Louisiana Tech Football 2013-22 Rankings
After recapping every season of Louisiana Tech Football over the past decade, I decided to rank the teams, the greatest wins, and the best players. Thank you to everyone who followed along throughout each article and looked back at all the ups and downs of Bulldogs football for the last ten years. I am more than ecstatic to cover the Bulldogs this season, starting with fall camp and into the 2023 Season.
Ranking of Each Team from Worst to Best
10) 2013 Bulldogs
Record: (4-8, 3-5)
Points Per Game: 19.2
Points Allowed Per Game: 26.2
Strength of Schedule: 125th of 125
Strength of Record: 114th of 125
Congrove Computer Ranking: 98th
Best Win: 38-35 @ 2-10 UTEP
Worst Loss: 24-14 vs 3-9 Tulsa
Reasoning: Skip Holtz’s first team in Ruston was easily his least impressive in almost every aspect. With the easiest schedule in FBS, only winning four games, and scoring under 20 points per game to go along with below-average quarterback play, this was the clear 10th-ranked team on my list.
9) 2022 Bulldogs
Record: (3-9, 2-6)
Points Per Game: 29.0
Points Allowed Per Game: 37.9
Strength of Schedule: 101st of 131
Strength of Record: 123rd of 131
Congrove Computer Ranking: 119th
Best Win: 40-24 vs 8-5 Middle Tennessee
Worst Loss: 26-21 @ 3-9 Charlotte
Reasoning: In Sonny Cumbie’s first season, the Bulldogs had their worst defensive year of the decade, resulting in their 3-9 record as this low placement. Despite having competent quarterback play, turnovers on offense, and giving up big plays on defense were this team’s kryptonite.
8) 2020 Bulldogs
Record: (5-5, 4-2)
Points Per Game: 26.7
Points Allowed Per Game: 34.7
Strength of Schedule: 99th of 128
Strength of Record: 98th of 128
Congrove Computer Ranking: 80
Best Win: 37-34 (2OT) vs 6-3 UAB
Worst Loss: 38-3 vs Georgia Southern (New Orleans Bowl)
Reasoning: With the constant switching of quarterbacks, opt-outs, and game cancellations, Louisiana Tech was unable to find a consistent rhythm throughout the season. Despite a 5-5 record, the Bulldogs had approximately a -8-point differential due to losing by 31, 18, 42, and 35 points during the season. Defeating eventual C-USA Champion UAB in double overtime was clearly the high point, but this was the year that Holtz’s 6-game bowl winning streak collapsed.
7) 2021 Bulldogs
Record: (3-9, 2-6)
Points Per Game: 28.0
Points Allowed Per Game: 34.0
Strength of Schedule: 95th of 130
Strength of Record: 110th of 130
Congrove Computer Ranking: 113th
Best Win: 24-17 vs 6-7 North Texas
Worst Loss: 35-19 vs 3-9 Southern Miss
Reasoning: Ranking the 2021 team above the 2020 team might not be a popular choice, but there are a few reasons why I have the ’21 Bulldogs ranked higher. Blowing a 20-point lead to Mike Leach’s Mississippi State Bulldogs, losing on a Hail Mary to the Sonny Dykes-led SMU Mustangs, and losing by 7 points to a ranked NC State squad all occurred in the first half of Tech’s season this year. Starting quarterback Austin Kendall was injured multiple times for the remainder of the season, forcing Aaron Allen and JD Head to step in and attempt to build chemistry within the offense. If the Bulldogs win one of the three games they lost to the aforementioned quality opponents, it is extremely likely that the momentum carries them further than where they ended up going, leading to 2021 being Holtz’s final season. Undoubtedly, this will go down as one of the biggest “what if?” years in Bulldogs’ history.
6) 2018 Bulldogs
Record: (8-5, 5-3)
Points Per Game: 24.7
Points Allowed Per Game: 23.0
Strength of Schedule: 123rd of 130
Strength of Record: 94th of 130
Congrove Computer Ranking: 61st
Best Win: 29-27 @ 9-4 North Texas
Worst Loss: 30-15 vs 3-9 Western Kentucky
Reasoning: Louisiana Tech’s 2018 team would have been ranked higher on the list if it was not for a lack of consistency and offensive ineptitude at times. These variables were evident in a 28-7 loss to UAB at home, a 45-3 loss to Joe Moorhead-led Mississippi State, a 21-20 loss at an inferior Southern Miss, and a lackluster Senior Day loss to 3-9 Western Kentucky to close out the season. The offense regressed noticeably in J’Mar Smith’s 2nd season as the starter with an inferior running game, but the defense continued to improve under Blake Baker. Jaylon Ferguson broke the all-time sack record in a solid bowl win over Hawai'i in Hawai’i to salvage the end of the season.
5) 2017 Bulldogs
Record: (7-6, 4-4)
Points Per Game: 30.5
Points Allowed Per Game: 25.4
Strength of Schedule: 108th of 130
Strength of Record: 82nd of 130
Congrove Computer Ranking: 86th
Best Win: 51-10 vs 7-6 SMU (Frisco Bowl)
Worst Loss: 48-23 vs 11-3 FAU
Reasoning: The 2017 season was the most frustrating season to witness and retroactively recap, as the array of close losses included a 17-16 loss at 9-4 South Carolina, a 23-22 loss at 8-5 UAB, a 34-27 loss to 8-5 Southern Miss in double overtime, and a 24-23 loss to 9-5 North Texas. While the narrow defeats were relentless, this Bulldogs team was competitive in every game outside of the losses to Mississippi State and FAU. Picking the better team between 2017 and 2018 was difficult, but I ultimately chose the 2017 team because of the running back combination of Boston Scott and Jarred Craft, the consistency from week to week, and the strong finish to the regular season, contrasting the letdown of the 2018 team’s regular season.
4) 2015 Bulldogs
Record: (9-4, 6-2)
Points Per Game: 37.5
Points Allowed Per Game: 26.8
Strength of Schedule: 114th of 128
Strength of Record: 62nd of 128
Congrove Computer Ranking: 62nd
Best Win: 47-28 vs 9-4 Arkansas State (New Orleans Bowl)
Worst Loss: 58-24 vs 9-5 Southern Miss
Reasoning: Jeff Driskel’s impact at Louisiana Tech after transferring from Florida was immediately felt and led to several high-scoring affairs for the Bulldogs. Narrow early season losses included a 41-38 loss at Western Kentucky and a 39-33 loss at Kansas State in triple overtime. After these losses, Tech won 7 out of its final 8 games, before playing Southern Miss for an opportunity to return to the C-USA Championship. With the stakes as high as ever, the Bulldogs’ offense turned to ball over an inexcusable 7 times in a 58-24 loss to a rival, which holds this team back from being ranked higher. Despite only being ranked 4th, there is a wide gap between the 2017 and 2015 Bulldogs.
3) 2016 Bulldogs
Record: (9-5, 6-3)
Points Per Game: 44.3
Points Allowed Per Game: 33.6
Strength of Schedule: 110th of 128
Strength of Record: 52nd of 128
Congrove Computer Ranking: 48th
Best Win: 55-52 vs 11-3 Western Kentucky
Worst Loss: 39-24 @ 7-6 Southern Miss
Reasoning: 2016’s team displayed the best offense in the Skip Holtz era, ranking 2nd in the nation in points per game. This squad did start 1-3 after a 21-20 loss at Arkansas with Higgins out, a 59-45 loss to a Patrick Mahomes-led Texas Tech team, and a 38-34 loss at 8-5 MTSU, but rebounded tremendously by winning seven straight games. Higgins, Taylor, and Henderson starred for an offense that reached scoring totals of 55, 56, 44, 61, 45, and 63 points on the winning streak. The two variables that caused me to avoid placing this team at the #2 or even #1 spot were the 39-24 loss at Southern Miss that resulted in the Bulldogs not being able to host the championship game and numerous poor defensive performances in critical games. Tech’s defense allowed scoring totals of 59, 38, 52, 35, and 39 points as well as giving up 58 points to Western Kentucky in the C-USA Championship and 45 points to Navy in the Armed Forces Bowl victory. Altogether, the defense held this team back from reaching greater heights, but the offense was remarkably explosive and enjoyable to watch, and the 2016 Bulldogs ae currently the last Louisiana Tech team to reach the C-USA Championship Game.
2) 2014 Bulldogs
Record: (9-5, 7-2)
Points Per Game: 37.4
Points Allowed Per Game: 24.7
Strength of Schedule: 75th of 128
Strength of Record: 44th of 128
Congrove Computer Ranking: 43rd
Best Win: 48-20 @ 9-4 UL Lafayette
Worst Loss: 30-27 vs 6-6 Northwestern State
Reasoning: All around, the 2014 team made a very convincing argument to be the #1 team on the list. Holtz was able to turn the Bulldogs around in only his 2nd season by bringing in Sokol, Bates, and other transfers while developing the young players already on the roster. The defense forced an abundance of turnovers and set the tone week in and week out. After dropping the first game to Oklahoma, Tech went on the road and crushed UL Lafayette in a game that the Bulldogs were favored to lose. This squad earned a trip to the C-USA Championship and narrowly lost to Marshall, despite struggling through the air, a testament to the team’s ability to compete in different facets of the game. What holds this team back the furthest is clearly the loss to an FCS opponent in Northwestern State at home. When deciding how to rank the top three teams, I had to look closely at the flaws each time, and this loss ultimately landed the 2014 Bulldogs the 2nd spot. This team ranks higher than 2016 due to a more balanced attack, the best point differential of any Tech team in the decade at approximately +13, and a convincing bowl win over Illinois from the Big Ten.
1) 2019 Bulldogs
Record: (10-3, 6-2)
Points Per Game: 32.5
Points Allowed Per Game: 21.8
Strength of Schedule: 130th of 130
Strength of Record: 76th of 130
Congrove Computer Ranking: 39th
Best Win: 14-0 vs 6-7 Miami, FL (Independence Bowl)
Worst Loss: 31-10 @ 8-5 Marshall
Reasoning: The 2019 Bulldogs became the first Tech team to win 10 games in a season as an FBS team and should have won a couple of more games as well. After losing to Texas in the opener, Louisiana Tech rattled off eight straight wins, including scoring 69 points versus UMass, breaking the losing streak in a mid-season showdown versus Old Miss with three interceptions from Amik Robertson, and blowing out preseason-favorite North Texas on Homecoming. With three games remaining, Smith and Hardy were suspended in the two biggest games of the season, road games at Marshall and at UAB. The Bulldogs dropped both of those games, allowing UAB to find its way into the championship game over Tech. In the other eleven games where this team was fully intact, the complementary football was on full display, with the offense bouncing back from a lackluster 2018 in Smith’s best season at quarterback and a 1,000-yard rushing season from Justin Henderson. Defensively, this was the best Bulldog defense of the decade, led by the ballhawks in Robertson and Sneed. The most common pushback for this team being ranked first is the light schedule, but the Bulldogs took advantage of this schedule and dominated most of the teams they played. Shutting out the Miami Hurricanes in Shreveport marked the first shutout in Independence Bowl history and was the first team a Group of 5 team held a Power 5 team to zero points in a bowl game.
Ranking the Top 5 Individual Quarterback Seasons
Criteria: At Least 10 Games Played
5) 2017 J’Mar Smith
Games Played: 13
Completion Percentage: 56.0%
Passing Yards: 2,974
Passing Touchdowns: 16
Interceptions: 5
Rushing Yards: 371
Rushing Touchdowns: 6
Passer Rating: 127.5
4) 2019 J’Mar Smith
Games Played: 11
Completion Percentage: 64.3%
Passing Yards: 2,977
Passing Touchdowns: 18
Interceptions: 5
Rushing Yards: 264
Rushing Touchdowns: 4
Passer Rating: 145.9
3) 2014 Cody Sokol
Games Played: 14
Completion Percentage: 58.0%
Passing Yards: 3,436
Passing Touchdowns: 30
Interceptions: 13
Rushing Yards: 44
Rushing Touchdowns 2
Passer Rating: 138.8
2) 2015 Jeff Driskel
Completion Percentage: 62.3%
Passing Yards: 4,026
Passing Touchdowns: 27
Interceptions: 8
Rushing Yards: 323
Rushing Touchdowns: 5
Passer Rating: 154.1
1) 2016 Ryan Higgins
Completion Percentage: 66.3%
Passing Yards: 4,617
Passing Touchdowns: 41
Interceptions: 8
Rushing Yards: 277
Touchdowns: 4
Passer Rating: 168.6
Ranking Bowl Games in the Skip Holtz Era
7) 2020 New Orleans Bowl
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Opponent: 8-5 Georgia Southern
Result: 38-3 L
6) 2018 Hawai'i Bowl
Location: Honolulu, Hawai’i
Opponent: 8-6 Hawai’i
Result: 31-14 W
5) 2017 Frisco Bowl
Location: Frisco, Texas
Opponent 7-6 SMU
Result: 51-10 W
4) 2015 New Orleans Bowl
Location: New Orleans, Louisiana
Opponent: 9-4 Arkansas State
Result: 47-28 W
3) 2014 Heart of Dallas Bowl
Location: Dallas, Texas
Opponent: 6-7 Illinois
Result: 35-18 W
2) 2019 Independence Bowl
Location: Shreveport, Louisiana
Opponent: 6-7 Miami (FL)
Result: 14-0 W
1) 2016 Armed Forced Bowl
Location: Fort Worth, Texas
Opponent: #25 9-5 Navy
Result: 48-45 W
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