JOURNAL SPORTS
PULLMAN, Wash. – Louisiana Tech’s offense struggled while the Bulldogs’ defense battled for four quarters Saturday night in a 28–3 loss at Washington State.
The Bulldogs (5-5) trailed 14-3 at halftime as Tech’s offense was unable to find a consistent rhythm throughout the game, managing only 167 total yards. Washington State scored two touchdowns in each half.
“We gave them two short fields in the first half and they were able to capitalize on it,” said Bulldogs’ coach Sonny Cumbie. “We knew they were a good football team coming into it, just from the standpoint that their defense is the strength of their team. They flew around defensively and made it hard for us.”
Down 14-0 with nine seconds left in the half, Drew Henderson connected on a 51-yard field goal to cut the deficit to 14-3 at the break.
The Bulldogs’ defense allowed just 146 passing yards and 157 rushing yards. Jacob Fields led the defense with seven tackles, while Sam Fongang and Mason each added six.
“When they had to drive the field against our defense, I thought our defense was pretty effective,” said Cumbie.
Offensively, Tech’s quarterback woes continued. A week after losing starter Blake Baker for the season with a knee injury, Saturday’s starter Evan Bullock was knocked out of the game after a 10-yard run in the second quarter. Bullock and Trey Kukuk combined to go 9 of 21 for 60 yards.
Andrew Burnette and Kukuk paced the Bulldogs on the ground with 39 yards each.
‘’We didn’t play very good on special teams, and in particular, we didn’t play very well on offense either,” said Cumbie.
Former Captain Shreve standout John Hoyet Chance wasn’t the problem. He punted five times for a 53.4 average, including a 65-yarder.
The Bulldogs wrap up their home schedule with Liberty at Aillet Stadium next Saturday afternoon, needing one win in the last two games to be bowl-eligible. Tech finishes at Missouri State.
“We have a good Liberty team coming in. There’s a great opportunity ahead of us—playing at home for the last time this season for us to get to bowl eligibility,” said Cumbie. “It’s a great opportunity for these guys in terms of how we respond.”