Preview: LA Tech at Troy - LA Tech Athletics

RUSTON -- Louisiana Tech will look to extend its five-game winning streak and remain unbeaten in Sun Belt Conference play when the Bulldogs travel to Troy, Alabama, to face the Trojans on Saturday at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Date: Saturday, Nov. 7
Time: 3 p.m. CT
Location: Troy, Ala. (Veterans Memorial Stadium)
TV: ESPN+
Live Stats: LATechSports.com/Stats
Radio: Z107.5 | LA Tech Sports Network | LA Tech Athletics App

SERIES HISTORY
Series: First Meeting
In Troy: N/A
Streak: N/A

The Bulldogs (6-2, 4-0 SBC) enter Saturday's matchup as the Sun Belt's lone remaining unbeaten team in conference play and hold a two-game lead in the West Division standings. Louisiana Tech secured bowl eligibility with a 35-20 victory at South Alabama last Saturday, marking its second consecutive season reaching the six-win threshold and extending its winning streak to five games for the first time since 2019. The upcoming matchup at Troy (4-4, 2-2 SBC) is the first-ever meeting between the Trojans and the Bulldogs.

WHAT'S AT STAKE

Would be the program's first-ever win over Troy
Would be Sonny Cumbie's 26th coaching win at LA Tech and 28th win of his career
Would give LA Tech it's first 5-0 start in conference play since 2019, the third time since 2014 and the fourth occurrence since 1982
Would extend LA Tech's winning streak to six games--the first such streak since 2019
Would give LA Tech consecutive seasons with at least 7 wins for the first time since 2018-2019
Would make LA Tech 10-2 in their last 12 games--the first time recording 10 wins in a 12-game span since 2019

'DOGS GOING BOWLING

Louisiana Tech gave themselves bowl eligibility with their 35-20 win at South Alabama on Halloween, giving the Jaguars a second-half shutout to mark 10 of the last 12 quarters played as scoreless for the LA Tech defense. The Bulldogs have taken control with a two-game lead in the Sun Belt West Division, as well as the last undefeated team remaining in SBC play. It is the second-straight year the Bulldogs have reached legitimate bowl eligibility--the Bulldogs went 5-7 in 2024, yet made a bowl game after Marshall withdrew from the Independence Bowl, making LA Tech the only 5-7 team to make a bowl game that season. The last time LA Tech had consecutive years of legitimate bowl eligibility were the 2018 and 2019 seasons.

TECH #TAKERS / BULLDOG DEFENSE STEADY DOMINATING

The Bulldogs have 11 consecutive games forcing a turnover dating back to the 2025 season, with 18 interceptions and five fumble recoveries in that span. LA Tech also has a turnover forced in 19 of their last 21 games since the start of last year. Among those contests, the Bulldogs have forced multiple turnovers in 11 of them. Since the start of 2025, the Bulldogs have picked off opponents on 33 separate occasions along with seven fumble recoveries. Since the start of 2025, the Bulldogs have nine games with multiple interceptions--tied with Notre Dame for the most in the country over that span.

Alonzo Jackson Jr. remains the Sun Belt's leader with 13.5 tackles for a loss and his seven sacks sit in a three-way tie for the most in the league. He leads the Bulldogs with 58 total tackles, which rank 14th overall in the conference. His 7.0 total sacks and 0.88 sacks per game are among the top 10 in FBS (T-9th), and his 13.0 TFLs and 1.63 TFLs/game are top 3.

Louisiana Tech's defense enters Week 10 leading the Sun Belt with 10 interceptions, a conference-best 8.4 TFLs/game and 67 total team TFLs for the second-most. The Bulldogs also lead the Sun Belt in turnovers gained (16), and are top 3 in the conference in opposing 4th-down conversions (.333), passing defense (197.3), scoring defense (20.9), opposing passing efficiency (118.81), team sacks (2.75/game) and total defense (332.6). Alonzo Jackson Jr.'s two fumble recoveries are in a massive tie for the fourth-most in FBS and an eight-man tie for the most in the Sun Belt. Janard Lockhardt's 1.25 passes defended/game are tied for the fifth-most in the country and second-most in the SBC, and Jordan McRae's Bulldog-leading three picks are tied for the third-most in the SBC and top 20 in the country.

FINLEY AND MICKENS: THE DYNAMIC DUO

Wideout Jalen Mickens and tight end Eli Finley are the only receiving duo from the same team in the Sun Belt with at least 40 receptions this season. Mickens' 618 total receiving yards and 77.3 yards/game lead all SBC pass catchers while Eli Finley's five receiving touchdowns are tied for the third-most in the league and his 477 receiving yards are the fourth-most.

Finley eclipsed 100 career receptions as well as 1,000 career receiving yards following his dominant performance on Oct. 24 against Old Dominion. He is the 25th Bulldog in program history to reach both milestones, and the first to do so since Tru Edwards (2022-24).

Mickens leads all SBC pass catchers with three 100-yard receiving games, and him and Finley (2) are the only receiving duo from the same school to have multiple such games this season. Louisiana Tech also still leads the Sun Belt with seven total 100-yard receiving performances by a league-most four different players.

LET BLAKE BAKE

Quarterback Blake Baker is off to a strong start in conference play, with 967 passing yards on a completion rate of 75.2% and an efficiency rating of 173.39, 11 total touchdowns and no turnovers. He had a career day in the program's first-ever Sun Belt game with 319 passing yards on a career-best 76.2% completion rate (min. 25 attempts) along with 3 passing touchdowns and 1 rushing score. It was just the second time in his career with 300+ passing yards and the first time to do so along with multiple passing touchdowns. His three scores through the air tied his career high from the season-opening win over Northwestern State and his 54 rushing yards marked a season high for the Cypress, Texas native.

Baker continued to dominate through the air, posting his third game of the season (and his career) with 300+ passing yards and his third consecutive game with multiple touchdowns and no turnovers. His 82.4% completion rate is a new single-game career high for the Cypress, Texas native, who leads all SBC quarterbacks with a 71.1% completion rate and a 173.4 passing efficiency, and is among the top 2 in average passing yards per game (241.8) and passer efficiency (173.4) in SBC-only contests this year. He is also one of five SBC quarterbacks with multiple 300-yard games in 2026.

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Players Mentioned

Blake Baker

Eli Finley

Alonzo Jackson Jr.

Janard Lockhardt

Jordan McRae

Jalen Mickens

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