Ragin’ Cajuns accept bowl invitation

For the third consecutive year, the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns football team will be bowling in New Orleans after formally receiving an invitation to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl following Saturday’s home game vs. the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
The Cajuns will play a yet-to-be determined opponent from Conference USA Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
The bid was presented to the Ragin’ Cajuns by New Orleans Bowl president and CEO Jay Cicero and promptly accepted by Ragin’ Cajuns head coach Mark Hudspeth.
“No matter what happened (in the game), we came tonight to invite you back to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl,” Cicero told the Cajuns in the locker room after the game.
“You guys deserve the bid. Even though it didn’t go your way (Saturday), it was a heckuva game and you’ve had a heckuva season,” Cicero said. “We are a Louisiana Bowl and we’re always pulling for our Louisiana teams.
“We’re proud to have the Ragin’ Cajuns back for a third season,” Cicero added.
University of Louisiana-Lafayette Athletics Director Scott Farmer said, “I want to congratulate our student-athletes and coaches for their third straight invitation to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. It is quite an accomplishment. We are happy to be going back to New Orleans for what is quickly becoming a pre-holiday ritual for our fans. They have turned out in large numbers in each of the past two years, and I am certain that they will paint the Quarter red again this year.”
University of Louisiana at Lafayette head football coach Mark Hudspeth said, “We are excited to receive our third straight bowl invitation and especially happy to be heading back to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl. We look forward to another great bowl experience that includes our fans taking over the great city of New Orleans and playing in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Our team and fans will be ready.”