When Louisiana Tech and South Alabama take the field for the first time in Mobile on Saturday night, many spectators will be watching the game with plenty of intrigue.
· Will J’Mar Smith be the quarterback that leads Tech to a conference championship?
· Will the Tech defense perform as expected?
· Will Steve Campbell be able to turn around a Jaguar offense that struggled across the board a season ago?
There are certainly a lot of questions to be answered about the two programs. Louisiana Tech has won four consecutive bowl games, and the Jaguars are coming off a four-win season. Tech defeated the Jaguars 34-16 in Ruston a season ago in a game that never felt all that close.
Let’s take a look at each team’s numbers from 2017:
While many viewed the 2017 season as a down year offensively for the Bulldogs, Tech still averaged over 30 points per game. With improved quarterback play, the Bulldogs could average nearly 40 points per game in 2018.
South Alabama rotated two quarterbacks throughout last season, and it appears they may do so once again in 2018. Whether Ceephus Johnson or Cole Garvin takes the first snap, Steve Campbell is tasked with the job of being more explosive offensively going forward.
Defensively on paper, Louisiana Tech is loaded. Whether it is Jaylon Ferguson, Dae’von Washington, or Amik Robertson, the Bulldogs are talented at all three levels. With upwards of 20 guys with enough talent to start, Tech has a chance to begin 2018 with a dominating performance against a Jaguar team with plenty of question marks offensively.
From a points per game perspective, South Alabama’s defense was not all that bad a season ago. But looking at the 2017 matchup with Louisiana Tech, J’Mar Smith had a field day. Throw in the fact that the Jaguars are under an entirely new coaching staff and Louisiana Tech returns eight starters offensively, South Alabama is going to need a massive improvement from the 2017 matchup in order to slow down the Bulldogs.
Winning on the road is never easy in college football, but if Tech plays its game and doesn’t turn the football over, the Bulldogs will cruise to a comfortable win Saturday night.
With the Bulldogs beginning their season at South Alabama Saturday evening, join us at BleedTechBlue.com for only $9.95 a month. We are your #1 source for Louisiana Tech Athletics.
