The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs will try to extend their winning streak to four when they face the Old Dominion Monarchs Saturday at Origin Field at Joe Aillet Stadium.
Kickoff is 4 p.m. (ESPN+).
Louisiana Tech is 4-2 overall and 2-0 in the Sun Belt Conference. Old Dominion is 2-5 and 1-3. The game is Louisiana Tech’s Homecoming.
The Bulldogs are coming off conference wins against in-state opponents UL-Lafayette 32-31 on the road and ULM 24-0 at home. Those wins followed a 32-29 home victory over Army.
Louisiana Tech is the only team in the Sun Belt West Division without a loss. Old Dominion is in last place in the East Division.
Saturday’s game is one of two games the Bulldogs have against East Division opponents. They play Georgia Southern Nov. 8 in the regular-season finale.
The Monarchs fell to Georgia Southern 23-15 last week. Their two victories are were against Norfolk State 31-10 in the season opener and Appalachian State 10-3 on Oct. 3. They lost four in a row after the season opener against against Virginia Tech 44-21, East Carolina 20-17, James Madison 46-20 and Georgia State 42-10.
Old Dominion quarterback Quinn Henicle was injured late in the first half against Georgia Southern and will miss Saturday’s game.
Ryan Huff, who has played in four games, replaced him and completed 9-of-14 passes for 121 yards and one touchdown.
Old Dominion ranks last in the Sun Belt in scoring offense at 17.7 points per game and total offense at 267.4 yards per game.
The Monarchs fare better on defense. They rank third in total defense at 334.9 yards and 10th in scoring defense at 26.9.
“Old Dominion is probably one of the most talented defenses that we’ll play up to this point outside of our own team that we go against every day and the two teams that we’ve played in this league,” Louisiana Tech Head Coach Sonny Cumbie said during his weekly press conference. “They’re very athletic on defense.
“On offense the injury at the quarterback position has slowed them down some with Quinn being injured. And I think Devon Roach is one of the best running backs we’ve seen. TJ Johnson is a big-play receiver they have on the outside.”
Roach leads the team with 373 yards rushing on 79 carries. Johnson is averaging 16.4 yards on 16 catches and has scored three touchdowns.
While Cumbie is happy with the position his team is in, there is room for improvement with half the season remaining.
“I think our football team is mature enough to understand we’re still searching for our best in terms of offense, defense and special teams, to play a complete game, and we’re chasing that. I think that is the motivating factor for our guys. We’ve got six one-week seasons left.”
Louisiana Tech ranks ninth in the conference in total offense at 392.8 yards per game and seventh in defense at 353.8. The Bulldogs are fourth in scoring offense at 33.3 points and sixth in defense at 24.5.
Blake Baker has completed 68-of-99 passes for 857 yards and nine touchdowns with one interception in five games.
Jalen Mickens ranks second in the conference in average receiving yards per game at 79.3 on 32 catches. Eli Finley is sixth at 55.7 on 29.
Andrew Burnette has rushed for 286 yards on 65 carries and one TD.