ESPN Blog Acknowledges UL Head Coach Mark Hudspeth’s Success

ESPN.go has a great blog on the first year head coach of UL's Ragin Cajuns Football Team. For what was expected to be a "down year" or "rebuilding year" for the program, Coach Hudspeth has taken the reigns and single handily re-built a program over night. The Cajuns are 6-1 on the season, and undefeated in Sun Belt Conference play. “Our team has bought into the work ethic I wanted to bring into our program,” Hudspeth said in a recent phone interview.The first year head coach knew that he had to have his players buy into his ways, and they have. Did he think it would happen this fast, well that is up for debate. In any case, Coach Hudspeth says in the interview with ESPN that, “I feel we’ve outworked everybody in the country to prepare our team physically and mentally."

Upon arrival to Lafayette, Coach Hudspeth knew that this area was rich with talent and that the fans here in south Louisiana have a passion for football like no where else in the country. He says in the interview, "This place is a gold mine just sitting here and hasn’t had the right person to come in here and light the fuse,” Hudspeth said. “Hopefully we may have done that. A lot of people now see some of the success we’re having and see the hard work is paying off and are now ready to jump on board even more financially to take it to a new level. We want to take it to a new level, not just keep up with the Joneses. We want to be the Joneses.”

With one home game remaining, the Ragin' Cajuns are on pace to set the school record for average home attendance and break the current mark of 25,224 set in 1977.

For more on what the coach had to say about the UL Program and it's efforts click HERE for the entire article. We should note, the Ragin Cajuns are no Bowl eligible this year for the first time in the three years, but have not been to a bowl since 1970.