Louisiana Tech defeated South Alabama 30-26 tonight in Mobile. Here are five quick thoughts on the win:

The consistency at quarterback must improve. When given time, J’Mar Smith played pretty solid. When under any pressure, Smith seemed to panic. He has to do a better job at trusting his talent and being willing to take a shot in order to deliver a good throw.

The combination of Jaqwis Dancy and Israel Tucker is going to be very good. Although Dancy missed a majority of the second half, Tucker carried the load and did a nice job. The combo rushed for 226 yards on 34 carries to go along with 2 TDs.

The offensive line must get better in pass protection. For whatever reason, Tech’s experienced offensive line really seemed to struggle with the front four of South Alabama. If J’Mar Smith is going to be successful, the play up front must improve.

This defense is for real. Outside of a few breakdowns, Blake Baker’s unit was flying around all night and forced four turnovers. Going forward, if the offense continues to struggle with consistency, the defense will have to pave the way for a successful season.

A win is a win, it wasn’t always pretty but Tech escaped with a 30-26 win over the Jaguars. Offensively and defensively there is plenty of stuff to clean up. Tech will open their home schedule with Southern next week. Kickoff is set for 6PM at Joe Aillet Stadium.