It's our favorite time of year at BleedTechBlue.com! Both football and basketball are competing at the same time, and we get to cover it ALL!

After 33 days off, Skip Holtz's squad returned to action Thursday night and earned a 42-31 win at North Texas.

On the hardwood, Eric Konkol's squad is off to a 3-1 start in non-conference play.

Let's mix it up and discuss both sports in "The 3-2-1" this week!

Three things we learned this week

1 -- Israel Tucker is GOOD

Tucker was the best player on the field in Denton Thursday night. The 5'8, 200-pound RS SR RB had 37 carries for 161 yards and 2 TDs in Tech's 42-31 win over North Texas. There is nothing flashy about Tucker's game, but he understands who he is as a RB and does his job. For the season, Tucker has 497 yards rushing and 4 TDs.

2 -- The QB rotation moves forward

As has been the case throughout the 2020 season, both Luke Anthony and Aaron Allen continued to take snaps at QB for Tech against North Texas. In the win, Anthony saw action on 51 snaps, while Allen saw action on 35. Anthony led TD drives on four of his seven possessions, while Allen led TD drives on two of his five possessions. Anthony finished 13/20 for 110 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT. Allen finished 6/11 for 48 yards. What does all this mean? Both guys will see action again this week when Tech travels to TCU.

3 -- Kenneth Lofton Jr. can ball

Eric Konkol has found a stud freshman in Kenneth Lofton Jr. At 6'8, 275 pounds, Junior is the best post player that Louisiana Tech has had since Paul Millsap. Yes, you read that right. Through four games, Lofton Jr. is averaging 11.8 points and 8.2 rebounds in 19 minutes per game off the bench. Lofton Jr. is can't miss TV and is going to be a STUD for years to come.

Two questions going forward

1 -- Are Dakota White and Walker Hankinson the answer for Tech at offensive tackle going forward?

TR FR Dakota White and RS FR Walker Hankinson started at offensive tackle for the Bulldogs Thursday night. The duo performed well. White allowed just one sack on 34 drop backs, while Hankinson didn't let the Mean Green DL sniff Luke Anthony or Aaron Allen. The offensive tackle position has been a revolving door for the Bulldogs in 2020, but Skip Holtz might have found the right combo Thursday night.

2 -- Is the guard play good enough for the Dunkin' Dogs to make some noise come March?

Cobe Williams, Amorie Archibald, and Kalob Ledoux are a combined 44/114 (39%) from the field through four games. The trio must be more efficient if Tech is going to make a run in conference play. In Tech's 86-55 loss to LSU Sunday night, they went 6/26 (23%) with 3 assists and 7 turnovers. Those numbers won't cut it come conference play. The guard play must get better for the Bulldogs.

One prediction

1 -- Bulldogs make a 7th straight bowl game

With the win over North Texas Thursday night, it's safe to say that Skip Holtz will have his Bulldogs playing in a bowl game for a 7th consecutive season. With all the craziness that 2020 has brought to the college football season, Tech will get a chance to extend the longest bowl win streak in the country later this month.

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