By Stephen Featherston, Louisiana Tech Director Strategic Communications
Louisiana Tech’s defense battled for four quarters Saturday night at Martin Stadium but fell 28–3 to Washington State.
The Bulldogs (5-5) trailed 14-3 at halftime as Tech’s offense was unable to find a consistent rhythm throughout the game. LA Tech allowed two touchdowns in each half.
Down 14-0 with nine seconds left in the half, Drew Henderson connected on a 51-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 14-3 at the break.
LA Tech allowed just 146 passing yards and 157 rushing yards. Jacob Fields led the defense with seven tackles, while Sam Fongang and Mekhi Mason each added six.
Offensively, Tech utilized a two-quarterback system with Evan Bullock and Trey Kukuk, who combined to go 9 of 21 for 60 yards.
Andrew Burnette and Kukuk paced the Bulldogs on the ground with 39 yards each. Eli Finley led the receiving corps with three catches for 21 yards.
QUOTABLES
Head coach Sonny Cumbie
Opening Statement
“First off, we didn’t play very good on special teams, and in particular, we didn’t play very well on offense either. I thought when they had to drive the field against our defense, I thought our defense was pretty effective. We gave them two short fields in the first half and they were able to capitalize on it. We knew they were a good football team coming into it, just from the standpoint that their defense is the strength of their team. They flew around defensively and made it hard for us. I think on offense, they did a nice job of controlling the football, especially in the second half. The biggest thing is we have to rebound because we have a good Liberty team coming in. There’s a great opportunity ahead of us—playing at home for the last time this season for us to get to bowl eligibility. So, it’s a great opportunity for these guys in terms of how we respond and how we bounce back.”