17 ranked Fresno State Oct. 2 at Joe Aillet Stadium. Running back Ryan Moats rushed for 236 yards and four scores and the Tech defense intercepted two passes late in the game to seal the victory. Moats shattered the school record with 1,774 yards rushing and 18 touchdowns before declaring himself eligible for the 2005 NFL Draft (third round, Philadelphia Eagles).
2012 BULLDOG FOOTBALL
2008: Bulldogs Claim Independence Bowl Championship Title Louisiana Tech opened its season with a visit from Southeastern Conference foe Mississippi State, the first SEC team to ever come to Joe Aillet Stadium. And after the Mississippi-based Bulldogs left after a 22-14 LA Tech win, they might be the last for a while. The win marked the first win over an SEC team since 1999 when Tech topped eventual SEC champion Alabama 29-28 in Birmingham, Alabama. The Bulldogs continued their winning ways throughout the season, going 7-5 in the regular season and 5-3 in the WAC which was good enough for a second place finish. Included in the seven regular season wins was a 21-0 shutout victory at San Jose State, the first shutout by a Tech team since 1996 and the first road shutout since 1988. Tech earned its first invite to a bowl game since 2001 as the Bulldogs received an invitation to play in the Independence Bowl against Northern Illinois. Tech would capture the 2008 Independence Bowl title by virtue of a 17-10 victory over the Huskies, highlighted by a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Phillip Livas. The Bowl victory was the first bowl win for the Bulldogs since they won the 1977 Independence Bowl. Running back Daniel Porter became the eighth Louisiana Tech running back to ever rush for over 1,000 yards in a season as he rushed for 1,164 yards and nine touchdowns in 2008. Tech also placed a program record seven players on the All- WAC team, led by first team members in Porter, Livas, defensive tackle D’Anthony Smith and safety Antonio Baker. In 2009 Porter continued to showcase his rushing talents, becoming the school’s all-time leading rusher with 3,352 rushing yards to his credit while Dennis Morris earned all-America honors and was named the College Football Performance Awards’ National Tight End of the Year after leading the country in touchdown receptions among tight ends.
2010-Present
Record: 13-12 (.520) Coaches: Sonny Dykes (2010-Present) Conference Affiliation (Years)/Titles: Division I-A Western Athletic Conference (2010-Present)/One (2011) Louisiana Tech began the Sonny Dykes era with high hopes for a high octane offense. The engine finally shifted gears midway through Dykes first season with a high offensive output in six of the team’s last seven games, including 683 total offensive yards against Idaho, then the fourthmost in school history. The 2011 season had an ominous 1-4 start (losing the season opener in the midst of Tropical Storm Lee in Hattiesburg) but the team rallied off seven-consecutive wins – the most since 1974 – and finished the year winning the WAC title. Tech came within a possession of upsetting No. 15 TCU in the Poinsettia Bowl game to close the season. Sonny Dykes was named the WAC Coach of the Year, Adrien Cole was named the WAC Defensive Player of the Year and was one of 11 All-WAC honorees and the Bulldogs stunned the country in the midst of its winning streak with a 27-7 throttling of Ole Miss.
www.LATechSports.com
175