History Made (again)

Louisiana Tech started this year off with a feat that can only be described as historic: scoring the most points in a game as a D1 program. This past weekend the Bulldogs managed to make a bit of history yet again with their second shutout game in a row, something that has not happened since 1959. That year, led by coach Joe Aillet, the Bulldogs went 9-1 representing the Louisiana Polytechnic Institute, dominating their conference and ending the season ranked 7th in Division II. Now, Tech has returned to dominance amongst their peers and is making way for the Sun Belt championship after handling eastern division ODU this past weekend. This team is out for blood and not only is the defense churning at an unseen level, the offense is managing a possessive efficiency that is proving near-impossible to match.

Conversions

A few remarkable stats jump out at anyone attempting to analyze the results of this weekend’s ODU-Tech football game. One is Louisiana Tech’s time of possession, which totaled almost 40 minutes of this football game. They allowed ODU to hold the football for less than 21 minutes, and plenty of that statistic can be attributed to the first half possessions that Tech managed perfectly. On Tech’s opening drive, they went 4/4 on third down, punching in a score and taking up nearly half of the first quarter. Their next possession was a slightly faster score but their third took up six minutes of clock and went 2/3 on third down, resulting in a field goal. Their final first half drive did not earn any points but it also went 2/3 on third down and took another six minutes of clock. Only four possessions, yet nearly 70% of the first half was in the hands of Louisiana Tech. While Tech had four possessions total in this game totaling over five minutes, ODU didn’t have one last more than four minutes and had a single possession longer than three minutes. It was complete efficient domination.

Another one of those stats that jump at you is TE Eli Finley’s remarkable performance. Finley ended this game with 10 receptions for 128 yards and a touchdown. While remarkable on its own, these stats don’t even begin to describe Finley’s impact on the field. Many of these passes were in traffic, with Eli snatching the ball in very difficult positions almost like a living magnet. He has continued to bring the X-Factor to this team and it is incredible to see him hit the 100 career receptions and 1000 career yards mark. Of course the man throwing the ball to Finley this past weekend was Blake Baker who racked up an impressive 303 yards and a Finley TD on 34 attempts, only missing six throws and even ran it in for a touchdown in the first half. Baker is coming into his own and has proven his ability to read defenses, adjust to pressure, and escape the pocket on multiple occasions. The amazing Jalen Mickens was another recipient of Baker’s passes this week with eight catches for 110 yards, adding to the massive playmaking arsenal on this Tech team. Mickens is the first Tech player to post three 100-yard receiving games in a season since Tru Edwards did so in 2024. The stars are aligning for this offense and as long as the Bulldogs can evade injuries just a couple weeks more, there is strong potential for this team to continue improving their offensive prowess.

Back It Up

ODU had -13 rushing yards in this game. That alone speaks a lot about Louisiana Tech's performance against an offense that was considered to be one of the worst in FBS and an offensive line that had historically poor metrics. Tech’s defense crushed their lower competition and performed a lot better at defending against deeper explosive plays that had plagued the team in a couple previous matchups. Generational numbers came out of our linebacking corps, with three sophomores leading the charge. The first, Zheric Hill, who had 10 total tackles, four solo, 2.5 TFLs and half a sack. Zheric also said after the game that their goal as a defense was to go out and perform so highly that they make opponents “not want to play football anymore.” His old highschool teammate Jadon Mayfield also showed out in this one, with five tackles to his name, two solo, 2.5 TFLs and two sacks. Then we have the legend himself, Alonzo Jackson Jr. who posted seven tackles, two solo, 2.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks. Safe to say that this group had their way with the ODU offensive line. This team has not allowed a passer with over 60% completion rate since Baylor back in September and against ODU, Jaxon Potter only scrounged up 154 passing yards through four quarters. Senior Amari Butler got his first INT of the season and Luke Olson’s defense is not stopping in the pursuit of turnovers.

Conclusions

This is Tech’s best start to a football season in seven years. That last time Tech reached week 8 with less than 3 losses was back in 2019 when Tech hit the double digit win column in the Independence Bowl against Miami. That team, led by coach Skip Holtz andQB J’mar Smith was one to remember and there may be a similar opportunity this year with Sonny Cumbie’s fifth year squad. I’m starting to see something special emerge from this team, especially with competence, composure, and clutch factor. It is unconventional for a Louisiana Tech football team but not this team. This team has a lot of what you want, most importantly the confidence to beat anybody. Huge matchup coming up on Halloween, but I will get to that in my preview article. For now, let us enjoy such a fantastic win on a beautiful north Louisiana evening. I am very proud of this group. Go Dogs!!!