Throughout the next 12 weeks, BleedTechBlue will take an early look at each of Louisiana Tech’s 12 opponents for the 2018 football season.
The Bulldogs finished 2017 with a 7-6 record that included a fourth consecutive bowl win in the DXL Frisco Bowl over SMU 51-10.
Skip Holtz returns for his 6th season at Louisiana Tech as the head coach.
After hosting UTEP for homecoming on October 20th, Louisiana Tech will have a short week and travel to Boca Raton to take on Florida Atlantic on October 26th. This is a Friday night game that will be broadcasted on CBS Sports Network.
The Owls were the darling of college football in 2017. In Lane Kiffin’s first year as head coach, Florida Atlantic won a program record 11 games on its way to winning the Conference USA Championship.
Looking ahead to 2018, the Owls are once again expected to be very good and were picked to win the league by the media.
Offensively, quarterback Jason Driskel made the decision to retire this offseason which leaves a hole at the position. Florida State transfer DeAndre Johnson and Oklahoma transfer Chris Robison are in a heated battle to win the position.
Devin Singletary returns at running back after rushing for 1,920 yards and 32 touchdowns last season. Singletary is the best player in Conference USA which has to give Kiffin a great deal of comfort.
Willie Wright and West Virginia transfer Jovon Durante give the Owls two deep threats at wide receiver.
After losing offensive coordinator Kendal Briles to Houston this offseason, the Owls look poised to average over 40 points per game once again in 2018.
As good as the Owls were offensively in 2017, they might have been even better on defense. The unit allowed only 22 points per game while intercepting 20 passes which ranked second nationally.
Chris Kiffin has moved on to the NFL, and Tony Pecoraro was tabbed as his replacement at defensive coordinator. Pecoraro was previously at Southern Miss.
The defense ran a 4-2-4 scheme last season that was rarely shifted out of. Pecoraro is expected to come in and disguise formations with more regularity.
Steven Leggett, Hunter Snyder, and Leighton McCarthy will team up to give the Owls one of the best defensive lines in the entire league. The trio combined for 21.5 tackles for loss and 12 sacks in 2017.
Linebacker Azeez Al-Shaair gives the Owls one of the better defenders in the entire league. In fact, Al-Shaair was selected as the Defensive Player of the Year by the media this week. Al-Shaair collected 147 tackles last season.
In the secondary, Jalen Young is a ball hawk. The safety recorded seven interceptions a season ago which tied for second in the nation.
Although there was turnover with both coordinators leaving the program this offseason, Lane Kiffin and the Owls are expected to dominate the league once again in 2018.
With the Owls being a borderline top 25 team heading into the season, it is not out of the realm of possibility that they could contend for a New Year’s Six Bowl Game this season.
Winning on the road is never easy, but beating the league’s best team on a short week will make things even more difficult for the Bulldogs.
By week nine, Bulldog fans should have a pretty good gauge as to what to expect for what should be a great matchup.
Stay tuned to BleedTechBlue.com throughout the summer as we continue to preview the 2018 season. Join us for only $9.95 a month. We are your #1 source for Louisiana Tech Athletics.
