Coming off the biggest win of the Cumbie era, what can the Dogs do to shock the world by upsetting the Arkansas Razorbacks?
With their backs against the wall - here are three things Tech must do to be successful tomorrow afternoon.
1) Defensive Mastery
I think it's fair to say that the Bulldog defense proved how legit they are in last week's road win over Western Kentucky. They held the vaunted offense to 215 yards - their lowest output of the season since they got SHELLED by Bama in week 1 (63-0).
This week, there's another huge test in store. Arkansas' offense is very good... AND it's balanced. Coming into week 11, the Hogs have the 11th overall offense in the nation, and have seen HUGE improvements under Bobby Petrino. They rank 44th in rushing offense (180 ypg) and 20th in pass offense (278 ypg).
The last two weeks, Tech's defense has bested the best two teams in CUSA (well... for 1:19:56 of football, anyway). One was a run-heavy team in Jax State, the other a pass heavy team in Western.
Can the Dogs put those two performances together and shut down a team that can do it all? They'll have to to have a chance in Fayetteville.
2) Perfect Execution
To upset an SEC opponent on the road, especially one late in the season where bowl eligibility is still on the line, Tech will need to play PERFECT football.
I thought there were some encouraging signs last week - winning the turnover battle and only committing one egregiously unnecessary personal foul, to name a few. The PFF numbers showed that our defenders only missed TWO tackles in the entire game! That's a crazy stat.
But this week will need to be perfect across the board. No unforced errors if you want a shot at an upset.
3) Offense... do something
Here's a hot take for you - Tech won't win this game through Buck Buchanan's leg alone. We will need Evan Bullock, Tru Edwards, and some combination of Running Backs to ball out and make some plays.
We've seen flashes of what the offense can be - but it's been highly inconsistent, even within drives! Last week, several of us covered the struggles Tech faces when they reach enemy territory. Whether it's the 40, the 20, or the 10 - the Bulldog offense seems to clam up, call timid plays, and stop executing. It's been one of the fundamental frustrations of a season where we've lost 6 games by 10 or fewer points.
Another hot take... scoring more touchdowns in those 6 games would've made this season a whole lot different.
Bottom line: Can Tru channel Troy in his last stab at a P5 opponent? We might need another 400 yarder out of the ol' Edwards clan tomorrow afternoon!
------
Evan is also a part of go tech pls dont die, a zany LA Tech sports blog, Twitter, and podcast. Check us out!
