ULL goes back to New Orleans bowl; faces Southern Miss

LAFAYETTE -- The Louisiana-Lafayette football team is headed back to New Orleans.
A day after becoming bowl eligible with a convincing 30-3 rain-soaked victory over in-state rival Louisiana-Monroe, the Ragin’ Cajuns received an official invite to the New Orleans Bowl. Louisiana-Lafayette (6-6) will face off against old rival Southern Miss (6-6) inside the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on Dec. 17 at 8 p.m. The game will be televised live on ESPN.
“It is a great feeling,” senior running back Elijah McGuire said. “You know that whole season we had our backs against the wall. When our backs were against the wall we came up victorious.”
Added senior linebacker Tremaine Lightfoot, “It feels good to get to another bowl game. Really we strived for this. Really worked hard. Went through a lot of hard times and we still found a way to make it.”
The Cajuns had plenty of hard times this season.
There was the firing of defensive coordinator Melvin Smith after the opener, the four-overtime defeat at Tulane, the double-overtime loss at New Mexico State, the shutout loss at home on national television to Appalachian State and a few player defections.
Yet, the Cajuns ended the season by winning three of its final four games, including a win over eventual conference champion Arkansas State two weeks ago. The Cajuns themselves never quit believing that they had what it took to get back to a bowl game.
“We have talked about it the past four weeks,” sixth-year Cajuns coach Mark Hudspeth said. “Our message has been about mountain climbing. There is only one way to the top. There are lots of ways to get down. You can fall down, slip down or they can come get you and fly down. To get to the top you actually have to make the climb yourself.”
Added redshirt junior offensive lineman Grant Horst, “We had some speed bumps but everyone has stuck together through the whole year. It made us better in the end.”
Now the Cajuns are preparing to return to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome where the team won four-straight New Orleans Bowls from 2011-14 before suffering a 4-8 season in 2015.
“Last year it was tough for the team and that was my very first time since being here to not go to a bowl game,” Riles said. “I think it is was defiantly rewarding this year. I am actually happy for a lot of players that haven’t gotten that experience, lot of the young players. I am definitely happy for my brother O.P. (Otha Peters) because he never went to a bowl game. It is just a great experience all around.”