Times-Picayune giving the Cajuns some love.

LSU, UNO, Loyola, ULL, ULM, Louisiana Tech, Southeastern, Delgado, Northwestern, McNeese, Nicholls St., Southern, Grambling, Centenary, Dilliard, Xavier, etc.
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cajunfanatico
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Mark Hudspeth can point to the new 30-by-54-foot video board at one end of Cajun Field, and he can access the newly-installed seats at the other end of the stadium.

Next will be the construction of an athletic performance center due to open July 2015. Sometime after that will be new athletic offices and the addition of an upper deck.

The vision the fourth-year UL-Lafayette football coach tried three years ago to sell to high school recruits is coming closer to reality, and he believes that reality could lead to much more.

"Ultimately we want to become a team that could be a top-25 team year in and year out," Hudspeth said Tuesday from the Sun Belt Conference media day at the Superdome.

ULL came close last season, earning six points in the USA Today coaches' poll before quarterback Terrance Broadway's broken right arm contributed to a pair of regular season-ending losses.
Now with Broadway healthy as one of 17 returning starters for a team picked by Sun Belt coaches to win the conference title, ULL could get in position for national recognition with a strong start to the season.

ULL opens at home Aug. 30 against SWAC champion Southern and Sept. 4 against Louisiana Tech, before a pair of road games Sept. 13 at Ole Miss and Sept. 20 at Boise State.

Neither home game will be easy, but winning either road game would distinguish ULL from many other schools.

"We're just looking forward to having a bigger season than we've been having," said Broadway, a Houston transfer with 53 touchdowns passing and rushing in two seasons as a ULL starter. "In order to have that bigger season, we have to win on the road."

Broadway said ULL must also win all its home games and complete the Sun Belt season undefeated.

"Hopefully we can take another step," Hudspeth said. "Another step for us would be winning the conference outright. Another step for us would be to go undefeated at home. Another step for us obviously is to continue to go to bowl games, win bowl games."

Hudspeth came to ULL from Mississippi State, where he worked as the passing game coordinator for two seasons. He prior to that coached NCAA Division II North Alabama to a 66-21 record and to the national semifinals three times over seven seasons.

ULL had last appeared in a bowl game in 1970 and last won a bowl game in 1944 before the school hired Hudspeth in December 2010. The Cajuns have since won 27 games, including New Orleans Bowl victories to end each of the last three seasons.

"We've got some players that we recruited and brought in that when we signed them, we didn't have any bowl victories," Hudspeth said. "We didn't have any new facilities. We sold them on, 'Come here, trust us, trust our plan to win, and we're going to build this program.'"

ULL won a share of the league title last season, and Sun Belt coaches picked the Cajuns to win another title in 2014. Arkansas State, which won the title outright in 2011 and 2012, and split the title last season, was picked to finish second.

Hudspeth said Boise State, TCU and Louisville stand as models of what he wants ULL to achieve. All three at different times qualified for then Bowl Championship Series games despite playing then in non-power conferences.

The new college football playoff format assures an at-large spot for the single highest-ranked school out of the Sun Belt, American Athletic, Conference USA, Mid-American and Mountain West combined to be placed in the Sugar, Fiesta or Chick-fil-a bowl games this season.

That has ULL thinking big.

"We want to be that team one day," Hudspeth said. "That's awfully hard. ... We're making progress. We're not there yet. But you've got to set your expectations. You've got to set your goal high."


http://www.nola.com/sports/index.ssf/20 ... ia_da.html


ajcalhoun: Nobody here gives a flying fuck about UL-L and the Sunbelt Conference.
jonathanjoseph
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Hudspeth is a legit stud. For all the Tulane fans excuses why Tulane can't become a major successful program, ULL has far bigger handicaps and yet Hudspeth is getting big results so far.

ULL has a long term problem because Hudspeth won't stay forever, but he's going to leave the program in much better shape than he found it.

The difference between the way Hudspeth communicates and how Cowen/Dickson communicate is stark.
cajunfanatico
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jonathanjoseph wrote:Hudspeth is a legit stud. For all the Tulane fans excuses why Tulane can't become a major successful program, ULL has far bigger handicaps and yet Hudspeth is getting big results so far.

ULL has a long term problem because Hudspeth won't stay forever, but he's going to leave the program in much better shape than he found it.

The difference between the way Hudspeth communicates and how Cowen/Dickson communicate is stark.
JJ, you're right about Hud not staying forever but we Cajun fans are hoping he stays at least to the point of reaching that next level. The next head coaching hire for the Cajun program will be the most important in the school's history and if Hud has done his part, we should have the basis to attract some of the best candidates available.

A bit of trivia. Bear Bryant once interviewed for the coaching position at then SLI. I think we turned him down. :lol:
ajcalhoun: Nobody here gives a flying fuck about UL-L and the Sunbelt Conference.
ccap05
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I do not mean to be insulting, but is there some reason you come to this board to post an article about UL-Lafayette? We are not in the same Conference, we are not and never have been rivals, and there is little chance that UL-L will be moving out of the SBC anytime soon and no chance that they will be moving into the AAC (unless we have already moved to a P5 conference). I will admit to sometimes reading the RaginPagin site but I will point out that you do not see Tulane fans feeling the need to start discussions about Tulane athletics. I suppose this is part of the "branding" thing that ULa-La fans seem to obsess over but I find it sad and a little irritating. Are you posting this same stuff of your rivals boards (I assume that UL-M and USA have boards) or are we the only ones who get the blessings of the ULL updates?
cajunfanatico
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ccap05 wrote:I do not mean to be insulting, but is there some reason you come to this board to post an article about UL-Lafayette? We are not in the same Conference, we are not and never have been rivals, and there is little chance that UL-L will be moving out of the SBC anytime soon and no chance that they will be moving into the AAC (unless we have already moved to a P5 conference). I will admit to sometimes reading the RaginPagin site but I will point out that you do not see Tulane fans feeling the need to start discussions about Tulane athletics. I suppose this is part of the "branding" thing that ULa-La fans seem to obsess over but I find it sad and a little irritating. Are you posting this same stuff of your rivals boards (I assume that UL-M and USA have boards) or are we the only ones who get the blessings of the ULL updates?
Sorry for offending and irritating you ccap05. I was under the impression that this section of the forum was for the discussion of Those Other Schools, how they're doing, and what they're doing and that I, as a member here, would be allowed to make such a post. The Cajun program falls in that category and is even listed on the by-line as a topic of discussion.

While we don't share the same conference, we do share the same state, compete against one another in more than one sport, and often recurit against one another for the same athletes. The Cajun program has been the topic of discussion on this forum quite a bit lately by Tulane fans both from the standpoint of the recent on-field success our athletic program has attained and re the steps we're taking to build a better and more successful athletic department. In many ways, both universities are embarking on similar paths to upgrade their programs,and let's be honest here, what each does, effects the other to a degree.

I've participated in some of those discussions here, have been respectful of Tulane's goals and progress, and have answered questions honestly when asked, just I have here for you. If I've violated any rules, please let me know.

Finally, my dad attended and graduated from Tulane just after WWII. He always loved the school and pulled for its athletic teams even though he was a long-time employee of the LSU system. While my allegiances clearly lie with the Cajun program, I still root for the Wave because of the memories of my dad and for that reason try to stay in touch with what the university is doing.

Again, sorry for irritating you.
ajcalhoun: Nobody here gives a flying fuck about UL-L and the Sunbelt Conference.
DfromCT
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We all have the right to not click on a thread if it irritates us. Perhaps, CCAP, you should exercise that right!
" If you laugh, you think, and you cry, that's a full day.." Jimmy V
ccap05
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I apologize for my overly harsh post. There are certainly no "rules" as to what type of other school news is relevant on this board and I certainly am not the one to enforce relevancy. However, my opinion is that topics on this board should be somehow connected to Tulane- and by connected to Tulane I don't mean general news about every school in the State. If UL-Laf was a rival, in the same conference as us, etc. then I could see why some general news about UL-L might be relevant. The final last poster is ultimately correct- I have the right and the ability to simply disregard posts that are clearly marked as UL-Laf news and I should have done that rather than express a negative opinion. I get irritated every time someone posts on a women's basketball post that they don't care about WBB because it would seem so much better for that person to simply not comment. I should have done the same here.
cajunfanatico
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ccap05 wrote:I apologize for my overly harsh post. There are certainly no "rules" as to what type of other school news is relevant on this board and I certainly am not the one to enforce relevancy. However, my opinion is that topics on this board should be somehow connected to Tulane- and by connected to Tulane I don't mean general news about every school in the State. If UL-Laf was a rival, in the same conference as us, etc. then I could see why some general news about UL-L might be relevant. The final last poster is ultimately correct- I have the right and the ability to simply disregard posts that are clearly marked as UL-Laf news and I should have done that rather than express a negative opinion. I get irritated every time someone posts on a women's basketball post that they don't care about WBB because it would seem so much better for that person to simply not comment. I should have done the same here.
Apology accepted cc. From here forward I'll not start similar threads but do reserve the right to respond to others who bring up the subject of the Cajun program.
ajcalhoun: Nobody here gives a flying fuck about UL-L and the Sunbelt Conference.
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tpstulane
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cajunfanatico wrote:
ccap05 wrote:I apologize for my overly harsh post. There are certainly no "rules" as to what type of other school news is relevant on this board and I certainly am not the one to enforce relevancy. However, my opinion is that topics on this board should be somehow connected to Tulane- and by connected to Tulane I don't mean general news about every school in the State. If UL-Laf was a rival, in the same conference as us, etc. then I could see why some general news about UL-L might be relevant. The final last poster is ultimately correct- I have the right and the ability to simply disregard posts that are clearly marked as UL-Laf news and I should have done that rather than express a negative opinion. I get irritated every time someone posts on a women's basketball post that they don't care about WBB because it would seem so much better for that person to simply not comment. I should have done the same here.
Apology accepted cc. From here forward I'll not start similar threads but do reserve the right to respond to others who bring up the subject of the Cajun program.
Always feel free to start a thread.
Be proactive, being reactive is for losers..
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sader24
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This is the other schools board which is why this thread is perfectly appropriate for this Forum and why this Other Schools Forum was created. I know everyone hates everything LSU, but if you want to see what a Message Board is capable of I suggest you take a trip over to Tigerdroppings.com. They have boards about Money Advice, Political Talk, Off Topic, Music, TV-Movies, Other Schools, Recruiting, Saints, Pelicans, etc. I'm sure Steve would love to have goTULA.NEt rival that website in scope and size one day. Sometimes people like to discuss things other than just Tulane with the people they discuss Tulane with if that makes any sense.
cajunfanatico
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sader24 wrote:This is the other schools board which is why this thread is perfectly appropriate for this Forum and why this Other Schools Forum was created. I know everyone hates everything LSU, but if you want to see what a Message Board is capable of I suggest you take a trip over to Tigerdroppings.com. They have boards about Money Advice, Political Talk, Off Topic, Music, TV-Movies, Other Schools, Recruiting, Saints, Pelicans, etc. I'm sure Steve would love to have goTULA.NEt rival that website in scope and size one day. Sometimes people like to discuss things other than just Tulane with the people they discuss Tulane with if that makes any sense.
Good points sader. While I see the attractiveness of like-minded fans getting together and discussing their teams, sometimes those sites end up being nothing more than echo chambers. If one really wants to 'test' his ideas and try to make an objective measure of the progress of the program he supports, there's usually no better place to do so than on the board of the "opposition", especially if one can find some level-headed and objective posters there.

For instance, LaTech fans have long claimed a successful 'separation' from other state schools, particularly the Cajun program, in athletics. But if you visit their main board today, you'll find a lot of discussion about (and nasty insults directed at) us. To me this indicates we're on the right track.

I looked at, but never joined, raginpagin.com not because I don't support the Cajun program (quite the contrary) but because I'd rather discuss sports with the fans of teams we compete against. I understand that every team has rabid fans, needs them in fact, I just don't care to look at everything through the rose-colored glasses of some of those sites.

As with all boards, this site has its homers, but there are also a lot of Tulane supporters here who ask the hard questions every AD needs to hear.....and I'm convinced they eventually make a difference. Most everyone has the same objective, seeing their teams win, and the concept of the free-flow of ideas and objective criticism should never be squashed.
ajcalhoun: Nobody here gives a flying fuck about UL-L and the Sunbelt Conference.
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