2011 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Football Preview

Fireworks and flair have their place, but regularity of production is what matters most over the long slog of a punishing football season. The challenge for Louisiana Tech in 2011 is not the situational play selection or the ability to make big plays; it’s the every-Saturday grind in which lulls and letdowns can’t last for very long.

Second-year head coach Sonny Dykes likes the way the Bulldogs’ offense looked during the spring. The former offensive coordinator at Texas Tech and Arizona has had one year to implement his spread offense and the results, in his mind, are beginning to show that this Tech is about to take off in Ruston, Louisiana, one of the overlooked corners of the college football world. Junior quarterback Colby Cameron threw five touchdowns to five different receivers as the offense showed it may have turned a corner. Richie Casey and Quinten Patton are two receivers the fans are excited to see in this not so “Western” part of the Western Athletic Conference.  

The defense struggled in 2010 for the Bulldogs, giving up over 30 points per contest. However, it also needs to be said that Boise State and Hawaii resided in the WAC, which affected final scoring averages and totals. This year, Boise’s absence from the fray should give a boost to the Bulldogs on the field. It also has to be said that Louisiana Tech has finally secured some inside defensive depth, which will help a great deal during the upcoming campaign. Defense ends I.K. Enempkali and Matt Broha lead a stout interior Bulldog defense.

In 2010, the Bulldogs finished just 5-7, but had two games slip through their fingers. Losing close games at Fresno State and home to Southern Miss kept the Bulldogs from qualifying for their first bowl since 2008. The schedule in 2011 is heavy on road games and travel. Contests at Southern Miss, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss will test the young Bulldog offense. Louisiana Tech has just five home games in 2011, with Houston and Hawaii being the best of the bunch.

This was a team that gave Boise State a very strong run for the money last year in a Tuesday night game played in Idaho. Dykes had his team ready to play, and he dialed up a lot of gimmicks that fooled and flummoxed a generally well-coached Boise defense. That contest showed that, in short spans of time, Louisiana Tech could throw punches and even land a few. This year, though, any brief bursts of excellence have to become sustained periods of quality – perhaps modest quality, but something better than the pronounced valleys which accompanied this team’s infrequent peaks. A steadier season with more of a lunch-pail mentality will serve this program well.

> Buy Louisiana Tech clothing & apparel and find a great selection of college Fathead helmets online through College Sports Fans!