RUSTON – Louisiana Tech dominated on offense, defense, and special teams to put an end to its three-game losing skid, defeating Middle Tennessee by a final score of 40-24 on Saturday afternoon inside Joe Aillet Stadium.
LA Tech (3-6, 2-3 C-USA) got 100-yard games on the ground (
Marquis Crosby) and in the air (
Tre Harris and
Cyrus Allen), five takeaways and four sacks by the defense (including a pick six), and four made field goals by
Jacob Barnes in picking up their second league win.
Middle Tennessee (4-5, 1-4 C-USA) got on the scoreboard first, cashing in on a 69-touchdown run after both teams went three-and-out on their opening possession.
Then came the big plays for the Bulldogs.
Parker McNeil, after missing last week's game due to injury, connected on back-to-back throws of 36 yards to T. Harris and 41 yards to
Cyrus Allen which knotted things up at 7-7.
The two squads traded touchdowns again, LA Tech getting there's on a 10-yard reception by T. Harris and MTSU pounding in a 2-yard run, making things even again at 14-14 early in the second quarter.
Then the defense and special teams started to take over.
The 'Dogs got their first field goal from
Jacob Barnes of the 40-yard variety. The kicker tacked on another from 36 yards after the kick return team recovered a fumble.
T. Harris continued to be unstoppable, reeling in a 27-yard touchdown to cap a drive which included back-to-back one-handed grabs by the standout wide receiver.
The Blue Raiders did not go away though, slicing the deficit to six at 27-21 after scoring a TD with 11 seconds remaining in the first half. They got the ball first to start the second half, but the visitors could only muster three second-half points.
LA Tech picked off Chase Cunningham on three straight possessions, two by
Myles Brooks and one by
Willie Roberts that was returned for an 18-yard pick six. Barnes tacked on two more field goals in the third quarter for good measure to put the game away.
QUOTABLES
Head coach Sonny Cumbie
I am really excited for our team. We stayed the course. Our kids were really locked into the game plan this week. They had a resolve and confidence about themselves. It was one of our more complete games. Defense, offense, special teams, the energy was there. That is what we are trying to get to. It is a feeling of togetherness. Happy for our players and our program. Our football accepted the challenge in the right way."
Defensive back Myles Brooks
"Our goal all week was to finish. The goal was to push to the end and finish after having two straight overtime losses. We needed to prove this to ourselves and to the conference. We have been in too many tough games with tough endings. Monday, it is time to get back to work."
NOTABLES
- With the win, LA Tech now leads the all-time series with Middle Tennessee, 5-2.The Bulldogs remain undefeated against the Blue Raiders in Ruston with a 4-0 record.
- The Bulldogs improved to 8-5 in Red Out games.
- The Bulldog defense registered five takeaways, the most since 2017 against SMU in the Frisco Bowl.They also recorded a season-high four sacks.
- Jacob Barnes tied his career-high with four made field goals.He became just the fifth kicker in program history to have multiple games with four made FGs.
- Tre Harris recorded his third 100-yard receiving game of the season, finishing with 157 yards.He also tallied two receiving touchdowns to give him a team-high nine (one shy of cracking into the top 10 for a single season).
- Cyrus Allen notched his second career 100-yard receiving game with 109 yards.The freshman had 121 yards in the season opener at Missouri.
- Smoke Harris had three catches on the day, running his streak of consecutive games with a reception to 29.
- Marquis Crosby registered his third 100-yard rushing game of the season (second straight) with 123 yards on the ground.He toted the rock a season-high 24 times.
- Myles Brooks recorded two interceptions, the first Bulldog to do so in a single game since BeeJay Williamson did it last season versus Southeastern.
- The Bulldogs blocked their first punt since 2018.
UP NEXT
LA Tech heads to San Antonio on Saturday, Nov. 12 to take on the UTSA Roadrunners who sit atop the league standings. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m. CT and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
SOCIAL MEDIA
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