The 2008 Louisiana–Lafayette Ragin' Cajuns football team represented the University of Louisiana at Lafayette

University of Louisiana at Lafayette

The University of Louisiana at Lafayette, or UL Lafayette, is a coeducational, public research university located in Lafayette, Louisiana, in the heart of Acadiana...

 in National Collegiate Athletic Association

National Collegiate Athletic Association

The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...

 (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) college football

College football

College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...

 during the 2008 season

2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season

The 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on August 28, 2008, progressing through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Miami Gardens, Florida on January 8, 2009, where the #2...

. Louisiana competed as a member of the Sun Belt Conference

Sun Belt Conference

The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...

, and played their home games at Cajun Field

Cajun Field

Cajun Field is a stadium located in the city of Lafayette, Louisiana. Nicknamed The Swamp, it is the home field of the Louisiana's Ragin' Cajuns...

. The Ragin' Cajuns were led by seventh-year head coach Rickey Bustle

Rickey Bustle

-External links:* * *...

. UL-Lafayette finished the season with a 6–6 record (Sun Belt: 5–2).

UL-Lafayette came close to an upset against 24th-ranked Illinois

2008 Illinois Fighting Illini football team

The 2008 Illinois Fighting Illini football team represented the University of Illinois in the 2008–2009 college football season. The team's head coach was Ron Zook. The Illini played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Illinois...

 at home but ultimately lost, 20–17. The Ragin' Cajuns were also competitive against Kansas State

2008 Kansas State Wildcats football team

The 2008 Kansas State Wildcats football team represented Kansas State University in the season of 2008–2009. The Wildcats played their home games in Bill Snyder Family Stadium. The head coach was Ron Prince, who was in his third and final season at the helm of the Wildcats...

, trailing by 42–37 late in that game, but Louisiana-Lafayette was hindered by ten penalties, twice as many as called against their opponent. Louisiana-Lafayette beat Arkansas State

2008 Arkansas State Red Wolves football team

The 2008 Arkansas State Red Wolves football team represents Arkansas State University in the 2008 college football season. The Red Wolves played five home games at ASU Stadium in Jonesboro, Arkansas, including Southern Miss, Middle Tennessee, and Florida Atlantic. The Red Wolves had a difficult...

 with a touchdown

Touchdown

A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...

 in the last 0:42 to play and won, 28–23. They defeated Florida International

2008 FIU Golden Panthers football team

The 2008 FIU Golden Panthers football team represents Florida International University in their 4th season of NCAA Division I FBS football and their 7th season overall. The team is coached by Mario Cristobal and play their homes games at the on-campus FIU Stadium.-Regular season:The 2008 season...

 decisively, 49–20, before losing to UTEP

2008 UTEP Miners football team

The 2008 UTEP Miners football team represented the University of Texas at El Paso in the college football season of 2008-2009. The team's head football coach is Mike Price...

 in Lafayette

Lafayette, Louisiana

Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...

. lost to Florida Atlantic after trailing, 40–7, in the final quarter. The following week, they were routed by eventual Sun Belt champions Troy

2008 Troy Trojans football team

The 2008 Troy Trojans football team represented Troy University in the college football season of 2008–2009. The Trojans played their home games at Movie Gallery Stadium in Troy, Alabama and competed in the Sun Belt Conference. The Trojans successfully defended their Sun Belt Championship, winning...

, 48–3. UL-Lafayette won their finale against Middle Tennessee

2008 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team

The 2008 Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders football team represented Middle Tennessee State University in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football during the 2008 season. Middle Tennessee competed as a member of the Sun Belt Conference. The team...

, 42–28, which gave the Cajuns their sixth win, and with it, bowl eligibility. The Ragin' Cajuns also finished second in the Sun Belt Conference with a 5–2 mark in league play. It was the third season in four years that the Cajuns became bowl eligible, but the Cajuns did not receive a bowl bid.

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