SBC New Logo – Together We Wise

The spring meetings are in full swing for the Sun Belt Conference in Destin, FL, and they began the meetings in the Sun Shine State with bright colors. The Sun Belt Conference unveiled their new logo that will represent a new Sun Belt.

Sun Belt Conference New Logo 

Beginning June 1, 2013 the SBC will have a new logo as they welcome several new teams to the conference and will be made up of nearly a new look of members after the 2013 season. Georgia State, Texas State, Texas-Arlington will join in all sports on July 1^st, and South Alabama football program will add their new fledging football program to the Sun Belt Conference as a full member. Sun Belt Conference will welcome New Mexico State, Georgia Southern, Idaho and Appalachian State in 2014. 

"The unveiling of our new logo comes after months of review of how we wanted to express the 'new' Sun Belt Conference," Commissioner Karl Benson said in a press release. "It is a very exciting chance for us to display the opportunity and optimism that exists in the Sun Belt Conference as we move forward."

The Sun Belt Conference is now empowered by a new brand identity that capitalizes on 4 key principles (AMBITIOUS, AUTHENTIC, LOYAL, and ADVENTUROUS). In addition, a new identity will represent the reinvigoration of the Sun Belt Conference brand through several points of uniqueness:

1. The chosen identity highlights the sun as a powerful and iconic expression for the conference that suggests unity, strength, promise and ambition. 

2. The individual parts of the icon combine to create a unified whole and represent strength in togetherness; a foundational value at the core of the Sun Belt Conference brand. 

3. The band of blue across the diameter of the icon symbolizes the Sun “Belt” region, while dually creating the feeling of a sun breaking the horizon at the dawn of a new day.

The Sun Belt Conference as unveil their new motto: "Together We Rise" 

We all are hoping for a brighter future in the Sun Belt Conference as we move forward. As the spring meetings continue through media day Wednesday, I will continue to keep you informed and bring you all the updates. 

Two Players Leave Cajuns Football Program

Ragin’ Cajuns football seniors Bradley Brown and Jalen Fields have left the program and intend to transfer to another school, head coach Mark Hudspeth announced Thursday.

“I would like to thank both Bradley and Jalen for the contributions that they have made to the Ragin’ Cajuns football program and we wish them well,” Hudspeth said.

Brown, a 5-10, 180-pound wide receiver from Baton Rouge, La., caught 15 passes for 187 yards as a reserve in 2012. He joined the program in 2011 after two seasons at Northwestern State and redshirted.

Fields, a 6-5, 280-pound senior defensive lineman from Dalton, Ga., played in eight games as a reserve on the defensive line in 2012, making nine tackles. Prior to joining

Broadway Shines As Red Team Win 30-23 Spring Game Victory

ULL QB Terrance Broadway 

UL-Lafayette held their Annual Spring game on yesterday and what an explosion. Head Coach Mark Hudspeth and company are looking to take their team to another bowl in 2013 and be very competitive in the Sun Belt Conference, after having to rebuild his team.

QB Terrance Broadway threw for 107 yards and a touchdown and Torrey Pierce ran for a touchdown as the Ragin’ Red team defeated the Cajun White squad, 30-23, in the annual Red vs. White spring game at Cajun Field on Saturday.

The score without audience participation had the Red team winning, 17-13.

The loss spoiled a strong performance by White quarterback Brooks Haack, who completed 15-of-19 passes for 204 yards and two touchdowns.

“This was the most physical scrimmage of the entire spring,” head coach Mark Hudspeth said.  “Both teams came ready to play and turned in strong performances.

“This caps off a pretty good spring of work for the guys.  We still have some work to do to be ready for Arkansas, but definitely made some progress this spring.”

Utilizing a scoring system that enabled the Cajun fans to help their favorite side, the Red team opened the scrimmage with a 6-4 lead, points awarded to them based on the winning teams in a Greek Flag Football tournament held earlier in the day.

The Red didn’t need long to put their own points on the board.

After forcing the White team to punt following their opening series, Broadway led the Red team on a seven-play 56-yard drive that culminated with Torrey Pierce running it in from two yards.  Hunter Stover added the extra point to give the Red squad a 13-4 lead.

Broadway keyed the drive by completing a nine-yard pass to Darryl Surgent, a 13-yard toss to Pierce and an 18-yard pass to Jamal Robinson that gave the Red a first-and-goal at the two.

Neither team would score until midway through the second quarter when freshman D’Shaie Landor completed a 20-yard pass to Larry Pettis that set up a 20-yard field goal by Stover with 2:13 left in the half that extended the Red lead to 16-4.

It could have been worse for the White team.  With the Red getting a first-and-goal at the six following the Pettis catch, the defense stiffened, denying Pierce a trip to the end zone on three straight carries to force the field goal.

Haack got the White team on the board when he led them on a seven-play, 70-yard drive.  Haack showed his athleticism on the scoring play when he eluded the defensive pressure long enough to find Ricky Johnson open along the back on the end zone for a two-yard touchdown that made it a 16-11 game with 37 seconds left in the half.

The Red team benefited again from its fans as Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity edged the UL cheerleaders to win the halftime “Don’t Let Go of The Rope Tug of War” contest, which gave the Red team seven points and the White squad six to make it a 23-17 game.

The Red scored on its opening possession of the third quarter when Robinson made an acrobatic catch on a Broadway pass in the back left corner of the end zone.  Stephen Brauchele added the extra point to push the lead to 30-13 with 6:10 left in the quarter.

Robinson led the Red team with three catches for 42 yards and a touchdown.

The Red defense halted a White comeback, denying the squad despite having a first-and-goal at the 6.  Christian Hill started the stand by tackling Effrem Reed for a one-yard loss.  Two plays later, freshman Jared Johnson, who made five catches for 84 yards, appeared to have a six-yard touchdown catch only to have it called back because of offensive pass interference.

Facing a fourth-and-long from the 21, Jalen Nixon overthrew Johnson in the end zone to turn the ball back over to the Red team.

The White team closed the scoring when Haacks engineered a 69-yard scoring drive in the final 2:30, throwing a six-yard scoring pass to Pace on the final play of the game.  Pace led all receivers with nine catches for 87 yards and a touchdown.

All four quarterbacks were effective in the game.  Landor was six-for-eight for 59 yards in relief of Broadway while Nixon replaced Haack and completed five of his six pitches for 51 yards.

“I thought we saw some good things from all four of our quarterbacks,” Hudspeth said.  “We didn’t let Terrance (Broadway) do a lot but all three of the freshmen made some plays.”

Justin Anderson and Christian Sager led the Red team with six tackles each while Zach DeGrange added five stops.  Nick Barnfield had the only turnover, intercepting a pass from Lance Pace on an attempted throw back to Haack.

Andrew Hebert led the White team with nine tackles.  Boris Anyama added five stops, including two TFL for six yards.

At halftime of the game, Hudspeth presented the spring awards to the Cajuns.  Wide receiver James Butler was named the offensive most improved player with cornerback Jevante Watson being tabbed as the defensive most improved player.

In addition, three awards were given to players for being the most improved player during off-season conditioning, taking into account improved work ethic, strength improvement and attitude. Wide receiver Jared Johnson received the honor for the skill position, punter Daniel Cadona was the big skill honoree with freshman Blain Winston being tabbed among the big men (or linemen).

With the spring practice period now complete, the Cajuns will focus on final exams which are on the horizon for spring semester.  Conditioning will continue through the summer leading up to preseason camp opening in early August.

Cajuns Ready For Today's Red & White Spring Game

The Ragin' Cajuns wants to continue a winning season!

The rehearsals are all complete, the Ragin’ Cajuns football team has been split up and both teams are ready for Saturday afternoon’s Red vs. White spring game.

The game will be the final practice of the spring season for the Cajuns, who are coming off of back-to-back nine win seasons and New Orleans Bowl titles.

During Friday afternoon’s practice, the 14th of 15 spring practices and the final session before the spring game, the Cajuns did their final prep for the spring game.

The squad was split in two for the second half of the practice, with one team practicing outside and the other in the Moncla Indoor facility.  The time allowed the teams to install some special plays and formations for the spring game.

Head coach Mark Hudspeth, who is coaching neither team on Saturday, was thrilled with the practice.

“Our guys brought the spirit and energy today,” Hudspeth said.  “They were excited about being getting ready to compete against each other in front of a large crowd and it showed in their effort.”

With the end of spring practice less than 24 hours away, Hudspeth outlined what he expected on Saturday.

“I want our guys to go out on the field and do all of the things that we worked on the last five weeks.  Our hard work needs to carry over to the spring game so I expect them to practice their fundamentals, work hard and I would like to see our playmakers, especially our young playmakers, step up,” Hudspeth added.

Hudspeth has taken a different approach towards dividing the team into the two units this year.  Last year, the players had a draft to set the teams.  This year, Hudspeth has stocked the Red team with the majority of the first team offense while most of the first team defense is on the White squad.

To finish off the teams, the White squad features the second team offense while the second team defense is on the Red team.

Terrance Broadway, the MVP of the New Orleans Bowl last season, will quarterback the Red team and will wear the blue jersey on Saturday as the only player on the field who can’t be hit by the defense.

Redshirt freshman D’Shaie Landor will backup Broadway on the Red team while both Brooks Haack and Jalen Nixon will quarterback the White squad.

Hudspeth noted following the practice that Nixon will take on an additional role.  Besides seeing time as the backup quarterback, he will also take reps in the back field.

“Injuries have limited our depth in the backfield for Saturday so we are going to go ahead and let Jalen take some snaps at running back,” Hudspeth said.

“This is something we thought about more and more as spring practice progressed.  When it looked like Jalen was going to be our fourth string quarterback, we talked about other ways to get an athlete with his talent on the field so we thought we’d try him in the backfield.  He’s 6-2, 230 pounds and I can only imagine the kind of one-two punch we’d have with him and Alonzo Harris (6-1, 22) running,” Hudspeth said.

Hudspeth reminded fans to get to campus early on Saturday and use the north end of the Cajun Field parking lot.

“Come early and tailgate and then enjoy the game,” Hudspeth said.  “After the game we’d like our fans to come on down on the field for autographs and pictures.

“Saturday should be a great day,” Hudspeth added.

ULL Cajuns Add Marquis White To 2013 Signing Class

Marquis White - DL

Defensive Lineman From Orlando, Fla. Will Have 

Three Years Of Eligibility Remaining

The Ragin Cajuns has added another addition to their defense in Marquis White, a 6-5, 315-pound defensive lineman from Orlando, Fla., has signed a national letter of intent to attend Louisiana and play football beginning in the fall of 2013.

White will join the program in June and take part in the summer conditioning program with the Ragin’ Cajuns.

“Marquis is a defensive lineman who can really move,” head coach Mark Hudspeth said.  “He has only played football for two seasons but the growth that he has displayed in that time makes him a player who should quickly fit into our program.”

A native of Orlando, Fla., White played basketball at Olympia High before playing football for one year at North Carolina Tech, a prep school based out Charlotte, N.C.

In his lone season at North Carolina Tech, White had 36 tackles with 4.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss and four pass breakups, finishing second among defensive linemen in tackles.  He was voted the team’s most improved defensive lineman and the most athletic lineman.

White signed with South Florida in 2011 and redshirted.  He left the school in January, 2012 and attended Fort Scott Community College in Fort Scott, KS.

In his lone season with the Greyhounds, he saw action in seven games, making nine tackles with half of a quarterback sack and one forced fumble.

Boise State, Louisiana Tech & Southern To Come To Cajun Field

UL-Lafayette puts some finishing touches to their future non-conference schedules.

Home-and-home series with Boise State and Louisiana Tech and home games vs. Akron and Southern highlight additions to the future Ragin' Cajuns football schedules.  The non-conference schedules through the 2016 season were announced on Tuesday.

“We have been able to put together schedules for the next couple of seasons that follow the blueprint we desire,” Louisiana director of athletics Scott Farmer said.

“Our goal is to play at least six games at Cajun Field each season.  The remaining non-conference games should be against regional opponents that are close enough to allow our fans to make the trip if possible.

“We are always looking for a home-and-home series against a team that our fans will enjoy watching.  To get a team like Boise State to visit speaks volumes about how far this program has come in recent years,” Farmer added.

“I like the direction that our schedule is going,” third-year head coach Mark Hudspeth said. “It is great to play a program like Boise State anywhere, and it is even better to have a game scheduled at Cajun Field.  It will be a great measuring stick for our program because Boise State has already built a national successful program similar to what we are seeking to accomplish.”

The 2014 non-conference schedule was completed last week when the Cajuns agreed to a home-and-home series with Boise State.  Louisiana will visit the Broncos on Sept. 20, 2014 with Boise State playing in Lafayette to open the 2016 season.

Louisiana will open the 2014 season at home against Southern on Aug. 30 before making road trips to Ole Miss (Sept. 13) and Boise State (Sept. 20).  The non-conference slate ends with an Oct. 4 home game vs. Louisiana Tech, the first game in a home-and-home series with the Bulldogs.

In 2015, the Cajuns are at home on either Sept. 19 or 26 against Akron in the return game of the home-and-home series that will be started this fall.  The Cajuns then complete the series with Louisiana Tech on Oct. 3.  Two games are left to schedule, a road game at a FBS opponent and a home contest, most likely against an FCS opponent.

The 2016 schedule features a season-opening home game vs. Boise State (Sept. 3) and a return game to Tulane (Oct. 8) to complete the home-and-home series began in 2012.  The Cajuns need one home and one away date to complete the schedule.

Future Ragin’ Cajuns Football Schedules

2014
Aug. 30  Southern
Sept. 13  at Mississippi
Sept. 20  at Boise State
Oct. 4  Louisiana Tech
Sun Belt:  4 Home, 4 Away

2015
Sept. 5  at BCS Opponent
Sept. 19 or 26  Akron
Oct. 3  at Louisiana Tech
Date TBA  Home vs. TBA
Sun Belt:  4 Home, 4 Away

2016
Sept. 3 Boise State
Oct. 8  at Tulane
Date TBA   1 Home/1 Away
Sun Belt:  4 Home, 4 Away

ULL Football officially in 2013 Spring Practice

ULL Head Coach on the field

Third-year Louisiana head football coach Mark Hudspeth and his football players who are taking part in 15 spring practices is in full swing and already has held one spring scrimmage resulting in the offense winning the scrimmage.

ULL is still celebrating a wonderful season last fall and winning their second New Orleans R&L Carriers Bowl. The players are excited and looking forward to a even better season this fall.  Hudspeth opened the first practice with a new twist. Just like the Oklahoma Tackling drill that he used a year ago to increase the intensity at the start of the practice, he created a variation of his "Don't let go of the rope" theme to inspire the Cajuns.

It’s seems that Coach Hudspeth is happy with the Ragin Cajuns spring practice thus far.

Conditions could not have been better on Friday afternoon as the Ragin’ Cajuns football team held its first spring practice in full pads.

Third year offensive coordinator Jay Johnson has a mostly veteran unit to work with as quarterback Terrance Broadway returns along with the entire offensive backfield, three starters on the offensive line and all but two of the receivers.

“We’ve had a lot of energy and excitement out there,” Johnson said.  “We’ve thrown a lot at them very quickly and the defense has been giving them some new looks which has challenged them.  We need to take what we are learning and apply it to the field.”

The Cajuns defense is a work in progress as James Willis took over as defensive coordinator in January making spring ball the first opportunity for the defenders to learn and implement the system.

For Willis, the biggest obstacle that he wants the Cajuns to overcome is history.

“I’ve seen some steady progress this week as we teach these guys a new defense and watch them put it in action,” Willis said.  “The system isn’t difficult, but it is different from the one that was used the last couple of years.

Sun Belt Conference releases their 2013 Football Schedule

With spring practices under the way or beginning soon for many Sun Belt schools, they have now learned their complete 2013 Sun Belt Football schedule.

For the first time the Sun Belt Schedule will include two new members in Georgia State and Texas State. All Sun Belt schools will play seven games in the conference and five non conference games. Florida International, Florida Atlantic, North Texas and Middle Tennessee have all left for Conference USA. With those departures the Sun Belt Conference schedule still looks appealing.  

Here is a look at some of the notable non-conference games and conference games for the Sun Belt Conference in 2013.

Notable Non- Conference Games:

South Alabama at Tennessee
Texas State at Texas State

Arkansas State at Auburn

UL-Monroe at Oklahoma

Troy at Ole Miss

UL-Lafayette at Arkansas

Western Kentucky at Kentucky

Georgia State at Alabama

Notable Conference Games:

Arkansas State at Western Kentucky

South Alabama at Troy

Troy at Arkansas State

UL-Monroe at Louisiana – Lafayette

South Alabama at Georgia State

Troy at Western Kentucky

Texas State at UL-Lafayette

I will bring you more coverage during spring practices and later in the year. 

A look around the Sun Belt Conference on Signing Day 2013

The Sun Belt Conference programs, coaches and staff recruited big this 2013 signing class, I love the talent they have brought in all SBC programs, especially the size of the players. I think the SBC programs can now put together a rooster for this fall that will be very competitive with other FBS schools.

Trent Miles signs his first class at Georgia State

Two three star recruits in OLB Knight Dallas and DT Jalen Lawrence both of Georgia leads the 2013 signing class for the Georgia State Panthers.  Dallas is a 6’1 220lbs OLB from Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain and Lawrence is a 6’0 265lb Defensive tackle from Westside High School in Macon, Ga, both of these recruits should get immediate reps and make an immediate impact on the team.

Texas State goes big with it’s 2013 signing class

The Bobcats brings in (2) four star recruits in running back Jamel James 5’11 220lbs of Katy, TX and Brice Gunter 6’3 190lbs a wide receiver from Stephenville, Texas. The Bobcats 2013 recruiting talent continues with (4) three star recruits in Dila Rosemond 5’10 166lbs of Cypress, TX,  JUCO Marcus Dallas a 6’4 245lbs from Reedly, CA, Demun Mercer 6’2 180lbs of La Marque, Texas and offensive guard Jackson Hoskins 6’5 290lbs from Drippings Springs, Texas.

Western Kentucky signs 33 in 2013

Head coach Bobby Petrino's first Western Kentucky recruiting class includes 33 players and some talented players that will help WKU to have a winning program. All Twenty-five prospects signed on Wednesday and the other eight are mid-year enrollees eligible to participate in the Hilltoppers' spring practices.

One four star recruit in Offensive tackle Joe Fennell 6’5 310lbs of South Ft. Myers, FL, and (3) three star offensive linemen stand outs on signing day in JUCO Connor Popeck 6’3 280lbs of Itawamba CC, Olive Branch, MS, Issac Turner 6’0 201lbs of Tampa, FL and Donald Rocker 6’4 301lbs of Sandalwood High, Jacksonville, Fla.

Arkansas State head football coach Bryan Harsin first signing class looking good

Coach Harsin brought in some talent in the Red Wolves 2013 signing class in Offensive line backer Xavier Woodson 6’1 210lbs of Eufaula, Alabama,Carl Lee a 6’3 188lbs wide receiver from Mobile, Alabama,Wide receiver Marquez Lanton 6’1 170lbs from Memphis, TN and  Logan Cart a 6’3 300lbs defensive tackle from Owensboro, Kentucky.

All of these guys plus many other talented players should get immediate reps and playing time with the Arkansas State Red Wolves.

ULL head coach Mark Hudspeth calls his class the most talented in school history

The UL-Lafayette class consists of 22 players, including 18 from high school and four junior college players.

ULL signing day stand outs includes JUCO Cedrick Tillman a 5’9 190lbs corner back from Grenada, MS and JUCO Corey Trim a 5’11 180lbs corner back from Baton Rouge, LA and both are rated at three stars.  Also signing with the Ragin Cajuns on signing day were three start wide receiver Scott Austin 6’3 180lbs of Biloxi, MS, three star offensive line backer James Clark 6’2 205lbs from Sebastian, FL, and Simeon Thomas a 6’3 172lb three star safety from Miami, FL.

UL-Monroe signs talent on Signing Day

Coach Todd Berry brought in a decent class in during the 2013 National Signing Day period. Coach Berry and his staff worked hard this off season in recruiting to land two big recruits in Tevin Horton and Chase Regian and also picking up Bivins Caraway in the process.

(1)    Tevin Horton is a three star RB from River Ridge, LA and stands at 5’10 190lbs.

(2)    Chase Regian is a three star offensive guard from Heath, TX and he stands at 6’3 276lbs.

(3)    Bivins Caraway is a talented QB/DT from Longview, TX and he stands at 5’11 210lbs.

All of these recruits among several others should make an immediate impact on the Warhawks squad in 2013. 

Louisiana Ragin Cajuns adds 7 to their football roster

The spring semester is in full swing and 

UL-Lafayette football roster is getting some additions.

With Wednesday serving as the start of spring semester classes on campus, Louisiana head football coach Mark Hudspeth announced the addition of seven players to the Ragin’ Cajuns roster for the 2013 season.

Joining the Ragin' Cajuns are Dominick Bilich (Metarie, La./Archbishop Rummel), Stephen Brauchle (Perkinston, Miss./Mississippi Gulf Coast CC), Nick Byrne (Rogers, Ark./Har-Ber HS), Daniel Cadona (Darwin, NT, Australia/Toowoomba), Johnny Kight (Louisville, Miss./Nanih Waiya HS/East Central CC).

Hudspeth also announced that Ricky Johnson (Lafayette, La./Carencro/Tulsa) and Evan Tatford (Lafayette, La./St. Thomas More/Tulane) have transferred into the program.  Johnson will be able to play in 2013 and have one season of eligibility while Tatford, will sit out the 2013 campaign and have two seasons of eligibility remaining.

“This is a pretty good group we have joining us now,” Hudspeth said. “There is a lot of talent in the group and it comes at spots where we have positions to fill.  By being with us for spring drills, they will get a good jump towards next year by being able to learn our system and get ready for fall camp.

“We've addressed a couple of important positions,” Hudspeth added. “With Brett Baer graduated (who had the dual role of both kicker and punter), we've gone out and found both a kicker and punter who can come in and compete with the two scholarships kickers that are returning.

“We lost both of our starting offensive tackles to graduation, so Johnny Kight will immediately help us with our depth at the position and should challenge our returning linemen.

“Even though we have both of our tight ends coming back, they will both be seniors. Nick Byrne and Evan Tatford will have time to adjust to our offense.”

Bilich, a 6-3, 285-pound offensive lineman, earned first team all-state honors and was rated the top center in Louisana as a senior in 2011.  The Rummel High product originally signed with the Cajuns last February, but delayed enrolling until this semester.  He will be a freshman this fall.

Brauchle, a 6-1, 205-pound kicker, earned honorable mention NJCAA All-America honors this past year at Mississippi Gulf Coast CC after making seven-of-nine field goal attempts and 50-of-54 extra points.  He helped the team to a 10-2 record, a second place finish in the state and No. 6 ranking nationally.

Brauchle will be a sophomore this year with three seasons of eligibility remaining.

Byrne, a 6-3, 215-pound freshman tight end, earned all-state honors as a senior after catching 43 passes for 715 yards and 11 touchdowns.  Ranked as the No. 7 player in Arkansas by some scouting services, he totaled 72 catches for 1,182 yards and 17 touchdowns over his final two seasons at Har-Ber High School.

Cadona, a 6-4, 203-pound junior, is the leading candidate to take over the punting chores from first team All-SBC punter Brett Baer.  Although the former Australian Rules Football and Rugby standout has never punted in an official football game, he caught the attention of college coaches when he averaged almost 50 yards per punt at a kicking camp in Las Vegas.

Kight, a 6-6, 270-pound offensive lineman, started at right tackle this past year at East Central Mississippi CC.  Accoring to scout.com, Kight, who will be a junior, had offers from Memphis, South Alabama and UAB before choosing Louisiana.

Johnson, a 6-2, 217-pound, senior wide receiver, played 35 games during three seasons at Tulsa, making 44 catches for 659 yards (15.0 avg.) and seven touchdowns.

The Carencro alum caught 22 passes for 351 yards (16.0 avg.) and a touchdown in 2010 and came back in 2011 to make 14 grabs for 197 yards (14.1 avg.) and four touchdowns.  He enrolled at UL for the fall 2012 semester and will be eligible to play this fall.

Tatford, a 6-5, 247-pound junior tight end, was a two-year regular for Tulane, playing 24 games.  He caught seven passes for 58 yards, including six receptions for 20 yards this past season.

A member of the National Honor Society in high school, he was named to the Conference USA Commissioner's Honor Roll in 2011 for having a cumulative GPA of 3.00 or better.

Louisiana tied the school record for wins in 2012, posting its second consecutive 9-4 season, and defeated East Carolina, 43-34, in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.  The Ragin’ Cajuns are scheduled to begin spring practice on March 11.

UL-Lafayette defeats FAU in final game of the 2012 season, South Alabama lost to Hawaii

ULL vs. FAU

The Ragin Cajuns denied FAU a chance to win their last game of the season and possible last Conference  game as a member of the Sun Belt.

Terrance Broadway posted 291 all-purpose yards and Alonzo Harris ran for three touchdowns to help Louisiana-Lafayette hold off Florida Atlantic 35-21 Saturday in the season finale for both clubs.

Broadway threw for 168 yards and ran for 123 of Louisiana-Lafayette's 284 rushing yards as the Ragin' Cajuns (8-4, 6-2 Sun Belt Conference) won their third-straight game.

Hawaii defeats South aLABAMA 23-7

Both Hawaii and South Alabama wanted a win to end their season and go into the off season with some momentum. But in this game there was only one winner with that carries that momentum into the offseason and that is Hawaii. 

South Alabama vs. Hawaii

It was the first time the Warriors (3-9) won back-to-back games since October of last year, when it beat New Mexico State at home and won at Idaho, and did the same this year won back to back games. And their last game of the season comes with a victory over South Alabama.

The Warriors (3-9) compiled a season-high 410 yards of offense. Sterling Jackson ran for a 1-yard touchdown in the first quarter, and Sean Schroeder connected with Chris Gant on a 26-yard scoring strike in the third quarter.

South Alabama's 166 yards of total offense were the fewest allowed by Hawaii since it gave up 127 against Lamar on Sept. 15. The Jaguars had just 18 rushing yards, averaged just 2.6 yards per play and allowed six sacks by Hawaii.

"For where we are with our program, we can't make mistakes like that and beat a team like Hawaii," South Alabama coach Joey Jones said. "That's the bottom line."

B.J. Scott recorded a game-high 12 tackles and intercepted a pass, and Maleki Harris recovered a pair of fumbles for the Jaguars.

South Alabama has some much needed work to do and prepare for a FBS full membership beginning in 2013. 

The best of the best brought home wins on Saturday as Sun Belt Conference Football comes to an end for 2012

What a season for the Sun Belt Conference? 

With the 2012 College Football Season coming to an end for the Sun Belt Conference and only one week left to go, many of the Sun Belt teams did what they needed to do to capture bowls invitations this post season.  For two teams they will be departing the SBC for C-USA, they played their last SBC games on Saturday.

There is one more week left for SBC football, with the biggest SBC game being in Jonesboro, Arkansas at Arkansas State against Middle Tennessee for the conference title. Arkansas State switch coaches after capturing the conference title last season, and brought in former Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn as their head coach, and certainly he has proven that he can be a head coach. Arkansas State is in the running for the SBC Championship once again for the second time in a row. WOW!  Middle Tennessee made a surprise turn around to rise to the top of the conference and they are also in the hunt for the SBC title.  The title game will be held at 2:00pm in Jonesboro, AR this will be a game worth watching and attending. Both teams are sitting at 8-3 for the season and both have a well qualified bowl berth.

When I look back over this season I look at it as the best season ever for the Sun Belt Conference. I also believe that the Sun Belt has proven to be a very competitive non-AQ conference. Several teams have defeated BCS conference teams and two of them in the number one conference in college football.

I give that credit to UL-Monroe, Western Kentucky and Middle Tennessee.

I want to especially congratulate UL-Monroe Warhawks and Head Coach Todd Berry for what they have done with the program in Monroe, LA. WOW, the staff and players have really come together to turn this program around and turn it into a winning program. The Warhawks are at their best record since being in the FBS.  They should also get a bowl invitation in this post season. They defeated then No.6 Arkansas in their first game of the season, and the second week they nearly defeated their second SEC team at Auburn in overtime. Not only did they give the SEC teams a run for their money but they gave Baylor of the Big 12 a run for their money as well in Monroe, LA.  ULM is my most improved team in the Sun Belt Conference in 2012.

Western Kentucky has maintain a second straight season of a winning program. They ended their 2012 season on Saturday with a 1-point victory over North Texas defeating the Mean Green 25-24 to improve their record to 7-5 for the 2012 season. I have to give it to coach Willie Taggert for keeping a positive team that he improved since arriving in Bowling Green, KY. For the second straight season they have reach a bowl berth. However, last season they was not invited to a bowl, which they should have. This season may be different as I hope and think they will be in a bowl game this post season.  

South Alabama is the newest team to the SBC conference in 2012. And they have proven that they are ready for the big boy game, having played 12 games thus far and winning (2) of those games. They didn’t produce the record they desired, but they put forth the efforts in every angle. They played a great game at Mississippi State and stayed within the spread. They also traveled to NC State for the second time in a row. Now that they have gotten their feet super wet, the real ball begins in this offseason in recruiting and practicing for what is to come in 2013. Before they go into the offseason, they will travel to Hawaii for their 13^th game, which they say they are treating as their bowl game. With the performance of Hawaii this season, South Alabama Jaguars may be able to produce a win in Hawaii over a Mountain West Conference team before it’s all over. I want to give credit to QB Ross Metheny the Virginia transfer that came in and took over the starting QB job for the JAGS, he really did a great job this season. Also I give credit to C.J. Bennett for bringing the team to this level of play. I also want to credit to Jake Johnson a NFL prospect and B.J. Scott for a great job they have done for the Jaguars.

Florida Atlantic has done a great job under their new head coach Carl Pelini. The Owls have produced three wins this season. They captured 2 conference wins this season, it shows improvement. The OWLS also took Sun Belt Conference new member South Alabama into overtime, before losing that close game. Next season I think they will be more competitive under Carl Pelini and his staff.

Troy improved their season, but not enough to get back to the top of the Sun Belt and reach that bowl berth.  The Trojans lost a close game to Middle Tennessee on Saturday to get that bowl berth. The Trojans are sitting at 5-7 for the 2012 season.  Troy also played great games against Mississippi State and Tennessee, nearly defeating both. When Navy came to town, the Trojans showed no mercy has they defeated Navy 41-31 to inch closer to a bowl berth.

Let us not forget that the Blue Raiders went to Atlanta and defeated ACC - Georgia Tech with a commanding turndown. WOW!

UL-Lafayette also did it once again. They got that bowl berth and continuing to produce and maintain a winning program. I do expect this team that head coach Mark Hudspeth and staff has put together to rise to the top of the Sun Belt Conference. They turn away South Alabama to get that bowl invitation on last night from R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl scheduled for Dec. 22, 2012. WOW! 

North Texas & Florida International is off to the C-USA now that their era in the Sun Belt Conference is over as of Saturday. Both teams were defeated and were sent away with losing seasons. Florida International was the team to beat in the pre-season with projections nationwide to win the conference title before they depart. Other teams in the Sun Belt Conference showed them otherwise. North Texas also was looking to improve and get to a bowl berth this season before exiting the Sun Belt Conference but those hopes faded quickly.

Here is a quick look at the scores on Saturday:

South Alabama   - 30

@ UL-Lafayette    - 52

North Texas  - 24

@ Western Kentucky - 25

Troy  - 21

@ Middle Tennessee - 24

UL-Monroe – 23

@ FIU – 17 (FINAL OT)

Next Saturday will be the final week of SBC football and the conference title game in Jonesboro, AR. Here is a look at this week schedule as the season comes to a close.

South Alabama

@ Hawaii

UL-Lafayette

@ Florida Atlantic

Middle Tennessee

@ Arkansas State (Conference Title GAME)  2:00pm

UL-Lafayette invited to the R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl again

The Ragin Cajuns is on their way once again to the 

R&L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.

UL-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns 

With Saturday’s win over South Alabama at Cajun Field, the Ragin’ Cajuns football team locked up a winning mark for the second straight season.

During the postgame celebration, the team picked up its second straight trip to New Orleans for a postseason bowl game.
The Ragin’ Cajuns (7-4, 5-2 Sun Belt) were extended an invitation for a repeat trip to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, held at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, by Jay Cicero, the president and CEO of the Greater New Orleans Sports Commission moments after the final horn sounded in the 52-30 win over South Alabama on Senior Day.

“Coach Hudspeth, Dr. Savoie and members of the Ragin’ Cajuns football team, on behalf of the Greater New Orleans Sports Commission and the New Orleans Bowl committee, I would like to formally invite you to participate in the 2012 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl,” Cicero said.

Louisiana president Dr. Joseph Savoie, Director of Athletics Scott Farmer and head coach Mark Hudspeth accepted the New Orleans Bowl’s invitation, signaling the first ever back-to-back bowl bids in school history.

Louisiana is now officially set to return to the site of the program’s first bowl appearance in the modern era where the Ragin’ Cajuns upended San Diego State 32-30 on a Brett Baer 50-yard field goal as time expired on Dec. 17, 2011 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.

“I couldn’t be happier going back to New Orleans,” Hudspeth said. “It is a testament to the young men on this team that they fought through the adversity and injuries this season and put ourselves in a position to get invited back to New Orleans. We’ve fought hard all season, and it’s nice to see all of that work pay off. Our players and fans couldn’t be happier to be going back to the Big Easy - let’s paint the town red, again.”

Louisiana will face an opponent to be named – at the latest by Sunday, Dec. 2 – on Saturday, Dec. 22 at 11 a.m. inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome for the 12th annual R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.

Fans are reminded to purchase R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl tickets only through the Ragin’ Cajuns Athletics Department because these purchases help the department continue to establish a history of selling tickets for bowl games. In addition, the athletics department will be allotted the best seats available for the game.

ABOUT THE R+L CARRIERS NEW ORLEANS BOWL

The New Orleans Bowl is an NCAA-sanctioned post-season college football bowl game that has been played annually at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana since 2001. The game was sponsored by Wyndham Hotels & Resorts from 2002 to 2004 and was officially called the Wyndham New Orleans Bowl. R+L Carriers replaced Wyndham as the sponsor in 2006, and thus it became officially known as the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.
The game pits a team from Conference USA versus a team from the Sun Belt Conference. From the beginning of the New Orleans Bowl until recently that automatically went to the Sun Belt champion, but since the conference earned a second bid, to the GoDaddy.com Bowl in Mobile, Ala., in 2010, the bowl is required to take the SBC champion only twice every four years. If Conference USA does not have enough bowl eligible teams the bowl will choose an at-large team, which they did in 2011 when Mountain West Conference member San Diego State was picked to play.

Congratulations to UL-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns for another great season and bowl bid. 

Sun Belt Conference has just two weeks remaining, who will it be?

Sun Belt Conference football season is coming to an end with just two weeks left, who will carry the crown of conference champs back home with them?

New comer South Alabama came in with a bang, surprising many that they too can hang on to the big boys and their conference members.  The Jaguars also have given their conference foes a tough time on the field with no easy wins. They had to earn it.

North Texas and FIU didn't do any better than the last season, in fact FIU panthers did worse to be the pre-season favorite to win the conference after they are schedule to depart the conference along with North Texas to C-USA.  It wasn’t what the Golden Panthers was looking for this season, and the Mean Green of North Texas was looking for a bowl season this year.

Western Kentucky started the season on a positive note and a scared one for other conference foes as if they were the team to beat early on. Now that the Hilltoppers have lost their last two games, their  title hopes have faded and now they have to try and get a bowl bid, something they was overlooked for last season. With another winning season Coach Willie Taggert and his team have nothing to hold their heads down for?  The Hilltoppers defeated (SEC) Kentucky and gave No. 1 (SEC) Alabama some problems on the field.

UL-Monroe falls on my #1 Most Improved Sun Belt Conference team, coming from seasons of losing records to a season of top ten defeats and conference title run. Coach Berry and his staff have really turned some heads with the work in his program. This team is a team to be proud of.  They knocked off No. 6 (SEC) Arkansas in their first game of the season, and then turn around and nearly defeated (SEC) Auburn in overtime. When they came back home to face (BIG 12) Baylor, they nearly defeated them as well in a close game. QB Browning really has showed his ability and talent with the help of his team mates to turn that program around.

FAU has gotten them two conference wins so far this season to put them at (3) wins thus far, and with a new staff and head coach Carl Pelini, the OWLS are making some noise. They may not be bowl eligible or have a winning season, but the OWL S have fought hard this season, and I expect them to improve in the near future and come back to the top and be bowl eligible in the future.

UL-Lafayette is another great program and has come off to a great start in hopes of doing better or repeating the season of last year. They have fallen short of couple games but still have some favor of making it to bowl eligibility. The Ragin Cajuns nearly defeated (SEC) No. 6 Florida a couple weeks ago.

Troy improved their second from last year, they showed their conference new comer South Alabama, which will be their new in-state conference rival that they are strong and some to be deal with. The Trojans went to (SEC) Tennessee and almost upset them, and defeated soon to be (BIG EAST) member Navy.  They too still have a chance to get to six wins to make it to bowl eligibility.

Arkansas State and their new head coach Gus Malzahn have really held on to what they have and be to in the running for the conference title once again for the second straight year. Many thought it would have been tough for Coach Malzahn in his first year as head coach, but he has proven many to be wrong.

Middle Tennessee has stepped back into the title hunt; they have been running the table on their conference foes.  It is my projection that Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders and Arkansas State Red Wolves contend for the conference title, if these two teams don’t lose in the two final games. Middle Tennessee also defeated a BCS member Georgia Tech.

This has been an impressive season for the Sun Belt Conference and their members.  Many teams have improved and it has translated on the field with big wins and being tough players.  This is the conference that I envision for the South, a conference that is second to the SEC with tough games and tough players. This season the Sun Belt Conference has really shown that they are moving on up and if you are on their schedule in the near future, then you need to be ready for a tough battle.

Texas State is preparing to enter the Sun Belt Conference they too are a solid program with a great coach. This team with three wins for the season so far has defeated in-state foe Houston, and there goes Georgia Sate in Atlanta. This team has built a great program under the legendary Coach Bill Curry who has retired from the Panthers. Now that the Panthers is searching for a new coach, we all hope that it will be someone to carry on the momentum of this new football program as we welcome them into the Sun Belt Conference.  

Week 11 Scores:

On Friday FIU travel up to FAU and defeated the OWLS to get their second conference win of the season, and stack up on their already poor season that so many had hoped to be a positive one.  Now that the season is over, Florida International have no chance of winning the conference crown before they depart for C-USA.  FIU 34 FAU 24

Middle Tennessee one of the conference crown contenders traveled to Mobile, Alabama to take on the Sun Belt Conference new comer in football South Alabama. The Blue Raiders held off the Jaguars in a close game to remain in the crown hunt.  

Middle Tennessee 20- South Ala 12

Arkansas State is that team that keeps on running. The Red Wolves defeated the Troy Trojans in Troy. Arkansas State is also in the hunt for the conference title for the second time in a row. 

Arkansas State 41 – Troy 34

North Texas just can’t get to games to reach it to a bowl. UL-Monroe improved their record for the season to get to a bowl for the first time. They held on the Mean Green of North Texas. 

North Texas 16 – ULM 42

Western Kentucky let another game go on the road this time to UL-Lafayette. The Ragin Cajuns held here grown at home to defeat the Hilltoppers. West Kentucky 27 – ULL 31

Week 11 Sun Belt Conference Football Action

Action Today is Win or You Out For Some Teams

1. Sun Belt newcomer South Alabama will travel to North Texas to face the Mean Green in their only conference matchup. The Jaguars is looking to overcome their last lost to FIU with a win over North Texas, both teams are scheduled to depart for C-USA next season.

2. UL-Lafayette will travel to No. 6 Florida today to face the gators, the Ragin Cajuns is hoping to pull a upset here after a comeback win over the No.1  team in the Sun Belt UL-Monroe.

3. Western Kentucky will host Florida Atlantic in Bowling Green, KY today at @ 12:00noon. Western Kentucky is already bowl eligible with a 6-3 overall record, they are looking to get their 7^th win of the season for another perfect record today against the Owls.

4. Troy Trojans will host Navy today in Troy, the Trojans nearly defeated SEC Tennessee on last Saturday. This is a game to watch to see if the Trojans can get that 5^th win of the season over Navy and get closer to bowl eligibility before the season is over. This match will be at 2:30 CST on ESPN 3.

On Thursday Night, Arkansas State hosted the No.1 team in the Sun Belt Conference UL-Monroe, and handed them a big loss. Arkansas State won 45-23 over UL-Monroe. Arkansas State is now 7-3 this season and UL-Monroe is 6-4 both teams are bowl eligible. I do believe UL-Monroe will finish the season with 7 wins for the first time in a long time.  

Sun Belt Preseason Men's Basketball All-Conference Team

Basketball season is almost here and players of the year and possible conference champions are already being mention.

Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year Tony Mitchell was named 2012-13 Men’s Basketball Preseason Player of the Year, while Middle Tennessee and North Texas were unanimous selections to win the SBC East and West Divisions, respectively, the league office announced Wednesday.

In conference games last season, Mitchell averaged a double-double and led the league in points per game (15.9), rebounds per game (11.8), three-point percentage (.471) and blocked shots (50). The sophomore forward also shot 58.1 percent from the field which placed second in the league.

MT was tabbed to win the SBC East after taking all 11 preseason first place votes. The Blue Raiders won the SBC Regular Season crown in 2011-12 with a 14-2 mark and earned votes in this year’s USA Today coaches’ preseason poll for the first time in program history.

North Texas was placed to finish first in the SBC West after receiving all 11 preseason first place votes.

The Blue Raiders return 10 of their top 12 leading scorers from last season, including Preseason All-SBC First Team selection Marcos Knight. The senior guard from Rentz, Ga., registered 11.8 points and 3.0 assists per game last year. His 1.6 assist:turnover ratio in conference play ranked third in the league.

Picked to finish second in the SBC East was South Alabama under the direction of 14th-year head coach Ronnie Arrow. The Jaguars return seven letterwinners and their top three scorers from last year’s 17-12 squad, with Preseason All-SBC First Team selection Augustine Rubit leading the way.

Rubit, a junior forward from Houston, Texas, earned All-SBC First Team accolades last year and was the only Jaguar to start all 29 games. He led the league in rebounding for the second consecutive season and ranked 38th in the nation with 9.2 per game. He also returns as the league’s leading scorer after dropping in 15.2 points a game last season, second best in the conference.

After leading UALR to a first-place finish in the SBC West last season, sophomore Will Neighbour inked his name on the Preseason All-SBC First Team. In his rookie season, the big man poured in 10.5 points per game while pulling down 5.3 rebounds. He also proved his shooting accuracy by knocking down 81.5 percent from the free throw line and 41.3 percent from beyond the arc.

Neighbour was a Second Team All-SBC selection last season and will look to lead a young UALR team that welcomes nine newcomers. The Trojans are guided by 10th-year head coach Steve Shields and are projected to finish third in the SBC West as they return three letterwinners.

Arkansas State senior guard Trey Finn rounded out the Preseason All-SBC First Team after sinking 11.6 points per game last season for the Red Wolves. Finn tallied 21 double-digit scoring games last season and also brought down 5.3 rebounds per game. He started 29 of 30 contests for ASU and connected on a team-high 61 three-pointers while shooting 45.9 percent from long-range.

Under the direction of fifth-year head coach John Brady, ASU was picked to finish second in the SBC West Division. The Red Wolves return four starters from last year’s team, including leading scorer and Preseason All-SBC Third Team selection Marcus Hooten.

Defending SBC Tournament champions WKU was tabbed for a third place finish in the SBC East and returns 63.3 percent of its scoring from last season. The Hilltoppers knocked off Mississippi Valley State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season and have won at least one game in its last three NCAA Tournament appearances (2008, 09, 12).

WKU returns four starters and nine letterwinners from last year’s team, including Preseason All-SBC Second Team selection George Fant. The Hilltoppers have made it to at least the SBC Tournament semifinals in eight consecutive seasons.

The SBC will have two regular-season nationally televised games on ESPN2 in addition to the SBC Championship finals in Hot Springs on March 11. Florida Atlantic will travel to Indiana on Dec. 21 in the first nationally televised game, and either WKU at MT or UALR at NT will be aired on ESPN2 on Jan. 26.

Four SBC contests will be nationally televised on ESPNU, and an additional eight matchups can be seen on ESPN3.com. The Sun Belt Network will air seven regular-season games and the SBC Championship quarterfinals and semifinals.

2012-13 Men’s Basketball Preseason All-Conference First Team

 ■Will Neighbour (UALR, Jr., Forward)

 ■Trey Finn (Arkansas State, Sr., Guard)

 ■Marcos Knight (Middle Tennessee, Sr., Guard)  

 ■Tony Mitchell (North Texas, So., Forward)

 ■Augustine Rubit (South Alabama, Jr., Forward)

2012-13 Men’s Basketball Preseason All-Conference Second Team

 ■Brandon Peterson (Arkansas State, Sr., Forward)

 ■Greg Gantt (Florida Atlantic, Sr., Guard)

 ■JT Sulton (Middle Tennessee, Sr., Forward)

 ■Bruce Massey (Middle Tennessee, Sr., Guard)

 ■George Fant (WKU, So., Forward)

2012-13 Men’s Basketball Preseason All-Conference Third Team

 ■Marcus Hooten (Arkansas State, Sr., Guard)

 ■Raymond Cintron (Middle Tennessee, Sr., Guard)

 ■Javier Carter (South Alabama, Sr., Forward)

 ■Freddie Goldstein (South Alabama, Sr., Guard)

 ■T.J. Price (WKU, So., Guard)

2012-13 Men’s Basketball Preseason Player of the Year

 ■Tony Mitchell (North Texas, So., Forward)

2012-13 Men’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll

(First place votes in parentheses)

EAST DIVISION

1. Middle Tennessee – 65 points (11)

2. South Alabama – 51 points

3. WKU – 47 points

4. Florida Atlantic – 29 points

5. Troy – 22 points

6. FIU – 17 points

WEST DIVISION

1. North Texas – 55 points (11)
2. Arkansas State – 40 points
3. UALR – 33 points
4. Louisiana-Lafayette – 24 points
5. Louisiana-Monroe – 13 points