Starter Comparison | LA Tech vs #22 Army - BleedTechBlue: Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Football & Basketball Recruiting

Louisiana Tech (5-7) will make the short trip over to Shreveport for a match-up with #22 Army (11-2) in the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl on Saturday night.

Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15 PM on ESPN/KXKZ 107.5 FM.

This will be the 14th bowl appearance in Louisiana Tech's football history. The Bulldogs are 8-4-1 all-time in bowl games.

With the help of Pro Football Focus, let's take a look at the starters for both teams.

PFF Grading Scale

90 and Above - Elite Level

80 to 89 - All-Conference Level

70 to 79 - Starter Level

60 to 69 - Backup Level

59 and Below - Replacement Level

LA Tech Offense vs Army Defense

LA Tech Player	PFF Grade	Army Player	PFF Grade

QB Evan Bullock	69.2	DE Dre Miller	58.7
RB Omiri Wiggins	71	NT Kody Harris-Miller	66.8
LT Daniel Keys	52.7	DE Jack Latore	57.9
LG Ashanti Cole	70.4	OLB Elo Modozie	72.9
C Landon Nelson	58	ILB Andon Thomas	76
RG Ja'Marion Kennedy	63.7	ILB Kalib Fortner	68.5
RT Hayden Christman	62.4	OLB Chance Keith	62.5
TE Eli Finley	51.9	S Casey Larkin	70
WR Tru Edwards	74.1	S Max DiDomenico	71.6
WR Jimmy Holiday	68.1	CB Donavon Platt	65.6
WR Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim	50.4	CB Jaydan Mayes	75.9

Interestingly enough, Louisiana Tech wrapped up the regular season ranking 14th nationally in time of possession this season.

Can the Bulldogs play keep away from the Black Knights on Saturday night? If they can, it'll likely give the Bulldogs a much better chance at coming away with a victory.

Louisiana Tech's offensive struggles have been well chronicled throughout the season, and they'll be playing against the #7 scoring defense in the country when they square-off against #22 Army.

The Black Knights rank #25 in rush defense and #27 in pass defense, so there isn't any real substantial weakness on paper.

Can Evan Bullock find his play makers Tru Edwards and Jimmy Holiday through the air? That would be huge for the Tech offense.

Army Offense vs LA Tech Defense

Army Player	PFF Grade	LA Tech Player	PFF Grade

QB Bryson Daily	91.4	DE Jessie Evans	64.7
RB Hayden Reed	64.5	NT Christian Davis	51.5
RB Miles Stewart	61.9	DE Mykol Clark	65.3
SL Noah Short	79.1	LB CJ Harris	61.4
LT Connor Finucane	81.4	LB Zach Zimos	71.8
LG Bill Katsigiannis	83.7	LB Sifa Leota	66
C Brady Small	83.1	S Blake Thompson	64.3
RG Paolo Gennarelli	80.3	S Isaiah Mcelvane	65
RT Lucas Scott	89.7	S Jacob Fields	63.4
TE David Crossan	64.4	CB Cedric Woods	65.2
WR Casey Reynolds	92.2	CB Demarcus Griffin-Taylor	74.1

Defensively, the Bulldogs have been stellar all year but Saturday night will provide a stiff test in a number of ways.

Not only is Army the #1 ranked rush offense in the country with the best offensive line in the country, but the Bulldogs also only have six healthy bodies along its defensive front.

Depth could be an issue, but I don't doubt Jeremiah Johnson at this point. Seriously, how could you with the job that he's done this season?

Tech's rush defense ranks 20th nationally, so the Bulldogs have proven to be able to stop the run at a high level this season. The game will boil down to how well the 'Dogs can slow down Bryson Daily. Daily rushed for 29 touchdowns in 2024 on his way to finishing sixth in the Heisman race.

Passing wise, Army ranks 133rd nationally in yards per game. They don't throw the football, obviously. However, when they do its for large chunks of yards as the Black Knights rank 10th nationally in passing efficiency.

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