11/06/09 - (DT) - D'Anthony Smith, Sr, 6-2, 300 SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: Injuries seem to have hit both sides of the ball equally hard in total numbers, but the big playmakers on defense are still playing, just not getting the results expected of them. Veteran leadership and game experience is crucial in reacting on the fly to the 100 or so different looks the Boise State Broncos will throw at the Bulldogs, so players like S Antonio Baker and DT D'Anthony Smith will need to be on top of their games.
11/06/09 - (FS) - Antonio Baker, Sr, 5-11, 210 PLAYERS TO WATCH: Safety Antonio Baker picked off his 10th career pass last week against Idaho. For Louisiana Tech to have a shot at the upset against Boise State, it will need turnovers. Unfortunately, Boise State QB Kellen Moore completes more than 67 percent of his passes and has thrown just two interceptions this season in 227 attempts.
11/06/09 - (RB) - Daniel Porter, Sr, 5-09, 190 THIS WEEK'S GAME: Boise State at Louisiana Tech, Nov. 6 Louisiana Tech gets its third nationally televised game of the season thanks to the weekly Boise State/BCS Buster watch at ESPN. After Louisiana Tech won the first four in the series from 1973-2001, the Broncos have won seven straight and haven't scored fewer than 30 points in any of those wins. KEYS TO THE GAME: The good news is Louisiana Tech is 3-0 at home this year. The bad news is Boise State wins no matter where they play. For Louisiana Tech to have a shot, the defense will likely have to force some turnovers and the offense will have to find a way to keep the Broncos offense off the field. PLAYERS TO WATCH: RB Daniel Porter may or may not play. If he does, it gives Louisiana Tech a shot at controlling the clock and keeping the Broncos offense off the field. If he doesn't play, back up RBs Myke Compton, D.J. Morrow and Tyrone Duplessis won't likely be able to sustain the Bulldogs run game. Porter and WR Phillip Livas arguably the Bulldogs No. 1 and No. 2 big play threats on offense both left last week's game at Idaho with injuries. In his weekly media teleconference on Monday, Dooley said their status for Friday's Boise State game would not be determined until game day.
11/06/09 - (QB) - Ross Jenkins, rJr, 6-3, 212 SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: Head coach Derek Dooley said his offense may have played its best game of the 2009 season in the Idaho loss, and that included arguably the best half of play in the college career of QB Ross Jenkins. Still, Jenkins was benched in the second half for redshirt freshman Colby Cameron, who Dooley said has earned a shot with his play in practice over the past month and Cameron could see plenty of action down the stretch. "Ross is still our quarterback," Dooley said. "But we're not afraid to put in Colby if we need to."
10/26/09 - (WR) - Phillip Livas, Jr, 5-08, 176 GAME BALL GOES TO: WR Phillip Livas - Despite having his streak of 29 games with a reception snapped, Livas was still the most dangerous weapon for Louisiana Tech on Saturday vs. Utah State. His 100-yards kickoff return for a touchdown in the second quarter accounted for the team's only score before the fourth quarter. He also took over the school record for career returns for a touchdown in the kicking game (three punts, three kickoffs).
10/26/09 - (WR) - Phillip Livas, Jr, 5-08, 176 Saturday's loss featured some mixed emotions for Louisiana Tech WR Phillip Livas. The junior's streak of 29 consecutive games with a reception came to an end, but he again excelled in his more dangerous role as a return specialist. Livas returned a second-quarter kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, the team's only score in the first three quarters. Livas also set a school record with six career returns for a touchdown (he has three punt return scores and three on kick returns), breaking the previous record held by Larry Anderson.
10/19/09 - (QB) - Ross Jenkins, rJr, 6-3, 212 GAME BALL GOES TO: QB Ross Jenkins - While the run game and run defense would also make their claim for the game ball, Jenkins played arguably his best game of the season. He completed 11 of 19 passes for 204 yards, threw for three touchdowns and ran for another on one of his eight carries for 35 yards vs. New Mexico State.
10/17/09 - (RB) - Daniel Porter, Sr, 5-09, 190 Ross Jenkins passed for three touchdowns and ran for another to lead Louisiana Tech to a 45-7 win over New Mexico State on Saturday. Daniel Porter added 132 yards for the Bulldogs (3-3, 2-1 Western Athletic Conference), who won their third home game of the season. Louisiana Tech scored on its first three possessions to pull away from the Aggies (3-4, 1-2). Jenkins was 11 of 19 for 204 yards. He threw two touchdown passes to Dennis Morris, who had a career-high 126 receiving yards. Jenkins’ third scoring pass was pulled down by Adrian Linwood. New Mexico State managed only 142 yards of offense and the Aggies’ lone score came on a 38-yard fumble return by Davon House in the fourth quarter. Louisiana Tech amassed 540 yards of offense, including 315 on the ground. - AP Sports
10/12/09 - (RB) - Daniel Porter, Sr, 5-09, 190 GAME BALL GOES TO: RB Daniel Porter - While not much was going right for the Louisiana Tech offense, Porter managed to get his 99 rushing yards on just 11 carries, including two touchdowns vs. Nevada. His 64-yard touchdown scamper in the third quarter pulled Louisiana Tech within 23-14 before he tweaked a hamstring and left the game.
10/09/09 - (DT) - D'Anthony Smith, Sr, 6-2, 300 SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: Louisiana Tech stuck its chest out plenty a year ago as one of the best rush defenses in the Western Athletic Conference, and in the nation for that matter. In 2009, that had hardly been the case, at least until last week's win over Hawaii, when the Bulldogs held the Warriors to minus-7 yards rushing. Dooley was successful in moving around personnel to get a smaller, quicker team on the field against a pass-dominated offense. He may need to go back to the drawing boards this week against the run-dominated offense of Nevada. PLAYERS TO WATCH: DT D'Anthony Smith - Nevada rushed for 559 yards last week against UNLV. Smith, an all-league candidate coming into the season mainly because of his run-stopping ability, will have to play his best game of the season to slow down Nevada's run game.
10/09/09 - (RB) - Daniel Porter, Sr, 5-09, 190 THIS WEEK'S GAME: Louisiana Tech at Nevada, Oct. 9 - The two teams most likely to give Boise State a challenge for the Western Athletic Conference title this season go at it in Reno. While the series has been one-sided as of late - Nevada has won four-straight - Friday's game is expected to be a hotly-contested one between two teams that have similar philosophies about run-dominated, clock-controlling offenses. KEYS TO THE GAME: Nevada ran wild over UNLV a week ago, something that has to concern a Louisiana Tech team that has been Jeckyll and Hyde in its ability to stop the run this season. The Bulldogs have to control the Wolf Pack Pistol offense and its downhill running style if they want a shot at pulling off the road win. PLAYERS TO WATCH: RB Daniel Porter was last week's 160-yard performance a sign of things to come from the usually productive senior? Or was the 134 rushing yards he gained in the first three games more of the reality of the 2009 season? For Louisiana Tech to win, fans better hope it's the former.
10/09/09 - (CB) - Deon Young, rSr, 5-11, 200 PLAYERS TO WATCH: The position change seems to be permanent for CB Deon Young. After starting at strong safety in the season opener against Auburn, Young has started three games in a row at the left cornerback position. The move has paid off big time for Louisiana Tech as Young has picked off a team-high three passes this season, all while playing corner.
10/09/09 - (QB) - Ross Jenkins, rJr, 6-3, 212 SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: RB Daniel Porter finally broke out of his early-season slump with a 25-carry, 160-yard and two touchdown performance against Hawaii. The stat line, while the exception to the rule so far this season, is what Louisiana Tech fans had expected this season with the return of all five starters on the offensive line and with Porter being a senior within striking distance of the school's all-time rushing list. While nursing a lead, the Louisiana Tech passing game wasn't asked to do much, and did just that. QB Ross Jenkins completed 13 of 22 passes for just 97 yards, his lowest total of the season and just 11 days after throwing for a career-high 357 yards.
10/09/09 - (OLB) - Dominique Faust, Jr, 5-11, 225 LB Dominique Faust moved to the defensive line in last week's win over the pass-happy Hawaii Warriors. The result was impressive for the Louisiana Tech pass rush as the Bulldogs had seven sacks. Faust, while not registering a sack, did have five tackles. While Faust moved out of the linebacker spot against Hawaii, S Tank Calais stepped up to play linebacker. Both moves allowed for a smaller, faster defensive unit to be on the field against Hawaii. Calais had a team-high eight tackles.
10/09/09 - (K) - Matt Nelson, Fr, 5-10, 155 PLAYERS TO WATCH: K Matt Nelson - His perfect season was tossed out the window when, at the end of the first half against Hawaii, he attempted a desperation 58-yard field goal. His attempt came up short and to the left, but the true freshman is still one of the WAC's best (6-of-7 on field goal tries this year) and still a big part of the team's scoring chances. He'll likely be called on this week at Nevada.
10/05/09 - (RB) - Daniel Porter, Sr, 5-09, 190 GAME BALL GOES TO: RB Daniel Porter had been slumping this season, but his 25-carry, 160-yard, two touchdown rushing performance paced the Bulldogs in their win over Hawaii on Wednesday. Porter now has 2,514 career rushing yards, jumping him from 10th to eighth on the school's all-time rushing list.
09/30/09 - (RB) - Daniel Porter, Sr, 5-09, 190 Daniel Porter ran for 160 yards and two touchdowns and Louisiana Tech snapped Hawaii’s touchdown streak at 62 games with a 27-6 win Wednesday night. Porter jumped from 10th to eighth on the Louisiana Tech (2-2, 1-0 WAC) career rushing list and kept Hawaii (2-2, 0-1) on the chase the entire game. The senior surpassed his season total of 145 yards rushing, as did the team with 352. The Bulldogs entered the game ranked 103rd of 120 FBS teams with 97.3 yards rushing per game. Porter nearly reached that number in the first half and continued to make big runs as Louisiana Tech pulled away in the second half for its ninth win in its last 10 home games. The Louisiana Tech defense held the No. 7 offense to 301 yards, well below its average of 515.3. The Bulldogs sacked quarterback Greg Alexander five times before knocking him from the game late in the third, and finished with seven. The Warriors, playing their third consecutive road game, had allowed just 126.7 yards rushing per game. The Bulldogs saw something they could exploit, though, and went after the heart of Hawaii’s defense from the start. Porter scored his first touchdown late in the first quarter from 3 yards out, helping the Bulldogs to a 10-6 halftime lead. The Bulldogs rushed nine times on the 11-play drive for 71 yards. Porter had 47 of his 95 first-half yards on the drive. - AP Sports
09/30/09 - (DT) - D'Anthony Smith, Sr, 6-2, 300 SCOUTING THE DEFENSE: The Bulldogs have got to generate more of a pass rush. Its two sacks on the season are worst in the Western Athletic Conference. While Hawaii drops back to pass more than just about any team in the country, getting to QB Greg Alexander will still be tough as the scheme is designed to get rid of the ball in a hurry. The secondary has been getting the job done on paper, allowing just 156 passing yards per game, but that has come against run-first teams.
09/30/09 - (DT) - D'Anthony Smith, Sr, 6-2, 300 In 2008, the Louisiana Tech pass defense was, quite frankly, abysmal. But through the first three games of the 2009 season, the Bulldogs have allowed just 156 yards passing per game. On paper, it appears the team's offseason focus on improving that aspect of their game was time well spent. But that stat line is nothing more than fool's gold. The reality is the Bulldogs have played three run-dominated teams in Auburn, Navy and Nicholls State. Even if passing was a regular part of those team's usual offensive attack, why would they bother as Louisiana Tech has been allowing 251.7 rushing yards per game. The true test for the Louisiana Tech pass defense will come Wednesday night against a Hawaii passing attack that is back to its old ways. "Everything we've been doing for three weeks, we just say, 'Forget about it. It doesn't work anymore,'" Dooley said in the Monroe News Star. "Now we have to switch our personnel around, switch who is in the game, and change the whole scheme. ... It's not like they're having to learn a whole new defense, but everything's different. It's four-wide, it's throwing it every down." The Bulldogs will rely heavily on generating a pass rush to help their secondary combat the Hawaii pass attack. The problem is Louisiana Tech's two sacks on the season ranks last in the Western Athletic Conference. Louisiana Tech coach Derek Dooley has said he will likely start senior Deon Young at CB again this week against Hawaii. Young, listed as a safety on the team's roster, has played well at corner and by him doing so, it allows Dooley to have Young and fellow safeties Tank Calais and Antonio Baker all on the field at the same time.
09/30/09 - (QB) - Ross Jenkins, rJr, 6-3, 212 PLAYERS TO WATCH: QB Ross Jenkins - Coming off a career-high 357 passing yards against Nicholls State, the junior signal caller will have to orchestrate enough offense to keep up with the Warriors offense. Jenkins won't need to put up numbers like Hawaii QB Greg Alexander, but he'll have to find away to get some points on the board.
09/30/09 - (RB) - Daniel Porter, Sr, 5-09, 190 SCOUTING THE OFFENSE: QB Ross Jenkins appears to be hitting his stride, which is good considering the Bulldogs aren't getting from their run game anywhere near the production they were expecting this season. RB Daniel Porter has to start churning out 100-yard games again pretty soon because the Bulldogs can't win many games as long as he's averaging the 44.7 yards per game he has through three games this season. More consistency from the playmakers in the wide receiving corps would help, too.
09/30/09 - (ILB) - Adrien Cole, So, 5-11, 240 PLAYERS TO WATCH: LB Adrien Cole - The sophomore's tackle total (he has 27 tackles and his nine tackles per game ranks third in the WAC) has been helped by the fact the Bulldogs have played run-first teams. Against Hawaii, he'll have to prove he can help in pass defense, too.
09/30/09 - (CB) - Deon Young, rSr, 5-11, 200 THIS WEEK'S GAME: Hawaii at Louisiana Tech, Sept. 30 Hawaii has owned the series and considering the Warriors high-octane passing attack is back after a one-year hiatus, Louisiana Tech's pass defense will be put to the test. Through three games, the Bulldogs are allowing just 156 passing yards per game while Hawaii is averaging more than 423 yards passing. KEYS TO THE GAME: The Louisiana Tech's secondary will have to find a way to slow down Hawaii quarterback Greg Alexander and the Warriors pass offense. On the other side of the ball, the Bulldogs will need to get the ground game going against a Hawaii defense that has allowed just 126.7 rushing yards per game this season. PLAYERS TO WATCH: Deon Young - The senior is a safety first, but has been playing some cornerback this season and will be called on to make some plays this week when the Hawaii pass-happy offense comes to Ruston, La. Young has two interceptions on the season, ranking second in the Western Athletic Conference.
09/30/09 - (DT) - D'Anthony Smith, Sr, 6-2, 300 While the 2010 class of running backs is hurting, the talent along the defensive line continues to be a real strength. One of the more intriguing talents of the group is Louisiana Tech defensive tackle D'Anthony Smith , who will certainly stand out tonight in the WAC showdown with Hawaii at 8 pm EST on ESPN2. Smith, 6-2, 300 pounds, stands out for various reasons. For one, few players of his size choose to wear a single digit number like Smith (#5) does. Secondly, when healthy, Smith has proven to be a dominant force, registering 65 tackles last year alone in earning First Team All-WAC accolades. Smith has struggled with his conditioning this season and hasn't been as effective as his hype in early season matchups against Auburn and Navy. With each of those offenses focusing on the running game, however, Smith was almost constantly double-teamed and the obvious focus of each opponent. Hawaii will present a different issue with their reliance on the passing game, giving Smith a chance to make plays against both the run and pass on national television. A big game tonight could provide a significant boost to his stock with pro scouts. - Rob Rang, NFLDraftScout.com
09/22/09 - (WR) - Phillip Livas, Jr, 5-08, 176 Junior WR Phillip Livas had four receptions for 85 yards Saturday against Nicholls State, extending his streak to 26 for consecutive games with a reception, good for 12th-best in the nation.
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