Bulldogs are Bowling yet again!

In the month of October, Louisiana Tech went undefeated in the sport of football, winning five straight matchups and taking a two-game lead in the Sun Belt Western Division. They were the only team to play five games and still remain undefeated all within the month. With their recent triumph over USA, the Bulldogs sit at 6-2 with the earliest achievement of bowl eligibility since 2019, a year in which the program reached double-digit wins. Tech currently sits with a 90% chance of making the Sun Belt championship and is even mathematically eligible for a spot in the college football playoff. They have been making waves for weeks now and there is little sign of stopping any time soon.

Keeping up with the Score

One major worry for Bulldogs fans heading into this matchup was the ability to survive in a shootout if this game were to become such a bout. South Alabama was averaging 35 points per game, with several wins in which the Jags scored 40+. In this game, things were looking great for the Jaguars offense early, scoring relatively quickly on their first possession and then manhandling Tech’s defense on a second, long drive that got them a 14-7 lead before the conclusion of the first quarter. Tech had managed to play explosive on their second possession which earned them those seven points and would answer yet again with a subsequent explosive drive to tie the game 14-14. It seemed that so far, the Bulldogs were up to the challenge of a heavyweight battle and would continue to maintain their abilities to do so when they got the ball back next and took a 21-14 lead. This lead change was marked by an incredibly packaged play that had both quarterbacks (Blake Baker and Trey Kukuk) on the field to accomplish an incredible misdirection that left Jalen Mickens wide open in the endzone. There was only more to come after and Tech never lost the lead again.

Blake Baker may have had a quieter statline with just 10/16 and 167 yards passing but did accomplish three touchdowns as he led the team to score every time they were provided decent field position. Marcus Calwise had three catches and two touchdowns after earning 68 yards on those touches. Freshman Rayshun Hurt only saw the ball seven times total as a halfback but averaged 6.7 yards on his rushes and had a huge 67-yard screen play to get the dogs into the red zone. It was by all means a very effective game especially considering Dylone Brooks could not return (again) and other members of the backfield have had to continue to contribute greatly.

No More Points

While Tech did struggle to tackle and even defend the pass well in the first half against USA, there was significant improvement after the break. While the Bulldogs gave up 20 points early, the late-game adjustments, as we have seen so often this year, worked perfectly. USA had just six first downs in the second half compared to their 18 in the first. Against a team that has succeeded all year through ball security and possession, Louisiana Tech had two takeaways to turn the tides of the game. First, a fumble recovered by Alonzo Jackson Jr. and later a game-sealing interception from Janard Lockhardt. Tech had three sacks in this game, one from Emmanuel Oguns which marked his first of the year in his second season as a Bulldog. Taeden Rogers had another one of those sacks in a game where he recorded six solo tackles as a sophomore DB. Like we had seen against other opponents like ULM so far, this staff is clearly capable of modifying their approach to improve the stopping of opposing offenses and Tech was impressively able to do so against a top-ranked scoring team in the nation.

Conclusions

The Bulldogs are continuing to roll in the Sun Belt and have taken a promising, commanding lead in their division standings. As a fan, I’m ecstatic and extremely satisfied with the development of the Sonny Cumbie era here in year five. It has been an astonishing ride and I’m glad I didn’t hop off because being here now is just delightful. While I am undeniably happy about these wins, the final stretch has arrived and challenges ahead will not be any easier than the road behind us. Tech has not been perfect in their path to the current moment. There are still improvements to be made without question. The grit and team cohesion we have seen, however, gives me hope. I feel special about what this team is in 2026. It may never be as successful as it is today but 6-2 is a fantastic spot to be in regardless of the future. Pride is what I feel in my school and I hope this pride can continue on! Go Dogs!!!