HOPE springs eternal among college football fan bases with the start of the season still two weeks away.
Oh, there is that four letter word again. The one that tugs on the heart strings of all sports fans.
Every team in the country is currently undefeated and has aspirations of conference titles, bowl games, and a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Louisiana Tech’s fan base is no different.
Bulldog fans are almost rabid with a cautious optimism. And they have good reasons to be.
One thing I have learned over the last almost three decades of working in college athletics: no one truly knows at this point. The margin of error is so slim when it comes to a league winning-caliber season or a ho-hum here-we-go-again one.
Injuries. Turnovers. Late-game execution.
All three are critical in determining wins or losses. And none of us, even the Tech coaching staff, knows what those three things will look like until the games are played.
The perfect illustration of the difference between a highly successful season and one that falls just short is last year’s Tech campaign.
Tech finished 5-8, including its Independence Bowl loss to Army. However, how close were those Bulldogs?
A last-second Hail Mary vs. Jacksonville State, a blocked potential game-winning 27-yard field goal at New Mexico State, and a mishandled quarterback-wide receiver exchange from the 2-yard line late at Sam Houston was all that stood in the way of last year’s Bulldogs playing in the CUSA title game.
Seriously. Those three plays go different, and Tech would have played in the league championship game. One offensive play. One defensive play. One special teams play.
That close (all four CUSA losses were by one score or less).
I know that is an overly simplistic snapshot of those three losses. And there were plenty of other plays in those games that could have provided separation. However, it is a fair illustration of how close Sonny Cumbie and Co. were from the 2024 campaign being a championship caliber one.
As easy as it is to become fixated on the negative of “the agony of defeat”, the good news is Tech was not far off. And although every season and team take on a life of its own, I have a good “feeling” about this year.
Part of that optimism stems from percentages. It sure seems like over the past four years that the proverbial elongated ball has not bounced the Bulldogs way very often.
It has to be time, right?
Although I have not watched every practice this fall, what I have seen gives me HOPE.
I have seen what offensive coordinator Tony Franklin can do. All Tech fans experienced it during his previous three years in Ruston (2010-2012) when the Bulldogs were one of the top offenses in the country.
Although the state of college football (college athletics) looks completely different more than a decade later, I still believe in Franklin’s ability to get the most out of an offense. If the Bulldogs can find a way to be a more efficient red zone offense, Tech could increase the digits on the scoreboard and thus increase their odds of winning.
Here’s HOPING.
Defensively, well, the Bulldogs have been really good the last few years. New defensive coordinator Luke Olsen impressed me during a post-practice session with the media a few weeks ago. He (and his players) preached takeaways, one area that last year’s didn’t excel at and one of the keys to any great defense.
The Bulldog defensive unit practices with energy and tenacity. Those guys fly around the field, a ball-hawking style that — HOPEFULLY — will lead to more takeaways. And more wins.
Special teams is always a wild card with any football team. It is the third phase that is so often overlooked … until it “costs” a team a game. Championship level teams are solid in special teams; in all areas of special teams.
Let us all HOPE this group is special.
Finally, Tech’s schedule is favorable.
Outside of a road game at LSU in the second week of the season, the Bulldogs should not be heavy underdogs in any other game. There are some tough (long) road trips, including back-to-back weeks where Tech must venture to Delaware and Washington State. And you never know what team(s) on a schedule may be a surprise when it comes to Top 25 potential.
Regardless, learning to win on the road is key.
As the number of practices before the opener continues to decrease as we head towards late August, the Tech coaches are focused on one practice rep at a time; as they should. Cumbie and his staff are preparing for August 30 against Southeastern Louisiana; as they should.
But as fans, we have the luxury of looking ahead. We go down the schedule already counting the wins before the football is even kicked off.
And Bulldog fans — like all fan bases across the country — are HOPING that come late November the wins have mounted and their team is playing meaningful games.
Here, on Monday, August 18, HOPE springs eternal.
