JOURNAL SPORTS
The Sun Belt Conference West Division championship is within Louisiana Tech’s reach at home Saturday, while Northwestern State tries to end its home slate on a high note and Grambling and Centenary are on the road.
LOUISIANA TECH: The Bulldogs welcome longtime rival Southern Miss for a Sun Belt showdown in Joe Aillet Stadium, the first time the teams meet as conference opponents in five years.
Tech comes home for the 4 o’clock contest on ESPN+ after a commanding 41-17 road victory over Troy, extending the Bulldogs’ winning streak to six games for the first time since 2019. It has given them the chance to lock up the Sun Belt West Division championship with a victory, and a berth in the conference championship game next month.
USM is 3-6 overall, 2-3 in the conference after getting blasted 54-23 last Thursday at SBC East Division leader James Madison.
A tenacious defense has been the lynchpin of Tech’s run to a 6-2 overall record, 5-0 in the Sun Belt.
Among all FBS programs, the Bulldogs rank among the top 10 in fumble recoveries (9), completion percentage (71.3), interceptions (12), team tackles for loss (8.3/game), average turnover margin (+1.22/game) and turnovers forced (21).
The Bulldog offense has been firing on all cylinders after opening SBC play. Tech is top three in SBC-only contests in passing efficiency (1st – 174.39), completion percentage (1st – 76.87%), passing yards/attempt (1st – 8.56), offensive touchdowns (2nd – 20), passing touchdowns (3rd – 12) and scoring offense (3rd – 31.6).
NORTHWESTERN STATE: For 12 seniors, Saturday’s matchup against Houston Christian represents one final opportunity to take the field at Turpin Stadium. The Demons hope to make the most of it.
The Demons (0-10, 0-7) wrap their home schedule with a 1 p.m. Senior Day matchup against the Huskies (4-6, 3-4), marking HCU’s first trip to Natchitoches since 2021 and just its third visit since the program began playing football in 2014.
The Demons will honor 12 seniors before kickoff. The game will air on ESPN+.
“There are some guys in this class that have been around for a while, some longer than we have,” head coach Blaine McCorkle said. “I give this class a lot of credit. They’re here for the right reasons. They want to see this thing through and believe in what we’re doing. We want to honor them and really want to send them out right.”
GRAMBLING: The Tigers will be missing 14 suspended players, yet to be identified by the school or the conference office, when they play at Bethune-Cookman Saturday at noon CST on SWACTV. At the end of last Saturday’s homefield 35-32 loss to UAPB, fights broke out on the field resulting in disciplinary action.
Ironically, GSU and Bethune-Cookman engaged in a fight at halftime of last year’s game in Grambling, leading to suspensions.
The Tigers are 4-5 overall, 2-4 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference while B-C brings a 5-5 overall mark and a 3-3 league slate into Saturday, losing 45-17 to Southern last Saturday for its second straight defeat,
Grambling is on a three-game losing streak, having last earned a win on October 10th against Jackson State. The Tigers were decimated on the road by Alabama A&M before losing back-to-back one possession contests to Texas Southern (in overtime, 23-20) and UAPB.
The Wildcats average 214.8 yards per game rushing, 12th nationally at the FCS level.
CENTENARY: The season finishes against Lyon College in the nightcap of the second annual Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Football Championship on Saturday as the No. 4 seed Gents face the No. 3 seed Scots with kickoff set for 8 o’clock in Little Rock at War Memorial Stadium.
The Gents (2-6, 1-3 SCAC) and Scots (3-6, 2-2 SCAC) will meet for the second time this season in Saturday’s third-place game after a memorable first matchup played in Shreveport on Halloween night, won 43-36 by Lyon when the Scots tackled Centenary’s Theo Dunn two yards shy of a tying touchdown on the last play.
Trent Smith had the best game of his career against Lyon as he rushed for a career-best 140 yards on a career-high 25 carries.
“We know we have a tough challenge ahead against a very good football team,” said Gents coach Byron Dawson. “It’s all about preparation, playing physical, taking care of the football, and playing hard for 60 minutes. Our guys have worked hard, and we are looking forward to the opportunity. We must play together, play team football, and finish the season strong.”