JOURNAL SPORTS
Louisiana Tech’s smothering defense was the dominant factor as the Bulldogs pushed away from Troy and remained unbeaten in Sun Belt Conference competition while winning their sixth straight Saturday.
The other area college teams – Northwestern, Grambling and Centenary – all lost.
LOUISIANA TECH 41, TROY 17: Forcing five turnovers and scoring 21 unanswered points in the second half, Louisiana Tech broke open a tight Sun Belt Conference matchup in Troy, Alabama, Saturday.
The Bulldogs (7-2, 5-0 SBC) extended their winning streak to six games and improved to 5-0 in conference play for the first time since 2019. The Trojans fell to 4-5 overall and 2-3 in league play.
Linebacker Alonzo Jackson Jr. again led a dominant defensive effort with a game-high 11 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, a forced fumble and a 66-yard fumble return for a touchdown. Kolbe Fields added 10 tackles, two tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble. Janard Lockhardt recorded an interception, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Marcus Calwise Jr. established career highs with nine receptions and 137 receiving yards, including a 28-yard touchdown. Blake Baker completed 16 of 19 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown.
UAPB 35, GRAMBLING 32: The Golden Lions scored on an 82-yard pass and a 76-yard punt return and held off Grambling State 35-32 on Saturday at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium.
The Tigers (4-5, 2-4 Southwestern Athletic Conference) outgained the Golden Lions (6-3, 4-2) 408 yards to 406, ran 75 plays to 56 and held the ball for 34 minutes, 24 seconds. They twice cut into a deficit in the fourth quarter, including a 78-yard touchdown pass nine seconds after UAPB’s punt-return score but the visitors ran off all but two seconds of the final 5:38 after Grambling closed within a field goal.
UT-RIO GRANDE VALLEY 52, NORTHWESTERN STATE 7: The Demons struggled to overcome an early deficit and a series of costly turnovers Saturday as UTRGV turned three interceptions into a pair of defensive touchdowns on its way to a 52-7 victory at Turpin Stadium.
The Vaqueros (5-5, 3-4) entered the game ranked third nationally with 12 interceptions and added three more against the Demons (0-10, 0-7), returning two for touchdowns. UTRGV scored 24 points off Northwestern State turnovers, using the takeaways to maintain control throughout the afternoon.
The visitors took the lead on the game’s second play. Safety TJ Neal intercepted a pass and returned it 53 yards for a touchdown less than a minute in.
TEXAS LUTHERAN 28, CENTENARY 20: Former Captain Shreve kicker Zane Wyss booted field goals of 53 and 25 yards for the Gents, but Texas Lutheran limited visiting Centenary to just 196 total yards and won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season title.
TLU managed only 316 yards, but jumped to a 14-0 lead and never trailed while improving to 8-1 overall and 4-0 in the SCAC. Centenary slipped to 2-6, with both wins over Austin College, and 1-3 in the conference.