by Malcolm Butler
Fight. Fight. Fight. For the ole Red and Blue.
Teddy Allen and I sat in the Dave Nitz Radio Booth this past Saturday morning watching Louisiana Tech’s second full scrimmage of the fall.
With the regular season opener just over two full weeks away, TA and I are doing our best to familiarize ourselves with this year’s Bulldog roster and coaching staff. And in this day and age of the transfer portal and NIL, that’s a little more challenging then what it was a decade ago when continuity on college rosters was a real thing.
First of all, let me say that my co-pilot and our sideline sidekick Jerry Byrd and I are all looking forward to teaming up for another year of Bulldog football action on the LA Tech Sports Network. We live in the south where we all know college football is king and everyone is excited right now because we are all undefeated.
That will change quickly over the course of the next few weeks as some teams begin their quest for postseason while others trudge their way towards mediocrity.
And that is always the preseason question I hear the most this time of the year.
“How are the Bulldogs going to do this year?”
Fight. Fight. Fight. For the ole Red and Blue.
My answer to that question these days is much different than it was two decades ago. Back then I was under the false impression that I actually knew how the team may do heading into a season. I’ve learned, the hard way at times, that it’s almost impossible to know.
Why? Well for one, the aforementioned roster turnover these days due to the transfer portal and NIL. Times are a changin’. Gone are the days where you can find a diamond in the rough and your fan base can enjoy watching them dominate for four years.
Instead, it’s the fruit basket turnover of college athletics. Rosters are now littered with new guys who we haven’t seen in the heat of the gridiron battle yet. Locker room continuity and chemistry … it feels at times like a thing of the past.
Secondly, there are little things on the field that we just don’t know each year regardless of roster make up. Things like will the ball bounce our team’s way at critical times in the fourth quarter of games? Can your key players stay healthy for the entirety of the season?
Fight. Fight. Fight. For the ole Red and Blue.
Our Bulldogs have lost a lot of close contests over the past four years. In my three years behind the mic calling Tech football games for the retired legendary tonsils of Dave Nitz, the Bulldogs are a combined 9-27 (heck, I’m starting to think it’s my fault).
And there have been some agonizing losses amongst those 27, including Hail Mary’s and just plain Oh Hells. There have been some real emotional rollercoasters at times.
And when you are sitting behind the mic as the Voice of … it’s a tough juggling act at times of calling what you see while also remembering that no one wants to win those games more than the coaches and players. No one. Not even the radio guys.
Fight. Fight. Fight. For the ole Red and Blue.
I am cautiously optimistic that 2024 will see more wins for the ole Red and Blue. These days I’m cautiously optimistic about a lot of things in life. Maybe age has dulled my blind optimism.
But I did see some promising things on both sides of the ball last Saturday, big plays from both the offense and the defense. We just need those big plays to outweigh the not-so-big plays this year as our beloved canines try to get bowl eligible for the first time since the Covid-filled 2020 season.
I know the coaches and players are working hard to put a good product on the field. I know the administration is working hard to put a good game-day atmosphere together (Including learning how to best utilize the new video board and sound system that should aid in that endeavor).
There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes in preparing for the start of an athletic season, and I have had a front row seat to that over the past quarter of a century. There are lot of things to be excited about as a Tech fan even in a day and age where the P4 continues to gain separation from the rest of the school’s across the country.
August 31 is just 12 days away. Less than two weeks until our beloved Bulldogs suit up and it’s time to: Fight. Fight. Fight. For the ole Red and Blue.
The Bulldogs will host one of the better FCS program’s in Nicholls State with kickoff set for 7 p.m.
None of us know what the score will be that night. But as I told TA on Saturday as we were watching from the radio booth, I do know everyone is working hard during these Dog Days of Summer to give the ole Red and Blue the best chance to succeed this season.
My hope is that Sonny Cumbie and those good ole canines break through for a touchdown or two a few more times than their opponents this year.
That should equal a few more wins for the ole Red and Blue.
Fight. Fight. Fight. For the ole Red and Blue.
