JOURNAL SERVICES
NEWARK, Del. – After a couple of home games, the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs are going coast-to-coast seeking bowl eligibility.
Tech (5-3 overall, 3-2 in Conference USA) visits new CUSA member Delaware (4-4, 2-3) Saturday at 2 CT, then travels to Pullman, Wash., next Saturday for a non-conference contest at Washington State.
The Bulldogs will be in the bowl-eligible pool with their sixth win this season. Their last two games are against Liberty and another CUSA newcomer, Missouri State.
Sonny Cumbie’s fourth Bulldogs team is taking aim for their first six-win season since 2019. The intersectional contest will stream on ESPN+.
Saturday will be the second all-time meeting between the Bulldogs and Fightin’ Blue Hens and the first in 43 years. Delaware dumped the 1982 Bulldogs 17-0 in the Division I-AA semifinals in Ruston.
Tech was dominant last Friday, defeating Sam Houston 55-14 on homecoming. The 55 points were the most scored by the Bulldogs since Sept. 26, 2020, when they put up 66 against Houston Baptist, the highest total in the Sonny Cumbie era.
The score also tied for the sixth-most points in a CUSA game for the Bulldogs, the most in a league matchup since 2016.
The Bulldogs’ offense racked up 646 total yards, the third-most ever in a CUSA game by Tech and the most in a single game since Oct. 12, 2019, versus UMass. The Bulldogs rushed for 426 yards, the third-most in program history and the most in a game since 1991, while scoring six rushing touchdowns, tied for the fourth most in program history (most since 2015).
Tech’s 55 points against Sam Houston were the most scored by the Bulldogs since Sept. 26, 2020, and the most in the Cumbie era.
It wasn’t all offense. Jacob Fields intercepted the team’s 13th pass of the season and returned it 85 yards for a touchdown.
First-year Bulldog Clay Thevenin had a game to remember against Sam Houston, as the junior college transfer rushed for a career-high 143 yards and three touchdowns on just 11 carries. Thevenin broke runs of 50 and 25 yards while averaging 13.0 yards per carry. It marked his first game with multiple touchdowns. He leads the team with 439 rush yards and six touchdowns.
The Bulldogs lead the FBS with six defensive touchdowns, matching the program record set in 2011. In total, Tech’s defense has forced 15 turnovers, including 13 interceptions, fifth nationally.
Delaware lost 59-30 last Saturday at Liberty.
