Moods Differ Over Football Between ULM and LA Tech Campuses
By: Alanna Quillen
Updated: December 7, 2012
It's been a big week for two Northeast Louisiana college football teams.
ULM is going to its first bowl game, while Louisiana Tech missed out on post-season play and is losing its football coach.
With football coach Sonny Dykes leaving Tech, and a missed opportunity into a bowl game, students say this double whammy has given them a gloomy week.
"I think they had a great season and they were really cheated to not be in a bowl game," said Layton Dearmon, a freshman student. "We as a student body, them as a team, should have had a say on what was going to happen and we really deserved to be in a bowl game this year."
Carolyn Smith plays trumpet in the Tech marching band, and says she hoped to be a part of the bowl game, too.
"We were really hoping to go to a BCS bowl game and that's a really big honor. There's no reason our team shouldn't be able to hope for that and do better than we ever have before," she said. "The fact that they just took it away because we wanted a little more time was, to me, really unfair."
Others see it as a disappointment for the whole Tech family.
"It's just disappointing that the nation doesn't get to see one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, one of the offenses in that nation," said Tech freshman Taylor Tuggle. "I would've loved to see a match up with ULM, that would've been great for North Louisiana, would've made a lot of money for the independence bowl, too."
Meanwhile at ULM, the first shipment of Independence Bowl T-shirts went on sale Thursday, and students say the moods are high across campus.
"You definitely see a lot of positive things around campus -- everybody's in a good mood," said David Evans, a ULM marching band trumpet sophomore.
Jeff Hartman films the football team for the Athletic Department and says he feels lucky that his opportunity to see a bowl game came in his freshman year.
"All the students are so excited, they're happy -- everybody's ready to whoop up on Ohio," he said.
The ULM ticket office is also feeling the excitement.
"The ticket office has been buzzing, non-stop," said Athletics marketing director Robin Barton. "The phone has been ringing off the hook, people in our lobby waiting to reserve tickets."
It's still too early to tally up ticket sales, but Barton said she's confident there will be enough tickets to go around for ULM fans.
"We really want to encourage our fans to buy their tickets through ULM," Barton said. "It's the one way the university will benefit from the ticket sales."
You can buy the ULM Independence Bowl game tickets three different ways:
As of December 6th, tickets can be reserved for $47. Please call the phone number above for more information. Christmas Eve is the last day to buy those bowl game tickets.
The game will take place at Independence Stadium in Shreveport on December 28th.
ULM is going to its first bowl game, while Louisiana Tech missed out on post-season play and is losing its football coach.
With football coach Sonny Dykes leaving Tech, and a missed opportunity into a bowl game, students say this double whammy has given them a gloomy week.
"I think they had a great season and they were really cheated to not be in a bowl game," said Layton Dearmon, a freshman student. "We as a student body, them as a team, should have had a say on what was going to happen and we really deserved to be in a bowl game this year."
Carolyn Smith plays trumpet in the Tech marching band, and says she hoped to be a part of the bowl game, too.
"We were really hoping to go to a BCS bowl game and that's a really big honor. There's no reason our team shouldn't be able to hope for that and do better than we ever have before," she said. "The fact that they just took it away because we wanted a little more time was, to me, really unfair."
Others see it as a disappointment for the whole Tech family.
"It's just disappointing that the nation doesn't get to see one of the best quarterbacks in the nation, one of the offenses in that nation," said Tech freshman Taylor Tuggle. "I would've loved to see a match up with ULM, that would've been great for North Louisiana, would've made a lot of money for the independence bowl, too."
Meanwhile at ULM, the first shipment of Independence Bowl T-shirts went on sale Thursday, and students say the moods are high across campus.
"You definitely see a lot of positive things around campus -- everybody's in a good mood," said David Evans, a ULM marching band trumpet sophomore.
Jeff Hartman films the football team for the Athletic Department and says he feels lucky that his opportunity to see a bowl game came in his freshman year.
"All the students are so excited, they're happy -- everybody's ready to whoop up on Ohio," he said.
The ULM ticket office is also feeling the excitement.
"The ticket office has been buzzing, non-stop," said Athletics marketing director Robin Barton. "The phone has been ringing off the hook, people in our lobby waiting to reserve tickets."
It's still too early to tally up ticket sales, but Barton said she's confident there will be enough tickets to go around for ULM fans.
"We really want to encourage our fans to buy their tickets through ULM," Barton said. "It's the one way the university will benefit from the ticket sales."
You can buy the ULM Independence Bowl game tickets three different ways:
- At the Malone Stadium ticket office, 308 Warhawk Way
- By phone at 318-342-3ULM
- By logging on to www.ulmwarhawks.com
As of December 6th, tickets can be reserved for $47. Please call the phone number above for more information. Christmas Eve is the last day to buy those bowl game tickets.
The game will take place at Independence Stadium in Shreveport on December 28th.
