By ERIK EVENSON, Independence Bowl Communications Director
There was something special about Louisiana Tech’s record-setting seventh visit to the Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl.
A blocked field goal by Kenyatta McNeese helped move the momentum to the Bulldogs’ sideline in the middle of the third quarter, and Louisiana Tech built on it, upending Coastal Carolina, 23-14, after scoring the final 20 points Tuesday afternoon at Independence Stadium.
“What an effort in the second half,” said Bulldog coach Sonny Cumbie, whose team finished 8-5 with its first bowl win in six years. “The guys didn’t flinch. The first half was about as bad a football as we’ve played in a long while, and (then) these guys made plays. Defensively, it was three-and-out. Then we made plays on special teams and on offense.”
The Bulldogs shook off a sluggish first three quarters offensively. After being held to 150 yards total offense and two field goals through three quarters, Tech posted 147 yards and its only two touchdowns of the game in the final 15 minutes.
In a game that featured 25 combined penalties and 17 combined punts – both the second-highest two-team totals in the bowl’s history – the Bulldogs’ defense delivered a momentum-turning moment that the offense capitalized on immediately.
One play after Jordan McRae made a sliding interception of a pass deflected on a crushing hit by Amari Butler, Tech quarterback Trey Kukuk connected with Marlion Jackson on a 52-yard catch-and-run score to slice the Chanticleer lead to 14-12.
Although a reverse pass for a tying two-point conversion failed, the game was finally flowing Tech’s way with 11:45 to go.
Kukuk’s 29-yard burst set up the go-ahead score. A 26-yard Dedrick Latulas punt return and an unnecessary roughness penalty on the Chanticleers gave Tech possession at the Coastal 34-yard line. Andrew Burnette followed Kukuk’s keeper with a pair of runs that covered the final 5 yards and put the Bulldogs ahead to stay.
“Coach said it well – we just couldn’t find a rhythm in the first half,” said Kukuk, who earned Offensive Player of the Game honors after rushing for 121 yards and throwing for 114 and a touchdown. “I wasn’t playing my best football, and the defense was able to keep us in the game. In the second half, we never really wavered. That’s the character of this team that’s continued to show down the stretch of the season.
“We couldn’t find it in the first half. We weren’t playing our best football, and our defense kept us in the game. Then we started playing complementary football in the second half.”
While McNeese’s block set the Bulldogs’ comeback in motion, they were fortunate to be down only 11 points at halftime. With less than two minutes to play in the first half, Coastal Carolina punt returner Bryson Gates’ 64-yard touchdown was nullified by one of the 10 first-half penalties on the Chanticleers (6-7). Coastal could not capitalize after the flag and went to halftime up 14-3.
“I think if we would have not had a penalty on the one that was returned for a touchdown, we would have won the football game,” Chanticleers interim head coach Jeremiah Johnson said. “That changed a lot of momentum. If we would have gone into halftime up 21-3, who knows? All of those plays, it’s never just one play.
“Momentum in this sport, especially with 22- and 18-year-old young men, is a big deal. In the second half, we never really could get momentum, and they got momentum. Once that snowball gets rolling, especially in the fourth quarter, we had a hard time getting a stop.”
After traveling 72 yards ahead of McNeese’s blocked field goal, the Chanticleers’ final eight drives netted 41 yards on 29 plays and featured three three-and-outs, two turnovers and a four-and-out.
“We had a great mentality,” said Bulldogs senior defensive back Cedric Woods. “I never doubted our defense going into the second half. We’ve been in this situation before. Coach said it pregame, we’ve been in every type of game this season. We started getting turnovers, and I think that was the difference in the game.”
That coupled with a resurgent running game down the stretch – the Bulldogs ran for 78 of their 181 yards in the final quarter – allowed the Bulldogs to improve to 4-2-1 all-time in the closest bowl game to their Ruston campus.
Contact Erik at erik@independencebowl.org