Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Preview 2022: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Louisiana Tech season with what you need to know and keys to the season.
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Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Preview
Head Coach: Sonny Cumbie, 1st year at Louisiana Tech
2nd year overall: 2-3: 2021 Preview
2021 Record: Overall: 3-9, Conference: 2-6
Keys To The Season
Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Louisiana Tech Top 10 Players | Louisiana Tech Schedule
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Preview 2022
Now we get to see what the master coordinator can do running his own show.
Sonny Cumbie did what he could last year at Texas Tech, stepping in for the fired Matt Wells late in the season and did enough to lead the way to a bowl appearance and win. Now he gets his first full-time head coaching gig, and now Louisiana Tech is going to have a whole lot of fun.
At least the offense is going to be a whole lot of fun.
It might take a little while for the high-octane passing style to find its groove, but in a rebuilding year Louisiana Tech took its lumps at several positions and now has enough veterans and good players to build around to make this all go.
There hasn’t been a conference championship since 2011, just that one since 2001, and just those two since 1984. There was success over the years under Skip Holtz, but the program couldn’t get over the hump even though it got to two Conference USA championship games.
How do you turn around a 3-9 team fast? You crank up the pressure on both sides of the ball.
The offense is going to attack, the defense is going to attack, and this is going to be one of those teams that makes everyone else in the conference worry.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Preview 2022: Offense
Again, 2021 was supposed to be a bit of a rebuilding year, but it wasn’t supposed to be so much of a struggle. The defense was the bigger problem, but the offense didn’t consistently do enough to help the cause.
The O got relatively decent blocking, but the running game wasn’t good enough, the passing attack wasn’t efficient enough, and there were WAY too many turnovers. There are going to be changes, but first …
It would help if the Bulldogs had a quarterback who was ready to be THE GUY. Parker McNeil is a big bomber who started at Troy and spent last year as a backup at Texas Tech – Cumbie knows what he can do.
Former Georgia Bulldog and TCU Horned Frog Matthew Downing at least has a wee bit of experience. Andrew Brister – Bubby’s kid – is on the roster. Someone has to grab the gig in fall camp.
The quarterback situation might be up in the air, but the receivers are there. Smoke Harris is a 5-6 baller who led the way with 71 catches and six scores, Tre Harris is a 6-2 deep threat who caught 41 passes, and Griffin Herbert is a good veteran who fits the new attack.
The offensive line is a plus. The all-star combination of Joshua Mote at one guard spot and Abraham Delfin at center is a great place to start in the interior, and Dakota White is a good-looking tackle on one side.
The passing game might be the star of the offense, and leading rusher Marcus Williams is done, but Greg Garner should be solid with more work and former Vanderbilt transfer Keyon Henry-Brooks should be more of a factor.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Preview 2022: Defense
The defense might need to go several miles to merely be okay, but at least this bunch will be turned loose to try to make a whole lot of big plays. New defensive coordinator Scott Power comes in from Stephen F. Austin where his defense lived behind the line and came up with a whole lot of takeaways.
Experience is going to mean something here – and there’s all-star power to work around – from a group that was 106th in the nation in total defense 114th in scoring D.
There wasn’t enough of a pass rush last season, but again, the new coaching staff is going to go out of its way to make sure the D gets into the backfield. Leading sacker Ben Bell might be in the transfer portal, but he only came up with 3.5 sacks.
301-pound Keivie Rose is a good one on the nose, Mykol Clark earned all-star honors at one end, and the back seven is going to help make big things happen, too, starting with …
Linebacker Tyler Grubbs led the team in tackles and tackles for loss. He’s the best of the bunch with new parts filling in for second-leading tackler Trey Baldwin and the speedy Ezekiel Barnett.
The secondary has a good playmaker in safety BeeJay Williamson and a returning starter in corner Cedric Woods. Expect more out of this group if the pass rush really does rise up.
Keys To The Season
Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Louisiana Tech Top 10 Players | Louisiana Tech Schedule