GAME TEN - LSU - NOV. 10, 2007 BULLDOG FOOTBALL GAME NOTES
David Wiechmann, Assistant Media Relations Director PO Box 3166, Ruston, LA 71272 O: 318-257-3144 – C: 318-436-1387 – F: 318-257-3757 LOUISIANA TECH [email protected] – www.latechsports.com 2007 Schedule/Results BULLDOGS BATTLE WITH BAYOU BENGALS Date Opponent (TV) Time/Result SETTING THE SCENE 9/1 Central Arkansas W, 28-7 Date: Saturday, Nov. 10, 2007 9/8 No. 20 Hawaii* (ERT) L, 45-44 OT Location: Baton Rouge, La. 9/15 at Cal (Comcast) L, 42-12 Kickoff: 7 p.m. CST 9/29 at Fresno State* L, 17-6 Stadium: Tiger Stadium 10/6 at Ole Miss L, 24-0 Stadium Capacity: 92,400 Pre-Game: The Golden Band from Tigerland 10/13 vs. New Mexico St.* (ERT) W, 22-21 Halftime: Golden Band 10/20 vs. Boise State* (ERT) L, 45-31 LOUISIANA TECH LSU 10/27 at Utah State* (ERT) W, 31-21 BULLDOGS TIGERS PLAYER TO WATCH 11/3 at Idaho* W, 28-16 4-5 Overall, 3-3 WAC 8-1 Overall, 5-1 SEC Running back Patrick 11/10 at LSU 7 p.m. IN THE POLLS IN THE POLLS Jackson is coming off a 11/17 vs. San Jose State* 6 p.m. N/A 2 AP/ 2 Coaches/ 2 BCS career-high 155 yards 12/1 at Nevada* 3 p.m. LEADERS LEADERS rushing last week Rushing: P. Jackson Rushing: J. Hester against Idaho. He *, Western Athletic Conference games 156/755/8 TD 129/591/7 and Daniel Porter All game times are CST Passing: M. Flynn Passing: Z. Champion have proven to 176-297-7/ 1,657 yds/9 TD 130-234-8/1619 yds/11 TD Receiving: P. Beck Receiving: B. LaFell be a formidable 26/281/0 TD 34/455/1 TD 1-2 punch and are Tackles: A. Baker Tackles: C. Steltz teaming up to give 91 TT/2.5 TFL/0.5 Sacks/ 63 TT/5 TFL/1 Sacks Tech one of the top running 3 INTs 4 INTs games in the conference. 2007 WAC Standings
WAC All Games THE GAME W-L Pct. W-L Pct. Louisiana Tech is looking for its third straight road win after defeating Utah State and Idaho. It was Tech’s fi rst Hawaii 5-0 1.000 8-0 1.000 back-to-back road wins since 2005. A win would give Tech a sweep of its second three-game road stint of the Boise State 5-0 1.000 8-1 .889 season and spoil LSU’s national championship hopes. Fresno State 5-1 .833 6-3 .667 Nevada 3-2 .600 5-4 .556 ON THE AIR WAVES Louisana Tech 3-3 .500 4-5 .444 Saturday’s contest will be broadcast on KXKZ 107.5 with Dave Nitz calling the action in his 33rd season as San Jose State 2-3 .400 3-6 .333 the voice of the Bulldogs. Steve Davison will be on color, and Benny Thornell works as the sideline reporter. NMSU 1-4 .200 4-6 .400 The game can also be heard in the Shreveport area on 95.7 FM. Utah State 0-5 .000 0-9 .000 Idaho 0-6 .000 1-9 .100 The game is also available on TigerVision. Fans in Louisiana can purchase the game on TigerVision through their cable television provider, The Dish Network and DirecTV for $34.50. Cable customers must This Week in the WAC have digital cable capabilities to order the game. The game will be available on ESPN GamePlan outside Saturday the state of Louisiana. Boise State at Utah State, 2 p.m.* New Mexico State at San Jose State, 3 p.m.* THE SERIES Louisiana Tech at LSU, 7 p.m. Louisiana Tech has just one victory against LSU, which came in 1904 when the Bulldogs defeated the Fresno State at Hawaii, 11 p.m.* Tigers 6-0. The two schools last met in 2003. It was their fi rst meeting since 1941. LSU holds the advantage in the series at 16-1.
Last Week in the WAC THE COACHES Friday Louisiana Tech: Derek Dooley (Virginia ’90) begins his head coaching career after spending the last seven Nevada 40, at New Mexico State 38* years as an assistant under Nick Saban at LSU and with the Miami Dolphins. He had stints as the assistant Saturday head coach, tight ends coach, running backs coach, special teams coordinator and recruiting coordinator at at Boise State 42, San Jose State 7* LSU and helped sign recruiting classes that ranked nationally each year. Louisiana Tech 28, at Idaho 16* at Fresno State 38, Utah State 27* LSU: Les Miles (Michigan ‘76) has seen much early success at LSU. He is the fi rst coach in LSU history to lead the team to at least 10 wins in consecutive seasons. He has more victories (22) in his fi rst two years * denotes WAC game than any other coach. Miles has a history of success himself playing and coaching at Michigan and serving as head coach at Oklahoma State four years. He led Oklahoma State to three straight bowl games. GAME TEN - LSU - NOV. 10, 2007 MEDIA INFORMATION - 2
TECH MEDIA RELATIONS STAFF GAME WEEK AVAILABILITY Malcolm Butler* Assistant Athletic Director SUNDAY MONDAY@ TUESDAY* WEDNESDAY^ THURSDAY# FRIDAY E-mail [email protected] Derek Dooley avail- Media Luncheon Dooley available Dooley available No availability. No availability. able from (11:30 a.m.) from 11:45 a.m.- from 11:45 a.m.- Kyle Roberts Assist. Media Relations Dir. 5-5:30 p.m. Dr. Guthrie Jarrell 12:15 p.m. in offi ce. 12:15 p.m. in offi ce. Email [email protected] Room at Charles Players and As- Dooley available David Wiechmann* Assist. Media Relations Dir. Wyly Athletic Center. sistant Coaches following practice Players and coaches available following (approx. 5:45 p.m.) E-mail [email protected] available following practice Wes Todd Media Relations Intern practice (approx. (approx. 5:45 p.m.) E-mail [email protected] 5:45 p.m.) Last day to interview Jean Moore Publications Coordinator players and assistant coaches. E-mail [email protected] *denotes primary football contacts Offi ce Phone 318-257-3144 Offi ce FAX 318-257-3757 @ Players appearing at the media luncheon will not be available following Monday’s practice. * Tuesday is the only day assistant coaches # Mailing Address are available. Coach Dooley’s radio show is Thursday nights and will not be available following practice for interviews. Louisiana Tech Media Relations WEEKLY MEDIA LUNCHEON PO Box 3166 Louisiana Tech Head Coach Derek Dooley will hold a weekly press luncheon at 11:30 a.m. each Monday Ruston, La. 71272 during football season in the Dr. Guthrie Jarrell Room at the Charles Wyly Athletic Center. Lunch will be served at 11:30 a.m. followed by a press conference with Coach Dooley and selected Louisiana Tech players Parcel Service Address discussing the upcoming game. All media is welcome to attend. Thomas Assembly Center Rm 161 W. Alabama Ave. GAME DAY Ruston, La. 71270 All Louisiana Tech post-game press conferences will be held in the Dr. Guthrie Jarrell Room in the Charles Wyly Athletic Center after each game following a 10-minute cooling off period. No interviews will be allowed WAC TELECONFERECE on the fi eld with players and/or coaches immediately following games. A member of the Louisiana Tech The WAC will hold a weekly football coaches’ tele- Media Relations Department will escort all media to the interview area following the game. Coach Dooley and conference every Monday beginning August 27 and selected Louisiana Tech players will be available in the press conference following the games. running through November 26. The teleconference will begin at 11:30 a.m. CST. The coaches will be CREDENTIALS available for a seven-minute time period to preview Requests for credentials should be sent to Malcolm Butler via email to [email protected]. Requests must the upcoming opponent and answer questions from be submitted by a sports director/editor at least eight days prior to the contest. the media. The schedule for the teleconference is as follows (times listed are Central Standard Time) 11:30 a.m. — Dave Chaffi n, WAC PRACTICE 11:32 a.m. — June Jones, Hawaii All practices are open to the media ONLY during the individual drills on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday 11:39 a.m. — Derek Dooley, Louisiana Tech of game week. All practices are closed to members of the media following Wednesday of game week. 11:46 a.m. — Hal Mumme, New Mexico State During the individual drills, Louisiana Tech permits both still photographers and video photographers to 11:53 a.m. — Brent Guy, Utah State shoot practice. Media wishing to conduct interviews are requested to arrive 10-15 minutes prior to the end Noon — Robb Akey, Idaho of practice. Members of the media cannot use cell phones at practice, and they are not permitted to 12:07 p.m. — Dick Tomey, San Jose State report on injuries that occur during practice. All practices are closed to the general public. 12:14 p.m. — Chris Ault, Nevada 12:21 p.m. — Chris Peterson, Boise State MEDIA ONLY 12:28 p.m. — Pat Hill, Fresno State Louisiana Tech Media Relations now has a media only Web site with audio fi les and photos for use by the 12:35 p.m. — Karl Benson, WAC Commissioner media in their respective publications and productions. To request access to latechmedia.com please go to To participate in the teleconference please call www.latechmedia.com/media/request.php and follow the necessary steps. 913-312-9303. Identify yourself and your outlet to the operator and inform the individual you wish to to INTERVIEWS participate in the WAC Coaches Teleconference. There All interview requests should be submitted to Assistant Media Relations Director David Wiechmann. will be a replay of the teleconference made available at Head Coach Derek Dooley will do general interviews following practice Monday and Wednesday. All other 4 p.m. the same day and can be accessed by calling requests during his offi ce hours must be submitted to David Wiechmann 402-280-9027. Assistant Coaches: The coaches are available after Tuesday practices. Topics of discussion are to be limited to coach/player feature stories. WAC SATELLITE FEED Players: All player interviews will be conducted at the media luncheon or after practices Monday and The WAC provides a weekly satellite highlight feed Tuesday. It is not permissible for members of the media to call student-athletes on their cell phones or in of its nine schools throughout the season. For tech- their dorm rooms/apartments. Requests for player interviews need to be made at least 24 hours in advance. nical information during the season contact Link Up Selected players will be available in person following Coach Dooley’s press conference at the media Communications at 414-617-8785. luncheon. Players are also available to out of town media by telephone. Louisiana Tech true freshmen are not available for interviews with the media at any time. Players who attend the media luncheon are not available Wednesdays, September 5-Noevember 28 after Monday’s practice. 5-5:30 p.m. CST Post-Game: The Louisiana Tech locker room is closed at all times. Head Coach Derek Dooley and several Satellite Coordinates players will be brought to the Dr. Guthrie Jarrell Room in the Charles Wyly Athletic Center for interviews. Galaxy 10R, Transponder 23 KU, Analog, Interviews with the visiting coach and players will take place outside the visitor’s locker room. Tech Media Downlink 12160V Relations personnel will take interview requests for the Bulldogs mid-way through the fourth quarter. GAME TEN - LSU - NOV. 10, 2007 GENERAL NOTES - 3
TEAM COMPARISON THIS WEEK’S OPPONENT The Tigers are making a push for a national title in coach Les Miles’ third season with the team. LSU is currently ranked No. 2 in both major polls and the BCS standings. TECH LSU Points Per Game 22.44 (90) 37.22 (14) LSU has played in a number of dramatic games this season with come-from-behind wins against Scoring Defense 26.44 (62) 17.44 (10) Florida, Auburn and Alabama. The Tigers scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to First Downs 192 181 defeat Florida 28-24. Miles elected to throw in the endzone rather than kick a fi eld goal against Rushing Yards/Game 176.56 (35) 209.00 (18) Auburn and came out victorious 30-24. And most recently on the road at Alabama, the Tigers rallied Passing Yards/Game 191.67 (91) 230.78 (57) down seven points with less than three minutes to play to win 41-34. Total Offense 368.22 (77) 439.78 (23) Pass Defense 266.44 (101) 168.78 (6) LSU has defeated fi ve teams ranked No. 18 or better in the AP Poll this season. Rush Defense 109.11 (21) 65.89 (4) Total Defense 375.56 (59) 234.67 (2) The Tigers boast the No. 2 defense in the nation allowing just 234.67 yards of offense a game. INTs Thrown 7 9 Only the Ohio State is better — giving up 221.2 yards a game. Opp. INTs Thrown 17 14 Turnover Margin +0.67 (25) +1.11 (9) Going up against LSU’s run defense will be a challenge for Tech. The Bulldogs are averaging Sacks by/Allowed 2.22/2.67 3.22/2.44 more than 176 yards a game on the ground, but the Tigers are holding opponents to less than 70. Kickoff Return Avg. 21.98 (56) 18.15 (109) Punt Return Avg. 13.35 (19) 6.38 (93) DL Glenn Dorsey is receiving serious contention for the Heisman Trophy as he leads the way for Punt Avg. 41.37 (50) 44.43 (12) the Tiger defense. Dorsey is among the national leaders in tackles for loss and is a force on the line. Net Punting 37.07 (32) 35.26 (59) Last season, he was named fi rst team All-America. Fumbles Lost/Gained 8/4 2/7 Pentalties/Yards 69/585 83/639 LSU entered this season with a 13-game winning streak at home. The Tigers are a perfect 5-0 in Death Valley this year to extend the streak to 18 games — the longest in school history. The streak began in 2005. The previous long was a 17-game streak from 1935-38 and was ended by Ole Miss. TECH IN THE WAC Patrick Jackson No team has won more games in the SEC since LSU claimed the conference title in 2001. Enter- Rushing ...... 84.44 ...... 4th (53) ing the 2007 season, the Tigers were 62-16 (.795) with six bowl appearances, two SEC titles and Kick Return Avg...... 22.29 ...... 9th (91) fi ve Top 25 fi nishes. All Purpose...... 157.00 ...... 2nd (23) Daniel Porter LSU started the year strong with a commanding 45-0 win over Mississippi State. The Tigers av- Rushing ...... 64.67 ...... 7th (89) erage point differential in their fi rst fi ve games was 33.4 with games against No. 9 Virginia Tech and Zac Champion No. 12 South Carolina. Since then, the Tigers have not been able to outscore their opponents by so Passing...... 184.1 ...... 5th much. Victories of seven points and six points, along with a six-point loss, have the Tigers edging Total Offense...... 183.56 ...... 7th (83) out victories. The Tigers faced a ranked opponent each of their last four games. Pass. Effi ciency...... 111.41 ...... 8th (97) Chris Keagle AGAINST THE TIGERS Punting...... 41.37 ...... 2nd (50) The Bulldogs have not defeated the Tigers since 1904 in the teams’ fourth meeting. Antonio Baker Tackles/Gm...... 10.11 ...... 6th (30) Tech is 1-16 against LSU, and the Tigers have shut out the Bulldogs 12 times. Tech’s lone victory Quin Harris in the series was also a shutout. Tackles/Gm...... 8.67 ...... T-9th (T-70) Tackles for Loss...... 0.83 ...... T-10th LAST MEETING Passes Defended..... 9 (7 PBUs, 1 INT) ...... T-3rd The last time Tech and LSU met, the Tigers were on their way to a national championship under Weldon Brown Nick Saban. The Tigers dominated Tech for a 49-10 win on homecoming in front of 91,879 fans. Passes Defended...... 11 (4 INTs, 7 PBUs) ...... 1st Kick Return Avg...... 26.09 ...... 4th (34) In that game, LSU scored on six of its fi rst seven possessions and didn’t have an incomplete pass Chris Pugh until late in the second quarter. The Tigers had 429 yards of offense in the fi rst half alone and led Sacks...... 0.72 ...... 1st (T-28) 49-3 at the break. The game in 2003 was the fi rst meeting between Tech and LSU since 1941. Tackles for Loss...... 1.22 ...... 2nd (T-34) FAMILY TIES WITH TECH Top 10 rankings listed, national rankings in parenthesis. With two in-state schools playing each other there is always a chance for houses to be divided. All tackles, sacks and tackles for loss stats are per game. Three Louisiana Tech players have connections with players on LSU’s roster. Tech RB Patrick Jackson and LSU DE Tyson Jackson are third cousins. Tech DL Mason Hitt could lineup against his brother Lyle Hitt who plays OL for LSU. LSU RB Jacob Hester is married to Tech DS Thomas Graham’s cousin. GAME TEN - LSU - NOV. 10, 2007 GENERAL NOTES - 4
2007 WAC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK THE BULLDOGS BRIEFLY Louisiana Tech fi nishes its second three-game road stint of the season this week. The Bulldogs have won the fi rst two legs of this stretch with victories over Utah State and Idaho. It was the fi rst time since 2005 Tech won back-to-back road conference games.