Gazzolo Column: State Rivalries Matter – American Press

This past Sunday, the Cowboys traveled to Lafayette to play their annual game against the Ragin Cajuns.

It’s been a holiday tradition for fans of both teams since Louisiana-Lafayette left the Southland Conference.

The two teams have played at least once each season since the 1998–99 campaign. ULL holds the series lead, 63-37.

The Cowboys won Sunday’s game 64-56 in a hard-fought, hard-played game. It wasn’t always pretty, but there was a lot of intensity on both sides. It’s the perfect pre-league contest.

Delighted crowds, cheap travel, local interest.

However, Sunday’s game was the last in the current series and although both sides have said they want to continue, no contract has been signed.

“We talked to them and hopefully we can continue to play them,” McNeese Athletic Director Heath Schroyer said. “It makes sense to play them every year.”

Perhaps the sides will soon sign a new four-year deal for the home-and-home contests. That would solve each side’s problem of getting games.

Scheduling has been a major issue for many, if not most, mid-major programs. It was easy for McNeese to find games before Will Wade came to town, but now no one is lining up to play a team that has gone 36-9 over the last two seasons.

In terms of scheduling, the Cowboys have gotten too good for their own good.

During the offseason, Wade’s reliever Brandon Chambers had a hard time getting games, especially at home. In November, an invitation to Paradise Jam in St. Thomas from the US Virgin Islands helped.

A couple of other mid-majors, Santa Clara and North Texas, were willing to sign on for home-and-home games starting this fall in Lake Charles. These are great additions, but the basics are what make a good program.

ULL to play McNeese is a base.

There should be others.

It would be nice for fans and players alike from all of the Louisiana programs to play each other. The Cowboys should schedule games against UL-Monroe and Louisiana Tech every year. Schroyer would like even more.

He would love to see home and home games each year between the state rivals. He’d love to see the Cowboys play LSU, but let’s be honest, that’s not happening while Wade calls McNeese home.

Imagine the egg on the Tigers faces if they lost that game or even it was close.

Louisiana Tech used to play McNeese. The two teams squared off just last year in Ruston during a small event. Tech won that game.

There are other good teams in Texas to play outside of the Southland Conference as well. Sam Houston State, Texas-San Antonio and Texas-Arlington come to mind.

All of these games can be driven by McNeese fans, who continue to show that they will travel to watch their Cowboys. Sunday’s game was the Cajundome’s most attended this year.

A total of 2,407 fans showed up, 995 more than for any other ULL home game this season. Last year when the teams met in Lake Charles, a sold-out crowd of 4,307 was in the Legacy Center.

Compare that to the 1,187 who watched the Cajuns host Louisiana Tech this season, or the 1,391 who showed up to watch the Sun Belt Conference opener last Wednesday against Appalachian State, and you realize it makes both dollars and sense to play local games .

Hopefully, everyone involved in programming understands the economic value and community pride that can be associated with these games.

And how much players like playing in them.

“It’s a great rivalry,” McNeese forward Joe Charles said. “Both groups of fans are intense about this game.”

Charles should know he played for ULL for three years before transferring to McNeese this year.

“They’re fun games to play,” Charles said.

They were also fun to watch.

Let’s hope we get that chance again next year in Lake Charles.

Jim Gazzolo is a freelance writer covering McNeese State athletics for the American Press. Email him at [email protected]