by Malcolm Butler
With its season opener against Missouri just eight days away, Louisiana Tech head coach Sonny Cumbie named TCU transfer Matthew Downing as the Bulldogs starting quarterback.
Cumbie told Downing and the rest of the quarterback room the news on Sunday evening.
Following Monday morning’s practice session under raining conditions, Cumbie explained the decision as to why Downing ultimately won the job over Texas Tech transfer Parker McNeil for the starting role entering week one.
“As a staff it was a very difficult decision,” said Cumbie. “Parker and Matt, since the moment they got here in the spring, have had a great competition back and forth. Really alternated days with the ones the whole time and at times alternated days of who had the upper hand.
“I think in the end probably overall consistency, overall decision making with the football. I think we can win a lot of football games with both players. This team and this coaching staff has a lot of confidence in both of them. If the opportunity were to come and Parker were to have to go, we would have the utmost confidence in him.”
Downing said he was excited about the opportunity to run out on the field with the offense Sept. 1 when the Bulldogs face Missouri in the season opener.
“I want to start out saying great things about Parker McNeil,” said Downing Monday. “He is a great dude. He is a great quarterback. He is a great player. And he is a really good friend.
“It means a great deal to represent this team and represent this University. I understand what comes with playing the position. And I am proud to be a part of this team and help us win games. It has been a different journey for me for sure. I am excited about the opportunity.
“It’s been a great quarterback room. We get along really well. We laugh a lot. We make each other better every single day. We told each other at the beginning that we are going out every single day and to try to get better. Control what we can control, and let the coaches make the decision.”
Downing’s collegiate journey has been one that looks more and more familiar in this day and age of college athletics and the transfer portal. After starting out as a preferred walk-on at Georgia, the Alpharetta, Georgia, native transferred to TCU where he spent the past two seasons. He played in seven games for the Horned Frogs.
He said he is happy to be in Ruston with a head coach he is familiar with.
“Coach Cumbie recruited me to TCU and I did my time there,” said Downing. “I thought I would have a better opportunity. Everything happens for a reason and everything comes full circle. It feels good to be (at LA Tech) with Coach Cumbie and these guys and help lead this team and play this year.
“I just feel like I’m a competitor. Hopefully I just go out and play my game. Hopefully the guys around me make plays. That’s what they do. We have a bunch of playmakers. I just want to go out there and do my job and let everything fall into place.”
Cumbie, who was named the Tech head coach in mid-December after serving as the interim head coach at Texas Tech for the final half of the 2021 season, said having coached both Downing and McNeil prior to all three coming to Tech has made the transition smoother.
“I coached Matt for two years at TCU,” said Cumbie. “I coached Parker at Texas Tech for one year. Their background on what we are doing on offense … they both came in with a pretty deep knowledge. They have helped me with some stuff as far as ‘What do we call this? Remember how we tag this?’ Both of them have a great knowledge, a very deep knowledge and a thorough knowledge of our playbook. So from that standpoint I think we will be able to be pretty wide open.”
