LSU vs Louisiana Tech Preview

David Billiot Jr • September 11, 2026

After the 9-month wait for the Lane Kiffin era to finally begin at LSU, the season finally kicked off and LSU found themselves on the good side of a blowout over Clemson. The dust has settled and the season is underway as we go full steam ahead towards week 2. The now 1-0 Tigers will welcome in Louisiana Tech for the second consecutive year.

The Bulldogs jumpstarted their season with an even bigger blowout, defeating Northwestern State 80-6 to start their campaign 1-0. Sonny Cumbie’s squad gave the Tigers quite the battle when they came to Tiger Stadium in week 2 of the 2025 season. LSU struggled to get much going, only defeating LA Tech by a final score of 23-7. The Bulldogs went on to finish the regular season with a record of 7-5, before defeating Coastal Carolina at home in Shreveport in the Independence Bowl.

While the differences are vast for LSU, much is the same for LA Tech. Cumby, a disciple of the late Mike Leach, is in his 5^th season with the program as head coach. Offensive coordinator, Nathan Young, has been on staff serving as their offensive line coach since 2022, but was promoted to take over for the 2026 season.

LA Tech enters week 2 ranked 29^th in total offense with their 528 yards last week. Their 80 points have them ranked 1^st in scoring offense. Going back to last year, they ranked 88^th in total offense with an average of 359.2 yards per game and 71^st in scoring with 27.3 points per game. They’ll face off with an LSU defense that comes in ranked 11^th in total defense after allowing only 145 yards against Clemson and 46^th in scoring with the 10 points allowed.

Luke Olson enters his second season as the defensive coordinator, running his unusual 3-3-5 defense. The Bulldogs rank 10^th in total defense with 129 yards allowed in week 1 and T-21^st with the 6 points allowed. Back in 2025, they ranked 68^th in total defense by allowing 374.8 yards per game and 35^th in scoring with 20.8 points per game. On the other side, Charlie Weis Jr’s offense is ranked 11^th with 644 yards last week and T-27^th with 51 points scored.

LSU Offense vs LA Tech Defense

Passing Game

The passing game got off to a bit of a slow start with Sam Leavitt and his receivers against Clemson, but as the game progressed, it got cleaned up. There were multiple batted passes and the tip drill off of Malik Elzy’s hands that led to the interception on the second play of the game. The pass protection could also see some improvement, which would help prevent so much scrambling out of the pocket. Winnie Watkins, Trey’Dez Green, and Phillip Wright III were the first few pass-catchers to emerge with good nights. LSU enters with the 26^th ranked passing offense with 335 total yards including what Landen Clark and Husan Longstreet added.

Although the Bulldog pass defense was solid against Northwestern St and come in T-4^th with only 43 yards allowed, it was a struggle in 2025. They ranked 107^th in the country with 240.3 yards per game allowed. Linebacker Jadon Mayfield is the returning leader in sacks with just 3.5 a year ago. Defensive end Donovan Rieman is next behind him with 2.5. The secondary is full of new starters. Free safety MJ Moultrie II is the only of the five that started more than 2 games a year ago. He started in 12 with Hampton and has the most production with 64 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 3 pass breakups. Sam Fongang will play aside Moultrie II at free safety and then the Bulldogs play in base nickel with 3 cornerbacks. Amari Butler, Kameron Carter, and Jordan McRae all enter their second season in the program, but have had limited opportunities until this year.

They most important aspect of this game for the passing offense is Leavitt and his receivers locking down some better timing. They were a bit off at times last week, which is understandable considering none of them have ever played together and Leavitt was working his way back from foot surgery during the offseason, limiting their practice time together until fall camp. The opportunities should be there against an inexperienced secondary. Expect to see Weis Jr attempt more down field passes, which will force the offensive line to protect their quarterback.

Running Game

What can’t be said about Dilin Jones last Saturday? He was a beast, carrying the ball 23 times for 113 yards and 2 touchdowns. His most impressive stat was the 99 yards after contact. Stacy Gage was the first running back in to the game behind Jones, so it will be interesting to see if that continues moving forward or do individual gameplans call for more Harlem Berry and Caden Durham. Leavitt added 113 yards rushing, mostly on scrambles, looking like he was playing backyard football. The 309 yards rushing against Clemson ranked the Tigers 13^th in rushing offense.

Despite the 80-6 blowout, LA Tech gave up more rushing yards than you may have expected. They come in ranked 48^th after allowing 86 yards on the ground. That ranking is pretty spot on with where they were a year ago, giving up 134.5 yards per game on the ground as the 47^th best rushing defense. Look for Zheric Hill, Jadon Mayfield, and Grayson Hardy to be heavily involved against the run. The three combined for 17 tackles a week ago, despite playing limited snaps once the game got out of hand. Of the returners from 2025, Mayfield led the way with 61 tackles and 9.0 for loss.

Kiffin and Weis Jr are always going to run the ball. It’s their bread and butter and it’s what helps set up the beautifully drawn up passing plays that open up the entire field. It’s clear that Jones is the guy, so expect much more of him. With massive games to follow in week 3 and 4, I would expect to see more Berry and Durham in this one. Neither of them entered the game until the 4^th quarter against Clemson, but they are likely to be counted on against the Bulldogs. The question will be whether LA Tech decides to replace their nickel corner with an extra down lineman or linebacker if they are getting manhandled in the trenches by the LSU offensive line.

LSU Defense vs LA Tech Offense

Passing Game

Blake Baker’s defense sent Christopher Vizzina and Tait Reynolds home having nightmares. LSU recorded 4 sacks and 5 more QB hits, along with constant pressure all night. Princewill Umanmielen and Jordan Ross lived in the backfield, combining for 2.5 of the sacks and showing why Kiffin brought them in from the transfer portal. The chaos in the backfield made the jobs of PJ Woodland and DJ Pickett easy, each only having to record 2 tackles. The 105 yards allowed have them ranked 25^th in pass defense entering week 2.

LA Tech’s offense is very easy to separate in to passing and rushing, because that’s what they do with two quarterbacks. Their passer is ironically named Blake Baker and will be the guy in the game when they’re looking to sling the ball around. Cumby runs an Air-Raid offense, just like what Mike Leach used to do. Baker had a short night against Northwestern St with an efficient 10-14 for 232 yards and 3 touchdowns. He threw for 1,251 yards and 5 touchdowns a year ago. The Bulldogs run a good bit of 4 and 5 receiver sets, normally including tight end Eli Finley, who reeled in 4 receptions for 52 yards and a touchdown in week 1. Jalen Mickens led the way with 3 receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown, including a big 75 yard catch and run through defenders on their first offensive play from scrimmage. Look for Marcus Calwise Jr and Oklahoma St transfer, Talyn Shettron, to round out the usual set of receivers. Their 296 yards passing last week have them ranked 40^th, which is a giant improvement from 2025. Last season, they ranked 121^st in the country with only 163.8 yards per game through the air.

LA Tech runs out a very experienced offensive line, especially on the edges. Both starting tackles are redshirt juniors and in their 4^th year of college football. They will have their hands full with the pass rush of LSU. This will be an interesting matchup, because with the way Cumby spreads defenses out, we will likely get to see the next set of cornerbacks behind Woodland and Pickett. Ja’Keem Jackson and Havon Finney Jr were listed directly behind those two on the depth chart a week ago, so expect to see plenty of them. This feels like a matchup in which the speed and ferocity of the pass rush is going to make for a tough night for Baker to go through progressions. LSU went cover 0 with no one over the top multiple times against Clemson, trusting their pressure both on the quarterback and at the line of scrimmage against receivers.

Running Game

Clemson got absolutely stuffed when trying to run the ball a week ago. The longest rush that LSU allowed was of 11 yards and that was on the touchdown run by Eziomume with the 3’s in the game on the final defensive drive. Whit Weeks and TJ Dottery did exactly what was expected of them, filling gaps and flying to the ball all night. Weeks was the leading tackler with 6, along with Umanmielen. Dottery finished with 5 and 0.5 for loss. Baker’s unit only allowed 40 yards rushing, which ended up being 16^th best in the country.

It was a solid night on the ground for the Bulldogs in week 1. Their 232 yards on the ground was 40^th best in the country. They also ran the ball very well in 2025, finishing 24^th with 195.4 yards per game. Dylone Brooks is the lead back, carrying 6 times for 48 yards and a touchdown against the Demons. Behind him, Andrew Burnette carried the ball 7 times for 33 yards. The name to watch in the running game is their “running” quarterback, Trey Kukuk. He had 5 carries for 50 yards last week, but was big in their rushing attack in 2025, carrying the ball 98 times for 649 yards and 5 touchdowns.

One of my most anticipated matchups in this game is the battle of the interior lines in the trenches. LA Tech is very experienced across the line, but especially so in the middle. From left to right, their left guard is a redshirt senior, the center is a redshirt junior, and their right guard is the youngest as a redshirt sophomore. That’s 9 years of playing experience between 3 players coming in to this year. As for LSU, they’re incredibly young in the middle of their defensive line. Deuce Geralds and Richard Anderson are both 5-stars, but they’re both true freshmen playing in their second career game. You can even throw Lamar Brown in there, who lined up as a defensive tackle a few times in certain scenarios against Clemson. Dominick McKinley and Stephiylan Green provide some experience, but I’m looking forward to watching the freshman when they’re in the game. Look for Dashawn Spears to be heavily involved against the run being lined up at the STAR position near the line of scrimmage. He could be especially important when Kukuk enters the game.

Prediction

The spread for this game is -35.5 in LSU’s favor. It opened at -32.5 and quickly jumped up over 5 touchdowns. I tend to agree with that confidence in the Tigers. Although LA Tech’s quarterbacks each have more experience than what Clemson’s had coming in a week ago, I still see Blake Baker’s unit giving them a very hard time. It will be extremely tough for the Bulldogs to score.

On the other side, this is a gigantic mismatch between an inexperienced secondary and a crop of talented weapons. With two massive SEC games to follow, I expect Kiffin and Weis Jr to get Leavitt and his targets on the same page. That won’t all come together immediately, but it can go a long way, especially after not playing for the final 20 minutes in week 1.

LSU – 55

LA Tech - 6

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Louisiana Falls Apart Late in Frustrating 35-31 Loss to Southern Miss as Fanbase Frustration Grows

By Abdul Abusada • October 25, 2026

The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns suffered another heartbreaking loss on Saturday afternoon, falling 35-31 to the Southern Miss Golden Eagles at Renasant Stadium in Hattiesburg. Despite holding a lead late in the fourth quarter, UL once again failed to finish a game, allowing Southern Miss to march down the field and score the game-winning touchdown with less than a minute remaining. Louisiana entered the matchup looking to build on its dominant 33-6 victory over Troy last weekend. Instead, the Cajuns delivered one of their most frustrating performances of the season against a Southern Miss team that entered Saturday with just one win. The loss drops Louisiana to 5-3 overall and 2-2 in Sun Belt play, with the chance of reaching the Sun Belt title game now being slim to none. Defense Gets Exposed on the Ground Just one week after putting together arguably its best defensive performance of the season against Troy, Louisiana’s defense took a significant step backward against Southern Miss. The Golden Eagles finished with 450 total yards, including a staggering 286 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Southern Miss averaged 6.7 yards per rushing attempt with two rushers running for over 140 yards each, consistently finding success against what a Louisiana defense that struggled to contain the Golden Eagles’ backfield. Running back Steven Robinson finished with 145 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries, scoring all three of his touchdowns in the first half. Jamarice Wilder was just as productive, rushing for 154 yards on only 13 carries, including the 16-yard game-winning touchdown with 58 seconds remaining. For comparison, this same Louisiana defense held Troy to just 126 rushing yards a week ago, who rushed for 437 yards against Southern Miss a couple weeks ago. The difference in performance from that standpoint alone is concerning, especially considering Southern Miss entered the game struggling to find success offensively. What makes the defensive performance even more frustrating is that Southern Miss didn’t necessarily need their explosive passing attack to win. Quarterback Landry Lyddy finished with 164 passing yards and no touchdowns. The Golden Eagles were able to move the football primarily by running it, and Louisiana simply couldn’t find a consistent answer. The Cajuns also struggled to get off the field in important situations. Southern Miss converted four of its seven fourth-down attempts, including a devastating fourth-and-one late in the game when Wilder broke free for 28 yards to set up the winning touchdown. Then the self-inflicted mistakes. In the second quarter, an offsides penalty on Louisiana turned a fourth-and-six into a fourth-and-one, which Southern Miss converted before eventually scoring another touchdown. Jake St. Andre led the Cajuns with 11 tackles and a sack, while Lake Bates finished with a career-high 10 tackles. Kody Jackson added nine tackles and a fumble recovery, but the individual defensive efforts weren’t enough to overcome the unit’s struggles. This defense showed against Troy that it is capable of controlling a football game. Saturday’s performance was a disappointing reminder of just how inconsistent it has been. Passing Game Surges in Second Half, but a Costly Mistake Changes Everything One of the few encouraging developments from Saturday was Louisiana’s improvement through the air in the second half. After throwing for just 70 yards against Troy last weekend, quarterback Lunch Winfield bounced back with a career-high 299 passing yards, completing 22 of 41 attempts with two touchdowns and one interception. The Cajuns started the afternoon in the best way they could, putting together a 13-play, 75-yard opening drive that lasted half a quarter and ended with a five-yard touchdown run from Winfield. The Cajuns defense then forced a three and out and got the ball right back, making it seem like they were on their way to put up a stellar game performance. But that wasn’t necessarily the case. Southern Miss orchestrated a seven-play, 67 yard drive in just three minutes for a touchdown. Louisiana later answered a 14-7 deficit when JJ Garner broke free for a 42-yard touchdown run, tying the game in the second quarter. Then trailing 21-14 late in the first half, Winfield connected with Trenton Chaney for a four-yard touchdown with just 31 seconds remaining, sending the teams into halftime tied at 21. Louisiana eventually took a 28-21 lead late in the third quarter when Winfield found Anthony Reagan Jr. for a 31-yard touchdown. At that point, the Cajuns appeared to have gained control of the game, particularly with the defense holding Southern Miss scoreless throughout the third quarter. Unfortunately, that momentum disappeared early in the fourth. With Louisiana still leading 28-21, Winfield threw an interception that Southern Miss defensive back Kolby Peavy returned 30 yards for a touchdown, tying the game at 28 with 10:05 remaining. It was undoubtedly one of the biggest turning points of the afternoon. Instead of forcing Southern Miss to put together another scoring drive, Louisiana handed the Golden Eagles seven points. Winfield deserves credit for making some important throws throughout the game, particularly after the passing game’s struggles against Troy. However, mistakes like that become incredibly difficult to overcome in closely contested conference games. Unfortunately this wasn’t the first time this season, as similar mistakes cost the Cajuns the game against Louisiana Tech a couple weeks ago on the road. Louisiana finished with only 118 rushing yards, its lowest total of the season. Southern Miss came into this game allowing 252 yards per game, the second worst in the country. Garner led the way with 52 yards on seven carries, continuing his streak of five consecutive games with a rushing touchdown. The improvement in the passing game was encouraging, but the Cajuns couldn’t combine that production with the rushing success they had established in previous weeks. Lunch Winfield himself was shut down on the ground by the Golden Eagles, finishing with only seven yards on 13 carries. It’s ever since the USC road game, Winfield has struggled on the ground when on the road, and it was no different on Saturday. Another Fourth-Quarter Collapse The most frustrating part of Saturday’s loss was how Louisiana once again handled the final minutes of a close game on the road. Following Winfield’s interception, the Cajuns responded with an impressive 17-play, 74-yard drive that consumed seven minutes and eight seconds of game clock. Louisiana moved the football all the way to the Southern Miss five-yard line, but the drive stalled after an incomplete pass on third down. Tony Sterner connected on a 22-yard field goal to give the Cajuns a 31-28 lead with 2:51 remaining. While the drive was impressive in terms of controlling possession and moving the football, settling for three points instead of seven proved costly. Southern Miss needed a touchdown to win, and Louisiana’s defense had an opportunity to close out the game. The Golden Eagles marched 75 yards in just eight plays, taking only one minute and 53 seconds off the clock. The Cajuns force fourth down on the Louisiana 44-yard line. With an opportunity to end the drive and essentially secure the victory, the Cajuns allowed Wilder to break free for 28 yards, setting Southern Miss up deep in Louisiana territory. Two plays later, Wilder found the end zone from 16 yards out, giving Southern Miss a 35-31 lead with just 58 seconds remaining. Louisiana had one final opportunity following a 46-yard kickoff return by Ja’Corian Norris, but the offense failed to move the football beyond its own 47-yard line before turning it over on downs. Poor play-calling and offensive execution once again in a late game situation turned another potential victory into another devastating loss. A Frustrating Loss with Bigger Implications The most disappointing takeaway from Saturday isn’t simply that Louisiana lost another close game. It’s that the Cajuns continue to put themselves in positions to win football games, only to come away empty-handed when it matters most. As I kept mentioning, Louisiana suffered a similar loss in Ruston when they lost a heartbreaker to Louisiana Tech 32-31. They were up 31-19 with 11 minutes left in the fourth quarter against the Bulldogs, only to give it up after poor defensive play and poor offensive play calling. Now, the Cajuns have lost another game in the final minute in similar fashion, this time against a Southern Miss team that entered the matchup with a 1-5 record. These are the kinds of games that can ultimately determine whether a team competes for a conference championship or spends the remainder of its season wondering what could have been. And it certainly looks like the latter will be the case. Louisiana will now have to win these last four games, as well as hope that Louisiana Tech loses 3 of their remaining 4 games, in order to make the Sun Belt title game. Knowing the Bulldogs are 4-0 in the Sun Belt and have been playing really good in their first SBC season, it seems unlikely the Cajuns has any chances left. There’s plenty of blame to go around. The defense allowed nearly 300 rushing yards and failed to make critical stops. The offense gave Southern Miss a defensive touchdown and couldn’t finish its final scoring drive in the end zone. Louisiana also went 0-for-3 on fourth-down attempts while allowing Southern Miss to convert four of seven. It’s difficult to point to any one mistake as the reason Louisiana lost. The reality is that multiple mistakes throughout the afternoon contributed to an outcome that should have been avoided. Fifth-year head coach Michael Desormeaux in his postgame interview told the media: “We didn’t play well enough to win…Too many mental mistakes and critical errors.” It’s becoming a season of what-ifs, simply put. Unfortunately, we have seen this time and time under head coach Michael Desormeaux. It is leading to a lot of questions and frustration being voiced by the fan base, and rightly so. The fanbase (and the program) needs more than just another bowl game appearance, and assuming things go the way they’re projected to go, unfortunately it won’t be that way once again this season. Louisiana will have a much-needed bye week before returning home to face South Alabama on November 7 at Our Lady of Lourdes Stadium. The extra week provides an opportunity to address the mistakes that have continued to cost this team. But at some point, those corrections have to translate into results on the field. Saturday wasn’t a game Louisiana lost because Southern Miss was overwhelmingly more talented. It was a game the Cajuns had multiple opportunities to win and simply failed to finish. And unfortunately, that’s becoming an all-too-familiar story this season.

Saints Postgame: Lost in Paris

By Kaden Arkeder • October 25, 2026

The Saints lost in Paris today. They look lost on the field and the organization from the top down appears lost. The Saints for all of their supposed effort and emphasis on this international game did not show up ready once again to play their opponent. It was once again an embarrassing showing by the offense after many hoped they could carry over their offensive success from last week against the Giants. This game despite the score was not all that close. If it was not for a bad play from Jalen Ramsey against DeVaughn Vele on his TD catch the Saints would not have gotten into the endzone at all today. The complete incompetence of the Saints run game is so astonishing there are so many things you could say but they are all tired at this point. It is nothing new for this team. The simple fact of finding some success last week to then having the worst performance this season but also the NFL’s worst performance in four years speaks to just how bad the coaching and execution of the run game is for the Saints. There is too much being asked of a second year QB with a broken hand to carry this offense and the Saints are failing him by putting him in this position. The ineptitude is not just on offense though. The defense today could not stop the run once again and continue to be one of the worst run defending teams in the NFL. On third down the Saints routinely could not get off the field and allowed the Steelers to drive the ball, chewing up the clock all day long. It felt like the only time the Saints could get a stop was when Chase Young and Carl Granderson were able to get to the quarterback today. Then there were the plays where the coverage just made no sense. When you have Jonas Sanker playing man coverage deep against DK Metcalf you are doing something wrong as a defensive playcaller. It’s not just a one off issue as the Steelers scored their touchdown to Darnell Washington because of the simple size advantage given to them by having Kool Aid in coverage. Cameron Jordan was in coverage down the field the other week. These types of situations cannot happen if you want to be a competitive football team which the Saints just are not anymore. Heading into the bye change is needed for this organization. The status quo is not good enough as fans' patience has reached its limit for this regime. Fans do not want to hear or watch the same story every week and feel apathetic towards their football team but that is exactly what the Saints are doing to their fans. This coaching staff does not have the answers needed to even show the needed signs of improvement to even consider wanting to give them more time. But the front office and Mickey Loomis are just as much to blame for the sad state of affairs the Saints find themselves in. Regime change is needed for the Saints to get where they want to be but until Gayle Benson makes those changes the Saints will continue to be lost.