LAFAYETTE, La. -- Louisiana-Lafayette defensive end Antonio
Floyd wants to keep playing football when his eligibility at the
college level runs after this season.
But if his football dreams do not work out, Floyd will leave
college with much more than his old football jerseys.
"I graduated in the spring," Floyd said. "I'm working on a
second degree. I want to take football as far as I can take it, but
you've got to have a backup plan."
Floyd also hopes underclassmen will see what he did and learn
from it. He's one of several players who already have their degrees
and they all have the same message.
"We encourage younger players to do the same thing," Floyd
said. "I started working on my degree when I was redshirted, and
other players can do the same thing."
Floyd is one of 22 seniors who will be playing their final home
game when the Cajuns host Florida International Saturday.
The St. Francisville native will have played two years each
under Jerry Baldwin and current coach Rickey Bustle, blossoming
under Bustle with 39 tackles (14 for losses of 42 yards) in 2002
and recording 28 stops (7 for losses of 69 yards) this year.
He and other seniors have made a special effort to reinforce
Bustle's directions to the rest of he team.
"We are his speaker sometimes," Floyd said. "Sometimes you
need the seniors to step in. The message may sound repetitive
coming from the coaches, and you have to have another voice. We try
to lead the team on a positive note, get them headed in the right
direction."
That may be even more important in the hard times than good.
Teams usually have plenty of leaders when victories are coming
easily, but fewer in a 2-8 season like the Cajuns have endured.
"Inside, it does take you down a little bit to lose," Floyd
said, "but it does prepare you for life. Things aren't always
going to go like you'd like them to go."