RUSTON -- The historic anomaly of a perfect game primarily exists in the world of baseball.
 
But the case could be made that the Louisiana Tech football team pitched their own version of a perfect game inside Joe Aillet Stadium on Nov. 26, 2011.
 
Let's analyze the data.    
 
Offense: 200-plus yards gained through the air and on the ground.  A perfect 5-for-5 in the red zone.  Three rushing touchdowns, one passing.
 
Defense: Seven sacks.  Four forced turnovers (three interceptions and one fumble recovery).  One pick-six.
 
Special Teams: One field goal attempt … it was good.  One punt return … it went for a TD. 
 
The result was a 44-0 thumping of New Mexico State and a Western Athletic Conference championship celebrated not on a pitcher's mound, but at midfield.
 
In fact, the only thing that did not seem perfect that day was the weather. 
 
Forrest Gump would have described it as "little bitty stingin' rain, some big ol' fat rain and sometimes rain that even seemed to come straight up from underneath."
 
That 2011 season started much the same way weather-wise, in a tropical storm in the middle of Mississippi.  That game, and the following four, were drenched in imperfections and much heartache. 
 
It started with the two-point loss in the standing puddles at Southern Miss.  Next was the home opener against Central Arkansas, one that ended with an overtime victory and a massive sigh of relief.  Then came the Houston game, the quintessential John McEnroe "you cannot be serious" in blowing a 27-point lead and falling 35-34.  That was followed by a punch-to-the-gut overtime loss at Mississippi State.  Then it was another game on the home turf, getting bullied by preseason league favorite Hawai'i. 
 
The team was 1-4, and the season appeared to be drowning. 
 
"We took some tough losses," said junior wide receiver Quinton Patton.  "We were right there but could not get over the hump.  From that point on, we just had to put it together as a team."
 
Team captains Matt Broha and Adrien Cole co-signed on this notion.
 
"Things started off rough," said Cole, a senior linebacker on that team.  "I really felt like we could have been undefeated up to that point.  It came down to how did we want to finish the season."
 
"It was an emotional rollercoaster, starting off the way we did," said Broha, a senior defensive lineman.  "It was very up and down, but exciting having such great success from then on."
 
Suddenly, the sun slowly started to shine on the Bulldogs. 
 
No direct sunlight was available in their next game inside the Kibbie Dome, but nevertheless a win came against the Idaho Vandals.  Then after a bye week, LA Tech ventured back out west and beat Utah State by seven.  Then the 'Dogs got a homecoming win versus San Jose State.  Then came a throttling of Fresno State out in California.  Then a beat down of Ole Miss in Oxford, only the sixth road win ever against an SEC team.
 
As if this win streak wasn't crazy great enough, then came the majestic fourth-quarter comeback at Nevada. Down 20-3 with 13 minutes to play, Tech scored 21 unanswered points for a 24-20 victory over the Wolfpack.
     
The Bulldogs had suddenly won six straight and were tied atop the league standings with the Wolfpack with a chance to clinch the WAC title. 
 
All they needed now was to extend the winning streak to seven in the regular season finale versus NM State inside Joe Aillet Stadium on Nov. 26.
 
"We all knew going into it, we had a chance to win the conference," said Broha, who had started every game up to that regular season finale.  "Showing up the day of the game, we were pretty focused.  Then I remember seeing black clouds during pregame."
 
"This was what we had been working for the whole season," said Cole, who was the anchor in the middle of the GATA (Get After Their A**) defense.  "For every guy that was on the team that was the moment.  And to finally have a chance on a stormy day."
 
Forget drizzle or light mist. It was a constant downpour that day requiring fans to do anything and everything to try to keep warm and dry – umbrellas, ponchos, hunting apparel, thermal wear, etc.    
 
Couple that with school being out due to quarter break, and it was a recipe for low attendance.  However, what the stands lacked in bodies, the ones who were there certainly made up for it with passion. 
 
Helping to generate that passion was "The General" himself. 
 
As the players gradually made their way out of the locker room from the back of the old field house, an enthusiastic "We Are Bulldogs" chant erupted from the stands.  That's when "The General" Quinton Patton strolled over to the bell on top of the hill to call the Dogs.
 
He rang it time after time. Let's go!  He rang it, again and again. Let's go!  And, he rang it even more.
 
"I took it upon myself to ring the bell every game just because I knew I was going to bring people together," said Patton who in his first year as a Bulldog had surpassed the 1,000-receiving yard mark in the previous game.  "We are coming to get you when we ring that bell.  That was our mindset.  It was time to go to work no matter rain, sleet or shine."
 
It was time for the 3 p.m. kickoff and time to go to work against the Aggies, who had nothing to lose. Bowl eligibility was out of the question for New Mexico State.   
 
What the Aggies did have was a potent offense.  Coming into their last game of the season, they were ranked 17th in the country in passing (289.1 yards per game) and 45th in the country in total offense (409.0 yards per game).
 
LA Tech struck first as kicker Matt Nelson connected on a 32-yard field goal with 9:15 left in the first quarter.  The Bulldogs made it 9-0 later that quarter when quarterback Colby Cameron hit Taulib Ikharo for a 7-yard touchdown. 
 
At approximately 4:08 p.m. in Ruston, fans at Joe Aillet Stadium knew that Nevada had just lost to Utah State, opening the door for an outright championship. 
 
"The offense and defense had to share a bench because the water was coming down so much in the stadium," remembered Broha.  "Someone either mentioned it over the speakers or we saw the score on the jumbotron.  We had the lead and Utah State had won.  And the trophy was sitting there waiting for us."
 
At that time, the Aggies were driving in Bulldog territory after picking off Cameron.  LA Tech got back-to-back sacks – one of Broha's two on the day – to force New Mexico State to punt with about four minutes to play in the second quarter. 
 
The flood gates were about to open. 
 
LA Tech went 13 plays for 96 yards to score to go up 16-0.  Then with 22 seconds left in the first half, Adrien Cole happened.
 
"They had gotten us on this play before up the middle," recalled Cole.  "They had their freshman quarterback in and he was going to try it again. Coach (Jeff) Koons told me to back up and sit in the middle. I did, and I caught it. 
 
"I hit a spin move, then came around and got lucky when one guy took out his own guy. I had great blocking from my teammates. Then I was able to break free for the end zone."
 
The soon-to-be-named WAC Defensive Player of the Year got his first collegiate interception and took it 45 yards to the house to make it 23-0.  The Bulldogs were in control at the half.
 
The rain showers continued into the second half, as did the LA Tech dominance. 
 
The Bulldogs tacked on 21 more points in the third quarter with one touchdown coming from an 82-yard punt return by Craig Johnson.   
 
Meanwhile, the defense limited the Aggies to just five total first downs and 100 yards of total offense.  The opponent had one last chance to put up points late in the game, but Chad Boyd picked off his second pass of the day with a little over a minute left. 
 
The victory formation followed as the play clock struck zero, the same number as New Mexico State's point total.   
 
The perfect game had officially been pitched.  To this day, it is still the answer to the trivia question: when was the last time LA Tech shut out an opponent.
 
"A defenses' dream," said Broha. 
 
"To execute the game plan to a tee.  To hold a prolific offense like that to no points.  That was a great feeling," said Cole.   
 
It was still raining.  Everyone and everything looked like it had just gotten out of a swimming pool.  But all the rain could not wash away the words on the oversized banner in the student section that read 2011 WAC Champs. 
 
"It takes you back to your park days, your roots," said Cole.  "When you play in the park, you didn't have the best conditions. You felt like a little kid out there, having fun. Being free and enjoying the game of football."
 
After the playing of the alma mater, the fans and the banner patiently waited until they were allowed to hop the wall and celebrate on the field with the team. 
 
Queen's "We are the Champions" blared over the speakers.  Players, who had traded red helmets for red WAC Champions hats, took pictures with the championship trophy – a trophy which is now proudly displayed on the club level of the Davison Athletics Complex.
 
"You see it on TV with other teams and then it happened to us," said Patton who did not let his hurt ankle affect his celebrating whatsoever.  "Everybody that was with us was on that field at the end.  We celebrated as a community, as brothers and sisters.  When we won the championship, everybody was part of it."
  
That intimate moment on the turf celebrating a conference title and the added bonus of receiving an invitation to the Poinsettia Bowl quickly soaked into the hearts and minds of those who experienced it that day.
 
Patton, one of the 50 players selected to the Joe Aillet Stadium 50-Year Team that will be honored in the 2018 home opener versus Southern, said that when he was at "The Joe" nothing else mattered but everybody inside those white lines.
 
"That place was home to me as soon as I rang the bell and walked down the concrete hill," said Patton. "That's how I took every game."
 
For four-year letter winners Broha and Cole, that game was their last at "The Joe."  A perfect ending one might say. 
 
"That is definitely my No. 1 memory of playing in Joe Aillet Stadium," said Broha. 
 
"Even though our season started off rainy, we saw the sunshine at the end of the road," said Cole.  "That stadium, we went out there and accomplished things. That is a memory you don't ever forget."