The 3-2-1 | Rough week concludes w/ loss to UTSA, ODU trip looms this week

With conference realignment news at the forefront of the news cycle throughout the week, Louisiana Tech had an opportunity on the field to erase some of those negative thoughts for 3.5 hours against UTSA on Saturday night.

However, the Bulldogs put together perhaps their most disappointing performance of the year in a 45-16 loss to the Roadrunners.

Three Things We Learned

1 -- Lock of the Year No Longer Unbeaten

"Lock. Of. The. Year. We've said it all year, Tech is going to beat UTSA. Tight game? Blowout? Shootout? Defensive battle? We don't know, but Louisiana Tech will win. Take it to the bank."

This was our one prediction for the UTSA, it was the Lock of the Year. Credit to the Roadrunners, the Lock of the Year is now 2-1 overall in its brief history. We must admit, the Lock of the Year has developed a reputation as the UTSA faithful were quick to remind me how wrong I was.

We'll wear it.

2 -- 'Dogs are in a tail spin

Louisiana Tech has now lost three consecutive games against NC State, UTEP, and UTSA. Granted, those three programs are a combined 19-3 overall. However, the biggest issue is the manner in which the Bulldogs are losing football games, particularly the last two weeks. In the two losses to UTEP and UTSA, Tech has scored just 9.5 points per game while committing 6 turnovers. To take it a step further, Tech's offense is averaging 85.5 yards rushing over the two losses and have allowed QB Austin Kendall to be sacked 10 times.

3 -- Conference Realignment has not been friendly to Louisiana Tech

Saying that conference realignment has not been friendly to Louisiana Tech may be putting it lightly. What started as Texas and Oklahoma moving from the Big 12 to the SEC has trickled all the way down to Conference USA. Reports surfaced last Monday that North Texas, Rice, UTSA, UAB, FAU, and Charlotte were headed to the AAC. Quality results in all sports, right?? Sike!! Markets baby!!! Southern Miss then made its move to the Sun Belt official on Friday. ODU and Marshall are also reportedly, although not official, headed to the Sun Belt with the Golden Eagles. With Louisiana Tech, WKU, MTSU, UTEP, and FIU as possibly the only schools remaining in Conference USA, the league is certainly at a crossroads. Where will the Bulldogs end up? Your guess is as good as mine, but we'll have it covered all week on BleedTechBlue.com.

Two Questions Going Forward

1 -- Can Louisiana Tech respond?

Louisiana Tech has won 57 games and gone to 7 straight bowls from 2014-2020. Sitting at 2-5, the Bulldogs are in a position that they've not been in under Skip Holtz. Tech must win at least 4 of 5 games down the stretch in order to become bowl eligible. Here's the problem, it was evident that the effort was lacking in the second half against UTSA. The Bulldogs were also out of sorts against UTEP the previous week. Can Holtz get the guys up for the road trip to ODU this weekend? It won't be easy, but it'll tell a lot about where the program is at.

2 -- What is up with the offensive line?

Tech's offense line has allowed 27 QB pressures and 10 sacks over the last two weeks against UTEP and UTSA. Coach Guge's unit had allowed only 9 sacks in its first 5 games of the season. It's astounding to see some of the regressions that the offensive line has had the last two weeks, but it's a problem that can be minimized at a minimum. Let's see if Guge and co. can fix some things up front against the Monarchs.

One Prediction for Next Week

Nope. Not this week. We are staying away from predictions for at least a week.

---

Join the discussion on the Tech Drive. We are your #1 source for Louisiana Tech football throughout the 2021 season.

Follow us on Twitter: @BCarlisle37, @BleedTechBlue