# 2024 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team

The 2024 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team represented Louisiana Tech University in Conference USA (C-USA) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs were led by Sonny Cumbie in his third year as the head coach. The Bulldogs played their home games at Joe Aillet Stadium, located in Ruston, Louisiana.
The Bulldogs finished their regular season with an overall record of 5–7 (4–4 in conference), and initially were not selected for post-season play. However, on December 14, Louisiana Tech was selected to replace Marshall in the Independence Bowl, after Marshall withdrew from that contest.

## Preseason
### Conference USA media poll

The Conference USA preseason media prediction poll was released on July 19, 2024. The Bulldogs were predicted to finish seventh in the conference.
Conference USA media poll :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Liberty | 197 (18) |
| 2 | Western Kentucky | 173 (2) |
| 3 | Jacksonville State | 166 |
| 4 | Middle Tennessee | 98 |
| 5 | New Mexico State | 97 |
| 5 | Sam Houston | 97 |
| 7 | Louisiana Tech | 88 |
| 8 | FIU | 81 |
| 9 | UTEP | 76 |
| 10 | Kennesaw State | 27 |

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| August 31 | 7:00 p.m. | No. 23 (FCS) Nicholls* | Joe Aillet StadiumRuston, LA | ESPN+ | W 25–17 | 16,570 |
| September 14 | 11:00 a.m. | at NC State* | Carter–Finley StadiumRaleigh, NC | ACCN | L 20–30 | 56,919 |
| September 21 | 6:00 p.m. | Tulsa* | Joe Aillet StadiumRuston, LA | ESPN+ | L 20–23 $^{OT}$ | 18,152 |
| September 28 | 5:00 p.m. | at FIU | Pitbull StadiumMiami, FL | ESPN+ | L 10–17 | 12,425 |
| October 10 | 7:00 p.m. | Middle Tennessee | Joe Aillet StadiumRuston, LA | CBSSN | W 48–21 | 15,072 |
| October 15 | 8:00 p.m. | at New Mexico State | Aggie Memorial StadiumLas Cruces, NM | ESPNU | L 30–33 $^{2OT}$ | 9,671 |
| October 22 | 7:00 p.m. | UTEP | Joe Aillet StadiumRuston, LA | CBSSN | W 14–10 | 15,168 |
| October 29 | 7:00 p.m. | at Sam Houston | Bowers StadiumHuntsville, TX | ESPNU | L 3–9 | 9,128 |
| November 9 | 3:30 p.m. | Jacksonville State | Joe Aillet StadiumRuston, LA | CBSSN | L 37–44 $^{OT}$ | 16,345 |
| November 16 | 11:00 a.m. | at Western Kentucky | Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith StadiumBowling Green, KY | CBSSN | W 12–7 | 13,312 |
| November 23 | 3:00 p.m. | at Arkansas* | Donald W. Reynolds Razorback StadiumFayetteville, AR | SECN+/ESPN+ | L 14–35 | 66,041 |
| November 30 | 3:00 p.m. | Kennesaw State | Joe Aillet StadiumRuston, LA | ESPN+ | W 33–0 | 14,686 |
| December 28 | 8:15 p.m. | vs. No. 22 Army* | Independence StadiumShreveport, LA (Independence Bowl) | ESPN | L 6–27 | 34,283 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings (after November 5) released prior to gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Game summaries
### No. 23 (FCS) Nicholls

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| No. 23 (FCS) Colonels | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Bulldogs | 9 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 25 |
at Joe Aillet Stadium, Ruston, Louisiana
* Date: August 31
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 79 °F (26 °C)
* Game attendance: 16,570
* Referee: Scott Hardin
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Chris Mycoskie (play-by-play), Shea Walker (analyst), and Madison Kaufman (sideline)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | NICH | LT |
| First downs | 13 | 16 |
| Total yards | 200 | 386 |
| Rushing yards | 62 | 109 |
| Passing yards | 138 | 277 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 5 |
| Time of possession | 28:18 | 31:42 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Nicholls | Passing | Pat McQuaide | 10/26, 138 yards, TD |
| Nicholls | Rushing | Collin Guggenheim | 18 rushes, 79 yards |
| Nicholls | Receiving | Quincy Brown | 4 receptions, 70 yards, TD |
| Louisiana Tech | Passing | Blake Baker | 12/24, 207 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Louisiana Tech | Rushing | Marquis Crosby | 9 rushes, 44 yards |
| Louisiana Tech | Receiving | Marlion Jackson | 3 receptions, 76 yards, TD |

### At NC State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 17 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
| Wolfpack | 3 | 3 | 14 | 10 | 30 |
at Carter–Finley Stadium, Raleigh, North Carolina
* Date: September 14
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CDT/12:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 78 °F (26 °C)
* Game attendance: 56,919
* Referee: Nate Black
* TV announcers (ACCN): Jorge Sedano, Orlando Franklin, and Morgan Uber
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | LT | NCST |
| First downs | 12 | 20 |
| Total yards | 324 | 361 |
| Rushing yards | 43 | 151 |
| Passing yards | 281 | 210 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 23:24 | 36:36 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisiana Tech | Passing | Jack Turner | 19/36, 281 yards, TD, INT |
| Louisiana Tech | Rushing | Donerio Davenport | 6 rushes, 21 yards, TD |
| Louisiana Tech | Receiving | Tru Edwards | 4 receptions, 148 yards, TD |
| NC State | Passing | C. J. Bailey | 13/20, 156 yards, INT |
| NC State | Rushing | Kendrick Raphael | 9 rushes, 63 yards, TD |
| NC State | Receiving | Dacari Collins | 3 receptions, 55 yards |

### Tulsa

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Golden Hurricane | 7 | 3 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 23 |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 7 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 20 |
at Joe Aillet Stadium, Ruston, Louisiana
* Date: September 21
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 91 °F (33 °C) • Wind: SE at 5 miles per hour (8.0 km/h)
* Game attendance: 18,152
* Referee: Reid Jackson
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Lyn Rollins (play-by-play), Chris Mycoskie (analyst) and Madison Kaufman (sideline)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | TLSA | LT |
| First downs | 14 | 17 |
| Total yards | 333 | 284 |
| Rushing yards | 105 | 87 |
| Passing yards | 228 | 197 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 30:00 | 30:00 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Tulsa | Passing | Kirk Francis | 24/36, 228 yards, TD |
| Tulsa | Rushing | Anthony Watkins | 10 rushes, 60 yards, TD |
| Tulsa | Receiving | Kamdyn Benjamin | 8 receptions, 69 yards |
| Louisiana Tech | Passing | Blake Baker | 6/10, 107 yards, INT |
| Louisiana Tech | Rushing | Fred Robertson | 7 rushes, 39 yards |
| Louisiana Tech | Receiving | Eli Finley | 3 receptions, 91 yards, TD |

### At FIU

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 10 |
| Panthers | 7 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 17 |
at Pitbull Stadium, Miami, Florida
* Date: September 28
* Game time: 5:00 p.m. CDT/6:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 87 °F (31 °C)
* Game attendance: 12,425
* Referee: Reed Brotherton
* TV announcers (ESPN+): AJ Ricketts (play-by-play) and Zach Leston (analyst)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | LT | FIU |
| First downs | 16 | 21 |
| Total yards | 297 | 304 |
| Rushing yards | 79 | 87 |
| Passing yards | 218 | 217 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 29:12 | 30:48 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisiana Tech | Passing | Evan Bullock | 26/37, 218 yards |
| Louisiana Tech | Rushing | Donerio Davenport | 6 rushes, 25 yards |
| Louisiana Tech | Receiving | Marlion Jackson | 5 receptions, 81 yards |
| FIU | Passing | Keyone Jenkins | 17/31, 208 yards, TD |
| FIU | Rushing | Lexington Joseph | 13 rushes, 73 yards, TD |
| FIU | Receiving | Eric Rivers | 7 receptions, 97 yards, TD |

### Middle Tennessee

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Blue Raiders | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Bulldogs | 20 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 48 |
at Joe Aillet Stadium, Ruston, Louisiana
* Date: October 10
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 73 °F (23 °C)
* Game attendance: 15,072
* Referee: Rodney Burnette
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Alex Del Barrio (play-by-play) and Brock Vereen (analyst)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | MTSU | LT |
| First downs | 17 | 27 |
| Total yards | 336 | 551 |
| Rushing yards | 60 | 222 |
| Passing yards | 276 | 329 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 25:37 | 34:23 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Middle Tennessee | Passing | Nicholas Vattiato | 24/39, 276 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Middle Tennessee | Rushing | Jekail Middlebrook | 5 rushes, 30 yards |
| Middle Tennessee | Receiving | Omari Kelly | 8 receptions, 103 yards |
| Louisiana Tech | Passing | Evan Bullock | 18/25, 290 yards, 5 TD |
| Louisiana Tech | Rushing | Omiri Wiggins | 8 rushes, 49 yards |
| Louisiana Tech | Receiving | Tru Edwards | 6 receptions, 127 yards, TD |

### At New Mexico State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | Total |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 14 | 0 | 10 | 3 | 3 | 30 |
| Aggies | 0 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 6 | 33 |
at Aggie Memorial Stadium, Las Cruces, New Mexico
* Date: October 15
* Game time: 8:00 p.m. CDT/7:00 p.m. MDT
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 80 °F (27 °C) • Wind: SW at 4 miles per hour (6.4 km/h)
* Referee: Douglas Mercer
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Mike Corey (play-by-play) and Forrest Conoly (analyst)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | LT | NMSU |
| First downs | 20 | 21 |
| Total yards | 360 | 364 |
| Rushing yards | 127 | 160 |
| Passing yards | 233 | 204 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 37:11 | 22:49 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisiana Tech | Passing | Evan Bullock | 22/41, 233 yards, 2 TD |
| Louisiana Tech | Rushing | Omiri Wiggins | 14 carries, 63 yards, TD |
| Louisiana Tech | Receiving | Tru Edwards | 9 receptions, 110 yards, TD |
| New Mexico State | Passing | Parker Awad | 11/22, 155 yards, TD |
| New Mexico State | Rushing | Seth McGowan | 17 carries, 66 yards |
| New Mexico State | Receiving | T. J. Pride | 4 receptions, 69 yards, TD |

### UTEP

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Miners | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 10 |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
at Joe Aillet Stadium, Ruston, Louisiana
* Date: October 22
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 74 °F (23 °C)
* Game attendance: 15,168
* Referee: Rory Bernard
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Alex Del Barrio (play-by-play) and Donte Whitner (analyst)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | UTEP | LT |
| First downs | 14 | 12 |
| Total yards | 251 | 255 |
| Rushing yards | 166 | 7 |
| Passing yards | 85 | 248 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 28:48 | 31:12 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| UTEP | Passing | Skyler Locklear | 7/11, 76 yards, TD |
| UTEP | Rushing | Jevon Jackson | 22 rushes, 112 yards |
| UTEP | Receiving | Kam Thomas | 5 receptions, 67 yards, TD |
| Louisiana Tech | Passing | Evan Bullock | 22/30, 248 yards, TD |
| Louisiana Tech | Rushing | Jimmy Holiday | 6 rushes, 18 yards |
| Louisiana Tech | Receiving | Jimmy Holiday | 6 receptions, 93 yards |

### At Sam Houston

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Bearkats | 2 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 9 |
at Bowers Stadium, Huntsville, Texas
* Date: October 29
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 79 °F (26 °C)
* Game attendance: 9,128
* Referee: Ron Hudson
* TV announcers (ESPNU): Mike Corey (play-by-play) and Rene Ingoglia (analyst)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | LT | SHSU |
| First downs | 20 | 11 |
| Total yards | 312 | 268 |
| Rushing yards | 105 | 105 |
| Passing yards | 207 | 163 |
| Turnovers | 4 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 32:33 | 27:27 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisiana Tech | Passing | Evan Bullock | 16/25, 148 yards, INT |
| Louisiana Tech | Rushing | Omiri Wiggins | 11 rushes, 49 yards |
| Louisiana Tech | Receiving | Tru Edwards | 8 receptions, 80 yards |
| Sam Houston | Passing | Hunter Watson | 14/22, 146 yards, INT |
| Sam Houston | Rushing | Jay Ducker | 13 rushes, 72 yards, TD |
| Sam Houston | Receiving | Noah Smith | 6 receptions, 47 yards |

### Jacksonville State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Gamecocks | 7 | 21 | 0 | 9 | 7 | 44 |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 14 | 9 | 7 | 0 | 37 |
at Joe Aillet Stadium, Ruston, Louisiana
* Date: November 9
* Game time: 3:30 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Rain, 74 °F (23 °C)
* Game attendance: 16,345
* Referee: Garrett Dickerson
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Chris Lewis (play-by-play) and Randy Cross (analyst)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | JVST | LT |
| First downs | 28 | 19 |
| Total yards | 424 | 410 |
| Rushing yards | 224 | 144 |
| Passing yards | 200 | 266 |
| Turnovers | 3 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 30:01 | 29:59 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Jacksonville State | Passing | Tyler Huff | 14/31, 200 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Jacksonville State | Rushing | Tre Stewart | 34 rushes, 166 yards, 2 TD |
| Jacksonville State | Receiving | Cam Vaughn | 7 receptions, 130 yards, 2 TD |
| Louisiana Tech | Passing | Evan Bullock | 16/22, 266 yards, 3 TD, INT |
| Louisiana Tech | Rushing | Omiri Wiggins | 16 rushes, 67 yards |
| Louisiana Tech | Receiving | Tru Edwards | 6 receptions, 142 yards, 2 TD |

### At Western Kentucky

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 3 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 12 |
| Hilltoppers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Houchens Industries–L. T. Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, Kentucky
* Date: November 16
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 13,312
* Referee: Rory Bernard
* TV announcers (CBSSN): Alex Del Barrio (play-by-play) and Taylor McHargue (analyst)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | LT | WKU |
| First downs | 18 | 12 |
| Total yards | 275 | 215 |
| Rushing yards | 209 | 63 |
| Passing yards | 66 | 152 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 39:38 | 20:22 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisiana Tech | Passing | Evan Bullock | 12/15, 66 yards |
| Louisiana Tech | Rushing | Amani Givens | 17 rushes, 103 yards |
| Louisiana Tech | Receiving | Tru Edwards | 7 receptions, 52 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Passing | Caden Veltkamp | 18/26, 152 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Rushing | Caden Veltkamp | 8 rushes, 17 yards |
| Western Kentucky | Receiving | Kisean Johnson | 4 receptions, 40 yards |

### At Arkansas

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 |
| Razorbacks | 0 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 35 |
at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, Arkansas
* Date: November 23
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny, 70 °F (21 °C)
* Game attendance: 66,041
* Referee: Matt Loeffler
* TV announcers (SECN+/ESPN+): Matt Schumacker (play-by-play) and Dustin Fox (analyst)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | LT | ARK |
| First downs | 16 | 26 |
| Total yards | 229 | 454 |
| Rushing yards | 39 | 233 |
| Passing yards | 190 | 221 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 3 |
| Time of possession | 31:10 | 28:50 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisiana Tech | Passing | Evan Bullock | 26/43, 190 yards, 2 TD |
| Louisiana Tech | Rushing | Patrick Rea | 1 rush, 26 yards |
| Louisiana Tech | Receiving | Tru Edwards | 8 receptions, 53 yards |
| Arkansas | Passing | Taylen Green | 20/37, 221 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Arkansas | Rushing | Rashod Dubinion | 15 rushes, 112 yards |
| Arkansas | Receiving | Andrew Armstrong | 8 receptions, 81 yards |

### Kennesaw State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 10 | 9 | 7 | 33 |
at Joe Aillet Stadium, Ruston, Louisiana
* Date: November 30
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny, 56 °F (13 °C)
* Game attendance: 14,686
* Referee: Ron Hudson
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Lyn Rollins (play-by-play), Hek’ma Harrison (analyst) and Madison Kaufman (sideline)
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | KENN | LT |
| First downs | 8 | 28 |
| Total yards | 146 | 443 |
| Rushing yards | 58 | 210 |
| Passing yards | 146 | 443 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 22:43 | 37:17 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Kennesaw State | Passing | Davis Bryson | 10/26, 88 yards |
| Kennesaw State | Rushing | Michael Benefield | 9 rushes, 36 yards |
| Kennesaw State | Receiving | Gabriel Benyard | 4 receptions, 39 yards |
| Louisiana Tech | Passing | Evan Bullock | 23/30, 233 yards |
| Louisiana Tech | Rushing | Omiri Wiggins | 17 rushes, 129 yards, 3 TD |
| Louisiana Tech | Receiving | Jimmy Holiday | 7 receptions, 103 yards |

### Vs. No. 22 Army (Independence Bowl)

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 6 |
| No. 22 Black Knights | 14 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 27 |
at Independence Stadium, Shreveport, Louisiana
* Date: December 28
* Game time: 8:15 p.m. CST
* TV announcers (ESPN): Lowell Galindo (play-by-play), Fozzy Whittaker (analyst), and Tori Petry (analyst)
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Louisiana Tech | Passing |
| Louisiana Tech | Rushing |
| Louisiana Tech | Receiving |
| Army | Passing |
| Army | Rushing |
| Army | Receiving |