Louisiana Tech defeated Southern at Joe Aillet Stadium Saturday night by a final score of 54-17. The Bulldogs piled up 613 yards of offense in the win.
Three Things We Learned:
J’Mar Smith is the clear cut quarterback on this football team. Smith threw for a career high 380 yards and two touchdowns in the win. After turning it over three times against South Alabama, many critics were screaming for the next option. While Southern is an FCS opponent, Smith proved that this is his football team.
Amik Robertson is a star. Robertson was a Freshman All-American in 2017 and has backed up that play with a strong start to 2018. In week one, South Alabama threw his way five times and completed only two of those throws for 40 yards with one interception. In week two against Southern, Robertson barely saw the ball come his way and did not allow a completion. Robertson looks poised to become a true lockdown cornerback for the Bulldogs in 2018.
The defense can rush the passer. The Bulldogs got to the quarterback five times in the win over Southern. While Jaylon Ferguson only had a half-sack of his own, his running mates up front brought the heat throughout the evening. Immanuel Turner, Willie Baker, L’Jarius Sneed, Matt Ydarraga, and Charles Adeola all got to the quarterback for the win.
Two Questions Going Forward:
Will the kickoff return unit get things going? Smoke Harris is a very talented kick returner but has had difficulties in the early going. After struggling to return kicks in the first half, Coach Holtz chose to fair catch kickoffs in the second half to ensure that the offense would get the ball at the 25-yard line. Going forward, blocking better in the return game will allow for Smoke Harris to show his game-breaking ability that Bulldog fans are ready to see.
Will Tech pass block with greater consistency? Don’t get me wrong, the pass blocking against Southern was much better than it was against South Alabama, but there is still room for improvement. J’Mar Smith had constant heat in his face for much of the first half. With LSU looming in two weeks, cleaning up some of the finer things on the offensive line will go a long way in Tech being successful in Baton Rouge from an offensive standpoint.
One Prediction for Next Week:
Tech will have an early season bye week next week before facing off with LSU on September 22nd. This will give the Bulldogs an opportunity to clean up some mistakes while healing some bumps and bruises to guys like Brandon Floyd and Alfred Smith who missed either all or parts of the game against Southern.
