Throw your plans out the window, live in the present!
In the year 2020, not much has gone as expected, especially in the sports world.
Nothing we can do about it at BleedTechBlue.com except continue to move forward each day as we prepare for the 2020 season to kickoff.
After all, it's GAME WEEK!! Did I say that last week? My bad.
Three things we learned this week
1 -- La Tech and Baylor was postponed
Tuesday evening we learned that Louisiana Tech would not travel to Baylor for its September 12th match-up to open the season due to a large number of Covid-19 positive tests. Like we said last week, prepare for the unexpected. Baylor has since signed a deal to open its season with Houston on September 19th. When will the two teams square-off? Your guess is as good as mine, but it won't be in 2020.
2 -- La Tech Announces Game Day Procedures
Wednesday evening Louisiana Tech Athletics announced that they would be allowing a 25% seating capacity at home football games in 2020. That number amounts to 7,140 available seats each game. The Bulldogs are expected to open the home portion of their schedule on September 26th when they will host Houston Baptist. The Bulldogs will also host UTEP, Marshall, UAB, and Rice inside Joe Aillet Stadium in 2020.
3 -- College Football is BACK
Saturday felt "normal." Plain and simple, that's the only way I can explain it. I can't say that I've felt that way in quite a while. Clemson dominated Wake Forest, UTEP performed like UTEP, and the Sun Belt made plenty of noise with three big upsets of Big 12 opponents. Let's do it again this weekend with our beloved Bulldogs playing in primetime on ESPN2!
Two Questions for Southern Miss
1 -- Will Scott Walden rally the troops?
Jay Hopson resigned following USM's season opening loss to South Alabama. Scotty Walden was named interim coach and will have an opportunity to earn the job himself with a strong showing throughout the remainder of the 2020 season. The 30-year old is in his 4th season in Hattiesburg but taking over as head coach on the fly is a different animal. Walden was previously the HC at East Texas Baptist in 2016 as a 26-year old. The Golden Eagles might throw it 65 times Saturday night, and if so, then that's right up Walden's alley. The Sul Ross State University graduate called plays for an ETBU team that averaged 564 yards and 49.9 points per game in 2016.
2 -- Where will Tech be physically in its opener?
Obviously the Baylor game was postponed, but physically, where will this Tech team be? They've been short-handed from a numbers standpoint for quite some time now and have been unable to hold traditional practices leading up to a season. How will the QBs look? Will the offense be able to find its rhythm early? How will the defense tackle? These are all questions for the Bulldogs entering its season and conference opener on Saturday.
One prediction
1 -- Adrian Hardy Shines at WR
Adrian Hardy had a monster 2018 campaign for Louisiana Tech at WR hauling in 75 passes for 1,145 yards and 6 TDs. As a junior in 2019, Hardy took a step back with just 42 catches for 534 yards and 1 TD. In 2020, the Houston native is poised to bounce back. Hardy had a nice fall camp, appears focused and looks ready to be that true #1 receiving threat on the outside for the Bulldogs. Couple that with the fact that the USM secondary allowed 363 yards and 3 TDs through the air in its opener, and it's easy to see how Hardy could get off to a strong start in 2020.
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