JOURNAL SPORTS
PULLMAN, Wash. — Louisiana Tech travels cross-country for the second straight weekend when the Bulldogs, one win shy of bowl eligibility but losers of three of their last four, play Saturday night at Washington State.
The Bulldogs (5-4) look to secure their first six-win season since 2019 when they face Washington State (4-5). Kickoff is slated for 9 p.m. CT, televised on The CW with the Louisiana Tech Radio Network broadcast airing locally at 95.7 KLKL FM featuring color analyst Teddy Allen.
The Tech football equipment truck traveled 2,558 miles from Newark, Del., to Pullman, after Tech’s last-minute 25-24 loss at Delaware last Saturday.
Saturday will be the first-ever meeting between Tech and Washington State, as well as the first time the Bulldogs have played a game in the state of Washington. It will also be the first time since 1993 that Tech has played on the East Coast and then the West Coast in consecutive weeks, and the first time since 1939 that the Bulldogs have played back-to-back games in new states.
This will be the fourth different time zone that Tech plays in this season as they travel to the west coast. The last time that happened was 2012.
The Bulldogs slipped to 5-4 last Saturday after falling to Delaware on a last-second 51-yard field goal that completed a 10-point comeback in the last 90 seconds, sandwiched around a successful onside kick. It was the Bulldogs’ third road loss of the season.
Three different quarterbacks saw action in the loss after starter Blake Baker exited in the first quarter with a torn ACL, sidelining him for the remainder of the season. Evan Bullock completed 11 of 15 passes for 95 yards and one interception, while Trey Kukuk went 3-for-3 for 66 yards and added 28 rushing yards.
Running back Clay Thevenin recorded his second consecutive multi-rushing touchdown game, finding the end zone twice on 10 carries for 64 yards. The sophomore added 42 yards on three receptions to surpass 100 all-purpose yards.
Jacob Fields and Jakari Foster each intercepted a pass in the loss, bringing Tech’s season total to 15 interceptions. Fields returned his for his second touchdown of the year, giving Tech a 24-16 lead with just over three minutes left, after Foster notched his team-leading fourth interception of the season.
Linebacker Mekhi Mason became the first player in Conference USA to reach double-digit tackles for loss this season after recording a half tackle for loss against Delaware. The second-year Bulldog has 10.0 TFLs.