2018 Louisiana Tech Football

Head Coach: Skip Holtz (6th season)

Conference: C-USA (6th season)

Record: (8-5, 5-3)

Points Per Game: 24.7 (97th of 130)

Points Allowed Per Game: 23.0 (39th of 130)

Strength of Schedule: -6.70 (123 of 130)

Strength of Record: -4.78 (94th of 130)

Team Leaders:

J’Mar Smith (264/461, 57.3 %, 3,160 yards, 15 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 121.2 passer rating, 90 rushes, 159 yards, 3 touchdowns)

Jaquis Dancy (124 rushes, 667 yards, 5.4 avg, 9 touchdowns, 16 receptions, 140 yards, 1 touchdown)

Israel Tucker (95 rushes, 377 yards, 4.0 avg, 3 touchdowns, 11 receptions, 69 yards)

Kam McKnight (81 rushes, 374 yards, 4.6 avg, 7 touchdowns, 5 receptions, 33 yards)

Adrian Hardy (75 receptions, 1,145 yards, 15.3 avg, 6 touchdowns)

Teddy Veal (70 receptions, 716 yards, 10.2 avg, 1 touchdown)

Rhashid Bonnette (22 receptions, 300 yards, 13.6 avg, 1 touchdown)

Jaylon Ferguson (65 total tackles, 26.0 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks, 3 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery)

Collin Scott (87 total tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, 4.0 sacks, 2 interceptions)

James Jackson (73 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 1 interception, 3 pass deflections, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries)

L’Jarius Sneed (59 total tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 8 pass deflections, 3 interceptions, 1 touchdown)

Amik Robertson (61 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 1.0 sacks, 12 pass deflections, 4 interceptions, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery)

Scores/Schedule:

@ South Alabama: 30-26 W

Vs Southern: 54-17 W

@ #6 LSU: 38-21 L

@ North Texas: 29-27 W

Vs UAB: 28-7 L

@ UTSA: 31-3 W

Vs UTEP: 31-24 W

@ FAU: 21-13

@ Mississippi State: 45-3 L

Vs Rice: 28-13 W

@ Southern Miss: 21-20 L

Vs Western Kentucky: 30-15 L

Vs Hawaii (Hawaii Bowl): 31-14 W

Outlier or Sign

After the Bulldogs won 27 games from 2014-16, Tech fell back to a 7-win season in 2017 following the departure of several weapons on offense. The major question surfacing Ruston was if the mediocre season was simply a one-year outlier or a sign of things to come. On the positive side, Louisiana Tech would finally return a starting quarterback in back-to-back years in the Skip Holtz era with J’Mar Smith. Though the Bulldogs lost 6 games in 2017, 3 of those losses were by one-point and one of those losses was in double overtime. The takeaway from all of the close losses was that settling for short-field goals came back to haunt the Bulldogs numerous times, special teams needed to improve as a unit, and Holtz’s ability to win close games was going to be on full display in 2018. Louisiana Tech lost their top two ball carriers in Jarred Craft and Boston Scott, who was drafted in the 6th round of the NFL Draft. As for the receivers, the Bulldogs returned Teddy Veal, Adrian Hardy, and Rhashid Bonnette, giving Smith reliable targets for his junior season. Along the offensive line, senior O’Shea Dugas and Shane Carpenter provided senior leadership and reliable protection for the playmakers. On defense, Tech returned star defensive end Jaylon Ferguson and linebacker Dae’Von Washington for their senior seasons and Amik Robertson and L’Jarius Sneed highlighted a young Bulldogs’ secondary. With both coordinators returning in Todd Fitch for his 3rd season and Blake Baker for his 4th season, Louisiana Tech had expectations of competing in the C-USA west division race for the whole season and was voted to finish 2nd behind North Texas in the Preseason media poll.

Back to Business

Kicking off the schedule, Louisiana Tech was scheduled to travel to Mobile to face off with the South Alabama Jaguars of the Sun Belt. In 2017, the Bulldogs defeated the Jaguars 34-16 in Ruston, and South Alabama finished the season with a 4-8 record. Early in the 1st, the Bulldogs’ defense forced a punt which led to Smith hitting Veal for a 36-yard pass and capped the drive off with an 8-yard touchdown run from Dancy. After a pick from Robertson on the ensuing drive, Smith led the Bulldogs down the field on a 13-play drive, finished off with a 1-yard touchdown run from Dancy and a missed extra point from starting kicker Bailey Hale to take a 13-0 lead. Following a 22-yard punt from Tech punter Davan Dyer, South Alabama got on the board with a 28-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 13-7. Before the half, the Bulldogs’ offense leaned on the ground game, and fullback Bobby Holly punched it in the endzone from one yard out to give the Bulldogs a 20-7 lead at halftime. Early in the 3rd, the Bulldogs moved the ball down the field but ultimately had to settle for a 23-yard Hale field goal. In the middle of the 3rd, the Jaguars would make the game competitive, scoring on a 3-yard touchdown pass, but failing on the conversion to keep the score at 23-13. To close out the quarter Smith was intercepted, but Tech got the ball back the next play after Darryl Lewis intercepted Cole Garvin. Following Smith’s 3rd interception of the game, the Jaguars cut the deficit to 23-20 in the 4th after a 5-yard touchdown run. On the next drive, an 18-yard rush from Tucker, a 19-yard reception from Bonnette, and an 8-yard touchdown reception from Hardy extended the Tech lead to 30-20 with just over 2 minutes to play. South Alabama would score after a 59-yard run and a 4-yard touchdown run, but the Bulldogs blocked the extra point, making it a 30-26 game with 1:11 remaining. After recovering the onside kick, Smith was able to kneel 3 times to give the Bulldogs a season-opening 30-26 in a messy game in Mobile. Smith finished the first game of his junior season completing 19 of 29 passes for 209 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. Dancy and Tucker provided a stellar ground game with Dancy rushing 15 times for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns and Tucker rushing 19 times for 82 yards. Through the air, Hardy caught 3 passes for 73 yards and a touchdown, Veal caught 3 passes for 53 yards and Bonnette caught 4 passes for 52 yards. On defense, the Bulldogs defense forced 4 turnovers with fumble recoveries from James Jackson and Jordan Baldwin and interceptions from Lewis and Robertson. Washington led with 10 total tackles and Jackson finished with 1.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for loss. South Alabama finished the season with a 3-9 record and a 2-6 record in the Sun Belt.

Coming off the season-opening win, the Bulldogs returned to Ruston for their home opener versus in-state opponent Southern. Louisiana Tech wasted no time jumping out to an early advantage, starting the 1st quarter with a 1-yard Tucker touchdown run, a 25-yard touchdown run from Dancy, and a 19-yard rushing touchdown from Smith to take a 21-0 lead over the Jaguars. After Southern scored twice to cut the deficit to 7 on a 38-yard passing touchdown and a 1-yard touchdown run, Smith lobbed up a pass to Bonnette who made an excellent contest catch for a 17-yard touchdown. To close the half, Hale knocked down a 24-yard field goal to give Tech a 31-14 lead going into the locker room. Following the Jaguars scoring on a short field goal, Dancy bounced it outside and took it to the house for a 32-yard touchdown, and the Bulldogs closed the quarter strong with Smith connecting with Smoke Harris for a 34-yard touchdown. In the 4th, the Tech defense would force a safety, and backup quarterback Aaron Allen found Harris for a 30-yard touchdown, giving Louisiana Tech a 54-17 victory. Smith had a much better performance in the Bulldogs’ 2nd win of the year, completing 24 of 37 passes for 380 yards with 2 touchdowns and rushing 5 times for 54 yards and a touchdown. Dancy led the Bulldogs on the ground again, rushing 5 times for 67 yards and 2 touchdowns, followed by Justin Henderson rushing 9 times for 55 yards. Through the air, Hardy caught 6 passes for 111 yards, Bonnette caught 7 passes for 103 yards and a touchdown, Veal caught 4 passes for 73 yards, and Harris caught 2 passes for 64 yards and 2 touchdowns. Defensively, Sneed had a team-high 8 total tackles, Baker had a sack and 2 tackles for loss, and Jackson finished with a fumble recovery. Southern finished the season with a 7-4 record and a 6-1 record in the SWAC.

After a bye week, Louisiana Tech prepared to travel to Baton Rouge and face #6 LSU in Death Valley on Saturday night. The Tigers entered the game with a 3-0 record, with wins over #8 Miami in Arlington, Southeastern Louisiana, and #7 Auburn on the road. The Bulldogs had the task of facing a tough LSU defense led by stars Devin White, Greedy Williams, and Grant Delpit. It was a low-scoring affair in the 1st quarter, with LSU scoring the only points on a 1-yard touchdown run from Nick Brossette. After the Bulldogs fumbled early in the 2nd quarter, the Tigers took advantage and took a 14-0 lead on another 1-yard touchdown run from Brossette. After LSU added to their lead on a short field goal, Smith threw a costly interception, leading to Clyde Edwards-Helaire breaking through and scoring a 28-yard touchdown, giving LSU a 24-0 lead. On the following drive, Smith led the offense down the field and capped the drive off with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Hardy. To end the half, Hale missed a 49-yard field goal, resulting in Tech facing a 24-7 deficit at halftime. On the first drive of the second half, Tech’s offense drove down the field, and on 4th and goal, Smith found fullback Bobby Holly for a 1-yard touchdown, cutting the lead to 24-14. After each team took turns punting, Tech gave LSU a major scare, with Smith throwing a strike to Hardy for a 42-yard touchdown, cutting a once 24-point deficit to 3 in the 4th. LSU utilized their run game and a brutal pass interference call on 3rd and 8 leading to a Brossette touchdown run on 3rd and goal from the 2. The Bulldogs got the ball back but turned the ball over on downs on 4th and 1 when Smith failed to gain a yard. LSU put the game away with the run game and finished off with an Edwards-Helaire 1-yard touchdown run. Louisiana Tech could not manage to score on their last drive of the game, leading to a 38-21 loss to the #6 team in the country. The Bulldogs’ resilient effort versus the Tigers does not equate to a moral victory but gave the fans hope that this team was special. In the loss, Smith completed 27 of 50 passes for 330 yards with 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. Tech struggled on the ground and only rushed for 87 total yards, with the leading rusher being Dancy who rushed 7 times for 31 yards. Hardy had an outstanding game in the receiving game, catching 10 passes for 181 yards and 2 touchdowns, followed by Veal who caught 4 passes for 39 yards. On defense, Collin Scott had a team-high 11 tackles, Ferguson had 1 sack and 1 tackle for loss, and Keonatye Garner had a fumble recovery. The Tech defense held future NFL superstars Burrow, Jefferson, and Chase in check, with Burrow completing just 16 of 28 passes for 191 yards and 0 touchdowns, Jefferson catching 2 passes for 12 yards, and Chase catching 2 passes for 30 yards. LSU finished the season with a 10-3 record and a 5-3 record in the SEC.

Coming off the loss in Death Valley, the Bulldogs were scheduled to open C-USA in Denton at North Texas in a matchup of the projected top 2 teams in the west division. UNT entered the game with a 4-0 record with all the wins being blowouts over SMU, Incarnate Word, Arkansas, and Liberty. The Mean Green started the game hot, starting with quarterback Mason Fine throwing a 36-yard touchdown pass. After the Bulldogs were forced to settle for a 28-yard field goal from Hale, North Texas scored for the 2nd time in the quarter on a 9-yard touchdown pass to Rico Bussey. Following another Hale field goal, UNT closed the quarter with a 9-yard touchdown run, taking a 21-6 lead. The 2nd quarter would be almost completely reversed as the Bulldogs dominated with 20 unanswered points on a 22-yard field goal, an 8-yard touchdown from Smith to Hardy, a 28-yard field goal, and a 5-yard touchdown pass from J’Mar Smith to Alfred Smith, creating a 26-21 lead for the visiting Bulldogs at halftime. In the 3rd, Tech extended their lead on a 42-yard field goal from Hale before UNT scored a 7-yard touchdown from Fine to Bussey on 4th down, but missed the conversion, resulting in a 29-27 ballgame entering the 4th. After a 17-yard punt from the Bulldogs, North Texas was set up with excellent field position, but missed a 41-yard field goal. After a series of punts, North Texas had a chance to go down the field and retake the lead from the Bulldogs. On 3rd and 2 from the Bulldogs’ 29-yard line with 51 seconds remaining, the Tech defense made a huge stand to force a field goal attempt. Lining up for a field goal to give North Texas the lead with 41 seconds to play, kicker Cole Hedlund’s 46-yard attempt was blocked off the edge by Amik Robertson to seal a clutch win in the C-USA opener. The win contrasted several of the devasting losses from the 2017 season and served as a defining moment for Robertson’s young career. In the win, Smith completed 20 of 39 passes for 230 yards and 2 touchdowns. Israel Tucker led the way on the ground, rushing 15 times for 95 yards, including a 48-yard rush. Bonnette had a team-high 101 receiving yards on 5 catches, Hardy finished with 7 catches for 75 yards and 1 touchdown, and Veal caught 4 passes for 42 yards. Defensively, Collin Scott finished with 11 total tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss, Ferguson was dominant with 4 sacks and 4 tackles for loss, and Robertson and Alex Zayed finished with fumble recoveries. North Texas finished the season with a 9-4 record and a 5-3 record in C-USA.

In the Thick of the Race

After the crucial win at North Texas, Louisiana Tech returned home to face 3-1 UAB, whose only loss was on the road at Coastal Carolina. Due to a lightning delay minutes before kickoff, the game was moved back to later in the afternoon. When the game finally did start, James Jackson intercepted Blazers’ quarterback A.J. Erdely on the first drive of the game. Three plays later, the Bulldogs found the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown run from Kam McKnight. After a 1st quarter filled with punts, Smith fumbled in UAB territory, and the Blazers tied the game 5 plays later on a 40-yard touchdown pass. After neither team was able to score for the remainder of the quarter, the game was tied 7-7 in a low-scoring affair at the half. On the first drive of the 3rd, Hale missed on a 44-yard field goal followed by a Henderson fumble at the 50-yard line on the ensuing possession. The Blazers took full advantage and punched it in the end zone for a 1-yard rushing touchdown to take the lead. After another Tech punt, UAB extended their lead in the 4th on a 26-yard rushing touchdown on 3rd and short. Once again, Tech’s offense stalled and the Blazers wrapped up the game with a 38-yard touchdown run, resulting in an ugly 28-7 loss at home for the Bulldogs. In the extremely flat offensive performance, Smith completed 10 of 24 passes for 109 yards and an interception, while rushing 40 yards on 14 carries. McKnight was the leading rusher on the ground, rushing 15 times for 80 yards and 1 touchdown. Veal and Hardy were the only receivers with multiple receptions, Veal catching 6 passes for 66 yards and Hardy catching 2 passes for 33 yards. The Bulldogs’ offense only provided 258 yards with 3 turnovers in the contest. On defense, Baldwin led with 15 total tackles and Jackson forced the only turnover on an interception. UAB finished the season with an 11-3 record and an 8-1 record in C-USA.

After the peculiar loss, the Bulldogs looked to regain their stride in San Antonio versus the 3-3 Roadrunners for their homecoming game. In the 1st, the Bulldogs took an early lead on a Kam McKnight touchdown run from 2 yards out. After neither team scored for the remainder of the quarter, Hale extended the Tech lead by knocking down a 46-yard field goal. With the Bulldogs’ defense keeping UTSA out of the end zone, the offense got the ball back and Dancy found the end zone on a 2-yard touchdown run to give Tech a 17-0 lead at halftime. In the middle of the 3rd, the Bulldogs added even more separation, with Smith throwing a laser to George Scott III for a 67-yard touchdown and a 24-0 lead. The Roadrunners finally got on the scoreboard with a short field goal to close out the 3rd quarter, but the Bulldogs capped off the bounce-back win with a 7-yard McKnight touchdown run with a minute to play, culminating in a 31-3 conference victory. In the blowout win, Smith completed 25 of 36 passes for 309 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception. The ground game was not the greatest but got the job done, with McKnight rushing 10 times for 42 yards and 2 touchdowns and Dancy rushing 21 times for 34 yards and a touchdown. Scott led all receivers through the air with 2 catches for 88 yards and a touchdown followed by Hardy with 5 catches for 87 yards and Veal with 7 catches for 75 yards. Lewis and Scott each had 6 total tackles in the win, Sneed finished with 1 interception, and Jordan Bradford came up with a fumble recovery. UTSA finished the season with a 3-9 record and a 2-6 record in C-USA.

Returning home for their homecoming game, Louisiana Tech prepared to take care of business versus the 0-7 UTEP Miners. Wearing the red alternate jerseys, the Bulldogs were prepared to come out with a homecoming win and remain in the thick of the conference race. Tech started off with an electric 12-yard interception return from Sneed to give the Bulldogs a 7-0 lead. After UTEP tied the game on a 25-yard touchdown pass, Smith connected with the ultra-reliable Hardy for a 19-yard touchdown. After driving down the field but not being able to score in time, Tech settled for a 19-yard field goal from Hale to go into the locker room with a 17-7 lead. The Miners came out strong in the 3rd and reduced the deficit to 3 on a 6-yard touchdown run. Mid-way in the 3rd, McKnight extended the Bulldogs’ lead after a 5-yard touchdown run making it a 24-14 game. On the following drive, the Miners marched all the way down the field and punched it in the end zone for a 1-yard touchdown run to close the quarter. After just a 27-yard Tech punt, the Miners tied the game at 24-24 in the 4th after knocking down a 36-yard field goal. Set up with 4th and 1, Smith burst past the UTEP defense for a game-changing 43-yard touchdown run to give the Bulldogs a 31-24 lead. On the last drive of the game UTSEP had a 3rd goal and the Tech 8-yard line, but Ferguson came up clutch with a 12-yard sack. After an incomplete pass on 4th and a goal from the 20, the Bulldogs survived with a 31-24 homecoming win. Smith had a decent game, completing 17 of 29 passes for 156 yards with 1 touchdown and rushed 5 times for 22 yards and 1 touchdown. Dancy was the most productive on the ground, rushing 12 times for 93 yards. Through the air, Veal was the only receiver with over 20 receiving yards, catching 11 passes for 103 yards. Defensively, Lewis had 9 total tackles followed by Robertson with 7, Ferguson finished with 3.5 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss, and Sneed had a 12-yard interception return for a touchdown. UTEP finished the season with a 1-11 record and a 1-7 record in C-USA.

Next up was a trip to Boca Raton to face the defending C-USA Champions in Lane Kiffin’s FAU squad. The Owls were only 3-4 at this point in the 2018 season with losses to Oklahoma, UCF, Middle Tennessee, and Old Dominion. In the year prior with these teams faced, FAU crushed Tech 48-23 in Ruston, so the Bulldogs were clearly looking to avenge that loss in Florida. FAU scored the only points of the 1st on a 7-yard Singletary touchdown run and a 29-yard field goal to put the Bulldogs in an early 10-0 hole. Late in the 2nd, Dancy popped off with a 20-yard touchdown run to finally get the Bulldogs on the scoreboard with 2:46 remaining in the half. McKnight would give Tech their first lead of the evening on a 5-yard touchdown rush, resulting in the Bulldogs leading 14-10 at halftime. Louisiana Tech’s strong defense held the Owls to only a 28-yard field goal in the 3rd, but the struggling offense was unable to create any separation, leading to a 14-13 ballgame in the 4th. Tech was finally able to capitalize on the defense’s performance, with Smith connecting with Veal for a 15-yard touchdown pass. On 4th and 6 with just over 5 minutes to play, the Tech defense forced an incompletion on a pass to Harrison Bryant to take over on downs. The Owls forced the Bulldogs to punt with just over 2 ½ minutes to play, but FAU committed a personal foul to give Tech the football back in a crazy sequence. The Bulldogs were able to run the clock out from here, giving them a much-needed 21-13 win on the road. Smith finished 217 yards and 1 touchdown on 17 of 35 passing. Dancy was instrumental in the win, rushing 24 times for 116 yards and 1 touchdown. Through the air, Veal caught 9 passes for 81 yards and 1 touchdown, Hardy caught 4 passes for 65 yards, and Scott caught 1 pass for 45 yards. On defense, Jackson finished with 9 total tackles, Robertson had 2.5 tackles for loss and 2 pass deflections, Ferguson had 1 sack, 3 tackles for loss, and a fumble recovery, and Lewis had 7 tackles and a fumble recovery. FAU finished the season with a 5-7 record and a 3-5 record in C-USA.

Late Season Collapse

Staying on the road, Louisiana Tech was due a trip to Starkville for their last non-conference game of the regular season to play the #18 Mississippi State Bulldogs. MSU entered the game with a 5-3 record with losses to Kentucky, Florida, and LSU. In the 1st, it was nearly all Mississippi State, as the Bulldogs in Maroon scored on an 11-yard passing touchdown, a 36-yard passing touchdown, and a 23-yard passing touchdown, only matched with a 46-yard field goal from Hale. Trailing 21-3 in the 2nd, Tech continued to find no answers on offense and gave up a 47-yard field goal, and a 10-yard touchdown pass to go into the locker trailing 31-3 on the road. In the 3rd, the offense continued to be stale, and State extended their lead on a 29-yard touchdown fun for the only score of the quarter. In the 4th, Tech’s offense was still unable to get any momentum going, and State capped off the game with a 19-yard touchdown run, resulting in a 45-3 Louisiana Tech loss. In the huge loss, Smith played one of his worst games, completing just 14 of 30 passes for 98 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions. McKnight was the leading rusher and receiver for Tech, rushing 13 times for 59 yards and catching 2 passes for 32 yards. On defense, Baldwin had a team-high 14 tackles, Ferguson finished with 2 sacks and 3 tackles for loss, but the unit as a whole allowed Nick Fitzgerald to accumulate 350 total yards with 4 touchdowns and 0 turnovers. Mississippi State finished the season with an 8-5 record and a 4-4 season in the SEC.

Returning home to resume C-USA play, the Bulldogs welcomed 1-9 Rice into Ruston, looking to keep pace with UAB for the lead in the west division. After neither team scored in the 1st, the Owls took a 3-0 lead on a 32-yard field goal. With just over 3 minutes remaining in the 2nd, Dancy scored Tech’s first points of the game on an 11-yard touchdown run and a 7-3 lead going into halftime. Rice opened up ready in the 3rd, torching the Bulldogs’ secondary for a 68-yard touchdown pass to retake the lead. After Smith found Hardy for a big 49-yard reception, Dancy punched it in the end zone for a one-yard touchdown and a 14-10 lead. Closing out the quarter, Dancy broke away from the Owls’ defense and found the end zone once again on an 18-yard touchdown run. After Rice cut the lead to 21-13 in the 4th after a field goal, Smith connected with Alfred Smith for a 10-yard touchdown on first and goal. Two interceptions from Collin Scott kept the Owls from coming back, and the Bulldogs were able to pull away for a 28-13 win. In the winning effort, Smith completed 21 of 34 passes for 314 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions and a lost fumble. Dancy had success on the ground, rushing 15 times for 80 yards and 3 touchdowns. Hardy gave the Rice secondary all kinds of trouble, catching 10 passes for 160 yards, followed by Alfred Smith catching 3 passes for 56 yards and 1 touchdown, Wayne Toussant catching 1 pass for 44 yards, and Veal catching 5 passes for 43 yards. Washington led with 7 total tackles on defense, Robertson finished with 6 total tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss, Sneed had another interception, and Scott came up with two 4th quarter interceptions. Rice finished the season with a 2-11 record and a 2-7 record in C-USA.

With the C-USA Championship out of reach, after UAB maintained a perfect conference record up to this point in the season and had the tiebreaker over Tech, the Bulldogs set their sights on achieving the first 10-win as an FBS school in school history. The first step to achieving this goal entailed a trip to Hattiesburg to face a rival in 4-5 Southern Miss, who defeated the Bulldogs in the previous 3 seasons. Looking to start a new streak versus the Golden Eagles, the Bulldogs prepared for victory. In the 1st, USM took an early lead on a 1-yard touchdown run, but Tech tied the game on a 5-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Hardy. Tied 7-7 in the 2nd, the Golden Eagles broke the tie when former Bulldogs’ backup quarterback Jack Abraham threw a 49-yard touchdown pass. Midway through the quarter, Tech tied the game once again on a 6-yard touchdown run from McKnight and closed the half with a 24-yard field goal from Hale to take a 17-14 lead at halftime. In the 3rd, neither team was able to score, but Hale missed on a short 29-yard field goal. After Connor Taylor sacked Abraham and forced a fumble in the early 4th, the Bulldogs got inside the 10-yard line but had to settle for a short field goal again, with Hale converting from 23 yards out. Next drive, Southern Miss ran 14 plays and took up 7 minutes and 31 seconds, and found the endzone on a 6-yard rushing touchdown to take a 21-20 lead over the Bulldogs. After Tech was forced to punt at the USM 46-yard line, Southern Miss was able to convert the essential 3rd downs and run out the clock, defeating Tech for a 4th straight year, 21-20. In the brutal loss, Smith completed 27 of 43 passes for 243 yards and a touchdown. The Tech rushing attack struggled to find any rhythm, with Tucker leading with 9 rushes for 24 yards. Hardy had another big game, catching 11 passes for 110 yards and a touchdown, followed by Smith catching 4 passes for 67 yards. Defensively, Scott finished with 9 total tackles, Ferguson had 2 sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss, and Connor Taylor had a fumble recovery. Southern Miss finished the season with a 6-5 record and a 5-3 record in C-USA.

Returning home for Senior Day after the 2017-style loss, the Bulldogs had the opportunity to earn their 8th regular season with a matchup with a struggling 2-9 Western Kentucky team. In the 1st, the Bulldogs’ offense continued to not convert on crucial downs, and the Hilltoppers jumped out to a 14-0 lead on an 18-yard touchdown run and a 10-yard touchdown pass. In the early 2nd quarter, Smith was sacked for a 10-yard loss and a safety, and WKU scored again on a short touchdown run to take a shocking 23-0 lead over the Bulldogs in Ruston. After a missed 40-yard field goal from Hale, Robertson came up with a momentum-changing interception in an attempt to spark some life into the offense. With under 2 minutes before the half the Bulldogs scored 3 times on a 19-yard touchdown run from Tucker, a safety forced by the defense on a blocked punt by Ezekiel Barnett, and a 33-yard Hale field goal to make it a more manageable 23-12 game at halftime. On the 1st drive of the third quarter, the Bulldogs got down to 2nd and goal at the 2 but were cursed their red zone issues and ended up settling for a 20-yard field goal. These issues would manifest themselves again on the next drive when on 4th and goal from the one-yard line, McKnight was stuffed, keeping the score at 23-15. Towards the end of the 3rd, Hale missed a 50-yard field goal and the Tech offense was forced to punt once again. With under 5 minutes to play in the 4th, Smith threw an incompletion on 4th down on the Bulldogs’ own 36-yard line, followed by the Hilltoppers clinching the win on a 36-yard touchdown run the next play, handing the Bulldogs a 30-15 loss. In the loss, Smith completed 24 of 44 passes for 280 yards with an interception. Tech’s ground game only earned 61 yards, led by Tucker with 10 rushes for 39 yards and a touchdown. Through the air, Hardy caught 9 passes for 125 yards, Smith caught 8 passes for 105 yards, and Powell caught 7 passes for 43 yards. On defense, Washington finished with 9 total tackles, Ferguson had 2.0 tackles for loss and 0.5 sacks, and Robertson came up with an interception and forced fumble. Western Kentucky finished the season with a 3-9 record and a 2-6 record in C-USA.

Breaking Records in Hawaii

Finishing the season with a 7-5 record, Louisiana Tech earned a bowl bid for the Hawaii Bowl to face 8-5 Hawaii in their home stadium. Bulldogs’ star defense lineman Jaylon Ferguson was just 1.5 sacks away from tying Terrell Suggs’ record as the FBS career sack leader. In the 1st, the only points of the game came on a 24-yard Hale field goal to give Tech a 3-0 lead. Hawaii scored the only points of the 2nd on a 24-yard touchdown pass to take a 7-3 lead at the half in an extremely low-scoring, late-night affair. The Bulldogs took the reigns in the 3rd, starting with a 5-yard Tucker touchdown run, a 58-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Dancy, and a 4-yard touchdown run from Smith to take a 24-7 lead over the Rainbow Warriors heading into the 4th quarter. After Hawaii cut the deficit to 10 on a 7-yard touchdown pass, the Bulldogs turned off the lights on a 39-yard touchdown run from McKnight on 3rd and 1, resulting in a 31-14 Hawaii Bowl victory, Tech’s 5th consecutive bowl win. In the win, Ferguson broke Suggs’ record and set a new FBS career sack record after finishing the game with 2.5 sacks as well as 2.5 tackles for loss, en route to winning MVP for the bowl game. Closing out his junior season, Smith completed 19 of 31 passes for 285 yards with 1 touchdown and 1 interception, while rushing 7 times for 21 yards and 1 touchdown. On the ground, Dancy rushed 15 times for 57 yards, Tucker rushed 10 times for 44 yards and 1 touchdown, and McKnight rushed 2 times for 38 yards and 1 touchdown. Veal finished his Bulldog career with 8 catches for 107 yards, Hardy caught 6 passes for 93 yards, and Dancy caught 2 passes for 63 yards and 1 touchdown. Baker, Sneed, and Ferguson each had 5 total tackles, Baker finished with 4 sacks and 5 tackles for loss, Baldwin came up with 1 interception, and Robertson concluded his sophomore campaign with 2 interceptions. Hawaii finished the season with an 8-6 record and a 5-3 record in the Mountain West.

Conclusion

In a season filled with ups and downs, there were various positive and negative signs for the Bulldogs’ program moving forward. On the positive side, Tech was much-improved in close games in 2018, Adrian Hardy solidified himself as a #1 receiver in the offense, and Amik Robertson and L’Jarius Sneed continued to develop and produce results week in and week out. Some concerns were the lack of a vast improvement from J’Mar Smith, an inconsistent rushing attack that clearly missed Scott and Craft, and the inability to score touchdowns in the red zone. Finding a dependable rushing attack in 2019 would likely boost the play of Smith and result in more successful trips in the red zone leading to touchdowns instead of short field goals. On the topic of special teams, several short punts and missed field goals proved to be costly and were a clear area of needed improvement heading into next season. Losing a 4-year star like Jaylon Ferguson left a huge hole on the defensive line, but Baker flashed excellent signs of potential in the bowl win. Finding a solid #2 receiver would be an essential task in the offseason with the loss of Teddy Veal. In Smith’s final season at quarterback, would he and Holtz be able to put it all together and return the Bulldogs to the C-USA Championship Game?