To state the obvious, Louisiana Tech is in the midst of a frustrating offensive season. After scoring just three points against Sam Houston, it’s safe to say the Bulldogs have a significant scoring problem. In a game where Tech drove inside the 10-yard line four times, they came away with just 3 points across all four drives.

While it wasn’t as glaring as the previous week’s performance, the scoring ineptitude has been a persistent issue for the Bulldogs all season. Per LA Tech Sports Central, the Bulldogs on the season only average 3.9 points per trip inside their opponent’s 10-yard line:

And looking ahead to this week, this “inside the 10-yard line” problem is one that Jacksonville State does not share—the Gamecocks average 6.2 points per trip inside the 10, far above the national average of 5.3.

But the problems aren’t limited to just deep in the red zone. Even backing out from the 10 to the 40-yard line, it doesn't look much better for Tech. The Bulldogs are averaging 3.1 points per trip inside the 40. And while the Dogs famine in their opponent’s territory, the Gamecocks feast:

So why can Jacksonville State succeed in an area where Tech so often fails? Well, like many of Tech’s offensive problems, it comes back to the running game.

While the Bulldogs eclipsed 100 yards on the ground for only the 4th time all season against Sam Houston, they did so on 40 attempts. This means they brought down their season average from 2.7 to 2.65 yards per carry.

And this inefficiency in the run game is another problem that Jacksonville State does not share:

The Gamecocks have built their offense around their powerful ground game, and it shows in their playcalling. Jacksonville State runs the ball on 65% of their offensive snaps, the fourth-most in college football.

And when a team can run the ball as well and as often as Jacksonville State, it opens the pass game. The Gamecocks don’t throw often, but when they do, they can often explode for big plays.

Jacksonville State ranks 15th nationally in yards per pass attempt and 16th in passing play explosiveness.

It’s an old-school way of playing offense, but it has worked out so far for the Gamecocks. They run the ball (well) to set up big pass plays. This combination has allowed Jacksonville State to score a lot of points - 38.6 per game, the 11th most in college football.

Another week, another challenge for a Bulldog defense that has performed well enough Tech in every game this season. Can the defense hold on for the ride one more time?

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Nathan is also a contributor to gtpdd.dog, a lighthearted Louisiana Tech blog. Be sure to check out @gotechplsdntdie on Twitter.