4 (2nd year at Louisiana) 75-25 (9th year overall) ■ A 20-year coaching veteran, MARK HUDSPETH’S HEAD COACHING RECORD Hudspeth owns an eight-year Year School Overall Conf. Notes head coaching mark of 75-25 2002 North Alabama 4 -7 3 -6 (.750), including a 9-4 record in 2003 North Alabama 13 -1 9 -0 Reached Div. II Semi-Finals one season at UL (.692). He has GSC Coach of the Year, GSC Title 2004 North Alabama 5 -5 4 -5 guided six of his eight teams to 2005 North Alabama 11 -3 7 -2 Reached Div. II Semi-Finals post-season play and recorded seven straight winning seasons. 2006 North Alabama 11 -1 8 -0 Reached Div. II Quarter-Finals ■ Was hired as the 26th head coach in program history on GSC Coach of the Year, GSC Title Dec. 13, 2010 and seemingly overnight, reversed UL’s football 2007 North Alabama 10 -2 7 -1 Reached Div. II Semi-Finals 2008 North Alabama 12 -2 7 -1 Reached Div. II Semi-Finals fortunes, taking the Ragin’ Cajuns from nine losses in 2010 to a school-record tying nine wins in 2011. North Alabama Totals 66 -21 45 -15 (Seven Years) ■ Captivated Cajun Nation with a 32-30 win over San Diego 2011 Louisiana 9 -4 6 -2 New Orleans Bowl Champs State in the 2011 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. The vic- Louisiana Totals 9 -4 6 -2 (One Year) tory came on a 50-yard field goal as time expired after UL Career Totals 75 -25 51 -17 (Eight Years) had fallen behind with 35 seconds left. It was the first bowl appearance for UL since 1970 and first bowl win since 1944. ■ Was 5-0 in games played at Cajun Field in 2011, only the fourth unbeaten home season in stadium hsitory (and first since 1987). ■ Helped UL to average a school and Sun Belt Conference record 29,171 fans at home in 2011, recording five of the top 15 single game attendance marks in Cajun Field history. ■ Was rewarded for turning around the Ragin’ Cajuns, being named a finalist for both the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year and Paul Bear Bryant Awards in 2011. ■ Came to Louisiana after serving as the passing game coordinator at Mis- Hudspeth’s Six Core Values: sissippi State for two seasons (2009-10), helping the Bulldogs end eight years You only need to be around Mark Hud- of football frustrations by posting an 8-4 record and a Gator Bowl appearance speth for a short time when he is around in his final season the Cajuns to hear him reference the core ■ Started his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Central Arkansas values he has for the team, referencing (1992-93) and worked as an assistant coach at Nicholls State (1994-95), Delta them by number and expecting the play- State (1999-2000) and Navy (2001). ers to be able to shout them out when ■ Was head coach at North Alabama from 2002-08, guiding the Lions to a asked. They form the basis of Hud- 66-21 record in seven seasons (2002-08), winning two Gulf South Conference speth’s effort to teach the UL players titles and making five appearances in the NCAA Division II Championship, about life and prepare them for life after advancing to the semi-finals three times (2003, 2005 & 2008). football. The core values are: ■ Inherited a UNA program that had three consecutive losing records but led the Lions to a 13-1 record in just his second season (2003). UNA claimed 1. Honesty the league title with a perfect 9-0 mark and advanced to the NCAA Division 2. Use Good Judgement II semi-finals. 3. Compete Every Day ■ In both 2003 and 2006, he was named both the Gulf South Coach of the 4. Be Accountable Year and the NCAA Division II Region 2 Coach of the Year by the American 5. Project Positive Energy Football Coaches Association. 6. Find A Way ■ North Alabama went 11-3 and advanced to the NCAA Division II semis in 2005, the first of four straight 10-win campaigns. ■ Hudspeth capped off his tenure at North Alabama by guiding the Lions to a 12-2 record in 2008 and making their fourth straight NCAA appearance, falling in the semifinals. ■ Born on Nov. 10, 1968 in Montgomery, Ala., he moved to Louisville, Miss. before the age of one. Despite having a popula- tion of just 7,000, Hudspeth grew up around Louisville natives Andy Kennedy (currently Mississippi head basketball coach and Matthew Mitchell (Kentucky women’s basketball coach). ■ Is a 1992 graduate of Delta State with a degree in health and education and later received a master’s degree in secondary school administration from Central Arkansas in 1993. ■ Earned 16 letters in five sports at Winston Academy, four each in football, baseball and track, three in basketball and one in golf, and was voted the school’s most versatile athlete as a senior. ■ In football, earned all-county honors three times and played on the team that won the state title as a senior. ■ Played collegiately at Delta State (1987-91), lettering all four years. He started at safety as a junior and at quarterback as a senior. 2012 Louisiana’s Ragin Cajuns Football 2 August 27, 2012 The Battle For The Sabine Shoe: 9/17/55 6 -19 Lamar Beaumont The winning team in Saturday’s game will take home the 9/15/56 14 -21 Lamar Lafayette Sabine Shoe, a traveling trophy that goes to the winner of the 9/28/57 20 -36 Lamar Beaumont UL-Lamar football game. Awarded for the first time in 1937, 10/30/65 20 -6 Louisiana Beaumont there is very little information available about the bronze 10/8/66 14 -6 Louisiana Lafayette trophy origin. It was named after the Sabine River, the 510- 9/23/67 13 -14 Lamar Beaumont mile estuary of the Gulf of Mexico which helps to form part 10/26/68 20 -14 Louisiana Lafayette of the border between the states of Texas and Louisiana.