RUSTON, La. – Head coach
Skip Holtz and the Bulldogs are looking to get back on track this week as Louisiana Tech continues Conference USA play on the road at UTSA on Saturday evening.
The game is set to kick off at 6 p.m. CT at the Alamodome in San Antonio and will be streamed on ESPN+ for subscribers with Lincoln Rose (play-by-play), Keith Moreland (analysis) and Megan Birdsong (sideline) calling all the action on Saturday night.
Louisiana Tech enters the weekend with a 3-2 overall record and 1-1 mark in C-USA. The Bulldogs are looking to rebound from a tough loss at home last weekend against UAB. UTSA will celebrate its Homecoming this weekend when the Bulldogs travel to San Antonio to take on the Roadrunners, a team that has won three straight following an 0-3 start to the season. UTSA is 3-3 overall and 2-0 in league play with wins over Texas State, UTEP and Rice.
"UTSA is a team that lost three games early, but they lost to Arizona State, Baylor and Kansas State, three very talented teams," Holtz said in his weekly press conference. "They came back and they have won three in a row. They are 2-0 in the conference. We have to go down there and play in a very difficult venue. I would imagine we will see a game plan very similar to what we had last week with a lot of movement. We just have to put some things in place to make sure that we can do what we need to do against that. We are excited about the opportunity we have this week, but it is going to be a great challenge for us and one I know our players are looking forward to."
LA Tech leads the all-time series, 5-1, over UTSA, including a streak of four straight wins over the Roadrunners. The Bulldogs captured a 20-6 win in the 2017 regular-season finale in Ruston in a game that saw Tech reach bowl eligibility for the fourth straight season with its sixth win of the campaign. The last time the Bulldogs traveled to San Antonio dates back to the 2015 season when LA Tech defeated UTSA, 34-31, thanks to a game-winning field goal by
Jonathan Barnes.
PREGAME NOTES
- When Louisiana Tech takes on UTSA on Saturday, the Bulldogs will enter the game as not only one of the least penalized teams in Conference USA, but also in the entire country. LA Tech is currently ranked first in Conference USA in fewest penalties (3rd nationally), fewest penalties per game (5th nationally), fewest penalty yards (4th nationally) and fewest penalty yards per game (5th nationally).
- Louisiana Tech and UTSA both enter Saturday's West Division matchup as two of only nine teams in the country with a perfect success rate in the red zone this season. LA Tech is 18-for-18 in the red zone with 12 touchdowns (5 rushing, 7 passing) and six field goals, while UTSA is 14-for-14 with 11 touchdowns (5 rushing, 6 passing) and three field goals.
- Through five games played in 2018, the Bulldog pass defense has yet to allow a 300-yard passer by an opponent, while also holding opposing quarterbacks to under 200 passing yards three times this season (91, South Alabama; 191, #6 LSU; 136, UAB).
- LA Tech defensive end Jaylon Ferguson enters the game 4.5 sacks shy of tying the school record for career sacks, a record that is currently held by Walter Johnson with 38 sacks from 1983-86. Ferguson is also the nation's active leader in career sacks and needs just four sacks to tie the Conference USA record.
HOW TO WATCH
This weekend's game between LA Tech and UTSA will be streamed on ESPN+ for subscribers with Lincoln Rose (play-by-play), Keith Moreland (analysis) and Megan Birdsong (sideline) calling all the action from the Alamodome on Saturday night. The broadcast will also be available to stream live on WatchESPN and the ESPN app.
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.
All 12 Bulldog football games can be heard on KXKZ 107.5 FM (Ruston/Monroe) as well as KDBS 1410 AM (Alexandria), KQID 93.1 HD3 (Alexandria), WUBR 910 AM (Baton Rouge), KFNV 107.1 FM (Ferriday), KJVC 92.7 FM (Mansfield), KRMD 1340 AM (Shreveport/Bossier City), KRMD 100.7 FM (Shreveport/Bossier City), KNCB 1320 AM (Vivian) and KVCL 92.1 FM (Winnfield).
The LA Tech Sports Network team will host a 90-minute pregame show prior to kickoff and a 30-minute postgame show. Tech Gameday, a 90-minute pre-pregame show hosted by Ed Hebert and Joel Sharpton, will also air prior to each home game live from Tailgate Alley on KXKZ 107.5 FM.
Bulldog fans can access free audio of every LA Tech game and radio show through the Louisiana Tech X mobile app which is available for download on the iTunes App Store or Google Play.
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.
