Louisiana Tech fell to 2-7 overall and 1-4 in Conference USA action with a 52-38 loss at UAB Saturday afternoon.

Let's break it all down.

Three Things We Learned

1 -- The Bowl Streak is Officially Over

With the loss to UAB, Louisiana Tech made it official that it will not go to a bowl game for the first time since 2013. The 'Dogs had been to a bowl game in 7 of Skip Holtz's first 8 years. Prior to Skip Holtz's arrival, Tech had only been to 6 bowl games total in its FBS history.

2 -- JD Head Performed Well

JD Head made his first career start against the Blazers with Austin Kendall out due to injury. Head totaled 196 yards passing and 3 total touchdowns. Head finished 9/10 for 91 yards against pressure. If Louisiana Tech is going to maintain Head's redshirt status, the Pearland, TX can only appear in 1 more game. Do the Bulldogs go all in on 2022 with Head getting extended snaps in each of the last 3 game?

3 -- The Tackling on Defense was BAD

That might be putting it nicely. Louisiana Tech's defense missed 16 tackles and allowed 295 yards on the ground against the Blazers. DeWayne McBride had 14 carries for 210 yards and 4 TDs for UAB against the Tech defense. McBride averaged 12 (!!!!) yard after contact. Tackle. Tackle. Tackle. That will be the focus all week in practice.

Two Questions Going Forward

1 -- Can Louisiana Tech build momentum down the stretch?

We all understand that the 2021 season is lost at this point. However, it is important for the Bulldogs to close out the season on a positive note as it enters the off-season in unfamiliar territory. With 3 wins to close the regular season, Tech would finish at 5-7 overall. Tech has won at least 5 games in 10 of the last 11 seasons. Winning 5 games is nothing to write home about, but it would certainly assist in salvaging SOMETHING out of this TOUGH year.

2 -- Can the Bulldogs put together two solid weeks in a row on the ground?

Louisiana Tech ran the ball 41 times for 170 yards (excluding sacks) and 3 TDs on the ground against UAB. It was the second highest rushing output of the season against a UAB defense that ranks 24th nationally against the run. The run game had more variety to it, we saw the I-formation! Let's hope Holtz and co. continue to feed Marcus Williams and Keyon Henry-Brooks and allow for the passing game to feed off the run game.

One Prediction for Next Week

Crossover season is HERE! The Dunkin' Dogs open their 2021-2022 season Tuesday night while the Gridiron Dogs play Saturday afternoon. Lock of The Week: We'll COVER EVERY SINGLE BIT OF IT! Let's go!!

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