2012 New Orleans Bowl: Pirates vs. Cajuns? Say no more

Highlights, besides the obvious feeling of camaraderie you’ll feel with strangers as you charge into battle together, include our cameraman appearing to peek at the rowdy blonde girls more than once and our cameraman being quizzed by his teammates regarding why he’s a cameraman.

A Ragin’ cameraman to you, sirs!

48,828. Announced attendance. Good on you, ECU and (primarily) ULL fans. The atmosphere was exactly what you want from every bowl game, especially the early ones, and the Ragin’ Cajuns have probably clinched a bid in every future New Orleans Bowl for which they have the requisite number of wins.

100. Percentage of East Carolina head coach Ruffin McNeill’s camera time in which he was encouraging somebody. McNeill might be the easiest coach in the country to like. He spent most of his game patting players on the helmet, making eye contact and pumping his fist to somebody, or speaking with clear admiration to an assistant. Play for him, and you play for one of the best father figures in the country.

The Pirates cut UL-Lafayette’s lead down to 37-34 after kicking a 26-yard field goal, but were unable to inch any closer than that, as the Ragin’ Cajuns added a pair of field goals to win, 43-34.

East Carolina and Louisiana-Lafayette combined to score 45 points in the second quarter, tying an NCAA bowl game record for the most combined points scored in a quarter.

ECU’s receivers have left approximately 87 points on the board in the New Orleans Bowl via their four bad, uncontested dropped passes so far. And in a barnburner likely to end with about 496 total points, that’s a pretty big deal.

One guy not explicitly dropping things: Louisiana’s Javone Lawson. He made a spectacular one-handed, hurtling grab in traffic on the Cajuns’ latest drive, complete with contact and everything, to set up another catch of his that was not quite a catch. It’s an impressive physical feat and all, but as you can see, the ball nudges the ground without clear possession at one point. This catch wasn’t even reviewed, perhaps out of respect for his previous catch. Also, perhaps out of mercy for ECU’s defense. Just get ‘em off the field.

The Advertiser has the story of its creation:

Look through SB Nation’s many excellent college football blogs to find your team’s community.

It looks to me like he did not successfully R+L Carrier it across the plane, with Chip Thompson’s desperate bolo punch dislodging it at the very last second. But I’m 31 years old and terribly nearsighted, so don’t listen to me.

Look through SB Nation’s many excellent college football blogs to find your team’s community.

1. Because this might happen again.

Mark Hudspeth’s second season as the Ragin’ Cajuns’ head coach has had quite a few ups and downs. A solid road win over Troy was followed by a pasting at the hands of Oklahoma State. A blowout of FIU was followed by a blown lead against North Texas (they led 20-6, lost 30-23) and a 23-point loss to eventual conference champion Arkansas State. But since the calendar flipped to November, ULL has been very, very good. The same could be said for East Carolina, which was 5-4 (following a blowout loss to Navy) heading into November but went 3-0 to clinch bowl eligibility (and then some).