Louisiana Tech found itself on the wrong end of a double overtime game against FIU on Friday night.

In losing 42-34, it was Tech's second straight overtime loss in as many weeks.

Three Things We Learned

1 -- Lyddy Impresses in 1st Start

Landry Lyddy made his first career start against FIU on Friday night and played well.

The freshman completed each of his first 10 passes and finished 28/40 (70%) for 256 yards. The Shreveport native also added one touchdown on the ground.

What might have been most impressive about Lyddy's performance was the fact that with Louisiana Tech trailing 24-17 in the fourth quarter, he was able to engineer two straight scoring drives to give Tech a 27-24 lead late in regulation.

The 440 total yards of offense was the 2nd most for the Bulldogs against an FBS opponent this season.

The Bulldogs also finished a season-high 53% on third down.

Impressive performance for an 18-year old making his first career start.

Getting Lyddy starts in each of the last four games of the season could set Tech up for a big year in 2023.

2 -- Run Defense Steps Up

Tech's run defense was really good against the Panthers on Friday night.

Scott Power's unit allowed only 57 yards in 26 carries for the game.

After allowing over 250 yards per game through the first 7 weeks, this was certainly a step in the right direction.

Let's hope the unit can continue to improve throughout the remaining four weeks of the season.

3 -- Best OL Play of the 2022 Season

The offensive line played its best game of the season against FIU on Friday night.

The unit allowed only 3 quarterback pressures all night and paved the way for 184 yards and 4 TDs on the ground.

The unit was playing three underclassmen in Dakota White, Bert Hale, and Carson Bruno as well.

Nice building blocks for the much maligned group going forward.

Two Questions Going Forward

1 -- Is Landry Lyddy the starter at QB for the remainder of the 2022 season?

He has to be, right?

While the 2022 season certainly hasn't gone as expected, if Sonny Cumbie can come out of the season knowing who his starting quarterback is long term that would be a HUGE positive for the program.

The kid proved that he belonged on Friday night, and the fan base is the most excited they've been about a young quarterback going all way back to Luke McCown in 2000.

2 -- What are the goals for Louisiana Tech over the final four games of the 2022 season?

Let's be honest, it's tough to see the Bulldogs winning out over the next month to find itself in a bowl game come December.

So what are the goals down the stretch?

The building blocks on offense of Landry Lyddy, Marquis Crosby, Charvis Thornton, Tre Harris, Smoke Harris, Tahj Magee, Cyrus Allen, Julien Lewis, Nate Jones, Dakota White, Bert Hale, Jerren Gilbert, and Carson Bruno are really encouraging.

Having some younger players emerge on defense down the stretch would be ideal.

One Prediction for Next Week

Tech rushes for another 150+ yards against Middle Tennessee on Saturday afternoon.

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