RUSTON – Louisiana Tech's defense stole the show in the season opener, pitching a shutout and powering the Bulldogs to a 24-0 victory over Southeastern Louisiana on Saturday night inside Joe Aillet Stadium.
 
LA Tech (1-0) kept SLU (0-1) off the scoreboard for all four quarters, forcing three turnovers and coming up with big stops to preserve the Bulldogs first shutout since … the last time they played in the Joe which was the home finale last season against Kennesaw State.  
 
The starting linebacker trio for the 'Dogs were a menace all night. Kolbe Fields and Sifa Leota tallied 13 tackles each, and Mekhi Mason added nine stops (4.5 tackles for loss) and two sacks as part of a relentless effort that held SLU to just 3.6 yards per play.
 
The turning point came midway through the third quarter when defensive back Kam Franklin scooped up a fumble and raced 80 yards for a touchdown, stretching LA Tech's lead to 24-0.  That defensive score capped a dominant third quarter in which the Bulldogs scored three touchdowns in a span of just over seven minutes.
 
LA Tech's offense found rhythm after a sluggish first half.  Starting quarterback Trey Kukuk threw for 130 yards and a touchdown, connecting with Omiri Wiggins on a 17-yard strike to open the third-quarter surge.  Running back Clay Thevenin added a 2-yard touchdown run after ripping off a 33-yard gain earlier in the drive.
 
Special teams also delivered, as Drew Henderson drilled an 18-yard chip shot just before halftime to give the Bulldogs a 3-0 edge at the break.
 
LA Tech finished with 262 yards of total offense but leaned heavily on its defense, which not only posted the shutout but also recorded four sacks, 11 tackles for loss, and held SLU to 0-for-2 on fourth down.
 
NOTABLES

• With the win, LA Tech now leads the all-time series versus SLU, 30-7-2.  The Bulldogs have won 10 straight over the Lions, the longest active winning streak against any opponent.
• LA Tech won its 12th straight season opener at home.
• The Bulldogs recorded their first shutout in a season opener since 1996, which came against Middle Tennessee.  This was the first shutout against the Lions since 1972.
• LA Tech has now registered back-to-back shutouts at home for the first time since 1959-60 (shutout Kennesaw State, 33-0, in last season's home finale).
• LA Tech scored its first touchdown on a fumble recovery since 2022 (came against Stephen F. Austin).
• Trey Kukuk posted a team-high 17 rushing attempts for 48 yards.  It was the most rushing attempts by a LA Tech quarterback since J'Mar Smith (had 17 rushes in 2017 against Florida Atlantic).
• Eli Finley led the Bulldogs in receiving with 59 yards on four catches (second most receiving yards in a single game by the tight end).
• Sifa Leota set career highs in both tackles (13) and tackles for loss (3.0).
• Mekhi Mason recorded a career-high 4.5 tackles for loss, which included two sacks.  It is the third most tackles for loss in a single game in program history (most since 2018).
• Kolbe Fields registered a game-high and career-high 13 tackles.  It marked his fourth game as a Bulldog with double-digit tackles.

QUOTABLES
Head Coach Sonny Cumbie

Opening Statement…

"The goal every week is to win. I thought we did the things that we needed to do from an offensive, defensive and special teams standpoint. I was proud of how our kids played fast. There were some things we need to clean up defensively in terms of playing smart. I think Chief [Sifa Leota] needs to be smarter on the hit on the quarterback in terms of getting his hands up and in the face, that was a critical down. Coach [Frank] Scelfo and I were speaking before the game, and first games, now more than ever, there's so much unknown. You think you know what guys are going to do, but you don't know some of them you've played with, some of them you haven't played in a game before. There's a lot of moving parts from a coaching staff standpoint. And so, you don't know what you've got sometimes and you feel pretty good about it. But until you get out under the lights and start playing and seeing live bullets, I think that's when you can really start seeing growth and maturation from one game to the next, and we'll see that through the course of this week. We've got to clean up several things, offensively and defensively, but we knew they were going to be a good team on defense. Offense, they lost several parts and they're trying to find themselves. But where I was really proud of our team is offensively, the last drive of the first half and the first two drives of the second half—I think we played to our identity in terms of tempo. I think you saw Trey make some good throws up the seam to Eli [Finley], to Dedrick Latulas over the middle, and you saw Clay Thevenin be explosive in the run game. I think with those three drives you're really excited about. I think how we took the foot of the gas offensively in the third and fourth quarter, I'm not fired up about it and I know Coach Franklin is not. We've got to have a killer mentality from the standpoint of when you have an opponent down. Defensively, just an incredible performance. Going back to the Kennesaw State game last year and this game, there's eight quarters of scoreless football that our defense has played at Joe Aillet Stadium at home, and that's really impressive. So just really proud of how those guys rose to the occasion with takeaways, they bailed themselves out. And I think special teams, I'm really proud of our return game. Dedrick Latulas, and I think Fred Robertson had a really nice return with the one opportunity he had. I think we answered the bell from a special teams standpoint and it was a great launching point into the season on that point as well."

On the defense's "take it" mentality…

"I think they really lived into it and I think it started with Jakari Foster on that first drive. That's an incredible play. I think Jakari catches a lot of ribbing from his teammates for not having the best hands, and from a developmental standpoint there's not a practice that doesn't start with our safeties catching the football. And so, we can show them from a teaching standpoint that this is why we do that, and he made a phenomenal play to stop the opening drive where they were having some success. Kam Franklin, he had a phenomenal run. I think there's three things that happened in that play that were incredible beginning with Amari Butler causing the fumble, he's so fearless coming in the box as a corner. I think you saw two to three defenders play smart football in terms of being smart and staying ahead of the calvary in terms of blocking and staying where it wouldn't be a penalty and then Kam ran it in, and everyone loves a big man touchdown and you love a big man interception for Zion [Nason]. I don't see him doing very many of those same indy drills that Jakari does in terms of getting the interception. But that was great for him to see. I think he finished the third quarter with a tackle for loss and then came right back out and we had that interception for him. And we're going to need him to continue to step up, so I was pleased with how our defense rose to the occasion and kept them out of the end zone."

Cornerback Jhamal Shelby Jr.

On the defense's mentality Saturday night vs. Southeastern…

"I just feel like our defensive coordinator put us in the best position, and we've got guys that can play anywhere and can make any play, so we just play football. Coach makes the call and we just go out there and hunt."

On mid-game adjustments made…

"We just stayed disciplined. We didn't let the game change our mentality and we just kept doing our job."

Quarterback Trey Kukuk

On the offensive struggles in the first half…

"I think we were really close on a lot of plays; I think there were some situations where we shot ourselves in the foot and luckily we have a defense and guys like Jhamal on the defensive side that make it hard to lose games when you shut the opponent out. So, we played really complimentary football today and I'm really proud of the way the defense played, they really bailed us out in that first half and allowed us to pick up momentum in that second half, and we were able to put them away. We wore them down in the second half and it's all thanks to the defense. They played their heart out and we were able to give it to them at the end."

Onn buying into the running game under offensive coordinator Tony Franklin's system…

"I'll do anything for that coach, and if he thinks our numbers are better—we get an extra blocker in the QB run game or anything like that—whatever he calls, I'm willing to do it, obviously. I like running the football, especially if it helps our team—whatever is best. Obviously, I like giving it to our playmakers as well. [Clay] Thevenin and all of our running backs, they made some plays today. Omiri Wiggins out of the backfield made a guy miss one-on-one, so I like getting it to those guys. But when it's time to get an extra blocker in the box I'm willing to run the football as well."

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs will head south to face the LSU Tigers on Saturday, Sept. 6 in Tiger Stadium.  Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. CT on SEC 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).