When Louisiana Tech fell to Jacksonville State this past week, it was not very shocking to the Bulldog fanbase. But what was surprising was just how close of a game it was. The Gamecocks went into the game favored by ten but needed overtime to put the Bulldogs away.

As they consistently have all season, the Bulldog defense stepped up in a big way. They managed to shut down Jacksonville State’s signature strength: the running game. While the Gamecocks entered the game averaging 6.2 yards per rush attempt, they were held to just 3.2 yards per carry, their lowest of the year.

While last week’s defensive performance was impressive, Tech will face an entirely different challenge this Saturday when they travel to Bowling Green to face Western Kentucky. Like Jacksonville State, WKU is undefeated in conference play. But unlike the Gamecocks, WKU thrives with its air attack instead of the run game.

Western Kentucky’s offense is built around the passing game, and they’ve been one of the most prolific teams in the country at moving the ball through the air with quarterback Caden Veltkamp as the centerpiece of that success. And the key to Veltkamp’s performance has been his accuracy:

These throws have not been screens or dump-off passes to the flat to inflate his numbers. Not only is Veltkamp in the Top 10 in college football in completion percentage, he’s also Top 10 in passing yards per attempt:

The big question for Louisiana Tech is whether their defense can handle this high-powered passing attack. The Bulldog rush defense has been one of the best in the nation, as they showed against Jacksonville State, but Tech’s pass defense hasn’t been quite as dominant.

That said, Tech’s pass defense has still been solid this season:

One thing that could also work in Tech’s favor is WKU’s struggles on passing downs. Despite their high pass-yardage totals, the Hilltoppers have struggled to maintain success in critical situations like 3rd & Long. If Tech’s defense can get Western Kentucky behind the sticks and force them into long-yardage situations, that could be the key to slowing down Veltkamp and the rest of the Hilltopper offense:

As they’ve done in many close losses this year, Tech’s defense will need to do the heavy lifting again this week. The Bulldog defense must be at its best if they hope to slow down Veltkamp and company. WKU comes into the game averaging 280 passing yards per game, while Tech has yet to allow that many yards in a single game this season.

Something will have to give.

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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.