University of Louisiana at Lafayette Athletics
CAJUNS RELEASE 2003 FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
1/11/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Saturday, January 11, 2003
LAFAYETTE - The University of Louisiana at Lafayette released its
2003 football schedule on Saturday. The 12-game slate marks the second straight for the Cajuns and third in the program's 95 years. Under current NCAA rules, UL Lafayette will not be able play a 12-game regular season schedule again until the year 2008.
Louisiana-Lafayette will welcome six foes to Cajun Field for the first time since 1997, playing five of the six as Sun Belt Conference games.
The Cajuns do not play conference schools Arkansas State and Utah State, but will designate non-conference games against Louisiana Tech and Florida International to count toward SBC standings.
The 2003 campaign begins at South Carolina, home state of Cajuns head coach Rickey Bustle. Bustle, originally from Summerville, served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Gamecocks during the 1994 season.
The season's first home game will follow when Louisiana Tech travels to Lafayette on Sept. 6 for the 3rd annual Herbert Heymann Football Classic.
Sun Belt Conference play officially begins on Sept. 27, when UL Lafayette visits 2001 & 2002 SBC Champion North Texas.
New Mexico State comes to "The Swamp" on Oct. 18 for Louisiana-Lafayette's 58th homecoming.
Twelve weeks after it begins, the 2003 regular season will end, without an open week, on Nov. 15 at Middle Tennessee. It marks the first time the Cajuns play an entire season without an off week since 1982 when coach Sam Robertson's club played 11 straight games.
"I'm very pleased to have six home games," said Cajuns Director of Athletics Nelson Schexnayder. "We took advantage of the opportunity to play 12 games again this season. I'm happy to bring Louisiana Tech back to Cajun Field for the first time since 1999."
The Cajuns schedule is a lot tougher than their opponents combined 66-81 record indicates. UL Lafayette will play non-conference games against the Big Ten, Big XII, Conference USA, Southeastern and Western Athletic Conferences. Four teams on the 2003 schedule went to bowl games with Minnesota, North Texas and Oklahoma State winning the Music City, New Orleans and Houston Bowls, respectively.
Louisiana-Lafayette holds a 73-122-7 all-time record against the 12 schools on the 2003 schedule, having met Louisiana Tech the most (83 times), and competing against South Carolina and Florida International for the first time.
"I think the layout of our schedule is good," said head coach Rickey Bustle. "Although it's very tough, the schedule provides a nice break-up of conference and non-conference games."
Bustle also stated that it doesn't particularly bother him that the team doesn't have an open week.
"Playing twelve straight is a double-edge sword," Bustle added. "The rest is nice in the middle of the season, but I don't believe your players magically all become healthy because you still practice almost every day. Last season we lost momentum with an open date, so sometimes it can hurt you."
-Ragin' Cajuns-
