The 3-2-1 | Louisiana Tech set to open 2023 season at home against FIU - BleedTechBlue: Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Football & Basketball Recruiting

The Bulldogs are looking to bounce back from back-to-back 3-9 seasons, and the run towards redemption starts at The Joe against the Panthers later this week.

Three Things We Learned this Off-Season

1 -- Hank Bachmeier is the Starting Quarterback

Sonny Cumbie went out and found himself an experience starting quarterback in the transfer portal this off-season.

Hank Bachmeier comes to Louisiana Tech with 29 career starts under his belt, 6,605 career yards passing, and 41 touchdown passes.

I'm not sure there was a more experienced quarterback available in the portal, and Bachmeier appears to be the perfect fit in Ruston from what we've seen so far.

2 -- The Defense will be Much Improved

Tech allowed 468 yards and nearly 38 points per game in 2022.

Let's be honest for a second though, the unit lacked pass rushers up front and lacked serious foot speed at both linebacker and in the secondary.

Scott Power hit the transfer portal hard this off-season and added 18 transfers on that side of the ball.

The overall speed of the defense has improved tremendously, and the unit believes it'll be pretty good in 2023.

3 -- There is optimism surrounding the program

Winning only 6 of your last 24 games overall isn't great. That's obvious.

But I'll be honest, this year's Tech team has a different vibe to it than it did back in 2022.

Maybe it's Sonny Cumbie settling into the head coaching role in year two. Maybe it's the presence of an experienced quarterback like Hank Bachmeier. Maybe it's the addition of 18 transfers on defense.

Maybe it's just that time of year!

Two Questions Going Forward

1 -- Who are the playmakers at wide receiver?

I've mentioned earlier how the addition of Hank Bachmeier at quarterback instantly makes Tech relevant on the offensive side of the football.

That said, leading receiver Tre Harris chose to transfer to Ole Miss in the off-season.

Who will Hank be throwing to?

Smoke Harris is the obvious go-to target having hauled in 225 passes during his time in Ruston.

Beyond Harris, Tech will need Cyrus Allen (22 career catches), Kyle Maxwell (32 career catches), Julien Lewis (18 career catches), and Nate Jones (16 career catches) to step up and prove that they can be consistent on a weekly basis.

2 -- Has the run defense improved?

Tech allowed 243.2 yards per game on the ground a season ago. That was the second worst mark in the entire country.

Jayden Gray. Jesse Evans. Kells Bush. David Blay. Rason Williams. Reggie Jones. Zyun Reeves. Ezekiel Durham-Campbell.

That's 8 transfer additions along the defensive line.

Brevin Randle. Kolbe Fields. Jeslord Boateng. Zach Zimos.

That's 4 transfer additions at linebacker.

There was certainly not a lack of trying when it comes to improving the run defense. I'm excited to see what it looks like on Saturday night.

One Prediction for This Week

Tech beats FIU by 2 TDs.

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