LA Tech Beats South Alabama; Heads to UAB
Louisiana Tech will face a team from the state of Alabama once again. After taking care of South Alabama on Saturday, the Bulldogs head to Birmingham this week to take on UAB.
Score More Points
Louisiana Tech beat South Alabama 34-16 on Saturday. Tech outscored the Jaguars 17-0 in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs have now outscored opponents 58-17 in the fourth quarter.
History
LA Tech leads the all-time series with UAB 5-0. The Bulldogs have won the last two match-ups, both in Birmingham, by scores of 41-20 in 1999 and 40-24 in 2014.
Offensive Line
O'Shea Dugas missed the last game due to family reasons and Joshua Outlaw missed time in the game as well. Tech's offense stalled in the second and third quarters against the Jaguars before coming back to life in the fourth. Getting those guys back will be important against UAB and their defensive front.
"Defensively, they are very physical," explained Louisiana Tech Head Coach Skip Holtz. "I think they have two of the best defensive tackles in our league. They are giving everyone problems and making running the ball between the tackles very difficult."
Shane Carpenter, Michael Rodriguez, Gewhite Stallworth, Hanner Shipley, Ethan Reed, and Kody Russey have all played extensively this season so the Bulldogs are developing good depth across the offensive line. Still, getting Outlaw and Dugas back together on that left side will be big.
Discipline Louisiana Tech leads the nation with the fewest penalty yards per game at 26.4 - especially surprising for such a young team. The Bulldogs also have had just one turnover in each of the last three games.
Don't Throw at 'Em
LA Tech held Cole Gervin of South Alabama to 21 of 45 passing with one touchdown and two interceptions. Tech is now 47th in pass efficiency defense at 118.97 and the Bulldogs rank 15th in red zone defense.
Freshman Cornerback Amik Robertson has 18 tackles, one sack, one interception, and three pass breakups. Sophomore Cornerback L'Jarius Sneed has 16 tackles (8 against South Alabama) and three pass breakups. Sophomore Cornerback Aaron Roberson has 24 tackles with one interception. The young guys are getting it done.
"I think L’Jarius Sneed played an excellent football game outside of a big play he gave up early," explained Skip Holtz. "Amik Robertson continues to get better and better as a corner and Aaron Roberson did a really nice job at the corner position."
UAB Can Throw Deep
UAB fell to UNT 46-43 in Denton two weeks ago. The Blazers were down 30-14 at the half before mounting a comeback. Blazer QB A.J. Erdely was just 17 of 36 passing, but he had 321 yards and four touchdowns. Junior receiver Andre Wilson had 5 catches for 150 yards and two scores against North Texas.
They have a dynamic passing game that can hurt you with big plays," added Holtz. "They are putting a lot of points on the board"