By WILLIAM WEATHERS
wweathers@theadvocate.com
Advocate sportswriter

LAFAYETTE -- Third-year University of Louisiana at Lafayette football coach Rickey Bustle wasn't about to fall into the trap.

When told of the innocent banter bouncing around town this summer, that supporters of the program envision a team worthy of a 9-2 or 8-3 record, Bustle didn't flinch. Especially, not with a program that's endured eight consecutive losing seasons, the last two under his direction.

"If you can tell me what your adolescent is going to be doing on Sept. 4 (home opener against Northwestern State) at 6:30 and how they're doing, I'll be able to give you a prediction," Bustle said. "But I don't know that."

Bustle did concede one thing during Friday's Media Day activities ... that he will field his best team in three years. Just how that will translate into more victories remains a mystery.

"There's no question in my mind right now that we're a better football team," Bustle said. "How do you compare in your conference? You don't know until you get out there.

"Everybody else is supposed to be better," Bustle said. "I like to think we're closing the gap. Obviously (defending Sun Belt Conference champion) North Texas is the kingpin of the conference."

UL-Lafayette concluded the 2003 season with a 4-8 record -- including four wins in its final five games. Maybe more importantly, the Cajuns' finish came on the heels of an 0-7 start that included three losses by a touchdown or less.

"We won four out of five and we carried that into the offseason, and spring, and it gave us a lot of confidence," UL-Lafayette quarterback Jerry Babb said. "But it doesn't matter what we did last year. We can't count on what we did last year to help us this year. We have to go and get the job done."

Senior running back Dwight Lindon said last season's near misses was a catalyst for the entire team during the offseason.

"Looking at last year there were a lot of games that we should have won, but we came up short in," he said. "I think a lot of guys took that into consideration, tried to turn that around and learn from it. That's why there were so many guys committed to the weight room. Everybody's working harder and harder each day."

It didn't take Bustle very long to notice a difference in this year's team, a group of 11 returning starters and 41 letter winners that have gone through five practices and begin twice-a-day workouts today.

"Looking at them the first week of practice, I think we're a better looking football team than we've been," he said. "We're more athletic, we're bigger. There are more faces that have been around a couple of years than we've had previously."

Babb, a life-long Lafayette resident, said there's been an unmistakable buzz emanating from fans since the conclusion of last season. The message is clear and to the point: they believe the program is on the verge of a breakthrough season.

"I've never seen this much excitement about this program and I've been living here all my life," Babb said. "We've kind of been on a honeymoon the past two years with new coaches and new everything.

"But the pressure's going to be on us to win," Babb said. "There's lot of excitement with everything going on. We're going to have to perform and it starts with Northwestern. We need to get off on the right foot."

NOTES: Former Parkview Baptist linebacker Brenton Burkhalter, who wore No. 37 throughout his high school career, wore No. 64 for Friday's team picture. "I asked them if they had any other number," said Burkhalter, who is currently running third team at middle linebacker. Fellow Parkview graduate, offensive lineman Bobby Fails, is up five pounds to 280 pounds and is running third team at right tackle. "It's a challenge," Fails said. "But it's nothing that I'm not up to." ... Bustle said last year's leading tackler, free safety David Prater, opted not to return for his senior season. Prater, a native of Wylie, Texas, led the Cajuns with 68 tackles. "He went through spring, showed up one day in the offseason and that was it. I guess he fell out of love with football." He also confirmed that redshirt freshman wide receiver Bruce Taylor of Miami, Fla., has also left the team. ... Wide receiver Bill Sampy, defensive back Jerrell Carter, center Ronnie Harvey and running back Dwight Lindon, all of whom were academically ineligible as freshman, are all on course to regain a year of eligibility and return next season, Bustle said.

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The only news I can see is that it's a new season and there is exictment everywhere. I just hope it carries over for several Saturdays. I sure did hate to see another guy quit the team. I hope that have enough replacments .
I sure would like to have some good news to read for a change. It just seems like to me that things are going slowly. I base this on reading other Sunday papers across this state.

Red, if your waiting for our paper to give the Cajuns some good coverage, well :rolleyes: don't know what the problem is but frankly it sucks. :frown:

I think the Cajuns have turned the corner and I expect you guys to be in the hunt for the NO Bowl slot this Fall. My favorites in SBC football are stAte, the Cajuns, and the Mean Green; we go back a long ways, guys!

I wrote the Editor of the Daily Advertiser last year pointing out several things that I didn't agree with him on the way the paper covers UL sports or really doesn't give the kind of coverage that the Cajuns deserve. Well, I never got an answer back from the paper. I used to subscribe to the paper but I quit taking the paper last year. I have a good friend up here that still takes the paper because he can't operate a computer. He really does like to keep up with UL sports. We both graduated from SLI in 1958.