MONROE, La. (Nov. 11) - Arguably the bitterest rivalry in Louisiana Tech football history came to a quiet end Saturday night as the Bulldogs (3-8) cruised to a 42-19 win over the Louisiana-Monroe Indians (1-9) before 14,756 emotionless fans at Malone Stadium.
Although the contest was the last scheduled in the series due to both schools entering separate football conferences next year, the usual intensity seemed lacking.
The combination of an early 26-0 Tech lead and cold weather quieted the usually vocal fans from both schools and even a slight Indian rally couldn't ignite the crowd.
Bulldog freshman signal caller Luke McCown continued his mastery of opposing defenses by completing 27-of-37 passes for 404 yards and four touchdowns in just over three quarters of action.
"The game went exactly as I wanted it to for the most part," McCown said. "I could have gone without the interception obviously, but besides that I was pleased. It's just such a great win for us, coming off three straight losses. After playing so well against Auburn and Miami and not winning those games, and then not playing the greatest game against Central Florida, it was nice to come out tonight and have things fall right."
McCown began the fireworks by hitting running back John Simon on a 25-yard scoring strike in the first quarter. Simon ended the game with five catches for 77 yards, including his fourth touchdown reception of the year.
Following a safety on a bad snap on a Louisiana-Monroe punt - the first safety a Tech team has registered since 1994 - and a 22-yard Josh Scobee field goal, McCown struck again as he found junior Delwyn Daigre on a 64-yard touchdown strike to up the Tech lead to 19-0. McCown scrambled on the play and was forced to add-lib before finding Daigre streaking down the sideline.
"That's a sign of a team that is maturing," McCown said. "The receivers are starting to know what I am thinking and I know what they are thinking. When we are all on the same page, even if something goes wrong on the play, something still can happen on the play. The Bulldogs ended their first half scoring when McCown hit James Jordan on a six-yard shuffle pass for a score. Jordan ended the evening with nine catches for 99 yards and the one touchdown.
ULM hit paydirt late in the first half when Andre Vige found Camaron Wynn for an 18-yard touchdown pass to cut the Tech lead to 26-7 at the half. The touchdown followed a fumbled punt return by Faheem Ali.
The Indians struck first in the second half on a one-yard touchdown run by Tim Lyons early in the third quarter to make the score 26-13 before McCown struck again on a five-yard touchdown run, the third of the season for the Jacksonville, Texas, native.
A McCown to Daigre touchdown and a second Scobee field goal capped the scoring for Tech, while ULM struck once more on a Vige to Brooks Greer touchdown pass.
Tech Head Coach Jack Bicknell said he felt the win helped slightly ease the pain of a 3-8 record. "It makes it a lot better," Bicknell said. "I am enjoying myself right now because it has been a tough year and these guys never quit. It just feels good to get a win and to be able to do it against a big rival the way we do it makes it an exciting win."
Tech recorded 542 total yards, the second highest total of the season, while UL-Monroe registered 314 yards from scrimmage.
The series ends with Tech leading 29-14 and having won eight straight, including the last four by a combined score of 161-66.
