Canes Arrive in Shreveport for Independence Bowl
By David Villavicencio
HurricaneSports.com
SHREVEPORT, La. – Head coach Manny Diaz has never coached in the Independence Bowl, but the first-year leader of the Hurricanes football program has a unique memory of his hometown team’s last trip to Shreveport, La.
Diaz, who spent the 2014 season as the defensive coordinator at Louisiana Tech, crossed paths with the Canes as they prepared to battle the South Carolina Gamecocks in head coach Steve Spurrier’s last game.
“My last game at Louisiana Tech was the Heart of Dallas Bowl and that was on the 26th,” Diaz said. “And then we were driving back to Ruston and it’s funny, I remember driving right by I-20, right by the Independence Bowl and Miami and South Carolina’s buses were pulling into the Independence Bowl that same day, so kind of gone full circle.”
Diaz and the Hurricanes arrived in Shreveport Saturday afternoon to begin their final week of preparation for the 2019 Walk-On’s Independence Bowl.
“It’s great to be back in North Louisiana and Shreveport in particular,” Diaz said. “From my time here, I know this is a football city. There’s great high school football here, great high school coaching here and a lot of great players come out of here. It’s a city that, from my experience, identifies with football and we have a game where we’re playing Louisiana Tech and it’s going to be a great show.”
For Diaz, Thursday’s game against Louisiana Tech will bring back a lot of memories and include a lot of familiar faces.
“That was a special year for me in coaching to work under Skip Holtz,” Diaz said. “He’s one of the greatest men that I’ve ever had the opportunity to work under. I learned a lot from him and we had great success that year. Not just Skip, but there are some other guys on the staff that I’ve maintained contact with that I consider friends. And then what’s crazy is they’re loaded with fifth-year seniors who really many of them were the recruits that we were recruiting the year that I was there in 2014. So there’ll be a lot of familiar faces on that sideline.”
All-American defensive end Gregory Rousseau’s face lit up with excitement when he spoke about the chance to play one more game this season. The redshirt freshman believes the Hurricanes are looking forward to competing against the Bulldogs on Thursday.
“It’s really exciting for our team,” Rousseau said. “We’re happy to be here. The city looks pretty cool. I haven’t seen it yet, like in person, but I’m excited to be here and so is my team. It’s all a blessing.’
“We go through so much all year,” Rousseau said. “The wins, the losses, the good times, the bad times, summer workouts, spring football, all that, so just being able to celebrate one more time and come together as a team here in Shreveport is a blessing.”
The week in Shreveport will feature fun activities and experiences for the Hurricanes to enjoy, as well as community service and engagement with local groups.
“Bowls are very important to the fabric of college football,” Diaz said. “First of all, it’s a great experience for these young men. They get a chance to see a part of the country that they may not have been exposed to before. Get a chance to meet a lot of great people and can do a lot of fun things around town. Get to give back to a lot of communities, which is part of it. That’s why bowl games are important to the fabric of the community in the area. And then get the play usually an out of conference type matchup, and like I said, any game where they’re giving out a trophy at the end is a big game and a chance to get into the offseason with some momentum.”
The Hurricanes get to enjoy the bowl experience in their first season under Diaz, but they are in Shreveport for a purpose and that is to win a football game on Thursday.
“We are motivated,” wide receiver Mike Harley said. “We just got on a nice plane and was our first time getting on a plane like that. We drove for a ride, but when we get off the plane it’s time for business. We are going to have a little fun tonight to take advantage of the opportunity here in Shreveport and then just lock in for four days and get ready for the game.”
The Canes will spend the holidays in Louisiana and Diaz hopes everyone will have a great week and that Miami will culminate the trip with a victory.
“I think it’s a neat experience for them,” Diaz said. “It’s something different. A lot of the guys have not ever been here, so it’s kind of a chance for them to get another area off their list of different places they’ve had a chance to go to and have a chance to experience it. And we told them that this bowl has a reputation for treating teams in a first-class manner, and it’s important that we treat Shreveport the same way.”
