RUSTON – Louisiana Tech battled back from a 13-point deficit, taking the lead in overtime but WKU answered with a walk-off two-point conversion to edge the Bulldogs, 28-27, on Tuesday night inside Origin Bank Field at Joe Aillet Stadium.
 
LA Tech (4-3, 2-2 CUSA) got off to a quick start as usual, scoring a touchdown on its opening drive for the fourth straight game.  However, WKU (6-2, 4-1 CUSA) scored 17 unanswered points to take a 20-7 advantage at halftime.
 
 Devin Gandy's 85-yard kickoff return (Music City Miracle-style) to open the second half ignited the comeback, trimming the deficit to six just 15 seconds into the third quarter.
 
LA Tech's defense stiffened from there, holding the Hilltoppers scoreless for the remainder of regulation.  John Hoyet Chance connected on back-to-back 24-yard field goals in the fourth quarter to erase the deficit and send the game to overtime tied 20-20.
 
In the extra frame, the Bulldogs got the ball first and running back Andrew Burnette proceeded to cap a five-play, 25-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run up the middle to give LA Tech its first lead since the opening quarter.  
 
However, WKU's George Hart III responded with a four-yard score, and the Hilltoppers elected to go for the win – converting a gutsy two-point pass from quarterback Rodney Tisdale Jr. to K.D. Hutchinson that sealed the 28-27 final.
 
Blake Baker had a strong season under center, completing 31-of-45 passes for 340 yards and a touchdown, spreading the ball to 10 different receivers (also had a team-high 49 yards rushing).  Marlion Jackson led the group with 76 receiving yards, while Clay Thevenin added 52 through the air and 35 on the ground.
 
Defensively, the Bulldogs were led by Jacob Fields (11 tackles) and Jakari Foster (10 tackles) while Sifa Leota had eight tackles, including 3.0 tackles-for-loss and two pass breakups.  Kameron Carter provided the lone turnover for LA Tech with an interception in the fourth quarter.
 
LA Tech outgained WKU 449-340 in total offense and converted 10-of-19 third downs.
 
QUOTABLES
Head coach Sonny Cumbie
"I'm proud of how the guys rebounded in the second half after struggling through the first two quarters.  Guys made plays; guys competed.  I was proud of how we moved the ball on offense.  In the first half we didn't do a good job of moving the ball – we missed a couple field goals, and those were tough in terms of getting momentum in the game early.  I shared with the team that there's not a word or a message that I can say that's going to ease the wound of this sting, because it hurts.  We have 108 guys that poured everything they could into a football game and a week of preparation, as well as belief and expectation from the standpoint of what we are going to do.  At the end of the day, credit to Western Kentucky on the two-point conversion.  Their quarterback did a great job of keeping the play alive and finding a backside drag.  There's a lot of bright spots tonight, but we just could not quite overcome some of the mistakes that we made against a good football team.  I thought there were situations where we were able to overcome some of those mistakes throughout the night, but at the end of the day we just didn't make enough plays.  I think our defense played a great second half—shutting them out until we got to overtime.  There's a lot of bright spots from tonight, but ultimately, we want to win the football game, and we were not able to do that."
 
Quarterback Blake Baker
On how the team is feeling after the game:
"It's an unfortunate end, but we just have to bounce back and be prepared for next week on Halloween."
 
On the similar offensive struggles between tonight and Kennesaw State game:
"Just the little things—a play needs to be made; a play doesn't go our way, and we just have to find a way to bounce back and score more touchdowns."
 
On how he felt coming back from the injury/if the QB runs were designed or on the fly:
"I feel great. The adrenaline is pumping, so I'm all good.  The quarterback runs were slightly taken out, but when the play needed to be made and I needed to take off and run, I did."
 
Defensive back Cedric Woods
On the mood after the game:
"Like Blake said, it's unfortunate, the way we lost that game.  But we are going to put it behind us—we have a strong core in that locker room, and this is something that's going to help us grow as a team going forward."
 
On the costly penalties:
"Anytime you have penalties as a team, it's always going to set you back.  I feel like that was the difference maker for us tonight, those penalties on special teams and on defense, so those are things we always preach about.  But we'll get those things cleaned up in practice next week."
 
On keeping his teammates' spirits up after a loss:
"We must talk to the guys.  Like I've said in the past, this is probably one of the closer teams I have been a part of here in all my years at Tech.  I know for a fact that this is something that is not going to splinter the team—if anything, it's going to bring us closer together.  Because after coming in from that game, I see a lot of guys that care, and they were hurt by this loss.  This is just something that's going to help us grow."
 
NOTABLES

• With the loss, the series is now tied at 6-6 against WKU.  Six of the last eight meetings have now been decided by one score.
• The road team has now won five straight in this series.
• LA Tech dropped its first home game of the season.
• The Bulldogs held the Hilltoppers scoreless in the second half.  It marked the fifth time this season that LA Tech's defense has held an opponent to zero points in a half.
• The Bulldog defense tallied 10 tackles-for-loss, marking the second time this season with double-digit TFLs.
• Ten different Bulldogs caught a reception versus WKU.
• Blake Baker set new career highs in completions (31), passing attempts (45), and passing yards (340).  He became the first Bulldog since Hank Bachmeier (Nov. 11, 2023 versus Sam Houston) to throw for 300+ yards.  He also became the 28th Bulldog in program history to throw for 300+ yards in a single game.
• Blake Baker also led the Bulldogs in rushing with 49 yards on the ground.  It marked the second time this season Baker has led the team in passing and rushing in the same game.
• Andrew Burnette tallied his second rushing touchdown of the season.
• Clay Thevenin led LA Tech in total receptions with a season-high six catches.
• Marlion Jackson posted a season-high 76 receiving yards, which led the Bulldogs.  It marked the third time in his career with 75+ receiving yards in a single game.
• Tre Averhart caught his first reception as a Bulldog, which also resulted in a touchdown.  He became the sixth different LA Tech player to record a TD reception this season.
• Jacob Fields led the Bulldogs in total tackles with 11, a new career high for the defensive back.
• Jakari Foster tallied a season-high 10 tackles, one shy of tying his career high which he set last season against UTEP.
• Sifa Leota registered a game-high 3.0 tackles-for-loss, marking the second time he has had at least three TFLs in a single game (had 3.5 in the season opener against Southeastern).

UP NEXT
LA Tech will be back at Joe Aillet Stadium on Friday, Oct. 31 to take on Sam Houston.  The Bulldogs' annual Homecoming game will kick at 7 p.m. CT on CBS Sports Network.
 
SUPPORT LA TECH ATHLETICS
Championships require championship resources.  Fans can make a direct impact on the success of LA Tech Athletics through LTAC, Aillet Society, T-Club, and Young Alumni program as well as the CHAMP fund, a revenue-sharing initiative designed to directly support LA Tech Athletics through NIL and marketing opportunities for Bulldog and Lady Techster student-athletes.  Visit BuildTheLegacy.com today.   
 
BARK LOUDER
Our mission is to engage, develop, and advance the Louisiana Tech Athletics brand.  You can do that by spending time consuming our content and by investing your talents.  By barking louder with your time and talent, you can affect progress and brand advancement in a meaningful way.  Visit LATechSports.com/BarkLouder today.  You bark.  We bark.  Louder together.
 
SOCIAL MEDIA
For all the latest in Bulldog Football, follow us on X (@LATechFB), Instagram (@LATechFB), and Facebook (LATechFootball).