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  • Louisiana Tech @ Texas 7 PM 8/31 on LHN


    Machinator

    It is no longer "way too early". Game week is here.

    Time to go 1-0.

    H/T to @Bevo for digging this up.

    LA Tech football depth chart projections ahead of 2019 opener at Texas

    https://www.thenewsstar.com/story/sports/college/louisiana-tech/2019/08/23/louisiana-tech-football-depth-chart-projections/2098111001/

    RUSTON — Game week is upon Louisiana Tech, which’ll begin preparations for its season opener versus No. 10 Texas Saturday morning after the team conducts a closed scrimmage Friday.

    The next media availability for Tech head coach Skip Holtz and a few players will be Tuesday for the first weekly press conference of the year and the first official depth chart will be provided.

    With the kickoff to the 2019 season right around seven days away, here are projections on what the Bulldogs’ two-deep at each position could look like:

     
    OFFENSE
    QB: J’Mar Smith, redshirt senior; Westin Elliott, redshirt junior; Aaron Allen, redshirt freshman

    Smith enters his third season as Louisiana Tech’s starter and with offensive coordinator Todd Fitch taking over as his position coach, more is to be expected from the quarterback who already has 27 career starts and has thrown for 6,546 yards, 33 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

    RB: Israel Tucker, redshirt junior; Justin Henderson, redshirt junior AND Jaqwis Dancy, redshirt senior

    Tucker, who started five games a year ago, is primed to take the first snap against Texas. But expect to see plenty of Henderson and Dancy, when healthy, this season as the position will be a by-committee approach.

    X-receiver: Adrian Hardy, redshirt junior; Praise Okorie, redshirt sophomore AND Malik Stanley redshirt senior

    Hardy looks to follow up his breakout 2018 season, where he caught a team-high 75 passes for a career high 1,145 yards and six touchdowns.

    H-receiver: Cee Jay Powell, redshirt junior; Davon “Smoke” Harris, redshirt freshman

    Powell appears set to take over Teddy Veal’s former spot in the receiving corps and get his first amount of significant playing time in his career. In two seasons, the 5-7, 163-pound slot receiver has 22 catches for 138 yards.

    A-receiver: Griffin Hebert, redshirt sophomore; Joshua Matthews, redshirt sophomore

    Hebert put in impressive work on his body over the offseason, filling out with more muscle and he’s followed that up with a solid fall camp.

    Z-receiver: Isaiah Graham, redshirt junior; George Scott III, junior

    Graham, a TCU transfer, has had one of most impressive camps of any players on Tech’s roster and looks primed to be a major difference maker in the passing game.

    Y-receiver: Bobby Holly, redshirt senior; Jacob Adams, redshirt sophomore

    Whenever Louisiana Tech projects to start with an offensive formation that’ll include the Y position, Holly will be there. The Farmerville native started three games last season and two of his four total receptions went for touchdowns.

    RT: Gewhite Stallworth, redshirt senior; Antawn Lewis, junior

    Stallworth has been taking the majority of the first-team snaps in practice, leading to believe he’ll get the start at Texas. The big, 6-8, 322-pound tackle has started three games in his career.

    RG: Ethan Reed, redshirt senior; Joshua Mote, redshirt sophomore Reed, an All-Conference USA honorable mention lineman last year, has started every game the last three seasons for the Bulldogs. Mote adds valuable depth at the position with four starts under his belt.

    Kody Russey, redshirt junior; Abraham Delfin, redshirt sophomore Russey returns to once again anchor Tech’s offensive line in the middle, starting 26 straight games.

    LG: Drew Kirkpatrick, redshirt senior; Carter Habich, sophomore

    After redshirting in 2017, Kirkpatrick emerged as the starting left guard as 2018 progressed, playing in 11 total games.

    LT: Willie Allen, redshirt junior; Biron Rossell, redshirt freshman

    Allen, an LSU transfer, seems to have tapped into the potential coaches saw in him when they recruited him two years ago out of Tyler (Texas) Community College. If he gets the nod next weekend, his first FBS collegiate start will come against Texas.

    DEFENSE
    DE: Ka’Derrion Mason, senior; La’Dante Davenport, redshirt senior

    Mason earned two starts a season ago and had six his sophomore campaign. For his career, the 6-4, 291-pound end has 40 tackles with one sack.

    NG: Courtney Wallace, redshirt senior; D.J. Jackson, redshirt freshman OR Keivie Rose, freshman

    Wallace looks to get his first start of his Tech career against Texas. He’s played in 22 games and has 13 tackles, including three tackles-for-loss and 1.5 sacks.

    DE: Milton Williams, redshirt sophomore; Steven Shaw, redshirt freshman

    Williams (6-4, 262) has garnered a lot of praise from coaches since the spring and he’s parlayed his solid play into an expected starting role on the defensive line. He saw action in seven games last season.

    OLB: Willie Baker, redshirt junior; Tristan Allen, redshirt sophomore

    Baker switched positions from end to outside linebacker in defensive coordinator Bob Diaco’s 3-4 scheme. His pass rush skill set will still be utilized, highlighted by four sacks coming in the Hawaii Bowl last year, but he’ll handle come coverage duties as well.

    MLB: Connor Taylor, senior; Randy Hogan, redshirt senior OR Trey Baldwin, redshirt junior

    The former JUCO National Defensive Player of the Year looks to be more effective this season for the Bulldogs. Taylor ended 2018 with 30 stops.

    MLB: Collin Scott, redshirt senior; Alex Zayed, redshirt junior

    Scott led the team in tackles last season with 87. The senior linebacker is poised to have another solid season along with handling the defensive calls.

    S: James Jackson, redshirt senior; Ezekiel Barnett, redshirt junior

    Jackson started every game a season ago, finishing second on the team in tackles with 74, including 8.5 TFLs and had one interception.

    S: Darryl Lewis, redshirt senior; Bee Jay Williamson, redshirt freshman

    Lewis has collected 130 career stops and six picks in 40 total appearances, including 26 straight starts. He’s one of the veteran leaders on backend of Tech’s defense.

    S: L’Jarius Sneed, senior; Jaiden Cole, redshirt sophomore

    In the spring, Sneed moved from cornerback to safety and it’s paid dividends for Louisiana Tech’s defense. His three interceptions last year was good enough for second-best on the defense to go along with his 59 total tackles.

    CB: Amik Robertson, junior; Zach Hannibal, redshirt junior

    Unquestionably the most notable star for the Bulldogs, Robertson enters his third season starting at corner. He paced Tech with four picks, has nine total in two seasons, and for his career, has 123 total stops.

    CB: Michael Sam, redshirt senior; Aaron Roberson, redshirt senior

    Sam has battled some injuries during his career, but Holtz called him the “most pleasant surprise” this spring after he moved from safety to corner. Sam has pieced together a great fall camp and looks to more talent to an already deep Bulldog secondary.

    SPECIAL TEAMS
    PK: Bailey Hale, redshirt senior; Brady Farlow, redshirt junior

    Hale transferred to Tech from Eastern New Mexico before 2018 and ultimately earned the starting place kicking job. He had a 68 percent field goal rate in his first year, making 15-of-22 with a long of 46.

    P: Brady Farlow, redshirt junior; Jacob Barnes, freshman

    Behind Davan Dyer last season, Farlow punted five times for 179 yards for a 35.8-yard average.

    PR: Davon “Smoke” Harris, redshirt freshman OR Cee Jay Powell, redshirt junior

    The two combined for three punt returns in 2018.

    KR: Davon “Smoke” Harris, redshirt freshman OR Praise Okorie, redshirt sophomore OR Justin Henderson, redshirt junior

    Okorie and Harris piled up a combined 247 yards on 13 kickoff returns last year. Expect those two to be in the mix to field the opening kickoff for Louisiana Tech at Texas next weekend.


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    2 minutes ago, Patricio Swayze said:

    That’s crazy. I can’t imagine a dorm on campus that doesn’t have cameras in the halls or at least at the entrance.

    I was an RA in San Jacinto (where the players on campus live) when I went to UT. There are cameras in the common areas outside of the residential areas (lobby, main hallways, rec rooms, laundry, etc.); however, there are not any in the actual residential portions of the buildings - except for right outside of the elevators. If someone wanted to steal a bunch of stuff and go down the stairwells, they certainly could. However, based on ease of not getting caught, I'd bet it's another resident(s) who lives in the building. That would be the easiest way to not get caught. 

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    (Scipio Tex) Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Game Preview

     

    Real games offer clarity. They have a good way of cutting cleanly through the hype, conjecture and preseason bluster. We finally have one this Saturday. 

    To know what Texas is and will be, it helps to know the opponent. So let's talk LA Tech. 

    Skip Holtz brings a perennial Conference USA contender into Austin and he's had a nice run in Ruston. The Bulldogs have strung together five consecutive winning seasons with five consecutive bowl wins and return some of the key infrastructure of a 8-5 team that features a veteran QB, playmaking WRs outside, and a feisty and chatty Bulldog secondary. Like Maryland before them, who had the Horns at 0-1 after the last two season openers, Louisiana Tech is also a double digit underdog (-20.5). How Texas plays in Austin in similar circumstances will go a long way in telling whether this staff's previous openers were outliers or a consequence of their preparation philosophy.

    DEFENSE 

    The Bulldogs have shifted to a 3-4 defense under new defensive coordinator Bob Diaco (their prior DC was hired away by Manny Diaz to Miami). Diaco is a polarizing figure at every school he's ever coached. He made his bones early in his career at Notre Dame, winning a Broyles Award after fielding a dominant 2012 Irish unit (which had its flaws concealed by a favorable schedule until Alabama unmasked them in the national title game). Diaco's rising star won him the head coaching job at UConn, where he eventually failed and left as one of the more disliked figures in that school's history due to his perceived arrogance and lack of accountability. His one bright shining moment in Connecticut was a home upset over Tom Herman's undefeated Houston Cougars, who were without QB Greg Ward. Fields got rushed and press conference victory laps were taken. The Longhorn staff remembers that one for sure. After bombing out at UConn, Diaco landed the DC gig at Nebraska, where he stank, and then was a OLB coach at OU last year. 

    Diaco has adjusted his philosophies over time, but he favors bend-but-don't break defense and a no-crease defensive philosophy that emphasizes owning space. If an opposing offense doesn't turn it over or make stupid mistakes, Diaco's philosophy is right there to be solved. It's really about converting 3rd downs and scoring touchdowns in the red zone. 

    DL 

    The Bulldogs were decimated by graduation, losing all-time FBS sack leader Jaylon Ferguson (drafted by the Ravens) and 7 of their top 9 DL. The men they return will be asked to eat space and two gap in a 3 man front and there's nothing that indicates any of them will excel at it. If the Texas OL is content to tie at the line of scrimmage, that's a win for LA Tech. If the Texas OL gets displacement at the point of attack, it will be a long Saturday for them. 

    LB 

    The best player in their front 7 will be OLB Willie Baker. The pass rushing specialist was moved from DE to OLB and he's a legit athlete. The other OLB is a converted safety and he''ll have both coverage and rush responsibilities. ILB Collin Scott was a productive player for the Bulldogs last year, amassing 87 tackles. He'll be joined inside by the inexperienced Trey Baldwin. 

    DB 

    The clear team strength of the Bulldog defense is on the back end. The Bulldogs made news when safety L'Jarius Sneed commented that:

    Quote

    “(Johnson), he’s on the boundary, so he’s on Amik Robertson. I know Amik press is hella good. I know he’s going to struggle with the press, he’s kind of stiff coming out of his routes."

    and

    Quote

    "Sneed said “Well, they can’t handle the press,” Louisiana Tech senior safety L’Jarius Sneed said of Texas’s wide outs. “I know for sure we’re going to have to press them up a lot. They’ll struggle with us pressing them up and just stay on top of the routes.

    Those comments angered Texas fans and players. Based on 2018 tape, Sneed has a point. Johnson and LJH did struggle with press last year. If the new starting Texas receivers want to change their scouting report, they have the opportunity to do it on the field this Saturday. The Bulldogs are pretty good approximation of a Big 12 secondary and this is game film that Big 12 offensive minds will view with considerable interest. Johnson's improvements, Burt and Eagles' size and ability to run, and Duvernay in the slot should change the press calculus pretty quickly though. 

    CB Amik Robertson headlines the secondary and the quick risk taker has accumulated nine interceptions over the last two years. The Bulldogs return four secondary starters overall, didn't allow a 300+ yard passing performance in 2018 and surrendered just over six yards per passing attempt. It should be noted, however, that they faced only three FBS passing offenses ranked in the Top 50 overall. Sam Ehlinger will be eager to test that. 

    OFFENSE 

    The Bulldogs are a 3/4 wide receiver base offense that likes to throw the ball around. They struggle to run the ball without favorable numbers or a light box. They rely on fine talent outside and inordinately on the spotty playmaking of QB J'Mar Smith. 

    OL 

    LA Tech returns three interior senior starters and that should offer some modicum of stability. They're green outside, starting a new pair of massive OTs in Willie Allen (6-6, 345) and Gewhite Stallworth (6-8, 320). Allen was a former four star recruit but neither gentleman is particularly swift afoot. Texas would do well to run some games on both tackles and test their inexperience and athleticism. La Tech's offense struggles to convert in the red zone and the OL is a large reason why.

    QB 

    J'mar Smith is a career 57% passer over more than two years of starts and averaged less than 7 yards per passing attempt last year despite having the best wide receiver in Conference USA. He's a willing runner and not easy to get on the ground, but it would be hard to call him a dynamic dual threat. He does do a decent job of buying time in the pocket though, more with phone booth slides or stepping up than wild scrambles. If Texas can't line up right or panics at the sight of novel formations paired with play action, he's certainly capable of hitting a big throw. So save the "I thought he wasn't good, huh?" comments on the game thread if he hits a wide open receiver while the Texas defensive backs are still looking at the sideline when the ball snaps. Smith runs hot and cold and Texas would do well to choke off early success. If the Texas D plays up to its potential, Smith will turn it over. This Bulldog offense ranked 97th out of 130 teams in FBS last year. Smith's inconsistency was a major reason why. 

    RB 

    Israel Tucker will get the start. He's whatever and averages 4 yards per carry over his career. LA Tech struggles to run the ball consistently in general. Bobby Holly (6-1, 255) is their motion H-Back and fullback when they want to incorporate that facet of their offense. 

    WR 

    The best unit on their team. Adrian Hardy caught 75 for 1145 last year and scorched LSU in Baton Rouge. He's joined by former four star recruit and TCU transfer Isaiah Graham. Griffin Herbert is a big possession wide receiver (6-3, 215) who will look for creases underneath when Hardy and Graham garner attention. Pay attention to waterbug Smoke Harris (5-6, 170) when he's on the field. He's not a complete receiver, but he does gadget stuff. This is a nice test for the Longhorn corners and for the passing defense to show that they've evolved in their understanding of game situations and in how to play against an offense that gets the ball out quickly on timing. 

    Parting Thoughts 
    1. The Bulldog secondary and wide receiver group are fine unit level challenges for our wide receivers and defensive backs. Those units levels challenges are something I always watch closely when Texas plays inferior opponents.
    2. Texas enjoys major advantages up front on both sides of the ball.
    3. Louisiana Tech is mature, even at the spots where they lack starting FBS experience. This is a JUCO laden squad. Age does help them narrow some athletic deficits.
    4. The Texas defense has struggled with simply lining up right or reading keys in the last two openers. Some of that was Maryland putting the LBs and DBs under stress to play both the option run game and play action pass. The Bulldogs can't really do that credibly, but they can go tempo and run a lot of looks to test basic assignments. I want to see some base comfort defensive calls when we get sped up.
    5. Texas should be able to stop the run with honest numbers, double Hardy, and then use dime and nickel blitzes to test the Tech offensive tackles and J'mar Smith's ability to read defenses on key downs.
    6. LA Tech will want to start Smith off well. Expect a lot of window dressing disguising easy confidence throws leading up to some big 3 step drop timing shots downfield.
    7. The Texas offense needs to start fast, press their advantages up front, allow the D to play with a lead, then finish the game.
    8. Texas RB preservation needs to be front of mind. Everyone that isn't injured is hurt. If that means throwing late, so be it.

    Edited by Machinator
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    On 8/27/2019 at 8:12 AM, bigcigar said:

     

     

    This was meant to be a PSA for posts like the one above (geographic restrictions), but maybe some of us don’t have “systems” that we can add “sports” packages to. Further, it’s simply not rational to buy a tv package with a sports package for 2 games when you don’t expect to use the service for anything else.

    I have uverse and can watch the game on my phone, but my wife will be with me and I don't want to be looking at my phone all night. I'm going to Scottsdale on a mini vacation because Houston isn't fucking hot enough. I appreciate the heads up by Bottlecap for the Exes watch party. Only problem is I'm just your run of the mill t-shirt fan, but I do have a pretty hot wife and can buy a table a round or 2 of drinks. Hopefully that'll get me in the vicinity of a tv. I know the rules, just never posted a pic on surly and have no idea how.

    Edited by CfRhTxStBobcats
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    1 hour ago, CfRhTxStBobcats said:

    I have uverse and can watch the game on my phone, but my wife will be with me and I don't want to be looking at my phone all night. I'm going to Scottsdale on a mini vacation because Houston isn't fucking hot enough. I appreciate the heads up by Bottlecap for the Exes watch party. Only problem is I'm just your run of the mill t-shirt fan, but I do have a pretty hot wife and can buy a table a round or 2 of drinks. Hopefully that'll get me in the vicinity of a tv. I know the rules, just never posted a pic on surly and have no idea how.

    Send pics; I’ll post the ones which are suitable.

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    1 hour ago, CfRhTxStBobcats said:

    I have uverse and can watch the game on my phone, but my wife will be with me and I don't want to be looking at my phone all night. I'm going to Scottsdale on a mini vacation because Houston isn't fucking hot enough. I appreciate the heads up by Bottlecap for the Exes watch party. Only problem is I'm just your run of the mill t-shirt fan, but I do have a pretty hot wife and can buy a table a round or 2 of drinks. Hopefully that'll get me in the vicinity of a tv. I know the rules, just never posted a pic on surly and have no idea how.

    You don't have to be a grad to watch games at the Exes watch parties.  No cover required either.

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    30 minutes ago, Machinator said:

     

    Orlando's comments on Cook were telling. He seems to have consistency issues and it's getting to his head.

    Especially compared to the way he talked about Green.

    Edited by Machinator
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    5 minutes ago, Machinator said:

    Orlando's comments on Cook were telling. He seems to have consistency issues and it's getting to his head.

    Especially compared to the way he talked about Green.

    I, for one, couldn't be more excited about Kobe Boyce Redemptionfest 2019.

    Did I say excited? I meant queasy.

    Edited by texifornia
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    Gawdammit, the 123TV streaming link for LHN is down. Did somebody link it one too many times on this site? If Reddit CFB Streams go down this fall, I am proper fucked.

    Edited by Walden Ponderer
    Nevermind. I found the backdoor.
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    15 minutes ago, Walden Ponderer said:

    Gawdammit, the 123TV streaming link for LHN is down. Did somebody link it one too many times on this site? If Reddit CFB Streams go down this fall, I am proper fucked.

    1st where do you live? Alaska

    2nd based on your edit I’m glad South Austin’s mom could help you out. 

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    FYI 

    I called direct tv to get LHN and they have a promotion that takes it from 13.99 month to 3.99.

    It's their sports package and it comes with CBSSN which I think is the channel covering Texas Rice

    Might be worth looking into. 6mo commitment I think

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    2 hours ago, Walden Ponderer said:

    Gawdammit, the 123TV streaming link for LHN is down. Did somebody link it one too many times on this site? If Reddit CFB Streams go down this fall, I am proper fucked.

    PSVue is relatively cheap. 

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    2 hours ago, Walden Ponderer said:

    Gawdammit, the 123TV streaming link for LHN is down. Did somebody link it one too many times on this site? If Reddit CFB Streams go down this fall, I am proper fucked.

    I like 123 but their streams tend to go on and off. So, if they have it up for the game, there you go. If they don't, they don't. 

    I linked it because the quality is usually pretty good when it's up, and LHN streams can be hard to find. 

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    3 hours ago, Walden Ponderer said:

    Gawdammit, the 123TV streaming link for LHN is down. Did somebody link it one too many times on this site? If Reddit CFB Streams go down this fall, I am proper fucked.

    Just sign up for att tv now free 1 week trial if you’re poor / cheap like me.

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    1 hour ago, Post Oak said:

    FYI 

    I called direct tv to get LHN and they have a promotion that takes it from 13.99 month to 3.99.

    It's their sports package and it comes with CBSSN which I think is the channel covering Texas Rice

    Might be worth looking into. 6mo commitment I think

    I’ve never seen a DirecTV offer that wasn’t attached to a two year commitment, so read the fine print. That doesn’t mean something for 6 months doesn’t exist. And also be aware the cost usually increases exponentially after the first year. 

    Yes, I’m a DTV vet who happily dumped it in January. 

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    Tailgating question. I had parked at 15th and Colorado for years. I just purchased a parking pass at the garage next to Disch Falk field for the season since 15th and Colorado went from public to mostly pre-sold. What is the tailgating like there? Do they allow tailgating at the top of the garage for football games? So do people park at the garage and setup in grass area? PM me some info if you are familiar with the area. It would be very much appreciated since I am trying to prepare for Saturday. Otherwise I will have to just scout the area during the first game.

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    On 8/28/2019 at 9:05 AM, Machinator said:

    BJ Foster's mother

     

     

    La Tech skill position players better have their heads on a swivel... an angry BJ Foster is about unleash some pain on Saturday!!  🤘

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