Louisiana Tech (3-1, 1-0) will travel to Rice (0-4, 0-0) for a Conference USA tilt Saturday night. Kickoff is set of 6 PM on ESPN3.

The Bulldogs are likely to see both Wiley Green and Tom Stewart at quarterback for the Owls.

Let’s break down the two signal callers.

Green is a 6’3, 206 pound redshirt freshman from Coppell, TX and is expected to get the start.

So far in 2019, Green has completed 23/42 (55%) for 259 yards. Green has yet to throw a touchdown or interception to this point.

With only 13 yards rushing in 3 games, Green is not a huge threat with his legs.

Let’s take a look at how Green has performed in the different areas of the passing game.

-- At LOS or Behind: 4/5 (80%) for 5 yards

-- 0-10 Yards Down Field: 13/19 (68%) for 131 yards

-- 11-20 Yards Down Field: 6/14 (43%) for 123 yards

-- 20+ Yards Down Field: 0/2 (0%) for 0 yards

Now let’s take a look at how Green has performed against pressure.

-- No Pressure: 17/27 (63%) for 179 yards

-- Under Pressure: 6/15 (40%) for 80 yards

-- Not Blitzed: 14/29 (48%) for 135 yards

-- When Blitzed: 9/13 (69%) for 124 yards

Looking at Green’s numbers, it doesn’t appear on paper that he will provide a huge test for a Tech secondary that has had some issues at times in 2019.

Let’s now shift the focus to Tom Stewart. Stewart is a 6’3, 226 pound graduate transfer from Harvard. Stewart has seen action in three of four games in 2019.

For the season, Stewart has completed 36/61 (59%) for 414 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Although not a huge threat on the ground, Stewart does move around better than Green and has two rushing touchdowns this season.

How has Stewart performed in the passing game? Let’s take a look.

-- At LOS or behind: 8/12 (67%) for 39 yards, 2 touchdowns

-- 0-10 Yards Down Field: 17/21 (81%) for 160 yards, 1 touchdown

-- 11-20 Yards Down Field: 8/20 (40%) for 107 yards

-- 20+ Yards Down Field: 3/4 (75% for 108 yards

The numbers suggest that Stewart has been the better passer but has still struggled in the intermediate passing game.

Let’s look at how Stewart performs under pressure.

-- No Pressure: 31/47 (66%) for 351 yards, 3 touchdowns

-- Under Pressure: 5/14 (36%) for 63 yards

-- Not Blitzed: 22/41 (54%) for 250 yards, 1 touchdown

-- When Blitzed: 14/20 (70%) for 164 yards, 2 touchdowns

Looking at both Green and Stewart, it will be key for Tech to get pressure with just a three or four man rush, which has been an issue for Tech through four games.

It’s clear at this point that Mike Bloomgren is still trying to establish his run-first style of play in Houston. Green has a tremendous grasp of the offense but will need to continue to develop in order to become a successful quarterback. Stewart is more experienced but not quite as talented.

If Louisiana Tech is to win Saturday night, Tech must slow down the Rice run game and force either Green or Stewart to beat them. The Owls have struggled to score in 2019, averaging just over 13 points per game, which is lowest in the country.

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