2010 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Football Preview

2009 Results: 4-8, No Bowl

Head Coach: Sonny Dykes (1st year @ L-Tech, No Previous Head Coaching Experience)

Home Venue: Joe Aillet Stadium (30,600) Ruston, Louisiana

As strange as it sounds, Louisiana Tech’s former coach (Derek Dooley) managed to vault himself into the Tennessee job coming off of a losing season at a non-BCS conference school! While Dooley was widely respected as an up and coming coach, he only had one winning season during his three year tenure in Ruston and has to be shaking his head at his good luck right now.

As for the Bulldogs, they managed to replace their former wunderkind coach with Sonny Dykes, who recently turned the Arizona offense around. Much like Dooley, Dykes is seen as an up and coming coach. Can he return Tech to the postseason in his first year?

OFFENSE

For a team that only won four games last year, Louisiana Tech was surprisingly productive on offense, scoring nearly 30 points per game. However, the passing game will play a much bigger part under Dykes and new coordinator Tony Franklin, who had great success rebuilding Middle Tennessee State’s offense last season.

With the switch, it will be interesting to see if incumbent starter Ross Jenkins (2,095 yards, 17 TDs, 5 INT) can hold onto his position against fellow senior Steve Ensminger. This comes after a spring which saw Ensminger run the new offense with much greater success than Jenkins, who was widely criticized by the fans for his conservative play.

Whoever emerges to run the offense will have a great group of receivers to work with. Senior Phillip Livas was one of the most explosive players in the league last year en route to his 2nd Team All-WAC special teams nod. However, he wasn’t healthy for most of the year, at one point only playing on kick returns, and a healed turf toe should allow him to be an impact player all season. Along with sophomores Cruz Williams (259 yards, 3 TDs) and Ahmad Page (Tennessee transfer), there should be plenty of solid receivers on the field.

The O-Line also appears to be a strength as there are four returning senior starters, led by 2nd Team All-WAC left tackle Rod McGill. Their experience and skill should allow for an easy transition to the new scheme. They should also open holes for a depleted group of tailbacks to run through. In fact, tailback is the only major concern that I have with this offense as precious little production returns. However, former Tennessee starting tailback Lennon Creer, who apparently saw through Lane Kiffin before the rest of Vol nation, should fill in nicely as he was a former top ten recruit that was on the cusp of starting for the Vols when he left. I expect to see a balanced and productive offense this season in Ruston.

DEFENSE

One of the smartest moves that Dykes made upon his hiring was to retain Defensive Coordinator Tommy Spangler, who has overseen two consecutive strong showings on the defensive side of the football. That continuity should help this defense to continue performing at a high level while rebuilding their front line, where junior Matt Broha is the only returning starter. While Broha is a nice player (he did record 4 sacks in ’09), replacing three starters that included a 1st Team All-WAC performer won’t be easy.

At linebacker, things look much better. 1st Team All-WAC choice Adrien Cole (93 tackles, 2 sacks) and junior Jay Dudley (75 tackles, 2.5 sacks) were the team’s 1st and 3rd leading tacklers, respectively, last season and both seem primed for a strong campaign. Expect L-Tech to have one of the better sets of ‘backers in the league this fall.

The secondary also looks pretty good as three starters return, led by senior safety Tank Calais (77 tackles, 2 INT). In fact, Tech fans will argue that they actually return all four starters as sophomore CJ Broades started the final few games after former 1st Team All-WAC safety Antonio Baker broke his leg. I fully expect this group to have another solid campaign after holding opposing QBs to barely 200 yards per game through the air.

Overall, the only real concern is up front. However, the Bulldogs surprisingly allowed over 160 yards per game on the ground last season, so perhaps an overhaul might not be the worst thing to happen to them. With a strong set of linebackers, I think that Tech will be fine up front. Then factor in the solid secondary and I think you have a recipe for another solid defense in 2010.

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SCHEDULE

Louisiana Tech was hurt by last year’s difficult non-conference schedule that included Auburn, LSU and Navy. Things should be a little easier this year. While they still have to face Navy, only Texas A&M appears from BCS leagues, making this season already much easier to navigate. In conference, they do make the gigantic haul to Hawai’i without the benefit of an off week before or after but that is offset by hosting both Nevada and Fresno State. Of course, there is the away weeknight game against Boise State at midseason to make things more difficult but this is overall an easier schedule than 2009. One small surprise: Despite the allowance of a 13th game for the trip to the islands, Tech only has 12 games, reducing the needed number of wins to get bowl eligible from seven to six.

OUTLOOK

There are a lot of things to like about this Louisiana Tech team. Their offense is under the tutelage of two of the better offensive minds in the country in Dykes and Franklin, there is a ton of returning talent on both sides of the football and there will be continuity for their solid defense. On top of that, a full season of health from Philip Livas will inject some serious gamebreaking abilities into their lineup and that should pay dividends. Finally, a simpler schedule sets the Bulldogs up for a potential run at the postseason and I expect Louisiana Tech to win six games and earn a bowl berth.

PREDICTED RESULT: 6-6 (5-3 WAC)