Football: Future now UL’s focus

Football: Future now UL’s focus

Joshua Parrott • jparrott@theadvertiser.com • December 1, 2009

While UL’s football team waits patiently for the bowl picture to shape up, head coach Rickey Bustle remains confident that he will return for the final year of his current contract next season.

The Ragin’ Cajuns (6-6, 4-4 Sun Belt) lost 48-31 to Troy last Saturday to wrap up their fourth six-win season in five years. UL, though, lost four of its final six games and appears to be one of the final teams that will be left out of the postseason for the second straight year.

Bustle met with UL athletic director David Walker on Monday and is expected to do so again today."I plan to be back (next season)," Bustle said. "I’ll sit down here with David Walker and we will discuss where we are with the program."

Walker met with UL president Joseph Savoie on Monday and will do so again today to discuss the program’s future. The Cajuns are 38-56 overall and 28-28 in Sun Belt play in eight years under Bustle."Rickey and I had some preliminary conversations today (Monday) and plan to talk with him again tomorrow (Tuesday)," Walker said.

"We are still paying attention to see if any bowl possibilities still exist, but we hope to have a decision made as soon as possible because we know that this is an important recruiting time for our coaches."In the moments following Saturday’s loss, Bustle expressed pride in helping the Cajuns win six games four times in five years.

Bustle’s highlight came in 2005 when UL shared the Sun Belt title with Arkansas State and UL Monroe after going 6-5 — the program’s first winning record since posting the same mark in 1995.UL went 6-27 in three years under coach Jerry Baldwin before Bustle was hired prior to the 2002 season."It’s a great thing from where the program started, where there was just nothing to getting yourself bowl eligible four years," Bustle said. "We’ve just got to get over that hump and win us a couple more games."UL has a few teams to jump over to end a bowl drought that dates back to 1970.

The Cajuns are currently one of 71 bowl-eligible teams, with 67 of the 68 postseason openings apparently filled.

(The number of bowl-eligible teams could climb to 73. Hawaii would become eligible with a win Saturday over Wisconsin, as would Army with a win over Navy on Dec. 12.)

Right now, Notre Dame, UCLA, UL and ULM are the four 6-6 teams available in the at-large pool, likely fighting for a possible spot in the GMAC Bowl in Mobile, Ala., or the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho. Which bowl has an opening depends on the selections for the two BCS at-large spots.Notre Dame coach Charlie Weis and ULM coach Charlie Weatherbie were both fired Monday.

On Monday, Notre Dame players were set to vote on whether they wanted to participate in a bowl game.Marshall, which is currently set to play in the EagleBank Bowl, would join the 6-6 at-large group if Army beats Navy in two weeks.

Marshall coach Mark Snyder announced his resignation Sunday.Even if Army loses and Marshall and Notre Dame both decline bowl invitations, UCLA would likely gain more interest than the Cajuns and ULM for the postseason due to its fan base, tradition and conference affiliation.

With the bowl picture not expected to be finalized anytime soon, Bustle is focused on helping the Cajuns improve for 2010."You don’t have any control over that (the bowl selections)," Bustle said.

"We have recruiting meetings this week and then we will get out on the road recruiting."UL tight end Luke Aubrey, a senior from Breaux Bridge, says the Cajuns did some good things this season and the team has the potential to do even better in the future.

"It (the 2009 season) is a step in the right direction, but not where we want to be," Aubrey said. "You always want to have that eighth win, or even 12th win, at the beginning of the season. We were unfortunate to not get that this season, but everything is going up."