HATTIESBURG – It's been 268 days since Louisiana Tech last played football, and it took until the final seconds of the game for the Bulldogs to secure the 31-30 victory over Southern Miss on Saturday night at M.M. Roberts Stadium.
 
With the Bulldogs down 30-24 with 21 seconds on the clock, graduate student quarterback Luke Anthony took the snap at the USM four yard line and found junior wide receiver Griffin Hebert in the back of the end zone. The call on the field was incomplete, but upon further review, Hebert had a foot inbounds for the four-yard reception to tie the game. Redshirt freshman kicker Jacob Barnes converted on the extra point and LA Tech  (1-0, 1-0 C-USA) defeated Southern Miss (0-2, 0-1 C-USA) in the season/C-USA opener.
 
"We said we needed to score one more point than they did," head coach Skip Holtz said. "I was really proud of this team. Proud of the way they competed. There were a lot of obstacles we had to overcome to get here. Having the top four linebackers out and having to start a true freshman at corner and to go out there have those guys compete the way they did. This is one of the only times in fall camp to tackle live. I think some of the weaknesses show. The one thing we didn't know what how well they would compete in a tough environment on the road.  I couldn't be more proud of a football team than I am the way they competed tonight."
 
Louisiana Tech overcame a 17-point deficit after being down, 27-10, midway through the third quarter. Senior wide receiver Adrian Hardy caught the 32-yard touchdown pass from Anthony to trim the lead to 10, 27-17, with 5:31 left in the third. The momentum continued in LA Tech's favor after an interception from sophomore defensive lineman Deshon Hall set up another TD on a perfectly thrown ball by Anthony to sophomore wide receiver Smoke Harris for the 35-yard touchdown to cut the lead to 27-24 with 29 seconds remaining in the third period.
 
Southern Miss drove the ball down into Louisiana Tech territory in the fourth quarter, attempting to go up by two scores, but senior defensive lineman Eric Kendzior sacked USM senior quarterback Jack Abraham on third down for an eight yard loss to push the Golden Eagles to the LA Tech 20 yard line. USM converted on the 37-yard field goal attempted, giving the Golden Eagles the 30-24 advantage with just over five minutes to play in regulation.
 
"We were down 17 and the mindset if we could just get a touchdown," Holtz said. "All of a sudden you are down three. The defense did a great job of forcing a field goal which meant a touchdown won it. We put a saddle on the offensive line. Greg Garner stepped in with fresh legs as a running back. The offensive line kept yelling at me to run it again and again. That is what an o-line wants to do. Both quarterbacks played really well. Just didn't like the turnovers. Both stood in there and competed. They are selfless. This team loves them both and has great confidence in both of them."
 
Junior running back Greg Garner had a 24-yard rush in his first game as a Bulldog to put LA Tech at the USM 27 yard line. LA Tech continued to work down the field until Anthony capped off a 17-play drive by connecting with Hebert again in the back of the end zone for the one-point win.
 
Hebert recorded the first points of the season for the Bulldogs after catching the four-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Aaron Allen to give LA Tech the 7-0 lead with 1:49 to go in the first. After Southern Miss cut it to 7-6 on a TD and failed two-point conversion, Barnes made the first field goal of his career on a 28-yard attempt to give Louisiana Tech a four-point edge, 10-6, with 6:08 left in the second quarter.
 
Louisiana Tech finished the game with 163 total rushing yards, led by senior running back Justin Henderson with 69 yards on 18 attempts. Anthony led the Bulldogs in passing after converting 13-of-21 for 149 yards and three touchdowns. Hardy led the team with 79 receiving yards on five receptions. The Bulldogs finished the night with 218 net passing yards.
 
LA Tech had 89 tackles on the night, including two sacks, six tackles for loss and one interception. The Bulldogs were led by freshman linebacker Tyler Grubbs recording 16 total tackles, including four solo and one TFL, in his collegiate debut. Senior linebacker Ezekiel Barnett also had double-digit tackles with a career-high 10 total, including four solo and two tackles for loss.
 
Southern Miss ended the game with 129 net rushing yards, led by freshman running back Frank Gore, Jr. with 56 yards on 11 attempts. Abraham completed 24-of-32 pass attempts for 264 yards and three touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Tim Jones led the Golden Eagles in receptions with eight catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns.
 
Defensively, USM had 91 total tackles with two Golden Eagles record 14 tackles each in redshirt junior linebacker Santrell Latham and redshirt sophomore defensive back Malik Shorts.
 
"There is pride in both of these programs," Holtz said. "Both  teams lived up to the rivalry and what this rivalry and this conference is all about. It was an exciting game. The touchdown we scored to end the game was the same call earlier when Griffin caught it. It was just a lot cleaner in the first one than the second one."
 
LA Tech returns to action on Sept. 26 when they host Houston Baptist at 6 p.m. inside Joe Aillet Stadium. Season tickets are on sale through the Tech Ticket Office by calling (318) 257-3631. 
 
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