Bustle's Cajuns won't be 'awed'

Louisiana-Lafayette's trip to No. 23 Georgia this Saturday will be among the multitude of David versus Goliath matchups on college football's opening weekend, but Ragin' Cajuns coach Rickey Bustle doesn't see it that way.

"We want our kids to feel like they can go in on any given Saturday and win a football game," Bustle said Monday. "That's what we've been geared up to do. We've played in enough of these to where we're not awed by the crowd or the noise or anything."

The Ragin' Cajuns have played 706 games against Division I opposition, but this will mark its first against a Peach State program.

Bustle's last game in Sanford Stadium was as a Clemson receiver in 1975. He is 38-56 as ULL's coach since 2002 and has faced the likes of Texas A&M, LSU, Arkansas, South Carolina, Oklahoma State, Kansas State, Texas, Tennessee, Illinois and Nebraska.

The Ragin' Cajuns lost 31-3 at LSU and 55-0 at Nebraska last season but upset visiting Kansas State, 17-15.

"I think a game like that always gives you some carryover, but we don't look at the scoreboard and we don't look at rankings," he said. "We just go play anybody anywhere."

Bustle was an offensive assistant at Virginia Tech when Georgia defensive coordinator Todd Grantham played for the Hokies and later served as a defensive assistant in Blacksburg. The two are good friends and stay in touch, said Bustle, who added that it's tough to scout the Bulldogs because of their shift to a 3-4 defensive scheme.

ULL is one of 91 programs that have been Bowl Subdivision members since 1978, when college football split into Division I-A and I-AA ranks. The Ragin' Cajuns compete in the Sun Belt Conference, a league that doesn't run from big-time foes.

Saturday's Sun Belt slate also includes North Texas at Clemson, Western Kentucky at Nebraska and Arkansas State at Auburn.

"We're all playing these games to assist our athletic department budget," ASU coach Steve Roberts said. "It's difficult to walk away with the check and the win, but it's fun for the kids."

Sideline absence

Katharyn Richt, the wife of Georgia coach Mark Richt, is skipping her role as the team's water girl this week to watch their son Jon, the starting quarterback for Mars Hill (N.C.) College.

"I'm bummed about it," Coach Richt said. "I keep telling her that Jon has a wife now and that he doesn't need his mommy there all the time, but she doesn't agree."

Odds and ends

Georgia's game-week roster changes include Jakar Hamilton as a starting safety, Brandon Wood as a starting defensive end and Branden Smith as the top punt returner. ... Sophomore flanker Rantavious Wooten missed most of camp with a knee sprain but is expected to play. ... Saturday is expected to be the 58th consecutive sellout at Sanford, all since Richt's hiring. ... Former Georgia defensive end David Pollack, who was a three-time All-American, will handle color commentary Saturday at noon when Florida State hosts Samford on ESPNU.

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