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.
To wrap up the regular season, Louisiana Tech will host Western Kentucky on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
The Bulldogs defeated the Hilltoppers 23-22 a season ago; it was a game in which Jonathan Barnes connected on a game-winning field goal at the end of regulation.
The 2017 season was considered a disappointment by most in Bowling Green after Mike Sanford’s squad struggled to a 6-7 season.
On paper, the 2018 roster seems to be less talented than the 2017 team which has many putting some pressure on Sanford in just year two.
Sanford has long been known as a quarterback guru going back to his days at Stanford, Boise State, and Notre Dame. He will get back to working with the quarterbacks and calling plays in 2018 after not doing so last season.
Replacing Mike White at quarterback is going to be difficult, but Sanford appears to have some confidence in the group. Drew Eckels has been in the program for a few years and will look to utilize his legs in 2018 to give the Hilltoppers more of a dual-threat at quarterback.
D’Andre Ferby returns at running back after leading the ‘Toppers with 373 yards in 2017. Finding a running game is one of most pressing needs heading in 2018. The 2017 version only ran for 61 yards per game while averaging only two yards per carry.
The top three receivers are now gone, and outside of Lucky Jackson there are more questions than answers at that spot. Jackson had 600 yards and three touchdowns a year ago.
While replacing three starters on the offensive line might seem difficult, the 2018 unit will be no worse than the 2017 group. In 2017, Western Kentucky allowed 48 sacks. Tyler Witt and Cole Spencer are the returning starters up front.
It’s easy to see that the plate is pretty bare for Western heading into 2018. Sanford was brought in to help continue the Hilltoppers trend of explosive offenses that the program has become known for. He will be put to the test in 2018.
As bad as the Hilltoppers offensive line was a year ago, the defense only managed to sack the quarterback 12 times in 13 games.
Joel Iyiegbuniwe had 117 tackles in 2017, but he is now off to the NFL.
Ben Holt will be relied on in the middle at linebacker after playing a reserve role last season.
Five starters return in the secondary, which will almost assuredly be the strong point of the defense.
Drell Green, Devon Key, and Ta’Corian Darden form one of Conference USA’s best trios on the back end. The trio combined for 236 tackles and 14.5 tackles for loss last season.
All in all, the defense returns seven starters with a majority of those being members of the secondary. Allowing 377 yards per game last year was not terrible by any means, but pressuring the quarterback with some regularity could allow for the group to become one of the best in Conference USA in 2018.
When Louisiana Tech and Western Kentucky meet on the gridiron, the game is always a competitive matchup. Whether a division championship or a bowl-berth is on the line come November, expect these two teams to trade blows over the course of four quarters.
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.
