Louisiana Tech will host Stephen F. Austin inside Joe Aillet Stadium on Saturday night.

Kickoff is scheduled for 6 PM on ESPN3 between the Bulldogs and Lumberjacks.

Let's take a look at a few things we've learned from last week + some questions going forward for Sonny Cumbie's squad.

Three Things We Learned

1 -- Myles Brooks, Willie Roberts, and RJ Johnson shine at cornerback

We've talked throughout much of the off-season about how improved the cornerback play would be in 2022, and that was proven to be correct on Thursday night. The trio of Brooks, Roberts, and Johnson combined to allow 2 of 8 passes to be completed for a total of 8 yards when targeted. Johnson also had 2 PBUs, while Brooks had 1.

Not a bad start to their Louisiana Tech careers by any means.

2 -- Cyrus Allen is going to be a factor at WR

Cyrus Allen is a true freshman wide receiver from Landry Walker HS in New Orleans. Louisiana Tech fans probably learned that on Thursday night.

The 5'11 Allen had 5 catches for 121 yards and 2 TDs in his collegiate debut against Missouri. The highlight came on a 64-yard TD catch from Parker McNeil in the 3rd quarter of Tech's loss.

With that kind of performance, Allen proved that he's ready to play a large role in the Tech offense going forward.

3 -- The punting wasn't good, and that's the only way to describe it

Simply put, Louisiana Tech struggled to punt the football on Thursday night.

Austin McCready and Patrick Rea punted a combined 7 times for a 34.8 yard average against Missouri.

At one point in the second quarter, Missouri had two touchdown drives that combined for only 77 total yards due to great field position.

With an offense that might be inconsistent, especially early in the season, the Bulldogs are unable to afford short fields for an opponent all game long.

The punter position is wide open heading into week 2.

Two Questions Going Forward

1 -- Who will start at quarterback against SFA this weekend?

It's no secret, Matthew Downing really struggled in his second career start on Thursday night.

The RS JR signal caller finished 20/35 for 194 yards, 1 TD and 3 INTs. A 4th INT was called back due to penalty.

Could Downing have been facing some early season jitters having not played meaningful snaps in a game since 2020? Sure.

However, Parker McNeil definitely took advantage of his opportunity when he was thrust into game action in the 3rd quarter.

The 6'6 senior finished 7/11 for 142 yards and 2 TDs.

More importantly, McNeil looked confident in his ability and really let the football rip in the 3rd and 4th quarter.

2 -- How will Tech respond to its season opening loss when SFA comes to town on Saturday night?

There's no doubt that the offensive scheme was fun to watch at Missouri. Even if the execution was suspect at times, it's easy to see that Sonny Cumbie is a solid offensive mind.

Defensively, Scott Power's group went toe-to-toe with the Tigers for 2.5 quarters before getting worn down and allowing 28 points over the final 22 min of game action.

It's cliche, but we here all the time about teams across the country improving the most from week 1 to week 2.

Responding to a tough defeat with an impressive victory to open the home schedule is a must for this young Tech team.

One Prediction for Next Week

Louisiana Tech will get its first win of the season against Stephen F. Austin on Saturday night.

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