2015 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Football

Head Coach: Skip Holtz (3rd season)

Conference: C-USA (3rd season)

Record: (9-4, 6-2)

Points Per Game: 37.5 (19th of 128)

Points Allowed Per Game: 26.8 (62nd of 128)

Strength of Schedule: -5.94 (114th of 128)

Team Leaders:

Jeff Driskel (279/448, 62.3%, 4,026 yards, 27 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, 154.1 passer rating, 92 rushes, 323 yards, 5 touchdowns)

Kenneth Dixon (198 rushes, 1,073 yards, 5.4 avg, 19 touchdowns, 33 receptions, 464 yards, 7 touchdowns)

Trent Taylor (99 receptions, 1,282 yards, 12.9 avg, 9 touchdowns)

Carlos Henderson (36 receptions, 774 yards, 21.5 avg, 5 touchdowns)

Paul Turner (45 receptions, 657 yards, 14.6 avg, 3 touchdowns)

Vontarrius Dora (6.0 sacks, 9.5 tackles for loss, 48 total tackles, 2 forced fumbles)

Jaylon Ferguson (6.0 sacks, 15.0 tackles for loss, 35 total tackles, 2 forced fumbles)

Vernon Butler (3.0 sacks, 10.0 tackles for loss, 50 total tackles, 1 fumble recovery)

Beau Fitte (104 total tackles, 6.0 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 2 interceptions)

Nick Thomason (82 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception)

Bryson Abraham (3 interceptions, 58 total tackles, 16 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles, 4 touchdowns)

Xavier Woods (3 interceptions, 56 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 3 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles)

Scores/Schedule:

Vs Southern: 62-15 W

@ Western Kentucky: 41-38 L

@ Kansas State: 39-33 L (3OT)

Vs FIU: 27-17 W

Vs ULL: 43-14 W

@ UTSA: 34-31 W

@ Mississippi State: 45-20 L

Vs Middle Tennessee: 45-16 W

@ Rice: 42-17 W

Vs North Texas: 56-13 W

@ UTEP: 17-15 W

Vs Southern Miss: 58-24 L

Vs Arkansas State (R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl): 47-28 W

Running It Back

Following a surprisingly successful rebound season in 2014, the Bulldogs returned an abundance of seniors looking to build on last season and bring home a C-USA Championship back to Ruston. The biggest splash in the offseason was Holtz landing the former #1 quarterback prospect and Florida quarterback Jeff Driskel. Driskel had a solid sophomore campaign as the starter, but injuries and turnovers became prominent in his final two seasons. Driskel watched the C-USA Championship Game from the previous season and saw Holtz embrace Sokol after the game-ending interception, heavily influencing Driskel to make the move to Ruston. Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz’s success in 2014 led to him getting hired as the defensive coordinator at Mississippi State, leading Holtz to promote safeties coach Blake Baker to defensive coordinator. Baker was set to lead a senior-laden defense that included Vernon Butler, Adairius Barnes, Kentrell Brice, Beau Fitte, Vontarrius Dora, Bryson Abraham, Nick Thomason, and C.J. Cleveland. Tony Petersen returned for his 3rd season as offensive coordinator and had senior Kenneth Dixon, senior Jeff Driskel, senior Paul Turner, emerging star receiver in Trent Taylor, and Carlos Henderson all at his disposal. The clear goal for this Bulldogs’ team was to make it back to the C-USA Championship Game and return with a win this time around.

Explosive Scores and Close Game Sores

Kicking off the season for the first time in the Skip Holtz era, Louisiana Tech welcomed in-state opponent Southern into Ruston. This game was an excellent opportunity for Driskel to get acclimated to the new team and offense and show flashes of high-scoring potential. The fireworks began on a Driskel pass to Dixon that turned into a 55-yard touchdown for the Bulldogs. After the Tech defense forced the Jaguars to punt, Paul Turner returned the punt for a 45-yard touchdown, giving Louisiana Tech an early 14-0 lead. To close out a big 1st quarter, Barnes connected on a 35-yard field goal and Driskel connected with Taylor for a 22-yard touchdown. After Southern punched it in for a score and converted the two-point conversion, Tech led 24-8 after the first quarter of the season. Driskel would continue dropping dimes in the 2nd, next finding Marcus Gaines for a 27-yard touchdown, then hitting Turner for a 58-yard touchdown. Following the two scores, Dixon exploded past the Southern defense for a 65-yard touchdown run and Driskel used his legs to score a 6-yard touchdown, giving the Bulldogs a 52-8 lead over the Jaguars at the half. With the monumental lead, Tech was able to substitute in the second unit in the 3rd quarter. Southern would score a short touchdown run before Tech closed the game with a Higgins 22-yard touchdown pass to Marlon Watts, and Barnes was successful on a 43-yard field goal, resulting in a 62-15 Louisiana Tech win. Driskel shined in his debut, completing 12 of 15 passes for 274 yards, 4 passing touchdowns, 1 rushing touchdown, and a 321.4 passer rating. Dixon only had to rush the ball 9 times, finishing with 106 yards and a touchdown, while also catching 2 passes for 65 yards and a touchdown. 12 different Bulldogs recorded a reception in the win, led by Turner with 3 catches for 76 yards and 2 total touchdowns, Taylor with 3 catches for 60 yards and 1 touchdown, and Marlon Watts with 4 catches for 41 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Xavier Woods and Nick Thomason each had an interception. Southern would finish the season with a 6-5 record and a 6-3 record in the SWAC.

Next up for the Bulldogs was the C-USA opener, a Thursday night game at Western Kentucky. After the Bulldogs throttled the Hilltoppers 59-10 last season, WKU finished the season on a 5-game winning streak, including a 67-66 overtime win over #25 Marshall and a 49-48 win in the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl over Central Michigan. The Hilltoppers entered this contest coming off a 14-12 win at Vanderbilt, setting up a highly anticipated matchup with the Bulldogs. Starting the game, Brandon Doughty connected with Taywan Taylor for a 37-yard touchdown pass and the Hilltoppers scored again on a 28-yard touchdown run, making it 14-0 WKU after the 1st quarter. Barnes would put the Bulldogs on the board with a 37-yard field goal, but the Hilltoppers subsequently returned the kickoff 98-yards for a brutal touchdown and a 21-3 lead. Driskel led the Bulldogs down the field and found Taylor for a 13-yard touchdown. WKU knocked down a field goal before Dixon rumbled into the end zone for a 6-yard touchdown run, closing the gap to 24-17. The Hilltoppers closed the half with another field goal, taking a 27-17 lead going into the locker room. In the 3rd, Dixon punched it in from one yard out to bring the Bulldogs within 3. WKU was successful on another field goal and scored a short touchdown run after getting the ball back, carrying a 38-24 lead entering the 4th. Neither team scored again until Driskel scored a one-yard rushing touchdown with a little over 2 minutes left. The Hilltoppers all but iced the game after hitting a 29-yard field goal to take a 41-31 lead with 1:15 remaining. Driskel connected with Turner for a 21-yard touchdown with 27 seconds left, but it was too little too late, resulting in a 41-38 loss to open C-USA play. Two turnovers and allowing a touchdown on a kickoff return were the difference in the shootout. Driskel completed 28 of 48 passes for 357 yards with 2 touchdowns and an interception. Dixon carried the ball 22 times for 168 yards and 2 touchdowns and had 5 receptions for 41 yards. Taylor and Turner had big days through the air, Taylor catching 9 passes for 119 yards and 1 touchdown and Turner catching 7 passes for 109 yards and a touchdown. After picking up Doughty 4 times the previous season and holding the WKU offense to 10 points, the Bulldogs experienced defense allowed Doughty to pass for 441 yards with a 73% completion percentage. Taywan Taylor and future Rams starting tight end Tyler Higbee contributed for 97 and 88 of those yards respectively. Western Kentucky would finish the season with a 12-2 record and a 9-0 record in C-USA.

Coming off the conference opener loss to WKU, the Bulldogs headed to Manhatten to battle the Kansas State Wildcats. The Wildcats were coming off a 9-4 season a year ago, and started 2015 with a 2-0 record, handily defeating South Dakota and UTSA. Kansas State took a 6-0 lead in the 2nd quarter after a couple of field goals before Louisiana Tech finally got on the scoreboard with a one-yard touchdown run from Driskel. Barnes was successful on a 25-yard field goal right before the end of the 1st half, giving Tech an impressive 10-6 lead over a Bill Snyder-coached Kansas State team from the Big 12. Tech extended their lead on another field goal from Barnes before the Wildcats tied the game at 13 on a short touchdown pass. In the early 4th quarter, the Bulldogs retook the lead after Driskel found the end zone on the ground for the second time of the afternoon, this time on an 8-yard rushing touchdown. Kansas State would tie the game on the ground in the 4th, ironically out of the “wildcat” formation. With 7 minutes to play, Taylor fumbled after a reception, leading to Kansas State taking a 23-20 lead. Driskel led the Bulldogs into field goal range with just enough time for Barnes to convert on a clutch 45-yard field goal to send the game into overtime. The Wildcats struck first in overtime, scoring a 22-yard touchdown pass on 3rd and 7. Driskel and the offense extended the game, completing a 6-yard touchdown pass to Taylor. In 2nd overtime, the Bulldogs had to settle for a 32-yard field goal, but the defense forced the Wildcats to kick a 44-yard field goal, leading to triple overtime. After forcing a 3rd and 16, the Tech defense allowed a 31-yard touchdown pass but stopped Kansas State on the two-point conversion. Having to score a touchdown to keep the game alive once again, Driskel’s 4th and 10 pass to Taylor fell incomplete in the endzone, resulting in a crushing 39-33 loss in 3rd overtime. In the loss, Driskel completed 30 of 51 passes for 314 yards, 1 passing touchdown, and rushed 19 times for 42 yards and 2 rushing touchdowns. Dixon rushed 17 times for 81 yards and caught 5 passes for 25 yards. Taylor had a huge afternoon through the air, catching 12 passes for 148 yards and 1 touchdown, followed by Henderson who caught 6 passes for 81 yards. Despite outgaining the Wildcats 451-355, the 2 turnovers proved to be costly. Kansas State finished the season with a 6-7 record and a 3-6 record in the Big 12.

Coming back to Ruston after the two close losses, the Bulldogs hoped that the signs of defensive regression and inability to win close games were merely an early-season issue and not a trend that would continue throughout the year. Next up was the Bulldogs’ C-USA home opener, welcoming the 2-1 Florida International Panthers into town. FIU entered the game after a win at UCF, a loss at Indiana, and a win versus NC Central. Rocking the red jerseys, the Bulldogs were looking to remain undefeated at home in the early season. Dixon burst through the Panthers’ defense in the 1st, scoring first on a 63-yard rushing touchdown. After FIU converted on a field goal, Driskel found Dixon for a 23-yard touchdown, putting Tech up 14-3. To end the half, Barnes was successful on a 39-yard field goal, giving the Bulldogs a 17-3 at halftime. FIU scored the only points of the 3rd, on a 10-yard passing touchdown, creating a 17-10 contest headed to the 4th. Dixon found the end zone for the 3rd time in the 4th, on a 14-yard rushing touchdown and Barnes knocked down a 28-yard field goal, giving Tech a 27-10 lead with 6:36 to play. FIU would score a short passing touchdown with under 4 minutes to go, but the Bulldogs prevailed, earning an essential game 27-17. The Bulldogs’ offense did not turn the ball over once and Driskel completed 18 of 32 passes for 226 yards and 1 touchdown and rushed 6 times for 29 yards. Dixon had yet another excellent game in his career, rushing 25 times for 169 yards for 2 touchdowns and catching 1 pass for 23 yards and 1 touchdown. Taylor and Henderson led the receivers, Taylor finishing with 7 catches for 86 yards, and Henderson finishing with 2 catches for 41 yards and 1 rush for 11 yards. Florida International finished the season with a 5-7 record and a 3-5 record in C-USA.

Back on Track

Following the clean win over Florida International, the Bulldogs were set to host in-state rival UL Lafayette, after dominating the Ragin Cajuns 48-20 a season ago. Entering the matchup, ULL held a 1-2 record, losing at Kentucky, beating Northwestern State, and losing versus Akron. The Cajuns would strike first, scoring a 49-yard passing touchdown less than two minutes into the game. In the next drive, Driskel led the Bulldogs down the field, ended the drive by finding Taylor for an 8-yard touchdown, and tied the game at 7. In the early 2nd quarter, Driskel the momentum and showed off his legs, rushing past the Cajun defense for a 19-yard touchdown. The scoring would continue, this time with the defense forcing a safety, creating a 16-7 lead for the team from Ruston. Later in the quarter, Barnes would convert on a 50-yard field goal, as well as a 41-yard field goal with 17 seconds in the half. On the last play before halftime, Abraham picked off ULL, dodged multiple Ragin Cajuns, and returned the interception 50 yards for a statement-sending touchdown. After already leading 29-7 at halftime, the Bulldogs refused to take their foot off the gas, starting the 3rd with Driskel’s bomb to Marcus Gaines for a 72-yard touchdown. The Ragin Cajuns would finally end Tech’s run of 36 unanswered points on a short touchdown run, but Dixon would score the last touchdown of the game, leading to a 43-14 Bulldogs victory. Defeating the Ragin Cajuns by 28 and 29 points in consecutive years sent a clear message to the rest of Louisiana about who the best 2nd team in the state was. Driskel completed 20 of 33 passes for 290 yards and 2 touchdowns and rushed 7 times for 56 yards and 1 touchdown. Dixon rushed the ball 22 times for 59 yards and a touchdown, Craft rushed the ball 6 times for 23 yards. Marcus Gaines had a career day, catching 8 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown, and Taylor caught 5 passes for 78 yards and a touchdown. The Bulldogs’ defense forced 3 turnovers, Bryson Abraham’s pick-six, Aaron Roberson’s interception, and Beau Fitte’s forced fumble and fumble recovery. UL Lafayette would finish the season with a 4-8 and 3-5 in the Sun Belt.

After the dominant win, Louisiana Tech hit the road again for a conference game versus 1-4 UTSA, a team that the Bulldogs defeated by 7 at home last season. The Bulldogs would waste no time taking the lead over the Roadrunners, on an Abraham pick-six for the 2nd straight game, this one a 25-yard return. After UTSA and Tech took turns settling for short-field goals, the Roadrunners tied the game in the early 2nd quarter on a 10-yard touchdown pass. With Dixon unavailable for the game, Craft became the feature back and scored on a 1-yard run as well as 2-yard reception to give the Bulldogs a 24-10 lead at halftime. However early in the 3rd quarter, the Bulldogs would get burned on a 38-yard passing touchdown, getting the Roadrunners right back into the game. After a solid drive, the Bulldogs punched it in the endzone on a 3-yard touchdown rush from Ricky Jones, extending the lead to 14 once again. UTSA refused to go away, throwing a 12-yard touchdown pass to close the 3rd, and torching the secondary again on a 57-yard touchdown pass to begin the 4th quarter, tying the game. After neither team scored for the vast majority of the 4th, Driskel got the Bulldogs within field goal range, allowing Barnes to come up clutch again. Barnes knocked down the game-winning 32-yard field goal with 10 seconds left, resulting in a 34-31 Bulldogs’ victory. It was far from the prettiest game and the defensive lapses left a lot to be desired, but winning a close game after losing two earlier in the season was a good sign. Driskel completed 28 of 44 passes, throwing for 351 and a touchdown, and 2 interceptions. Craft rushed 19 times for 72 yards and a touchdown and caught 2 passes for 2 yards and a touchdown. Taylor led the receivers with 13 catches for 143 yards, Henderson caught 4 passes for 88 yards, and Kameron McKnight stepped up in the absence of Turner, catching 4 passes for 56 yards. Defensively, Jaylon Ferguson had a stellar performance, finishing with 7 total tackles, 4.0 tackles for loss, and 2.0 sacks. Lloyd Grogan came up with an interception and Abraham had the pick-six once again, creating the 2 turnovers forced. UTSA finished the season with a 3-9 record and a 3-5 record in C-USA.

After winning 2 out of their first 3 conference game, Louisiana Tech was about to play their last non-conference game of the regular season versus a Dak Prescott-led Mississippi State team. Tech would also be tasked with facing former defensive coordinator Manny Diaz, who was obviously very familiar with the offense. The Bulldogs from Ruston would strike first in Starkville, with Driskel connecting with the returning Turner for a 21-yard touchdown. Tech would then add to that lead after Driskel threw a strike to Taylor for a 16-yard touchdown, taking an early 14-0 lead over Mississippi State. MSU would score 10 straight points on a short touchdown run and a short field goal before Barnes connected on a 33-yard field goal to give Tech a 17-10 lead. The Bulldogs in maroon would finish the half strong, with Prescott throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass and scoring another touchdown with his legs from two yards out, to take a 24-17 lead over Tech at the half. Mississippi State would score 21 unanswered points after Prescott threw a 20-yard touchdown, taking a 31-17 lead. Driskel led the offense back down the field but stalled in the red zone, leading to Barnes converting on a 27-yard field goal. MSU would finish the quarter with another Prescott touchdown pass, creating a 38-20 lead heading into the 4th. The last score would come in the 4th, after a Driskel interception was returned 73 yards for a touchdown, leading to a 45-20 loss to Mississippi State. While losing is never positive, Tech was able to compete with MSU for a long portion of the game. It was clear that Dixon’s presence was missed with Craft rushing 14 times for 40 yards but catching 5 passes for 56 yards and Boston Scott rushing 10 times for 55 yards. Driskel had a good outing, completing 25 of 41 passes for 303 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. Trent Taylor had another massive game, catching 10 passes for 130 yards and a touchdown and Turner had 4 catches for 41 yards and a touchdown in his return. Mississippi State would finish the season with a 9-4 record and a 4-4 record in the SEC.

Louisiana Tech’s focus shifted back to returning to the C-USA title game following the out-of-conference loss, and the Bulldogs would be right on track for that feat with a home win over Middle Tennessee. The Blue Raiders had a 2-1 C-USA record as well, crushing new-member Charlotte, defeating FIU, and losing big to Western Kentucky. MTSU needed a win over the Bulldogs to keep up the pace in the east division, competing mainly with WKU and Marshall. For the Bulldogs, the west division seemed uncertain for the most part. Starting the game, Dixon came back from injury and scored the first points of the game on a 5-yard touchdown run. After the Blue Raiders tied the game, Driskel threw a dime to Henderson for a 55-yard touchdown for the Bulldogs. Following a short field goal from MTSU, Tech would go on a scoring tear, starting with a 15-yard touchdown run from Dixon. Incredibly, Abraham somehow records another pick-six, his 3rd in a 4-game stretch, this one being a 34-yard touchdown return. Tech closed the half on a 35-yard touchdown pass from Driskel to Dixon, giving the Bulldogs a 35-10 halftime lead over the Blue Raiders. To start the 4th, Dixon punched it in the end zone again on a 1-yard touchdown run before Middle Tennessee scored on a 27-yard passing touchdown from the head coach’s son, Brent Stockstill. Finishing the game, Barnes was successful on a 24-yard field goal, giving the Bulldogs a 45-16 win and their 3rd C-USA victory of the season. Driskel excelled in the matchup, completing 18 of 28 passes for 294 yards and 2 touchdowns. Dixon rushed 14 times for 66 yards and 3 touchdowns and caught 2 passes for 52 yards and a touchdown in his return. Taylor led the receivers once again, catching 8 passes for 97 yards followed by Henderson catching 1 pass for 55 yards and a touchdown. Defensively, Tech forced 3 turnovers on the familiar Abraham pick-six, an interception from Fitte, and a forced fumble and recovery from Adairius Barnes. Ferguson continued to be an emerging force on the defensive line, finishing with 2.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks. Middle Tennessee finished the season with a 7-6 record and a 6-2 record in C-USA.

Chance for Redemption

With four games left in the regular season, the Bulldogs controlled their destiny in terms of winning the west division. Next up on the agenda for Tech was a trip to Houston to play the Rice Owls, a team that Tech defeated 76-31 to win the west division a season ago. Rice entered the game with a 2-1 C-USA record, defeating North Texas and FAU on the road and being crushed by Western Kentucky at home. The Bulldogs started off the game with a bang, Driskel hitting Taylor for a 47-yard touchdown less than 4 minutes into the game. After Rice tied the game on a short passing touchdown, Driskel connected with Henderson for a 14-yard touchdown, giving Tech a 14-7 lead. Dixon created separation in the 2nd, scoring on 2-yard and 4-yard rushing touchdowns to give the Bulldogs an impressive 28-7 halftime lead on the road. In the 3rd, Driskel threw another dart to Henderson for a 24-yard touchdown strike. After Rice knocked down a field goal, Driskel found Taylor for a 10-yard touchdown in the 4th. The Owls would score a late touchdown, but the Bulldogs earned a 42-17 road win as well as their 4th C-USA victory. Driskel was outstanding in Houston, completing 17 of 26 passes for 320 yards and 4 touchdowns. Dixon had a productive day on the ground, rushing 19 times for 92 yards and 2 touchdowns. Taylor and Henderson had big-time performances, Taylor catching 5 passes for 142 yards and 2 touchdowns and Henderson catching 6 passes for 115 yards and 2 touchdowns. On the defensive end, the Bulldogs finished with 5 sacks coming from Ferguson, Butler, Derek Brown, Alex Lyons, and Bryson Abraham. Rice finished the season with a 5-7 record and a 3-5 record in C-USA.

Coming off two blowout conference wins, Louisiana Tech welcomed the 1-7 North Texas Mean Green into Ruston. With three games remaining, it became abundantly clear that the race to win the west division was a one-team race with Southern Miss, Tech’s season finale, and a senior day matchup. Back to the North Texas game, Dixon would score first on a one-yard touchdown run, followed by a scoop-and-score from Abraham, his 4th defensive touchdown of the season. Dixon would then score the next five touchdowns for the Bulldogs, finding the end one on rushes of 7, 1, 40, 14, and 3 yards to provide the Bulldogs with an astounding 49-0 lead over the Mean Green. The Bulldog defense held North Texas to just 82 rushing yards and forced 4 turnovers created by Abraham, Brice, and two forced fumbles from Woods. In the 4th, UNT would score twice on passing touchdowns, before Blake Martin’s rushing touchdown ended the scoring, resulting in a 56-13 victory over North Texas. The Bulldogs totaled 573 yards on offense, led by Dixon’s huge afternoon with 22 rushes for 195 yards and 6 touchdowns with 3 catches for 32 yards. Driskel completed 17 of 26 passes for 296 yards and an interception and rushed 3 times for 35 yards. Henderson led all receivers, catching 5 passes for 162 yards followed by Gaines catching 3 passes for 45 yards. North Texas finished the season with a 1-11 record and a 1-7 C-USA record.

Riding the momentum of three straight conference blowout wins, the Bulldogs were due a trip to El Paso to face off with the UTEP Miners. With a 5-1 C-USA record, Tech was right where they wanted to be. UTEP entered the game with a 4-6 record, having to win their final two games to become bowl eligible. In Ruston a season ago, the Bulldogs crushed UTEP 55-3 but only won by 3 in 2013 when the teams last played at UTEP. To begin the game, the Bulldogs were forced to settle for a 19-yard field goal from Barnes taking a 3-0 lead. The Miners’ defense would shut down the Bulldog offense and took a 10-3 lead over Tech with 1:49 to go in the first half. With 43 seconds left in the half, Driskel found Henderson for a 16-yard touchdown to tie the game going into the locker room. Starting the 3rd, Driskel threw another strike to Henderson for a 54-yard touchdown, taking a 17-10 lead. After the Miners’ defense forced a safety and successfully made a 27-yard field goal, the Bulldogs were in danger, only winning 17-15. With 2:40 to go in the game, UTEP missed a 32-yard field goal to take the lead, but the Tech offense subsequently went three-and-out. With only 44 seconds left for the Minders, the Bulldog defense was able to hold off the comeback, winning 17-15. The Bulldogs were only able to amass 307 yards of total offense, highlighted by Dixon being held to 39 yards on 19 rushes and Taylor being limited to 3 catches for 12 yards. Driskel completed 13 of 22 passes for 188 yards and 2 touchdowns while rushing 6 times for 42 yards. Henderson led the air attack, catching 3 passes for 78 yards and 2 touchdowns while rushing once for 19 yards. Xavier Woods’ interception marked the only turnover that Tech forced in the outing. The Bulldogs were now 8-3 with a 6-1 record in C-USA, creating the season finale versus Southern Miss as the west division championship, the same position that Tech was in versus Rice the year prior. Hopefully, the Bulldogs’ offense will return to their usual pace at home against the Golden Eagles.

For the second consecutive year, senior day entailed a trip to the C-USA Championship Game, the place where the Bulldogs were looking for redemption from a season ago. This time around, old rival Southern Miss was the team that they had to knock off to get there. The Golden Eagles entered this matchup red-hot and on a 5-game winning streak. While on that streak the USM offense put up 32, 44, 34, 65, and 56 points in those victories. Southern Miss took an early 7-0 lead over the Bulldogs on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Nick Mullens, and the Bulldogs responded with a 47-yard field goal from Barnes. The Golden Eagles would go on to score 17 unanswered points on a short touchdown run, a Mullens’ touchdown pass, and a short field goal. Before the half, Driskel found Dixon for a 22-yard touchdown, creating a more manageable 24-10 deficit at halftime. Promising signs ensued in the 3rd, after Driskel connected with Dixon once again, this time for a 43-yard touchdown to make it a 24-17 game. Unfortunately, Southern Miss went on a scoring avalanche, and the Bulldogs’ offense continually turned over the football in the biggest regular season game of the year. USM would rattle off 27 unanswered points on a short touchdown pass from Mullens as well as 3 touchdowns from running back Ito Smith on rushes of 57, 17, and 11 yards. Tech’s offense finally ended the run in the 4th when Driskel connected with Taylor for a 19-yard touchdown, but the Golden Eagles scored the last touchdown after picking off Ryan Higgins and returning it for a 26-yard touchdown, leading to a disastrous 58-24 loss for the Bulldogs on senior day. When searching for a statistic to best explain the collapse, the staggering 7 turnovers committed is a strong contender. The 7 turnovers came from 3 fumbles, 3 interceptions from Driskel, and one interception from Higgins. Driskel completed 27 of 44 passes for 355 yards with 3 touchdowns and 3 costly interceptions and rushed 10 times for -13 yards. Another incomprehensible statistic is the Southern Miss defense reducing Dixon to 8 rushes for -4 yards on the ground with 5 catches for 81 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air. With all of the negative yardage and the Bulldog’s leading rusher being Paul Turner with 7 yards, Tech netted only 2 rushing yards in the game. Turner, Taylor, and Henderson had success in the loss, Turner with 6 catches for 112 yards, Taylor with 11 catches for 102 yards and a touchdown, and Henderson with 5 catches for 60 yards. The Bulldogs’ defense allowed 386 yards and 3 touchdowns from Mullens and 209 scrimmage yards and 3 touchdowns from Ito Smith. This loss sent Southern Miss to the C-USA Championship Game to host Western Kentucky. Southern Miss finished the season with a 9-5 record and a 7-2 record in C-USA.

Mercedes-Benz Bounceback

Coming off the crushing loss to Southern Miss, the Bulldogs still had an opportunity to finish the season with a bowl win and a 9-win season in back-to-back years. Louisiana Tech accepted a bowl bid to take on Arkansas State in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. The Red Wolves entered the game on an 8-game winning streak and had won the Sun Belt title, with a 9-3 overall record. It was the last chance for several Bulldogs seniors to go out with a win, most notably running back Kenneth Dixon. Driskel connected with Dixon for a 9-yard touchdown to kick things off. After Arkansas State successfully made a field goal, Barnes connected from 50 yards out to give Tech a 10-3 advantage. Next, Driskel threw a strike to Taylor for a 13-yard touchdown, but the Red Wolves would close the half with two straight rushing touchdowns to tie the game at 17 at halftime. After trading short-field goals to begin the 3rd, Driskel found Dixon again for a 59-yard touchdown and the lead. To close the 3rd, Dixon found the end zone once again from 8 yards out. Jonathan Barnes knocked down a 28-yard field goal to give Tech a sturdy 37-20 lead early in the 4th. Kenneth Dixon rushed for a 4-yard touchdown, setting the new NCAA touchdown record at 87 career touchdowns, a remarkable achievement. After Dixon’s #28 jersey was ripped on his first touchdown run, Dixon symbolically wore the #1 jersey for the remainder of the game. Arkansas State made it interesting after returning a kickoff for a touchdown and converting the two-point conversion, but Barnes’ 22-yard field goal with 1:31 left put the game on ice with a 47-28 win. Driskel finished his career on a high note, completing 26 of 38 passes for 458 yards and 3 touchdowns. The record-shattering Dixon rushed 21 times for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns while catching 6 passes for 113 yards and 2 touchdowns. Young running back Boston Scott showed out, rushing 4 times for 106 yards for the Bulldogs. Taylor wrapped up his junior campaign by catching 10 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown. Paul Turner also closed out his career with a bang, catching 5 passes for 97 yards. Henderson caught one pass for 53 yards to close out his sophomore season. On defense, Adairius Barnes and Xavier Woods each had an interception, and Bryson Abraham and Darryl Lewis each had a forced fumble. Skip Holtz led the Bulldogs to back-to-back bowl games for the first time since 1977-78.

Conclusion

While the goal of making it back to the C-USA Championship Game and winning was not reached, the brutal loss to Southern Miss cannot completely taint an overall successful follow-up season to 2015. Several seniors were able to finish their careers with a bowl win in the Superdome, and the Bulldogs were able to match the 9-win season that they accomplished the year prior. Dominating UL Lafayette once again and breezing through a good portion of C-USA play were season highlights for the Bulldogs. Defeating the Sun Belt Champions to wrap up the season with Dixon breaking the all-time touchdown record was quite an achievement. A new era was ensuing the following season after a program cornerstone in Kenneth Dixon was graduation and heading into the NFL Draft. Young running backs Jarred Craft and Boston Scott showed flashes at times, but would they be able to suffice after losing Dixon? After bringing in two transfer quarterbacks to start the past two seasons, would Holtz finally let Higgins have a shot at running the offense again as a senior? Blake Baker and the other defensive coaches were going to be tasked with developing an array of defensive players to take the roles of the graduating seniors. The most reliable commodity was the offensive system and Trent Taylor and Carlos Henderson who will play even larger roles in 2016. Heading into next season, the clear goal was to make it back to the C-USA Championship Game and dethrone Western Kentucky.