NCAA Football Preview - Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Aug 19, 2014 - 3:01 PM Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -

2013 SEASON IN REVIEW: Skip Holtz didn't have the best first experience at the helm of the Louisiana Tech football program. His 2013 Bulldogs finished the year with a 4-8 record and a 3-5 mark in Conference-USA, and endured a rough campaign defensively.

The Bulldogs surrendered an average of 408.2 yards per game to opponents a year ago, which Holtz, who enters his second season as Louisiana Tech's head coach, will try to correct.

Louisiana Tech endured two three-game losing streaks in the regular season in 2013. The Bulldogs started off the year with a 40-14 loss against NC State, and then picked up a 27-14 win over FCS program Lamar the following week. From there, the team dropped three straight games to Tulane, Kansas and Army. At the end of the season, the Bulldogs once again lost three in a row, this time to Rice, Tulsa and UTSA - all by multiple touchdowns.

Louisiana Tech finished with a 2-3 record at home and an even worse 2-4 record on the road. The win over Lamar was the only non-conference victory for the team on the season. Louisiana Tech finished fifth in the C-USA West Division, behind Tulane (no longer in the conference), North Texas, UTSA and Rice.

2014 ANALYSIS:

OFFENSE: Offense was certainly a struggle for the Bulldogs in 2013. In 12 games played, Tech scored over 20 points just four times - in all four wins of the season. Otherwise, the Bulldogs were held to 16 points or less in every loss they suffered.

A point of contention for the Bulldogs entering the upcoming season will be the quarterback position, but not because the team's 2013 starter - Ryan Higgins - has departed. Higgins is listed as a redshirt sophomore on the team's roster, but his play last season may not have helped him retain the job under center. Higgins passed for 1,715 yards last year, but tossed only six touchdown passes compared to 13 interceptions. He added three rushing scores to his resume, but perhaps it's redshirt senior Cody Sokol's turn to take a stab at the job. Unless Higgins can prove he's anything other than a turnover machine, the starting quarterback job is anyone's for the taking.

The problem for whichever quarterback wins the starting gig will be weaponry. Sterling Griffin returns to a thinned out receiving corps as last season's top yardage pass catcher (357 yards), but he only scored two touchdowns on 33 receptions. Sophomore Trent Taylor caught a pair of scores last season, and Hunter Lee hauled in 16 receptions and a touchdown grab in 2013. Past those three, the receptions will have to fall to relatively untested hands.

"That is probably my biggest sense of urgency right now is what we have to do to kind of bring it all together and make sure we can give our most talented players an opportunity to get on the field," Holtz said.

At least Louisiana Tech will have experienced players coming out of the running back slot. Kenneth Dixon, who registered 917 net yards and four rushing touchdowns on 151 carries in 2013, returns for his junior season, while Tevin King and Blake Martin each provide an experience boost to the offense.

Mitchell Bell and Tre Carter are the two returning starters to the offensive line. Bell performed well at the right tackle slot last season, and will likely remain at the position this upcoming year.

DEFENSE: Seven starters return to the squad from a disappointing 2013 season with the hopes that playing experience did them some good.

Last season's leading tackler, Daniel Cobb, is no longer on the team, but the second-, third-, fourth-, fifth- and sixth-leading tacklers are all returning to a lineup that Holtz and defensive coordinator Manny Diaz are hoping will bulk up skill-wise.

Free safety Thomas McDonald was second on the squad last season with 70 tackles, and added five pass breakups and three interceptions to his stat line. The 6-foot-4 safety could be pushed by sophomore Lloyd Grogan for the starting spot, however.

Strong safety Xavier Woods will be one of the leaders on defense for the Bulldogs after racking up 61 tackles, three tackles for loss and two pass breakups. Toss in returning starter Adarius Barnes, Le'Vander Liggins and Bryson Abraham at the cornerback positions and the defensive backfield has some depth with which the coaches can rely on.

Mitch Villemez and Tony Johnson will hold down the linebacking corps, while seniors Devon McKinney and Houston Bates man the line up front. Considering the defense allowed a 45.3 third-down conversion percentage and nearly 200 rushing yards of offense per game last season, the Bulldogs will need to step it up with the veteran players for 2014.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Kyle Fischer and Logan McPherson each return to the kicking and punting duties, respectively, for the upcoming season. Fischer converted on 18-of-23 field-goal attempts a year ago, and hit a long of 49. McPherson sent 63 punts flying in 2013 with an average distance of 38 yards. He did hit 21 inside the 20-yard line and had a long of 53 yards.

OUTLOOK: It will be a tough road upward for Holtz and the Bulldogs, but with plenty of returning starters and veteran defensive players, Louisiana Tech should at least be able to make an improvement on that end.

Whichever quarterback wins the starting job will have to display much more consistency under center than Higgins and then-quarterback Scotty Young showed in 2013. Turnovers were a big factor for the Bulldogs last season, and that will need to change.

Things won't be easy for the team as it embarks on the 2014 season with a week-one matchup against perennial power Oklahoma. The Bulldogs travel to face national runner-up Auburn on Sept. 27 before completely immersing themselves in conference play, although they get a taste of that when they hit the road to take on North Texas on Sept. 11.

"Having to play four of our first five opponents against bowl teams on the road is not going to be easy, and having to play the first three on the road against bowl teams in the first 13 days of the season, I don't think anyone in the country has as difficult of an opening to their year as we do and what we are walking into," Holtz said.

Louisiana Tech does avoid playing Marshall and Florida Atlantic from the C-USA East Division this season, but will still have to tangle with UTSA, the Mean Green and newcomer Old Dominion. The success this season for the Bulldogs will hinge largely on the offense.