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The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs will be returning home after a two-game road trip. They will take on the UTEP Miners at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday at Joe Aillet Stadium after a week off. Louisiana Tech is expected to win -- but not by much -- so they will need to come into the contest prepared for a fight.
The Bulldogs were expected to have a tough go of it two weeks ago, and, well, they did. They found themselves the reluctant recipients of an unpleasant 38-14 punch to the gut against the South Alabama Jaguars. Louisiana Tech was down 31-7 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from. QB Parker McNeil had a memorable game, but not in the way you want to be remembered: despite two touchdowns, he threw four interceptions.
UTEP decided to play defense against itself last week, but the squad still came out ahead despite their 84 penalty yards. They got past the Charlotte 49ers with less than a touchdown to spare, ending up at 41-35. UTEP QB Gavin Hardison did work as he passed for three TDs and 173 yards on 14 attempts in addition to picking up 50 yards on the ground. Hardison's 58-yard touchdown toss to WR Tyrin Smith in the third quarter made for one of the most memorable moments of the evening.
UTEP's defense was a presence as well, as it got past Charlotte's offensive line to sack the QB five times for a total loss of 40 yards. Leading the way was DE Jadrian Taylor and his two sacks. Taylor now has four sacks this year.
The Bulldogs are now 1-3 while the Miners sit at 3-3. Two stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: Louisiana Tech comes into the game boasting the 34th most passing yards per game in the nation at 278.5. But UTEP ranks 29th in the nation when it comes to passing yards allowed per game, with only 188.3 on average. These opposing strengths should make for an exciting matchup.
