Can the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Find Consistency?

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Offense

The pathetic play of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs offense last year started from behind center. Holtz and offensive coordinator Tony Petersen, who had come from Marshall, attempted to run a pass-first offense that Petersen usually ran by alternating quarterbacks throughout the year. Luckily, that controversy is over with Scotty Young deciding to no longer play. That leaves Ryan Higgins, who got the bulk of the action as a freshman playing through injuries last year but also showed the bulk of the incompetence. In nine games last year he managed 6 touchdowns to 13 interceptions, completed 59 percent of his passes, and had only 1,715 yards. Perhaps he will improve his second year in the system, but if not, there are two freshmen quarterbacks Holtz can choose from in Price Wilson and Alex Woodall.

The receiver position is a little bit of a question mark with D.J. Banks, Andrew Guillot, and Richie Casey gone, but the fact is nobody

Oct 26, 2013; Miami, FL, USA; Louisiana Tech Bulldogs running back Kenneth Dixon (28) runs up the middle past FIU Golden Panthers defense in the third quarter at FIU Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

was that good last year, so they’re not huge losses. Not one player reached 400 receiving yards, but the leader, Sterling Griffin, is back for his senior year after having 357 receiving yards. Also, Trent Taylor was only a freshman last year who had 260 yards and should see more action, and Hunter Lee will be a senior after nearly 200 yards receiving. So there are some contributors back along with plenty of newcomers to help out if needed.

The running back position should be set, and Holtz and Petersen might want to rely more on that this year than they did last year. With only 151 attempts, Kenneth Dixon had 917 yards last year. He’s back for his junior year. Behind him, Tevin King had 539 yards on only 93 carries. He’s back for his sophomore year. Even Blake Martin, the third-stringer, had 267 yards on 54 carries, and he’s back for his junior year. Marlon Seets will be a senior, and he had 65 yards on 12 carries. This means among the four, only one player averaged less than 5 yards a carry: Martin at 4.9 yards. That’s incredible and should be utilized much more often this year. It’s true that Petersen likes to pass, but with a suspect passing game and great running game with everybody back, you might need to change your style a bit.

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The only question for the running game will be if the Bulldogs can replace players on the offensive line. The three most experienced linemen are gone, but the two returning, Seniors Tre Carter at guard and Mitchell Bell at tackle, each have experience and weigh more than 300 pounds. Bell comes in at 348. Jens Danielson will be another valuable tackle with experience, and standing at 6’4 286 pounds, he has the height but may need to bulk up some. Kirby Wilson and Blake Sharp are juniors standing each at 6’4 and around 300 pounds, so both could become starters, and Darrell Brown and Richard Greenwalt could both see action as well. The rest of the guys are newcomers or redshirt freshmen, but Holtz has some talent to pick from there. The line may not be as experienced, and there are major question marks here, but there are two returning starters and some new talent to make an impact.

You can’t get much worse than the Bulldog offense last year, and there’s still questions at quarterback, receiver, and offensive line. However, with a solid running game and another year of experience in this new system, there’s no reason to believe the offense can’t be a little bit better than last year. If it can improve, that should be enough to win a couple of more games.

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