Oct. 15, 2015 RUSTON, La. - Recent history says this game will be close. Overall history shows that at least one team will have a great quarterback on the field. But one thing is guaranteed when Louisiana Tech (4-2) plays at Mississippi State (4-2) on Saturday -- the Bulldogs will win.
The battle between the two Bulldogs is set to kickoff at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday, Oct. 17 in Starkville, Mississippi and will be televised on the SEC Network with Mike Couzens (play-by-play), Cole Cubelic (analyst) and Kevin Weidl (sidelines) calling the action.
Saturday's game is the first meeting between the two schools since 2011, a dramatic game that ended with a 26-20 overtime win by Mississippi State, snapping Louisiana Tech's two-game streak in the series. Not surprising that game went to overtime as four of the last five meetings in the series have been decided by one score.
A Louisiana Tech-Mississippi State game featuring at least one talented quarterback is not surprising. Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Terry Bradshaw led Louisiana Tech to a 20-13 win over Mississippi State in 1968 with 216 yards passing while Matt Dunigan -- who would go on to a spot on the Canadian Football League Hall of Fame -- threw for 168 yards in the 1980 meeting between the two Bulldogs.
Both teams feature talented quarterbacks with Louisiana Tech led by Jeff Driskel -- recently added to the Manning Award Watch List -- and Mississippi State led by Louisiana native Dak Prescott who is on several preseason watch lists including the Maxwell Award, Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, Davey O'Brien Award and Manning Award watch lists.
Driskel ranks 11th in the nation in passing yards (1,812) and 16th in passing yards per game (302.0) as he has found fun in football in Ruston with 11 touchdown passes, one shy of matching his career season-high. He has led Louisiana Tech to over 400 yards of offense in each of its first six games, a first for a program that is fondly referred to as Quarterback U.
Despite having spent four seasons at Florida, this week's game will mark Driskel's first appearance against Mississippi State. But Louisiana Tech's offense won't be new to Mississippi State as the Magnolia State Bulldogs hired Manny Diaz to be their defensive coordinator in the offseason after he spent a year in the same position at Louisiana Tech.
"Going against him in practice last year with his defense, I know he likes to switch things up and have people moving around everywhere on the defense," LA Tech receiver Trent Taylor said at the team's press conference Monday. "We are kind of ready for that. We are ready for him to bring a lot of pressure and move the defense around a lot. It is something we have to be prepared for and we have to watch a lot of film this week and be ready."
Meanwhile Prescott enters this week's game having not been intercepted this season and looks to keep that unblemished record intact against a team that scored on a Pick-Six in each of its last two games and ranks 36th in the nation with five interceptions to date. The Mississippi State signal caller also looks to extend a streak of 231 consecutive pass attempts without an interception, a mark that ranks third in SEC history. Former Louisiana Tech quarterback Colby Cameron owns the NCAA record with 444 consecutive attempts but never faced Mississippi State in his Tech career.
But containing Prescott's legs will be just as important as limiting his arm. He enters the game with 2,153 career rushing yards, ranking fifth all-time in Southeastern Conference history, with 220 to his credit through six games this season.
"He is a hand full," Louisiana Tech defensive coordinator Blake Baker said Monday of Prescott. "The first thing that stands out is his size. Being a fifth-year guy, he has been around the program and the same offense the entire time. The most impressive thing to me is he does not put the ball in danger. I think he has 182 [passing] attempts and zero interceptions. The offensive line does a phenomenal job up front giving him some time. And if something does break down, he has the wheels to make things happen."
Saturday's game marks Mississippi State's Homecoming game and it will be a homecoming for several Louisiana Tech players with 10 players on the roster hailing from the Magnolia State, including Adairius Barnes and Vernon Butler. Butler will see a familiar face when State's defense is on the field as A.J. Jefferson was a teammate of Butlers at Summit's North Pike High School.
KXKZ 107.5 FM will serve as the flagship station for the LA Tech Sports Network for the 17th straight year as the 100,000-watt station will carry all of the Bulldog football games in 2015. Additional affiliates carrying Bulldog Football games this fall on the LA Tech Sports Network include WUBR-AM 910 (Baton Rouge/Zachary), KJVC-FM 92.7 (Shreveport/Mansfield), KTKC-FM 92.9 (Shreveport/Spring Hill), KRMD-AM 1340 and KRMD-FM 100.7 (Shreveport), KVCL-FM 92.1 (Winnfield) and KDBS-AM ESPN Radio 1410 (Alexandria/Pineville).
All Bulldog football games can also be accessed online (audio for all games) by purchasing a subscription to LA Tech All-Access on LATechSports.com. Cost of a subscription to LA Tech All-Access is only $9.95 per month or $79.95 for the entire year (which includes all live broadcasts for all of Tech's athletic teams).
Fans can also choose to purchase the C-USA Digital Network subscription for $14.95 per month or $119.95 per year, which includes all of the above content as well as audio and video for all road C-USA games along with additional video content throughout the year.
This fall, all of the Tech football broadcasts can be heard on the LA Tech Sports Network as Dave Nitz, Teddy Allen, Malcolm Butler and Bennie Thornell comprise the broadcast team. Nitz -- one of the longest-tenured broadcasters in college football -- is entering his 41st year of broadcasting Bulldog Football games.
For complete coverage of Bulldog Football, please follow Louisiana Tech on social media at @LATechFB (Twitter), /LATechFootball (Facebook) and @LATechFB (Instagram) or visit the official home of Louisiana Tech Athletics at LATechSports.com.
