Sept. 23, 2016
RUSTON, La. -
Louisiana Tech is set to begin its fourth season of Conference USA play this weekend when the Bulldogs travel to battle the Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders at 6 p.m. CT Saturday at Johnny "Red" Floyd Stadium in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
The league matchup between LA Tech and Middle Tennessee will be broadcast by American Sports Network with Dave Armstrong (play-by-play) and Richard Balding (analyst) calling all the action from Murfreesboro. The game will also be streamed live on www.americansportsnet.com/schedule/.
"This is the third out of four games on the road, but it is a conference game and I think our players are really excited to have the opportunity to get into conference play," head coach Skip Holtz said. "It is a different mindset. It is a different attitude. There is a different excitement in the team room. When you start talking about conference games, you see the look in their eyes and everyone is sitting on the edge of their seats. I think everyone is excited to get into this conference race."
Saturday's game will mark the sixth meeting all-time between Louisiana Tech and Middle Tennessee, with the first meeting dating back to 1984. Since the Bulldogs joined Conference USA in 2013, the two teams have met just once with LA Tech coming out on top in that meeting last season, 45-16, at Joe Aillet Stadium in Ruston. The series is tied, 1-1, in games played in Murfreesboro.
Louisiana Tech enters the game ranking 12th in the country in passing offense (347.0) and 15th in total offense (530.0). The Bulldogs are coming off a 59-45 defeat at Texas Tech last weekend where the offense put up 572 yards of total offense against the Red Raiders. Over the last two games, LA Tech has combined for 1,299 yards of total offense.
LA Tech quarterback Ryan Higgins comes into Saturday's game ranked 18th nationally with seven passing touchdowns, while the redshirt senior is averaging 360 passing yards in two games this season. Jarred Craft enters the weekend as LA Tech's leading rusher with 44 carries, 314 yards and two touchdowns.
For the second week in a row, Louisiana Tech's defense will face a tall task this weekend with Middle Tennessee entering Saturday ranking sixth in the country in passing offense and 13th nationally in total offense. The Blue Raiders' quarterback, Brent Stockstill, is currently ranked third in the nation among active career leaders in passing yards per game (297.2).
Last weekend, Middle Tennessee traveled to Bowling Green and came away with a convincing 41-21 victory. The Blue Raiders are 18-3 in its last 21 home games entering Saturday's Conference USA contest against the Bulldogs, including a 55-0 victory over Alabama A&M to open the 2016 campaign.
PREGAME NOTES
• In LA Tech's first meeting against Middle Tennessee on Dec. 8, 1984, the Bulldogs traveled to Murfreesboro to compete in the NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal against the Blue Raiders. In that game, Louisiana Tech running back David Green racked up 107 rushing yards, including an 80-yard touchdown run, to help seal a 21-13 win for the Bulldogs to advance to the national I-AA championship against Montana State.
• The last time Louisiana Tech traveled to Murfreesboro to take on the Blue Raiders dates back to Oct. 7, 2000 in a game that marked the first career start for former Bulldog quarterback and LA Tech legend Luke McCown.
• Entering Week 4 of the season, Taylor is ranked in the Top 10 in school history in six different categories, including ranking in the top five in career touchdowns (2nd - 25) and 100-yard receiving performances (T4th - 11). The senior recently moved into the top five in program history in career yards with 2,798, while 17 more receptions would tie him for fifth place all-time in career receptions at Louisiana Tech.
• Dog Catchers: Louisiana Tech wide receivers Trent Taylor and Carlos Henderson have made quite the pair for the Bulldogs early in the season as well as making waves nationally. Not only is Louisiana Tech one of only three schools in the country (Syracuse and East Carolina) to have two wide receivers with 20-plus receptions each, but Taylor and Henderson are tied for fourth most combined receptions in the nation (46). The two receivers are also fourth in the country in combined receiving yards (661).
• When the Bulldogs travel to Murfreesboro this weekend, it will be a reunion of sorts between a couple members of both coaching staffs. LA Tech head coach Skip Holtz and Middle Tennessee head coach Rick Stockstill coached together at South Carolina in 2004 and against each other while Stockstill was at Clemson (1989-2002). Another connection between the two schools is current Middle Tennessee offensive coordinator Tony Franklin, who served in the same role at Louisiana Tech from 2010-12.
TUNE IN
Louisiana Tech fans can tune into the LA Tech Sports Network this fall for all live game broadcasts for the Bulldogs' 12-game schedule as well as 12 editions of Inside Bulldog Football with Skip Holtz.
The LA Tech Sports Network will team up with KXKZ-FM (107.5) Ruston as the flagship station for Tech Athletics.
In addition to KXKZ, all 12 broadcasts of Bulldog football this year can be heard on WUBR-AM 910 (Baton Rouge), KRMD 1340 AM (Shreveport), KRMD 100.7 FM (Shreveport), KVCL-FM 92.1 (Winnfield), KJVC-FM 92.7 (Mansfield), KDBS-AM 1410 (Alexandria) and KTKC-FM 92.9 (Springhill).
The LA Tech Sports Network team will host a 90-minute pregame show prior to each kickoff and a 30-minute post-game show. Tech Game Day, a 90-minute pre-pregame show, will also air prior to each home contest at Joe Aillet Stadium live from Tailgate Alley.
A one-hour postgame call-in show will also air on KXKZ 107.5 FM following every game this year that will air immediately following the conclusion of the broadcast's postgame show.
Fans may access audio-only for football for free this year through the LA Tech Mobile X app or the Red Peach Media app.
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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.
