Louisiana Tech really struggled on the defensive side of the football in a 47-27 loss at North Texas on Saturday afternoon.

Three Things We Learned

1 -- Run Defense is a PROBLEM

Louisiana Tech allowed a season-high 475 yards on the ground to North Texas on Saturday afternoon.

The 475 yards came on just 47 carries by Mean Green ball carriers. That's over 10 yards per carry. Ouch.

The Bulldogs are now allowing 263 yards per game on the ground to its opponents after six games.

That total ranks last among FBS schools nationally.

The Bulldogs were without Tyler Grubbs on Saturday, but the run defense has been an issue throughout the season.

2 -- Parker McNeil continues to play well

After a 4 INT performance on September 24th at South Alabama, Parker McNeil has really found his rhythm at the quarterback position.

The Bulldogs signal caller completed 26/37 (70%) for 424 yards and 2 TDs against the Mean Green on Saturday.

In his last two games, McNeil has completed 44/64 (69%) for 690 yards and 6 TDs.

More importantly, the Austin, TX native has not thrown an interception.

3 -- Smoke Harris & Tre Harris continue to show out

Louisiana Tech has the best wide receiver duo in Conference USA, and Sonny Cumbie is having a field day with Smoke Harris and Tre Harris every Saturday.

The duo combined to catch 16 passes for 285 yards and 1 TD against North Texas on Saturday.

Good luck trying to stop these guys.

Two Questions Going Forward

1 -- Can Tech fix its run defense?

We mentioned it above; Tech is allowing 263 yards per game on the ground.

Just like the turnovers on offense were an issue going into the bye week, the run defense is an issue right now.

You can't win many football games allowing that type of production on the ground to opposing offenses on a weekly basis.

2 -- How will Louisiana Tech respond after a tough loss?

We've asked this question before, but we'll ask it again.

Let's be honest, the Tech defense was humiliated on Saturday afternoon.

Will the unit respond by playing with pride and intense passion against Rice on Saturday afternoon? Or will they continue to go through the motions?

Offensively, we've seen major improvements by the Bulldogs following the bye week.

Tech piled up 504 total yards against the Mean Green. Let's see if the Bulldogs can continue becoming more consistent and see what type of video game numbers this offense just might put up.

One Prediction for Next Week

The Bulldogs rush for 150+ yards against the Rice Owls on Saturday.

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