RUSTON, La. – This Saturday evening, the Louisiana Tech football team will open its 2019 season on the road, tested with the No. 10 ranked Texas Longhorns at 7 p.m. from DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas.
 
Date: Saturday, Aug. 31
Time: 7:00 p.m. CT
Location: Austin, Texas
Venue: DKR-Texas Memorial Stadium (100,119)
Live Stats: TexasSportsc.com
Live Audio: Tunein.com (Louisiana Tech Football)
Twitter Updates: @LATechFB
 
Media
TV: Longhorn Network
PxP: Lowell Galindo
Analyst: Ahmad Brooks
Sideline: Taylor Davis
 
Radio: LA Tech Sports Network
PxP: Dave Nitz
Analyst: Teddy Allen
Sideline: Malcolm Butler
 
Complete Game Notes
 
Game Notes & Tidbits

• This is the first ever meeting between Louisiana Tech and Texas in football.
• This is the first matchup between Tech and a Big XII program since the 2016 season (at Texas Tech).
• The last time Tech played a consensus top 10 team on the road was in last season (at #6 LSU).
• The Bulldogs are one of just 25 FBS programs with 7+ wins in each of the last five seasons (2014-18).
  • Among those, Tech is the only C-USA team and one of eight G5 programs with 7+ wins in each of the past five seasons (Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Boise State, Houston, Memphis, San Diego State, Toledo).
• The last time Tech opened a season in the state of Texas was in 2012, where the Bulldogs staked a 56-49 win over Houston.
• The last time the Bulldogs opened the season against a Power 5 opponent was in 2016 vs. Arkansas (L, 21-20).
• Over the last five years, Tech has the eighth-most wins among G5 programs with 42 (second-most in        Conference USA).
• Senior quarterback J'Mar Smith will become the only active FBS quarterback to start in a season-opener in each of the previous four years.
• Senior offensive lineman Ethan Reed leads the country with 40 consecutive starts along the offensive line since 2016.
• Junior cornerback Amik Robertson is the only player in Conference USA to earn watch list nods on: Preseason All-Conference Team, Bednarik Award, Jim Thorpe Award, Bronko Nagurski Award.
• Robertson's 27 passes defended and 15.0 tackles for loss place him among just six FBS players to record such numbers over the last 12 seasons.

Going Bowling
For those keeping track at home, Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz and the Bulldogs have put themselves in elite company over the last five years. Over that stretch, LA Tech has not only made an appearance in a bowl game, but the Bulldogs have taken home the trophy, becoming only one of two teams in the nation to achieve such a feat since 2014 along with Wisconsin.
 
Just Keep Winning
Over the past five years, Louisiana Tech has been the class of Conference USA football programs. The Bulldogs have notched 42 conference wins over that span - good for second most in the league. In addition, Tech has put up the eighth-most wins among G5 schools over the past five seasons.
 
Most Wins the last 5 years (G5)
1. Boise St 52
2. APP ST 48
3. SDSU 46
3. Toledo 46
5. Houston 45
5. Memphis 45
7. Marshall 43
8. LA Tech 42
8. WMU 42
10. Temple 41
 
Experience in the Trenches
Entering the 2019 season, no FBS player has made more consecutive starts than Louisiana Tech offensive lineman Ethan Reed.
 
Reed, who redshirted as a true freshman, has started every game possible on the Tech offensive line over the past three seasons.
 
40           Ethan Reed, OL              Louisiana Tech
39           Marlon Davidson, DL       Auburn
39           Luke Juriga, OL               Western Michigan
39           Zacc Weldon, FB             Troy
38           Scott Frantz, OL               Kansas State
38           Shane Lemieux, OL          Oregon
38           Calvin Throckmorton, OL    Oregon
38           Dustin Woodard, OL        Memphis
37           Julian Good-Jones, OL    Iowa State
37           Sterling Hofrichter, P      Syracuse
36           Hunter Atkinson, OL        Georgia State
36           Blake Brandel, OL             Oregon State
35           Ryan Lacker, DT                 Kansas State
33           JaQuan Bailey, DE             Iowa State
33           Troy Dye, LB                       Oregon
33           Bryce Hall, CB                    Virginia
32           Jack Driscoll, OL                 Auburn
31           Chris Fredrick, CB             Syracuse
 
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.