ULL accepts R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl bid

For the fourth consecutive season, the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns football team will make a bowl appearance after formally accepting an invitation to the 14th annual R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Wednesday.
Louisiana (8-4), one of six schools nationally to win a bowl game in the past three years, is scheduled to play a to-be-determined team from the Mountain West Conference Dec. 20 at 10 a.m. in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
“We are thrilled that the Ragin’ Cajuns have accepted our invitation and will represent the Sun Belt Conference for the fourth year in a row,” Bowl Chairman Ron Gardner said in a news release. “Each year, the game brings thousands of local and out-of-state fans to the City to enjoy a weekend of good times, and we are positive that the Ragin’ Cajuns will once again help raise the bar for the success of the Bowl.”
The Ragin’ Cajuns formally accepted their bid during halftime of the Louisiana men’s basketball game against Jackson State Wednesday night. Extending the bid to the Ragin’ Cajuns were R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl Executive Director Billy Ferrante, board member Paul Valteau and Associate Executive Director Jeff Rossi.
“It is a great honor for our student-athletes and coaches to receive an invitation to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl for the fourth consecutive year,” Louisiana Director of Athletics Scott Farmer said in a news release. “During the past three seasons, our team has been treated to an incredible bowl experience and our fans have supported us in record numbers. We look forward to another great experience in New Orleans, and our fans are looking forward to painting New Orleans red again.”
Under fourth-year head coach Mark Hudspeth, Louisiana won seven of its final eight games during the regular season to post its best-ever Sun Belt Conference record (7-1) since joining the league as a charter member in football in 2001.
Led by quarterback Terrance Broadway, a three-year starter and 2012 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl MVP, the Ragin’ Cajuns finished the regular-season ranked 26th nationally in rushing offense while ranking fifth overall in red zone offense.
“We are very excited to be heading back to the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl,” Hudspeth said in a news release. “It has become home to us the last three years. The New Orleans Bowl provides such a great overall experience, not only for our players but also for our fans. We’ve been very successful there, and we are looking forward to heading back to New Orleans once again.”
The 2014 game will mark the sixth bowl appearance in school history for the Ragin’ Cajuns with their previous trips coming in 1944 (Oil Bowl) and 1970 (Grantland Rice Bowl).
Louisiana ended a 41-year bowl drought in 2011 as Brett Baer’s 50-yard field goal as time expired earned the Ragin’ Cajuns a 32-30 victory against San Diego State. In 2012, Broadway threw for 316 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 108 yards and a score in a 43-34 win against East Carolina.
In last year’s game played before an R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl-record crowd of 54,728, Louisiana defeated Tulane, 24-21, as it built a 21-0 lead and Hunter Stover booted a go-ahead field goal in the fourth quarter to help seal the win.
Fans interested in purchasing tickets for the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl can download a form from RaginCajuns.com or by picking one up at the Cajundome ticket office. The deadline for RCAF members and season ticket holders to submit applications and receive seating priority is today.