JOURNAL SPORTS
RUSTON – The Louisiana Tech offense wasn’t very good until it mattered most Tuesday night.
The Bulldogs, ineffective especially in the run game, found their stride just in time against UTEP and got the winning touchdown with under seven minutes remaining in a 14-10 Conference USA victory at Aillet Stadium.
Tech put together an 11-play, 97-yard drive over five minutes in the fourth period to record the decisive score.
LA Tech (3-4, 2-2 CUSA) had great field position all night against UTEP (1-7, 1-4 CUSA), including four series that started in its opponent’s territory. None of those four possessions resulted in points.
Down by a field goal, Tech found itself with its worst field position of the game, backed up on its own 3-yard line with only 11:55 to go.
The drive opened with Evan Bullock finding Jimmy Holiday for a 32-yard gain over the middle to get some breathing room. Then on third-and-10, Holiday reeled in a 17-yard grab to move the chains. The two connected again, this time on a third-and-13, to get exactly 13 yards for a first down.
On back-to-back plays, Bullock found Amani Givens (19 yards) and Tru Edwards (12 yards) to put the Bulldogs on the 1-yard line. One play later, Givens rushed up the middle for Tech’s first lead of the game, going up 14-10 with 6:28 to play.
Tech’s defense did the rest. The Bulldogs twice stopped the Miners on fourth down in the closing moments. Mekhi Mason and David Blay stuffed the Miners on a fourth-and-1 rush up the middle. Later, Jakari Foster made an open-field tackle that stopped UTEP 1-yard shy of keeping its chances alive across midfield in the closing minute.
Coach Sonny Cumbie said an aggressive mindset paid off for his Bulldogs, who stopped the Miners on 13 of 14 third-down situations.
“We talked this week to our football team and really the things that we wanted to accomplish, holistically as a football team is we wanted to attack victory. I felt like at times in previous games that we’ve weighed on our heels, whether it be on offense, defense, or special teams, and just hoped that something good was going to happen.
“And I think our guys tonight, in particular on defense, and then offensively on a 97-yard drive when we needed it the most, attacked victory. I think we are able to do that. I think that we were the aggressor, in particular on defense and special teams. I think our team played very physical.”
Bullock was 22-of-30 for 248 yards and one touchdown. He completed five of his six attempts on the game-winning drive in the fourth quarter. Holiday led the Bulldogs in rushing and receiving, carrying the ball six times for 18 yards while hauling in six receptions for 93 yards.
The two teams traded touchdowns in the first half with the Miners claiming the first one, going 94 yards on eight plays that was capped off by a 47-yard touchdown pass on their second drive of the game.
After totaling just 42 yards of offense on their first five drives, the Bulldogs finally broke through on a long touchdown pass of their own. Bullock found Solo Lewis, who beat his man in one-on-one coverage, for a 48-yard score with 1:58 remaining in the second quarter.
The first red zone appearance by either team came in the third quarter when Tech’s Colton Deckard blocked a punt by the Miners, giving the Bulldogs the ball just eight yards from the goal line. However, a false start and a sack was followed by a missed 36-yard field goal, which kept the score tied at 7-7.
UTEP, which had missed a field goal of its own earlier on the contest, retook the lead on a 44-yard field goal with 3:43 to go in the third quarter. But the Miners, who lost their top two quarterbacks to injury in the contest, couldn’t sustain a drive after the Bulldogs moved on top late.