NEW ORLEANS — After all he’s put his body through over the years — surgically repaired torn knee ligament and cartilage, banged-up shoulder, broken leg bone and all the rest — UL outside linebacker Le’Marcus Gibson can think of only one reason he’s been able to make it through this, his sixth and final season of college eligibility, injury-free.

He didn’t miss a game, didn’t miss a start, didn’t even need to be carted off.

"The grace of God," said Gibson, a product of Harrison Central High in Mississippi.

"Because, I don’t know — this is probably my first full season healthy since maybe ninth grade of high school."

Off-hand, Gibson said four days before playing his last college game when the Ragin’ Cajuns face East Carolina in Saturday morning’s New Orleans Bowl, there is only thing he can think of that’s unique about his routine this year.

"The only thing I can say I did different," he said, "was every day getting up, just thanking God for the opportunity.

"No matter (what was on tap) that day — if it was a great day, bad day, practice, game — I was just thankful for the opportunity that I still get to go out and do what I love.

"Being that I went through some many things, with the surgeries and the injuries," Gibson added, "I just thank God for the opportunity."

Gibson, who started his career with a knee blowout at Hawaii and played at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College before transferring to UL, learned only a few days before the Cajuns’ New Orleans Bowl win over San Diego State last postseason that the NCAA would grant him a sixth year.

Until then, he was mentally prepared that 2011 would be his last playing college football.

"To get it back — I really didn’t know how to feel," said Gibson, who earned an undergraduate degree in kinesiology and now will seek a graduate assistantship with the ultimate goal of coaching high school football. "I was happy that I got to come back, but I had already set myself up for ‘it was over,’ for the end."

But there was more.

And now there is only one more for Gibson, UL’s No. 6 tackler this season with 47, including four for loss.

He’s discussed the second end with friends and family, but hasn’t allowed the thought of it to consume him as he prepares Saturday’s bowl game.

"It’s not something I really trying to dwell on," Gibson said. "I mean, I got the opportunity — so I’ve got to make the best of (it)."

The growing bowl

Attendance at Saturday’s New Orleans Bowl will exceed 46,000, and bowl officials believe it could reach 50,000.

For that, New Orleans Bowl executive director Billy Ferrante credits a number of factors — and not just the 21,000-plus tickets sold through UL.

That’s a big part, certainly, as is the fact a Cajun-filled crowd of 42,841 that saw UL beat San Diego State in the 2011 New Orleans Bowl spurred interest in the postseason game.

But there is more to it than that.

"I think that’s a testament, a lot," Ferrante said, "to what we’ve done where locally to help grow the game."

Ferrante said New Orleans Bowl membership is "way up," and group sales and youth-group promotions have more than doubled from a year ago.

Ferrante also thinks an 11 a.m. kickoff for this year’s game — prompted because ESPN moved Monday Night Football from Christmas Eve to Saturday night, pushing back bowls — will have a positive impact on attendance.

It may not be kind to late-night Bourbon Street revelers from UL and ECU, but the morning start should benefit the locals.

"With the late-night start, to me — especially being the Saturday before Christmas, or so close to Christmas — what we ran into locally, I think, was a lot of conflict with holiday parties," Ferrante said. "The 11 o’clock kickoff avoids that."

Maintaining the bar

A return trip to the New Orleans Bowl with the same 8-4 record UL took into last year’s game fulfills a desire spawned by a preseason camp talk from a former Ragin’ Cajun great, quarterback Terrance Broadway suggested Tuesday.

The words were from Jake Delhomme, the longtime NFL quarterback.

"In camp Jake Delhomme came and talked to us and told us we raised the bar (in 2011)," Broadway said, "and he appreciated what we did.

"(This year) we didn’t let it go back down."

Commitment

The Cajuns picked up a commitment Tuesday from Gulf Coast (Miss.) Community College kicker Stephen Brauchle, Scout.com reported Tuesday.

According to multiple reports, Brauchle — who recently earned juco All-America honorable mention — also held an offer from Florida International.

He reportedly plans to sign with UL today, the first day of the national signing period for mid-year junior college graduates.

Brauchle played for a team that went 9-2 and finished 9-2 and finished No. 6 in the NJCAA rankings.

According to a Mississippi Press/GulfLive.com report, the juco freshman had to decide between signing with UL or FIU now or returning to Gulf Coast with hopes of earning an SEC offer next year.