Featured photo by Josh McDaniel
After a 1-3 start, Louisiana Tech Head Coach Sonny Cumbie decided to turn over playcalling duties to co-offensive coordinator Nathan Young last week.
Thursday night, the Bulldogs rolled up 553 total yards in a 48-21 rout of Conference USA foe Middle Tennessee State at Joe Aillet Stadium.
Louisiana Tech improved to 2-3 overall, snapping a three-game losing streak, and 1-1 in the conference. MTSU dropped to 1-5 and 0-2 with its fifth straight loss.
Tech came into the game averaging 18.75 points per game. The Bulldogs hadn’t scored more than 40 since a 51-21 victory over Northwestern State in Week 3 last season.
“Extremely proud of Nathan Young and our offensive staff, just an incredible game plan that they put together,” Cumbie said in his postgame press conference. “And really just the preparation, the confidence that our kids on offense played with. It was it was great to see. It was fun to watch and be a part of.”
There was a long delay in the game in the third quarter after defensive back Michael Richard suffered an injury making a tackle.
After going to the ground, he got up but then collapsed. Richard was removed from the field on a stretcher and taken by ambulance to a Shreveport hospital.
Cumbie said Richard was talking and responsive before making the trip to Shreveport.
“That’s the best news of the night to be honest,” he said. “I’ve never really, as a coach nor a player, gone through anything like that on the field. That was as dramatic and significant as what happened. And just a beloved player for our team, for our defense and so just really thrilled with the news that he’s doing well on his way to Shreveport now and responsive and talking.
“And so, you know, our players and coaches to see something like that and to go through it was really difficult and the emotion that our players showed, you know, just to battle back through that. You know, I think it’s just a testament really to the character of our players, the character of our coaches to be able to pull our team through that.”
Louisiana Tech redshirt freshman Evan Bullock, making his second career start, completed 18-of-25 passes for 290 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions.
“Offensively, we’ve always had it, like, had the ability to explode and go off it really anytime,” Bullock said. “And I think it was really just finding the right match and the perfect fit, if you will. And that’s exactly what allowed us to explode and showcase what we did tonight. I liked really just how we could mix things up a little bit and give new looks some things that we hadn’t done before. It’s really just a new little curve on the offense that we had, too. It was really, really fun to go out there and play.”
Tru Edwards caught six passes for 127 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown. He was one of nine Tech players who had catches. Solo Lewis and Jay Wilkerson also caught touchdown passes.
Omiri Wiggins caught two touchdown passes and led the team in rushing with 49 yards on eight carries. Marquis Crosby had 41 on five and Jimmy Holiday had 40 on four,
Crosby also threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Lewis for the final score of the game.
With 11 players getting carries, the Bulldogs rolled up 222 yards on the ground.
“I told our team before the game and I truly believe that this all week, just from the standpoint that I think we were on the verge of exploding as a team,” Cumbie said. “Because we’ve been so close and there have been so many things in the first four games that went against us. Our kids just stayed the course of that tremendous amount of work ethic and just a confidence and a belief tonight in who we were on offense, who we were on defense.”
The first quarter was an offensive show.
Middle Tennessee State took a 14-7 lead on a 24-yard pass from Nicholas Vattiato to Jekail Middlebrook.
Tech got within one on a 15-yard pass from Bullock to Holiday but the PaAT failed. The Bulldogs took the lead for good on a 16-yard Wiggins touchdown catch with 34 seconds left in the quarter.
Tech began to pull away in the second quarter. Bullock threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Wilkerson and scored on a 1-yard run. The Bulldogs led 34-14 at the half.
On the third play of the second half, Bullock hit Edwards with the 75-yard TD pass.
Vattiato completed 24-of-39 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns with one interception,
The Bulldogs limited the Blue Raiders to just 60 yards rushing.
Tech faces New Mexico State Tuesday in Las Cruces. Kickoff is 8 p.m. (ESPNU).
New Mexico State (1-5) lost to Jacksonville State 54-13 Wednesday.