By Malcolm Butler
The West was won Saturday night as Louisiana Tech dismantled Southern Miss 63-31 at Joe Aillet Stadium.
Louisiana Tech clinched the West Division title in its first season as a member of the Sun Belt Conference with a statement victory over their longtime rival Golden Eagles. The Bulldogs (8-2, 6-0 SBC) won their seventh straight game, punched their ticket to the Sun Belt Conference championship game and kept their hopes of hosting that contest alive.
Tech’s 63 points were the most ever scored by either team in the series, while the Bulldogs’ defense forced five turnovers — now 10 in the last two games — , including a pair of interception returns for touchdowns on consecutive Southern Miss possessions in the second quarter.
It was a statement win for a program that has endured its share of struggles in recent years under head coach Sonny Cumbie. And now the Bulldogs will play for a conference championship for the first time since 2016.
“It was just a dominant performance by our players,” said Cumbie. “I just couldn’t be more proud of how they answered the bell. I think this week (we) had a great week of practice, had a great mindset and great determination, and clearly understood what we had an opportunity to do from the standpoint of what a win meant.
“And I think they ran at it. They embraced it. They looked forward to the challenge, and we’re very excited to play this football game. And I think it was evident in how we played.”
It didn’t take long for the Bulldogs to make their intentions known.
On Southern Miss’ first offensive play from scrimmage, Emmanuel Oguns deflected a John White pass that was intercepted by Kolbe Fields, setting the Bulldogs up at the Golden Eagles’ 26-yard line. Four plays later, Dylone Brooks scored on a 1-yard run, and Tech was off and running.
After Southern Miss kicked a field goal, the Bulldogs marched 91 yards, capped by a little trickery as wide receiver Marcus Calwise Jr. connected with Jay Wilkerson on a 49-yard touchdown pass. Sergio Snider added a 2-yard scoring run late in the first quarter to give Tech a 21-3 advantage.
The Golden Eagles pulled within 21-10 early in the second quarter on a 53-yard touchdown run by Jamarice Wilder.
However, what transpired over the next four minutes all but sealed the outcome. Blake Baker connected with Talyn Shettron on a 9-yard touchdown pass before the Tech defense took center stage.
Former Ruston High standout Jadon Mayfield recorded his first career interception, returning it 36 yards for a touchdown with 9:14 to play in the second quarter. Less than two minutes later, Jordan McRae intercepted White and raced 89 yards for another score.
Tech led 42-10.
Baker, who completed 21 of 28 passes for 236 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, connected with Brayden Bockler on a 2-yard scoring strike on Tech’s opening possession of the third quarter. Rayshun Hurt added a career-long 55-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter — the first rushing touchdown of his collegiate career — before Baker found tight end Eli Finley for a 12-yard score to give the Bulldogs a 63-24 lead with 8:48 to play.
Tech totaled 495 yards of offense, including a season-high 350 through the air. Finley caught six passes for 104 yards and a score, while Hurt rushed for a career-high 88 yards on just six carries.
Mayfield led the Bulldogs with nine tackles to go along with his pick-six. Judd Rouyea added Tech’s fourth interception, while Taeden Rogers recovered a fumble. The Bulldogs defense has now forced 25 turnovers on the season, including 16 interceptions, to rank among the top in the country.
“You think about the continuity and consistency we have had with the core of our roster, it’s very uncommon,” said Cumbie. “The recipe is because they are uncommon people. There are a lot of special individuals that are selfless, love football, and great teammates in the locker room.
“It’s a special group and that is what I talked to them about. When you go through storms you are not the same team and the same people on the other side of them. That is sometimes what storms are all about, which is who you are becoming and what you become. I believe that is what we are seeing with this football team right now.”
Finley said the players understand what their head coach has endured during his time in Ruston.
“He has the hardest role,” said Finley. “We go out and play, but he gets all the criticism and negative comments. He sees and hears them, but that is nothing to him and to us. To see him go out there and be persistent to us, it really means a lot. We go out there and we wear it on our sleeve and we play for him.”
The win also completed a regular-season sweep of rivals UL-Lafayette, UL-Monroe and Southern Miss, something that should make the offseason a little sweeter for the Bulldog faithful.
Tech hosts Arkansas State next Saturday at 6 p.m. before closing out the regular season at Georgia Southern on Nov. 28. And then comes an opportunity to capture a Sun Belt Conference title.
