LAST TIME OUT: Louisiana Tech broke a five-game losing streak with a 48-14 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette. True freshman quarterback Luke McCown led the charge by completing 31-of-42 passess for 353 yards and six touchdowns, which tied for the fourth best touchdown performance in a single game. Wide receiver Delwyn Daigre pulled down five passes for 82 yards and two touchdowns. The Bulldog defense only allowed 77 yards passing. The Ragin' Cajuns were led by running back Jerome Coleman who gained 117 yards on 21 carries.
SERIES VS. AUBURN: Today's contest marks the ninth meeting between Louisiana Tech and Auburn. The Tigers lead the all-time series 7-0-1. The teams last met in 1998 with Auburn winning 32-17. Tech was led by wide receiver Troy Edwards who pulled down eight passes for 58 yards and also gained 67 yards on four carries and one touchdown. Quarterback Tim Rattay completed 27 of 46 passes for 227 yards and one touchdown. Auburn was led by quarterback Gabe Gross who completed 6 of 13 passes for 100 yards and one touchdown. Gross also gained 32 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns.
MILESTONE VICTORY: Louisiana Tech's win over UL-Lafayette was the 500th victory in the program's history. The Bulldogs now have a 500-348-37 (.565) record in 99 seasons. The win was also the 100th win at Joe Aillet Stadium. Tech holds a 100-36-2 (.725) record at its home venue.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT: Auburn lost for the second week in a row after winning its first five games. The Tigers lost a 38-7 decision at Florida. Running back Rudi Johnson ran for 133 yards on 22 carries while quarterback Ben Leard completed 19 of 30 passes for 164 yards.
NCAA STATISTICS: Each week the NCAA ranks all 114 Division I-A teams in several catagories. Below is a listing of all the catagories and both Tech's and Auburn's national rankings.
Catagory Tech Auburn Rushing Offense 67th 41st Passing Offense 20th 62nd Total Offense 36th 62nd Scoring Offense 50th 56th Rushing Defense 108th 18th Pass Defense 14th 39th Total Defense 91rd 17th Scoring Defense 103rd 33rd Net Punting 114th 23rd Punt Returns 92nd 86th Kickoff Returns 85th 68th Turnover Margin 113th 55th Fumbles Recovered 26th 101st Passess Intercepted 85th 31st Fumbles Lost 102nd 59th Passes Had Intercepted 114th 8th Turnovers Gained 62nd 71st Turnovers Lost 114th 23rd Passing Efficiency 34th 32nd Pass Efficiency Defense 82nd 52nd
The brothers Mccown: McCown is a pretty good name, especially for quarterbacks. True freshman Luke McCown comes from a family of quarterbacks. He has two older brothers that have played quarterback at the Division I-A level. Brother Randy was a quarterback for the Aggies at Texas A&M while brother Josh is the current starting quarterback for SMU.
DYNAMIC DUO: Louisiana Tech boasts some of the top receivers in the nation. In fact, two of the Bulldogs rank as one of the top receiving tandems in the nation. James Jordan and John Simon are tied for first in the nation by total catches and tied for third for catches per game as a duo.
Leading Division I-A Receiving Tandems(min. 10.0 cpg.)
By Total Catches1. Kenny Christian (56/600)/Kevin Walter (31/343), Eastern Michigan87/9431. James Jordan (53/525)/John Simon (34/326), Louisiana Tech 87/8513. Lee Mays (41/701)/Brian Natkin (41/497), UTEP 82/1,2004. Deion Branch (42/604)/Arnold Jackson (36/334), Louisville 78/9384. Brian Robinson (43 rec./446 yards)/KeyKowa Bell (35/478), Houston 78rec./924 yards6. Tim Stratton (36/400)/Vinny Sutherland (40/599), Purdue 76/9997. Donald Shoals (46/744)/Corey Brown (25/310), Tulsa 71/1,0548. Ty Buxton (39/481)/Sly Johnson (31/499), Miami (Ohio) 70/980By Catches/Game1. Brian Robinson (43 rec./446 yards)/KeyKowa Bell (35/478), Houston 13.0per game1. Deion Branch (42/604)/Arnold Jackson (36/334), Louisville 13.0 pg3. Kenny Christian (56/600)/Kevin Walter (31/343), Eastern Michigan 12.4pg3. James Jordan (53/525)/John Simon (34/326), Louisiana Tech 12.4 pg5. Lee Mays (41/701)/Brian Natkin (41/497), UTEP 11.7 pg6. Tim Stratton (36/400)/Vinny Sutherland (40/599), Purdue 10.8 pg7. Donald Shoals (46/744)/Corey Brown (25/310), Tulsa 10.1 pg8. Ty Buxton (39/481)/Sly Johnson (31/499), Miami (Ohio) 10.0 pg
SPREADING IT OUT: For only the third time in school history, five different receivers pulled down a touchdown in a single game this past weekend in Tech's 48-14 win over UL-Lafayette. Delwyn Daigre caught two touchdown passes while James Jordan, Sean Cangelosi, Allen Stark and Faheem Ali each had one touchdown grab. The Bulldogs first performed the feat in 1995 when Jason Martin tossed six touchdowns to five different receivers in a 59-14 win over Northern Illinois. Tim Rattay helped to repeat the trick in last seasons 58-17 victory against UL-Monroe when he also tossed six TD passes to five receivers. True freshman quarterback Luke McCown pulled off the task in only the second start of his collegiate career.
RANKED BULLDOGS: James Jordan and John Simon are both ranked nationally in a couple of NCAA statistical catagories. Jordan is third in the nation with 7.57 receptions per game. The New Orleans, La. native, also ranks 37th in the country with 75.00 receiving yards per game. Simon, a native of Baton Rouge, La., is ranked 49th in the nation with 4.86 receptions per contest. The junior running back also ranks 35th in the country with an average of 131.00 all-purpose yards per game.
Tech vs. The sec: Louisiana Tech is currently 6-48-2 against teams in the SEC. Tech has played at least one school from the SEC every season since 1987. The Bulldogs have played every team in the conference except Kentucky and Georgia. The overall records against the SEC teams are listed below.
Alabama 2-3-0Arkansas 0-3-0Auburn 0-7-1Florida 0-1-0LSU 1-15-0Mississippi 1-6-0Mississippi State 2-7-0South Carolina 0-4-1Tennessee 0-1-0Vanderbilt 0-1-0Total 6-48-2
TECH VS. THE STATE OF ALABAMA: The Bulldogs hold a 8-12-1 record against the teams from the state of Alabama.
Alabama 2-3-0UAB 4-0-0Auburn 0-7-1Birmingham Southern 0-1-0Jacksonville State 1-0-0Samford 1-1-0
SETTING NEW HIGHS: Luke McCown set career highs for completions (31), attempts (42), yards (353) and touchdowns (6) in the Bulldogs 48-14 win over UL-Lafayette. His 39-yard touchdown pass to Delwyn Daigre in the third quarter was also the longest touchdown pass of his career. Josh Scobee's 39-yard field goal in the second quarter was the longest FG of his career. Willie Sheppard's interception in the second quarter was his first career interception while Faheem Ali's 26-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter was the first touchdown of his career.
TURNOVER WOES: The Bulldogs have been plagued by turnovers in their first seven contests. Tech turned the ball over three times against Mississippi Valley State, five times against Kansas State, seven times against Penn State twice against Stephen F. Austin four times against Tulsa, three times against Middle Tennessee and twice against UL-Lafayette. The 26 total turnovers committed by Louisiana Tech is more than any other team in the country at this point in the season.
Recapping the 1999 season: The 1999 Bulldogs had a tall order in front of them when they opened the season with No. 1 Florida State and No. 6 Texas A&M. Louisiana Tech played tough but came away 0-2 to start the season. The Bulldogs rebounded from the losses to rattle off eight straight victories, including perhaps the biggest win in school history with a 29-28 win over the eventual SEC champion Alabama. The eight consecutive victories was the longest such streak since the 1973 and 1974 seasons. Tech ended the season with a road loss to Southern California, but came away from the season with national respect. The Bulldogs broke into the AP Top 25 poll for the first time in school history Nov. 21st. For the second consecutive year, the Bulldogs led the nation in passing yardage and finished No. 4 in total offense, while quarterback Tim Rattay led the nation in total offense for the third straight year.
Well Received: Three of Louisiana Tech's players have recorded at least one reception in 20 or more consecutive games. Wide receivers James Jordan and Delwyn Daigre and running back John Simon all rank nationally for consecutive reception games. Louisiana Tech is the only school in the country to have more than one player on the list.
1. Mel Long, Toledo 411. Arnold Jackson, Louisville 413. Khori Ivy, West Virginia 343. Orlando Iglesias, Houston (injured) 325. Margin Hooks, BYU 316. James Jordan, Louisiana Tech 306. John Simon, Louisiana Tech 306. Roy Johnson, Minnesota 309. Reggie Wayne, Miami (Fla.) 299. Kevin Coffey, Virginia 2911. Kendall Newson, Middle Tennessee 2711. Delwyn Daigre, Louisiana Tech 2713. Latef Grim, Pittsburgh 2614. Tim Stratton, Purdue 2615. Kurt Gerling, Bowling Green 25
Road warriors: Tech finished the 1999 season 5-2 on the road defeating Alabama 29-28, UL-Lafayette 41-31, UCF 46-35, Toledo 34-17 and Alabama-Birmingham 41-20, while losing at Florida State 41-7 and Southern California 45-19. The Bulldogs continue their road philosophy by playing 8 of their 12 games on the road this season. This year the Dawgs travel to Kansas State, Penn State, Tulsa, Middle Tennessee, Auburn, Miami, Louisiana-Monroe and Hawaii.
Heading for Greener Pastures: The 2000 Bulldogs will enjoy their last season as an Independent as Louisiana Tech heads into the Western Athletic Conference in the fall of 2001. Considered by many to be the most important move in Tech's athletic history, the WAC gives the Bulldogs three bowl tie-ins to battle for on the gridiron. The 2001 WAC will consist of the following schools: Boise State, Fresno State, Hawaii, Nevada, Rice, San Jose State, Southern Methodist, Texas-El Paso and Tulsa.
Top 25 Opponents: Each year it seems like the Bulldogs love to play some of the nation's best and the 2000 season will be no different. Two of the the Bulldogs' oppenents are ranked in the AP Top 25 poll. The Bulldogs second game of the season came against Kansas State on September 2. The Wildcats were listed as the No. 8 team in the nation at that time and have since dropped to No. 10. On October 21st, the Bulldogs will travel to Auburn, who has been ranked for most of the season. The Tigers dropped out of the polls last week. Louisiana Tech will play another ranked opponent, the University of Miami, on October 28th. The Hurricanes are currently ranked No. 4 in the country. Penn State, the Bulldogs' opponent on September 9th, started the season at the No. 22 spot in the AP poll before dropping out.
On the Road as A Division I-A: Since becoming a Division I-A school in 1989, the Bulldogs have compiled a 27-45-3 mark on the road. However, Tech has defeated Baylor, 10-9 in 1992, Mississippi State 38-23 in 1996, Alabama, 26-20 in 1997, Tulsa, 35-21 in 1990, Houston, 19-7 in 1995, Alabama, 29-28 in 1999 and Central Florida, 46-35 in 1999 all on the road during that time. The Bulldogs have also registered close losses at Arkansas, 17-13 in 1997, at South Carolina, 14-13 in 1992, at Auburn, 16-14 in 1990, and at Ole Miss, 13-6 in 1992. Tech also tied South Carolina 12-12 in 1991.
Bulldogs in Division I-A: This is the 12th season Tech has competed as a Division I-A member and the fourth straight as an independent. Tech has compiled a 66-57-4 record as a D-1 school, including six winning seasons (1989, 1990, 1991, 1996, 1997, 1999). As an independent in Division I-A, the Bulldogs are 56-34-4. Tech played as a member of the Big West from 1993-1995 and compiled a 10-23 record over that time. Note: The 1989 Bulldogs forfeited two games, and the 1998 team won a game by forfeit. However, these totals are not included in the above overall marks.
99 Seasons and Counting: This year marks the 99th season in the history of Louisiana Tech football. Although the program was started in 1901, Tech discontinued football in 1943. That inaugural season, Coach Edwin Barber's Bulldogs went 0-2 with losses to LSU 57-0 and Arkansas 16-0. The Bulldogs' first win came in 1904 in a 6-0 victory over LSU.
Quick Strike: When the Bulldogs get the ball, they don't necessarily keep it for an extended period of time. Tech had its longest drive of the season in the game against Kansas State, covering 78 yards in 5:22. All the Bulldog touchdown drives are listed below.
Time Opponent Plays Yards0:05 MVSU 2 550:12 MVSU 1 600:14 ULL 2 100:15 ULL 2 260:24 MVSU 2 460:44 Penn State 3 140:49 MVSU 3 131:01 ULL 4 651:03 MVSU 5 331:03 MVSU 6 361:33 ULL 5 701:40 Tulsa 4 161:53 ULL 9 592:16 ULL 7 552:36 MVSU 5 722:37 MTSU 6 543:04 SFA 8 803:07 ULL 8 583:08 MVSU 8 783:19 MTSU 8 613:24 MTSU 11 733:47 MVSU 9 724:43 ULL 10 494:59 SFA 11 805:02 SFA 13 855:13 Kansas State 10 80
Of the 26 touchdown drives against Louisiana Tech, 10 of them have been less than 50 yards and nine of them were the result of a Bulldog turnover. All the Bulldog opponent touchdown drives are listed below.
Time Team Plays Yards0:06 Stephen F. Austin 1 80:10 Kansas State 1 580:13 Stephen F. Austin 1 210:13 Penn State 2 290:23 MTSU 1 790:31 Penn State 4 330:44 Penn State 4 481:32 MTSU 4 791:38 Penn State 4 351:43 Penn State 5 271:44 Penn State 5 291:49 MTSU 7 761:52 Penn State 5 712:00 Kansas State 6 802:07 MTSU 6 672:10 Kansas State 5 802:29 MVSU 6 712:57 Kansas State 9 544:26 Stephen F. Austin 17 904:35 ULL 9 444:41 MTSU 9 564:41 MTSU 7 414:58 Kansas State 12 805:23 Tulsa 11 677:08 Penn State 13 657:12 Tulsa 15 89
Tech in the 90s: Overall, Tech had a record of 60-49-3 in the decade of the '90s. The decade of the 90s started off with a bang for Louisiana Tech fans as the Bulldogs finished the regular season 8-3 before playing to a 34-34 tie in the Independence Bowl against Maryland. The following season the Bulldogs compiled their best record since joining Division I at 8-1-2, but were not invited to a post-season bowl. From 1992 through 1995, Tech suffered through four straight losing seasons with their best finish being 5-6 in both 1992 and 1995. However, under head coach Gary Crowton, the Dogs went 6-5 and 9-2 in '96 and '97 before falling to 6-6 in '98. In 1999, the Dawgs rebounded to a 8-3 record, including a 29-28 win over the eventual SEC champions Alabama. The 60 wins during the 90's marked the third highest win total for a decade in the school's history.
Bicknell at the helm: Jack Bicknell III is in his fourth year with the Bulldogs, and his second as the head man at Tech. After Gary Crowton's departure to become the offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears, Bicknell was named the 30th head coach in Bulldog history. The son of NFL Europe coach Jack Bicknell Jr., the younger Bicknell coached the offensive line at Tech for two seasons before being promoted to head coach. The Boston College graduate, who was the starting center for Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie in the early '80s, began his coaching career at his alma mater in 1985 as a graduate assistant. From there he headed to the University of New Hampshire as the defensive line coach. In 1993, he switched over to coach the offensive line.
Young Guns: Tech head coach Jack Bicknell is the second youngest head coach in Division I-A football ranks.
1. Chris Scelfo, Tulane 9-30-632. Jack Bicknell, Tech 2-7-633. Dana Dimel, Houston 10-9-624. Rick Neuheisel, Wash. 2-7-615. Cam Cameron, Indiana 2-6-616. Carl Franks, Duke 12-1-607. Bob Stoops, Okla. 9-6-608. Tom Holmoe, Calif. 3-7-609. Darrell Dickey, N. Texas 12-6-5910. Rick Rasnick, E. Mich 9-15-59
Winning in their First year: Coach Jack Bicknell posted the best mark of any first-year head coach in the Division I-A ranks last season.
1. Jack Bicknell (Tech) 8-32. June Jones (Hawaii) 9-43. David Cutcliff (Ole Miss) 8-44. Dennis Erickson (Oregon St) 7-44. Rick Neuheisel (Washington) 7-44. Terry Hoeppner (Miami, OH) 7-47. Gary Barnett (Colorado) 6-47. Bob Stoops (Oklahoma) 6-49. Tommy Bowden (Clemson ) 6-510. Tommy Tuberville (Auburn) 5-610. Bobby Keasler (ULM) 5-612. John Robinson (UNLV) 3-812. Randy Walker (Northwestern) 3-812. Chris Scelfo (Tulane) 3-812. Carl Franks (Duke) 3-812. Andy McCollum (MTSU) 3-817. Jerry Baldwin (ULL) 2-918. Kevin Steele (Baylor) 1-1018. Kirk Ferentz (Iowa) 1-1020. Lou Holtz (S. Carolina) 0-11
Hail Mary: Tech coach Jack Bicknell was the starting center for Boston College and Doug Flutie when the Eagles upset Miami on the last-second hail mary in the Orange Bowl in 1984.
AILLET STADIUM: Since Joe Aillet Stadim was constructed in 1968, Tech has dominated, posting a 100-36-2 mark during those 31 years. Eight times during that period, Tech has gone undefeated at home, including two winning streaks of 18 games. Only three times has Tech not had a winning record at home (1970, 1-3; 1983, 1-3; and 1987, 1-2).
Preseason All-Independent: Five different Bulldog players were named to various preseason All-Independent teams. Quarterback Brian Stallworth was named to the team by Preview Sports 2000 College Football magazine and was also named Street & Smith's Independent Newcomer of the Year. Wide receiver James Jordan was selected by Lindy's, Preview Sports 2000 College Football magazine and The Sporting News. Jordan was also chosen as Lindy's Independent Offensive Player of the Year. Running back John Simon was named to the All-Independent team as a return specialist by Lindy's and The Sporting News. Wide reciever Sean Cangelosi made the Lindy's and Football News 2000 All-Independent teams. Linebacker Quincy Stewart was selected by Preview Sports 2000 College Football magazine and by The Sporting News.
In Good Hands With: Tech boasts perhaps its deepest receiving corps in years. Wide receivers Sean Cangelosi, Delwyn Daigre, James Jordan and John Simon set a Divsion I-A record last year as the first foursome to catch 60 or more passes each in the same season. All four players are returning this season with Simon being moved from receiver to running back. All four players are quickly closing in on the Tech receiving record books.
Career Receptions1. Troy Edwards 2802. Chad Mackey 2623. Bobby Slaughter 1984. James Jordan 1905. Tommy Spinks 1826. John Simon 1537. Sean Cangelosi 1498. Delwyn Daigre 1459. Dean Jackson 13910. Josh Bradley 131Career Receiving Yards1. Troy Edwards 4,3522. Chad Mackey 3,7633. Tommy Spinks 2,9634. Roger Carr 2,7175. Bobby Slaughter 2,5446. James Jordan 2,0116. Sean Cangelosi 2,0118. Rod Fope 1,9789. Billy Ryckman 1,92810. Delwyn Daigre 1,888 John Simon 1,468Career Receiving TDs1. Troy Edwards 502. Chad Mackey 223. Sean Cangelosi 213. Josh Bradley 205. Roger Carr 196. James Jordan 177. Tommy Spinks 158. Delwyn Daigre 148. Bobby Slaughter 148. Rod Fope 1410. Pat Tilley 1310. Ken Liberto 13 John Simon 6
Single season records: Tech wide receivers James Jordan, John Simon and Delwyn Daigre all broke into the Tech record book last year for most receptions in a season.
1. Troy Edwards (1998) 1402. Troy Edwards (97) 1023. Chad Mackey (95) 904. Chad Mackey (96) 855. James Jordan (99) 816. John Simon (99) 797. Bobby Slaughter (90) 788. Billy Ryckman (76) 778. Delwyn Daigre (99) 7710. Corey Parham (92) 67Sean Cangelosi (99) 62
Jordan, Cangelosi and Daigre all broke into the Top 10 single season records for receiving touchdowns.
1. Troy Edwards (98) 27 2. Troy Edwards (97) 13 3. James Jordan (99) 11 4. Sean Cangelosi (99) 10 4. Chad Mackey (96) 10 4. Troy Edwards (96) 10 4. Billy Ryckman (76) 10 8. Delwyn Daigre (99) 9 8. Chad Mackey (95) 9 8. Ken Liberto (68) 9
With only the eighth 1,000-plus receiving yard season in Louisiana Tech history, Delwyn Daigre jumped into 7th place in the single-season receiving yards category during the 1999 campaign.
1. Troy Edwards (98) 1,9962. Troy Edwards (97) 1,7073. Chad Mackey (96) 1,4664. Billy Ryckman (76) 1,3825. Rod Fope (77) 1,2746. Chad Mackey (95) 1,2537. Delwyn Daigre (99) 1,0848. Ken Liberto (68) 1,0809. Tommy Spinks (69) 99510. Bobby Slaughter (90) 994Sean Cangelosi (99) 943James Jordan (99) 824
Cangelosi also is currently ranked fifth in the Louisiana Tech record book for career punt returns and career punt return yardage.
Career Punt Returns1. Wenford Wilborn 912. Lawrence Anderson 873. Lifford Jackson 674. Dean Jackson 655. Sean Cangelosi 37Career Punt Return Yardage1. Lawrence Anderson 7872. Wenford Wilborn 7423. Dean Jackson 5834. Eddie Brown 3985. Sean Cangelosi 325
UPSET Saturday: Tech's 29-28 win over then ranked No. 18 Alabama last season was the first time in school history the Bulldogs had defeated a Top 25 Division I-A team. Alabama eventually finished No. 6 in the nation and won the SEC championship.
Storybook Ending: Tech's win against the Crimson Tide was almost too improbable to believe. During the week following the game, the Tech sports information office was informed the game would be included as a chapter in a book which was published in 2000. Notre Dame professor Ted Mandell completed a book titled, The Pass; The Catch; The Kick; The Play: 100 of the Greatest College Football Finishes.
PLAYING AT HOME AS DIVISION 1-A: Since Tech moved up to Division I-A in 1989, the Bulldogs own a home record of 40-11, including a 2-2 mark in Shreveport. The Bulldogs ran off a streak of 18 straight home wins after joining I-A before droppin a 28-23 loss to UNLV at homecoming in 1993.
PASSING FANCY: Since the beginning of the 1996 season, Tech quarterbacks have recorded 33 300-yard plus passing performances, 13 400-yard plus performances and 8 500-yard plus performances. That's second highest total in the nation. The following is a list of some of the nation's top passing schools' 300, 400 and 500-yard passing performances over the last four years.
Louisiana Tech 300-yard games 33 400-yard games 13 500-yard games 8Kentucky 300-yard games 33 400-yard games 9 500-yard games 2Florida 300-yard games 31 400-yard games 7 500-yard games 0UCF 300-yard games 25 400-yard games 3 500-yard games 0Louisville 300-yard games 20 400-yard games 7 500-yard games 2Purdue 300-yard games 19 400-yard games 3 500-yard games 2Nevada 300-yard games 18 400-yard games 10 500-yard games 2Tennessee 300-yard games 17 400-yard games 2 500-yard games 1
OFFENSIVE MACHINE: During the course of the past four seasons, Louisiana Tech has finished in the nation's top 15 in total offense. The Bulldogs have finished in the top 4 for total offense the last three seasons.
Total Offense1996 14th 455.9 yards per game1997 3rd 496.0 yards per game1998 2nd 539.9 yards per game1999 4th 471.0 yards per game
The Bulldogs have also ranked in the top 3 in the country for passing offense and have led the nation for the past two seasons.
Passing Offense1996 3rd 343.5 yards per game1997 3rd 360.5 yards per game1998 1st 432.1 yards per game1999 1st 403.1 yards per game
Since the start of the 1996 season, when Tech went to the wide open passing attack, the Bulldogs have outpassed 43 of their 46 opponents.
HALFTIME HAPPINESS: The Bulldogs have won 19 straight games when they were leading at halftime. Their last loss was October 12, 1996 when the Bulldogs led Arkansas 21-17 at the half before losing 38-21 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. Tech has also won 17 straight when entering the third quarter with the lead. The last loss was the same Arkansas contest.
TALE OF THE TURNOVERS: Tech has won the last 17 games in which they commited fewer turnovers than their opponent. The Bulldogs' last loss when committing fewer turnovers came on Oct. 12, 1996 in a 38-21 loss against Arkansas.
ON THE SCOREBOARD: Since switching to a more wide open offense in 1996, the Bulldogs have recorded the four highest point totals for a season in the school's history. Tech reached the 400 point plateau for a season for the first time in 1996 by averaging 36.5 points per game. Since that year, the Bulldogs have notched three other record setting seasons, including the 1998 season when the team scored a school record 493 points and averaged another school record 41.1 points per game.
Year Total Points Points per game 1996 401 36.5 1997 364 33.1 1998 493 41.1 1999 389 35.4
BATON ROUGE CONNECTION: Baton Rouge, La. could be a second home to the Louisiana Tech football team. Eleven Bulldog players hail from the capital city including starters quarterback Brian Stallworth, running back John Simon, wide receivers Delwyn Daigre and Sean Cangelosi, offensive linemen Randy Richard and Damian Lavergne and defensive lineman Michael Boone. The Baton Rouge connection put their mark on the Mississippi Valley State game as Brian Stallworth threw four touchdown passes to his fellow Baton Rouge natives. Stallworth connected for two strikes to Cangelosi and one apiece to Simon and Daigre.
TALKING TOUCHBACKS: Freshman Josh Scobee has six touchbacks in 34 kickoff attempts.
Opponent Kos TouchbacksMVSU 10 1@ KSU 3 2@ PSU 2 1SFA 5 0Tulsa 3 0MTSU 4 0ULL 7 2Totals 34 6
TURNOVERS TO POINTS: Louisiana Tech has turned the ball over 24 times this season leading to 74 points scored against the Bulldogs. In return, the Bulldogs have picked up 21 points off of eight turnovers by Tech opponents.
Turnovers/Points Allowed OffOpponent TO Pts. Offvs. MVSU 3 0@ KSU 5 13@ PSU 7 37SFA 2 14@ Tulsa 4 10MTSU 3 0ULL 2 0Totals 26 74Tech TO Gained Pts.vs. MVSU 2 7@ KSU 2 0@ PSU 2 7SFA 1 7@ Tulsa 1 0MTSU 2 0ULL 2 7Totals 12 28
