RUSTON - Louisiana Tech will look for its first 3-0 home start since 2019 when the Bulldogs host Southern Miss at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Origin Bank Field at Joe Aillet Stadium. Both teams enter the matchup with 2-1 records after convincing wins last weekend. The game will air on ESPN+.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Sept. 20
Time: 6:30 p.m. CT
Location: Ruston, La. (Origin Bank Field at Joe Aillet Stadium)
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats
Radio: LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics App
SERIES HISTORY
Series: Southern Miss, 36-17
In Ruston: 9-17
In Hattiesburg: 8-18
Neutral: 0-1
This will be the 54th all-time meeting between LA Tech and Southern Miss, and the first since 2021. Southern Miss holds a 36-17 advantage in the series, including a 35-19 win in the most recent matchup. The two programs first met in 1935, when LA Tech earned a 27-0 victory in Ruston. USM picked up its first win the following season as it defeated the Bulldogs 12-7 in Ruston. The first four games of the series would be played in Ruston before LA Tech made its first trip to Hattiesburg in 1946.
LA Tech and USM met for nine straight seasons (2013-21) as Conference USA members, with the Golden Eagles going 5-4 during that span. Saturday's meeting will be the first non-conference game between the schools since 2011, when LA Tech was in the Western Athletic Conference and USM was in CUSA.
The Bulldogs have struggled against the Golden Eagles both at home and on the road, posting a 9-17 record in Ruston and an 8-18 mark in Hattiesburg. The teams have played one neutral site game, a 1967 matchup in Shreveport that saw USM earn a 58-7 victory.
ABOUT LA TECH
The Bulldogs put together a complete performance last Saturday in a 49-14 win over New Mexico State to open Conference USA play. Tech's offense racked up 574 total yards, the most in a game under head coach
Sonny Cumbie. The Bulldogs rushed for a season-high 353 yards and added 221 through the air. After giving up two first-half touchdowns, Tech's defense shut down the Aggies, pitching a second-half shutout. The Bulldogs limited NMSU to just 27 rushing yards on 17 attempts.
Redshirt sophomore
Blake Baker made his first career start against the Aggies and showcased his dual-threat ability, passing for 182 yards and a touchdown while adding 103 yards and a score on the ground. The Texas native became just the second quarterback in program history to rush for 100 or more yards in a game, joining Ryan Higgins, who ran for 106 yards against Rice in 2016.
Tech's defense recorded its seventh takeaway of the season and its second defensive touchdown in the win over NMSU. The Bulldogs tallied two interceptions and one fumble recovery, highlighted by defensive lineman
Jacob Bradford's 20-yard scoop-and-score. It marked LA Tech's second fumble return for a touchdown this season.
RUNNING WILD
The LA Tech offense rushed for 353 yards on 65 attempts against New Mexico State. The 65 carries marked the program's most in a game since 2011 and the fifth most in school history. The 353 yards were the most in a game since the Bulldogs posted 367 against Northwestern State in 2023 and tied for the 10th most in program history.
Blake Baker became just the second quarterback in program history to rush for more than 100 yards in a game, finishing with 103 yards. Running backs
Omiri Wiggins and
Clay Thevenin each added 68 yards, while
Andrew Burnette tallied 41 yards, followed by
Trey Kukuk with 40.
OFFENSIVE OUTPUT
Sonny Cumbie saw his team record 574 total yards of offense in the win over New Mexico State, the most in a game under his tenure. The Bulldogs rushed for 353 yards and added 221 through the air. Tech posted 406 yards in the first half alone, marking the first time since 2012 that a CUSA team has tallied 400 yards of offense in a half. The Bulldogs racked up 551 yards of offense against Middle Tennessee in 2024, along with 516 yards against SFA and 504 yards against North Texas in 2022.
FIRST TIME STARTERS
LA Tech is tied for the second most first-time starters in the FBS this season with 13. The Bulldogs share spot with Old Dominion and sit behind Navy and Eastern Michigan who have 14. The list includes players that have made their first FBS start this season.
Trey Kukuk
Marquese Singleton Jr.
Troy Smith III
Dane Benedix
Emmanuel Oguns
Jakari Foster
Jhamal Shelby Jr.
Ashanti Cole
Judd Rouyea
Devin Gandy
Dedrick Latulas
Blake Baker
Jayden Madkins
PICK CITY
The LA Tech defense added two interceptions against New Mexico State, giving the Bulldogs five through three games. LA Tech finished with five interceptions in 13 games last season.
Jakari Foster leads the team with two, while
Kam Franklin,
Michael Richard and
Zion Nason each have one.
DOWNFIELD DOGS
The Bulldogs' offense registered eight plays of 20 yards or more against NMSU, including five passes and three rushes for a total of 267 yards. LA Tech had a combined five plays of 20-plus yards in the first two games before logging eight against the Aggies. Three went for 40 or more yards, highlighted by
Blake Baker's 56-yard pass to
David Pierro, a 42-yard pass from
Trey Kukuk to
Marlion Jackson and a 40-yard connection from Baker to
Jalen Mickens.
Devin Gandy added two explosive plays with receptions of 25 and 20 yards. Baker led the ground game with a 38-yard run, followed by Kukuk (24) and
Clay Thevenin (22).
BY THE NUMBERS
100 – Linebacker
Kolbe Fields recorded his 100th career tackle at LA Tech in the win over NMSU. Fields tallied 71 stops last season and has collected 29 this season. The redshirt senior has 105 tackles in his career.
55 –
John Hoyet Chance made a 55-yard field goal against NMSU, tying for the third-longest field goal in program history. His 55-yard make is the first field goal of his career.
4 – Four Bulldogs have recorded 15+ tackles through three games.
Kolbe Fields leads the defense with 29 stops, followed by
Mekhi Mason with 23.
Jacob Fields and
Sifa Leota each have 18.
2 – LA Tech is the only program in the nation with two quarterbacks who have rushed for more than 100 yards this season.
Blake Baker leads the team with 116 yards, followed by
Trey Kukuk with 104.
ABOUT SOUTHERN MISS
Southern Miss is off to a 2-1 start with wins over Jackson State (38-20) and App State (38-22) after going 1-11 in 2024. The Golden Eagles were picked to finish fifth in the Sun Belt Conference West Division.
As a team, Southern Miss is averaging 31.0 points per game while allowing 25.3. The Golden Eagles are averaging 351.0 yards per game and giving up 419.0 yards on defense.
The Golden Eagle offense is led by quarterback Braylon Braxton, who was named the Sun Belt Offensive Preseason Player of the Year. The redshirt senior signal caller has completed 68 of 99 passes for 692 yards with seven touchdowns. Braxton has added 105 yards on the ground on 48 carries.
Elija Metcalf leads the team with 10 grabs for 124 yards. Micah Davis has hauled in three touchdown receptions on eight grabs for 74 yards. Tychaun Chapman has tallied 120 yards on six receptions.
Chris Jones leads the defense with 31 stops, followed by Michael Montgomery who has 26 tackles. J'mond Tapp leads the team with 3.0 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks. JJ Hawkins has registered 2.5 tackles for loss, followed by Jameer Lewis and Garrick Ponder who have two apiece. The Golden Eagle defense has five interceptions on the season.
