Tech Dominates Run on Both Sides

After struggling up front against Army, Louisiana Tech switched things up on the offensive line.

David Accardo replaced Cudahy Harmon at right tackle. Kris Cavitt, who came in for Jared Miles after he was hurt at Army, remained at right guard as Miles was unable to go. Center Lon Roberts greeted his teammates before the game. As they came down the ramp from the fieldhouse, he met almost all of them with an “All Day!” and a head butt, and then he led them on the field. Whatever the team worked on in practice, it worked. Tech gained 280 yards on the ground and gave up just two sacks. Daniel Porter had 189 yards rushing on 20 carries for a sick 9.4 yards per carry. Louisiana ran to a 38-35 victory over Fresno State. As much as Louisiana Tech dominated the run on offense, they dominated even more on defense. Lonyae Miller and Ryan Mathews were banged up this week for Fresno. Miller was not able to go and Mathews gained only 8 yards on 5 carries. The third member of Fresno’s trio of rushers, Anthony Harding, gained only 47 yards on 14 carries. Fresno finished with just 63 yards rushing. Antonio Baker played great. The safety had 10 tackles with an interception, a pass break up, and a blocked punt. Baker, along with corners Terry Carter and Weldon Brown, really helped out against the run. Carter had the hit of the day, leaving his victim crawling toward the sideline. Quin Harris was out, leaving Tech very young at linebacker. Kiamni Washington, Adrien Cole, Dominique Faust, and Dusty Rust all played a lot with Harris and Brian White out of action. The young group of linebackers showed a lot of quickness and hit the holes with fierceness. Porter wasn’t the only player to show out on offense. Patrick Jackson had 59 yards and a touchdown on just 10 carries. Tech mixed it up with Phillip Livas, who had 73 yards on 8 touches. Livas had the big play of the game with a 81 yard punt return for a score. Louisiana Tech has put its offense in gear against Idaho and Fresno. The team also learned some tough lessons at Army last week. With four key games left, Tech is sitting right in the middle of the WAC bowl chase. The Bulldogs must put together a good performance on the road if they want to take down San Jose State. The Spartans won’t go down against a less than stellar effort.