Louisiana Tech Will Not Play in A Bowl
By Kyle Kensing
Nov 24, 2012; San Jose, CA, USA; Louisiana Tech Bulldogs head coach Sonny Dykes on the sidelines during the first half against the San Jose Spartans at Spartan Stadium. The San Jose Spartans won 52-43. Mandatory Credit: Bob Stanton-US PRESSWIRE
Louisiana Tech associate media relations director Patrick Walsh tweeted on Sunday evening the 9-3 Bulldogs will not play in a bowl.
Louisiana Tech has not been selected for a postseason bowl game. Nation's No. 1 offense ends year at 9-3. #WeAreLATech
— Patrick Walsh (@Walsh_PT) December 2, 2012
The Bulldogs surpassed their 2011 win-total of eight, and broke into the top 20 of every poll before dropping consecutive games to Utah State and San Jose State to close out the season. The Independence Bowl reportedly offered Louisiana Tech the opportunity to play La.-Monroe in a northern Louisiana showdown. Its Shreveport location is just 80 miles from La. Tech’s Ruston campus, and a little over 100 from Monroe.
However, per Tabby Soignier of The News Star, Independence Bowl representatives called it “a sticky situation.”
The university issued a release that detailed the circumstances of its bowl snub. Options Louisiana Tech targeted were the Heart of Dallas and Liberty Bowls, both of which instead invited Big 12 teams. The conference ended the regular season with nine of its 10 members bowl eligible.
“Louisiana Tech’s administration has been working closely with WAC Interim Commissioner Jeff Hurd and Conference USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky over the last couple months to try to secure a bowl game for the Bulldogs,” the release said.
Louisiana Tech moves to Conference USA next season. The Bulldogs would have benefited from its new home failing to qualify enough teams to meet its tie-ins, but C-USA members SMU and Rice both became eligible in their regular season finales.
Sonny Dykes’ version of the spread offense made Louisiana Tech the nation’s top scoring team at 51.5 points per game. Quarterback Colby Cameron set an NCAA record with 444 pass attempts without an interception. His first pick was thrown on Nov. 17.
Last season, Louisiana Tech won the WAC championship and the conference’s automatic bid to the Poinsettia Bowl. The Bulldogs lost to a top 20 TCU team, 31-24.
The departures of Hawai’i, Fresno State and Nevada to the Mountain West left the WAC with just seven members this season. The conference was only guaranteed one bowl, the Famous Idaho Potato, which took league champion Utah State. San Jose State accepted an invitation to the Military Bowl.