5 things every Arkansas fan must know about Louisiana Tech
With football just days away, it’s time to get down to business and learn about Arkansas’ Week 1 opponent, Louisiana Tech.
After finishing with a 9-4 record a year ago, the Bulldogs are hoping to make another jump in Year 4 of head coach Skip Holtz’s tenure. Even if Tech has question marks at some positions, the team will also have some reasons to be optimistic entering the 2016 season. As you prepare for Saturday’s opener, here are five things Arkansas fans should know about Louisiana Tech.
1. The Bulldogs are no stranger to upset bids
Even though Louisiana Tech suffered a 45-20 loss to Mississippi State — its only SEC opponent in 2015 — the Bulldogs won’t be scared of the Razorbacks when the two teams kick off their respective seasons on Saturday. Although Tech stumbled in Starkville, the Conference USA team gave Kansas State all it could handle in a Week 3 matchup last season.
The Bulldogs drove the length of the field before Jonathan Barnes kicked a game-tying 45-yard field goal to force overtime as time expired. LA Tech proved it could come close to pulling an upset, although the Wildcats ultimately held off the Bulldogs and escaped with a 39-33 victory in three overtimes.
2. Questions surround Tech’s quarterbacks
If there is one position group that the Bulldogs have a giant question mark at, it’s quarterback. Gone is Jeff Driskel, who helped lead Tech to a 9-4 record after throwing for 4,033 yards and 27 touchdowns in his first year with the team. Redshirt senior Ryan Higgins was expected to start the opener against the Razorbacks, but Tech’s head coach, Skip Holtz, announced he won’t start after being arrested for a DWI in early August.
That leaves redshirt freshman J’mar Smith, a three-star quarterback from Meridian, Miss. Smith will make his first-career start for the Bulldogs after beating out redshirt sophomore Price Wilson for the job. Holtz didn’t rule out a relief appearance by Higgins, but it will be Smith’s chance to make a start.
3. Safety Xavier Woods is a big fish playing in a small pond
With three starters gone from the defensive backfield, Woods will be called upon to lead an inexperienced group in the secondary. Woods enters his final season at Tech as a four-year starter and a two-time First-Team All-Conference USA pick. Last season, he picked off 3 passes — he had 6 in 2014 — and made 7.5 tackles for a loss. As a marquee player playing in a weaker conference, Woods will definitely try to show he can make an impact against SEC talent. Because of this, he’s the top Bulldogs defender that Arkansas should keep an eye on.
4. Trent Taylor is a legitimate receiver
If the Bulldogs have their way, Arkansas fans can expect to hear No. 5’s number called all afternoon. There is no doubt LA Tech will try to target Taylor, who has amassed 191 receptions, 2,376 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns in his first three seasons. A year ago, the 5-foot-8 speedy slot receiver hauled in 99 receptions, 1,282 yards and 9 touchdown passes. He is the team’s biggest offensive threat against the Razorbacks.
5. Skip Holtz is building a winning program
Sure, the Bulldogs play in Conference USA, but nobody can deny the job Holtz has done since he took over the program prior to the start of the 2013 season. After posting a 4-8 mark in his first year, Tech won nine games in both 2014 and 2015. Even more impressive has been what the team has done at the end of the season.
Following a 35-18 victory over Illinois in the 2014 Heart of Dallas Bowl and a 47-28 win over Arkansas State in last year’s New Orleans Bowl, the Bulldogs could find themselves playing in their third consecutive bowl by the end of 2016. That would be quite the accomplishment, considering the program had only appeared in back-to-back bowls one other time (1977-78) in school history but never since it joined the FBS ranks in the late 1980s. Much of that success can be attributed to Holtz, who has done a stellar job since arriving in Ruston.