Louisiana Tech (1-1) suffered its first defeat of the 2024 season at NC State on Saturday.

The Bulldogs will return home on Saturday when they will host Tulsa in non-conference action.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6 PM on ESPN+.

Let's take a look back at the game against NC State + a quick glimpse into the matchup against Tulsa this Saturday.

Three Things We Learned

1 — Tech's Defense is Real

Jeremiah Johnson's defense was fantastic in a win over Nicholls on August 31st, but we wanted to see how the Bulldogs would fare against a step up in competition in the Wolfpack.

The unit was very good for a second straight game on Saturday.

Tech limited the Wolfpack to only 23 points offensively and 361 total yards.

NC State averaged only 4.5 yards per play in the game. Not bad for a defense that was on the field for 38 minutes.

The work continues this week when Tulsa comes to town.

2 — Run game woes continue

For a second straight game Louisiana Tech struggled mightily to run the football.

The Bulldogs rushed for only 43 yards on 19 carries.

Through two games, Tech is averaging only 2.5 yards per carry.

Offensively, the Bulldogs have turned the football over 7 times in two games. A competent run game would go a long way in allowing Jack Turner to settle in at quarterback and become more efficient.

3 — Buck's Leg

Buck Buchanan has a MONSTER LEG.

The junior kicker tied a program record with a 57-yard field goal late in the second quarter.

Buck is also a perfect 10/10 on touchbacks through 2 games.

Buchanan could be a big weapon at the kicker for the Bulldogs throughout the 2024 season with that type of range.

Two Questions Going Forward

1 — How good is the offense?

We don't have the answer to this question.

Have there been flashes of solid play during certain periods of the first two games? Of course.

Tru Edwards was tremendous on Saturday. Jay Wilkerson has emerged as a weapon at receiver.

However, outside of five plays that went for 25+ yards on Saturday Tech averaged only 2.4 yards per play.

Can you be an offense that relies on the big play? Maybe? I'm not sure? Time will tell, but there is no question the unit has to become more consistent snap to snap.

2 — How good is the Tulsa team that is coming to Ruston on Saturday?

The Golden Hurricane will come to Ruston at 1-2 overall after finishing 4-8 in 2023.

Kevin Wilson's team beat Northwestern State (62-28) in the opener but have fallen to Arkansas State (28-24) and Oklahoma State (48-10) their last two times out.

We can play the comparison game, but I'm not sure it's adequate. I mean, let's get serious, who had Sacramento State defeating Nicholls by more than both Louisiana Tech and LSU did? Not me.

Tulsa opened as a 3-point favorite against the Bulldogs on Sunday, but that line quickly jumped to the Bulldogs favor by 1 by mid-afternoon.

On paper it looks like we have a good matchup on our hands on Saturday.

One Prediction for Next Week

One possession game.

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