The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs and LSU Tigers will face off for the first time since 2018 Saturday night in Tiger Stadium.
Kickoff is 6:30 p.m.
LSU holds a 19-1 advantage in the series that dates back to 1901. The Bulldogs’ lone win was 6-0 in 1904.
This is the teams’ fourth meeting since 2003. The last two have been competitive with the Tigers winning 24-16 in 2009 and 38-21 in 2018.
LSU opened the season last week with a 17-10 road victory over then-No. 4 Clemson. The Tigers moved from No. 9 in the preseason AP Top 25 and AFCA Coaches’ poll to No. 4 and No. 3, respectively.
Louisiana Tech opened its season with a 24-0 home victory over Southeastern.
“We obviously feel great about what we accomplished but our mantra this year is 1-0,” LSU Head Coach Brian Kelly said at his weekly press conference. “So we celebrated that win 24 hours.
“We came in and had recovery on Sunday. Monday we went back to work, put that behind and focused on Louisiana Tech and we want to go 1-0 and we have to replicate all the things we did to get to 1-0.”
Kelly spoke about what it means to play in-state teams.
“Obviously from a standpoint of in-state we relish these opportunities to play in-state,” he said. “But we also know our opponent, this is the biggest game of their career for many of them. So we have to be prepared and certainly do the things we need to do.”
Cumbie discussed the familiarity aspect of facing in-state opponents at his weekly press conference.
“If you look at our roster and their roster there’s a lot of kids in our team that played park ball with these guys and from the moment that they were little kids and they competed with them in high school,” he said.
“From an in-state standpoint it makes a ton of sense. I mean we’re able to go down there on a Friday afternoon. It’s a bus trip for us. There’s a large contingency of fans for us in Baton Rouge.
“Anytime you play an in-state game the intensity of it. I think the atmosphere is probably going to be the best that I’ve ever been a part of. I think that our kids are excited about that.”
The familiarity goes beyond the players.
“I have a lot of respect for Coach Cumbie and the way he works,” Kelly said. “I get a chance to see him virtually all summer in camps.
“He’s one of the hardest working coaches I’ve seen in the industry just doing whatever he can to build his program and recruit in particular the state of Louisiana and I give him great credit for that.”
Cumbie said it has been beneficial for him and his staff to participate in camps at LSU.
“It’s helped our program a tremendous amount from the standpoint of recruiting and developing to be able to go down there and be a part of those camps,” he said. “And I know there’s a lot of guys that are on staff (at LSU) that have been here — Joe Sloan, Blake Baker, Jon Randall Benton, Sherman Wilson.
“Tim Rattay played here, had a storied career. So the familiarity with Kyle Williams being the new line coach. So there’s a lot of familiarity for us and for them and they’re great football coaches but I think all of that we’ll be pushed aside obviously Saturday night at 6:30.”
Louisiana Tech is, of course, a big underdog. According to oddsmakers, LSU is a 37.5-point favorite.
At Conference USA’s Media Day last month, Cumbie noted the difference between the teams when it comes to NIL and compensation for players.
“Our kids are excited to go play an LSU,” he said. “You also understand it’s about a 25 to 30 million dollar roster that you’re going to compete against. But our guys are not going to blink at that.”
The Tech defense turned in an impressive performance against Southeastern and Kelly noticed.
“Defensively, I think they play with great energy,” he said. “(Linebacker) Kolbe Fields is a former player here, leads their team.”
Fields was named Conference USA’s Preseason Player of the Year. He was a backup linebacker at LSU in 2022 before transferring to Tech.
The Bulldogs defense will be facing a much bigger challenge this week than last.
LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier cemented his status as a frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy with his performance against Clemson.
He completed 28-of-38 passes for 232 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions.
Cumbie talked about the importance of putting pressure on Nussmeier.
“That’s going to be difficult to do,” he said. “They have a very good offensive line. But I like the opportunity for us defensively to do that. And coach (Luke) Olsen and the staff will put together a great plan and so we’ll be able to do that.
“But Nussmeier is fun to watch. He was fun to recruit a long time ago when he was coming out of high school and he’s done a great job. (LSU Offensive Coordinator) Coach Sloan has done a phenomenal job with him. He’s a really good player.”
Aaron Anderson led LSU receivers with six catches for 99 yards. Caden Durham led the Tigers on the ground with 74 yards on 17 carries.
Junior Trey Kukuk, a transfer from Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Calf., got the start at quarterback for Louisiana Tech.
He completed 14-of-19 passes for 130 yards and one touchdown with no interceptions. He also rushed for 48 yards on 16 carries.
“It’s a team from the offensive standpoint that centers around the quarterback,” Kelly said. “So again we’ll be challenged to stop the quarterback and the quarterback run.”
Sophomore Clay Thevenin, a transfer from Navarro College, led the Bulldogs with 61 yards, including a 33-yard gain,
The Bulldogs started slow and led 3-0 at he half. They scored 21 points in the third quarter.
LSU held Clemson to 31 yards rushing and 230 passing.