Football: New Orleans Bowl helps UL’s recruiting – History Lesson – Signature Seeker + more

Tim Buckley, Daily Advertiser, Dec. 21, 2013

NEW ORLEANS — To erase any doubt over whether back-to-back New Orleans Bowl appearances and a third straight scheduled tonight vs. Tulane have helped UL recruit New Orleans, just ask Ragin’ Cajuns secondary coach Tim Rebowe.

A 10-year UL assistant coach and former head coach of his alma mater Destrehan High near New Orleans, Rebowe also is the Cajuns’ primary recruiter in the area.

“Our reception in New Orleans has been tremendous after the season’s over, when we go back,” the Norco native said. “People know what we’re doing.”

UL head coach Mark Hudspeth accompanied Rebowe on some recruiting visits in the city just last week.

“The reception he got was tremendous,” Rebowe said. “They recognize, they know, the job he’s doing.”

UL has had back-to-back 9-4 seasons with a pair of New Orleans Bowl wins in Hudspeth’s first two seasons, and the Cajuns are 8-4 this season.

Playing Tulane tonight only magnifies the focus on UL, Rebowe suggested.

“I’m always getting Facebooks or I’m getting Twitter messages – ‘Coach, y’all gotta get Tulane,’ ” Rebowe said. “It’s a lot of bragging rights for everybody all around the city.”

UL has at least four known New Orleans-area commits in its current recruiting class: tight end Anthony Jones (Karr High), safety Travis Crawford (Holy Cross), safety Corey Turner (Miller-McCoy) and receiver Lorenzo Cryer (Riverdale).

HISTORY LESSON

After the end of his first season as coach of the Cajuns, which ended with a 2011 New Orleans Bowl win over San Diego State, Hudspeth was offered the Tulane job that ultimately went to ex-New Orleans Saints receivers coach Curtis Johnson.

Hudspeth turned it down, electing to stay at UL and accept a pay raise.

Now he’s coaching the Cajuns in the New Orleans Bowl against the very same Green Wave program he could have been coaching.

“Have not thought about that at all,” Hudspeth said earlier this week.

He did, however, ponder the possibilities before UL beat Tulane last season. And he still is saying now what he said then.

“This was the right place for me,” Hudspeth said of UL, “and I’m glad things worked out, because now we really like the direction our program is going, especially going to a third straight bowl.

“It’s amazing how God’s got a plan,” he added, “and everything always works out like it’s supposed to.”

SIGNATURE SEEKER

UL cornerback Trevence Patt didn’t hold back when breaking down Tulane’s top two quarterbacks, Nick Montana and Devin Powell.

“We noticed No. 11, he throws a good deep ball,” Patt said. “And (No.) 1 is kind of inaccurate most of the time.”

The Green Wave’s No. 11 would be Montana, son of ex-NFL great Joe Montana.

Patt knows that.

He’s not necessarily awed by the fact. But the Breaux Bridge High product is impressed.

“After the game,” Patt said, “I may ask him for an autograph from his Dad.”

SPLIT ALLEGIANCE

Tulane junior starting strong safety Sam Scofield played at St. Thomas More High, in UL’s backyard.

He and Cajuns senior center Andre Huval are friends, and they spoke Wednesday. But apparently there hasn’t been any smack-talk.

“Not really,” said Scofield, who chose Tulane over UL. “We’re not like that.”

Scofield is surrounded, however, by folks with split allegiances.

“I have uncles that tailgate at every UL game … STM family and friends that are big-time UL fans,” he said. “A couple of them texted me and were like, ‘I hope you do well.’ ”

He thinks they may have even meant it.

“I’m sure they’ll be supporting the Cajuns,” Scofield said. “But, at the same time, they’re looking out for me. It’s tough, but it’s understandable.”

Some of Scofield’s and Huval’s former St. Thomas More coaches, including head coach Jim Hightower, will be in town for the New Orleans Bowl.

“They’re gonna cheering, I guess, for both of us,” Scofield said.

TEXAS TWO-STEP

A big deal is being made of the fact tonight’s New Orleans Bowl features two Louisiana teams.

But as one of the few Texans on a UL roster dominated by in-state Louisianans, Cajuns starting linebacker Boris Anyama couldn’t be more proud of where he and his teammates from the west call home.

“When I see guys like (quarterback) Brooks Haack going in there, I’m like, ‘Where’s he from? He’s from Texas, doing his thing,’ ” said Anyama, who is from Stafford High in Stafford, Texas, near Houston. “So I feel that’s a good thing, always carrying knowing where you’re from.”

As for his many teammates who hail from Louisiana, Anyama doesn’t dance around.

“I don’t let them get to me,” he joked. “Louisiana football – that’s nothing compared to Texas football.”