Tech runs over Northwestern State

It was heavy dose of Bulldozer and Bulldogs as LA Tech put on a 51-21 beatdown of Northwestern State at Joe Aillet Stadium on Saturday.

With over 19,000 fans watching on, Tech’s run game finally erupted after two lackluster performances early in the season to the tune of 357 yards on 38 carries – 9.4 yards a clip – thanks to career nights from true freshman Keith Willis’ 188 yards and two touchdowns and Tyre Shelton’s five carries for 62 yards and a score.

With the welcomed return of Shelton, who missed the first two games due to injury, to the backfield, and the continued development of Willis and Charvis Thornton, the Bulldogs put up  their most rushing yards as a team since Oct. 12, 2019 and improved to 2-1 overall.

LA Tech (2-1) head coach Sonny Cumbie praised the play of his stable of tail backs postgame, including officially giving Willis the nickname he came in with after his recruitment.

“Tonight, he was the Bulldozer. Tonight, he was,” Cumbie said. “Tomorrow he might be Keith again. I think the challenge with all players is having a night like he had and then coming back on Monday and playing hard again. But very proud of Keith Willis. Very proud of how hard he ran. He broke tackles and really ignited out football team on his explosive runs.

“And I think you can’t say enough about Tyre Shelton. Coming out and getting us going with the first touchdown run of the game. We were lining up in a formation and they were giving us two looks so we really just stayed in them and kept calling the same play and we were able to have some success with it. Credit to the offensive line and those backs.”

The Bulldogs got their wish to start fast, scoring on the first two drives of the night with a 41-yard score from Shelton on his second carry as a Bulldog, along with a 22-yard field goal from Jacob Barnes.

Keith Willis kept it going on a 65-yard score untouched for a 17-7 lead early in the second.

Northwestern State kept pace for most of the first half, scoring just before the end of the first quarter and a nine-yard keeper from Tyler Vander Waal to make it 17-14 with 5:31 left

Tech kept an arm’s length after quarterback Hank Bachmeier threw an 11-yard fade to Koby Duru in the back of the end-zone for 24-14 lead with 3:18 left in the half.

Bachmeier would end his night 9-18 for 110 yards and the lone touchdown.

Northwestern State’s next drive ended in a punt attempt, but the snap was mishandled and the Bulldogs pounced to set up one last scoring opportunity before the break.

One play later, Thornton ran 30 yards to the house to put Tech ahead 31-14 at the break.

Through two quarters, the Bulldogs had 195 yards at 11.5 yards a carry.

With 8:06 left in the third, Willis brought out another piece of metaphorical construction equipment as he cut up field for a 68-yard touchdown, slamming a NSU defender into the turf on a big stiff arm. The score put the Bulldogs ahead 41-21 and Cumbie made note of how tough of a runner the freshman displayed on that carry and throughout the win.

“That was a nice one. Keith’s a strong kid,” Cumbie said. “He’s powerful and he’s very strong. We gotta keep finding ways to get him free and get him loose. Tonight was a big night for our run game.”

For Shelton, who got a 1000-foot view of the Tech run game having been sidelined for two weeks, could feel the difference in the Bulldogs’ approach to the run game after amassing just 142 total yards on 63 carries through the two previous games.

The win over Northwestern State had its fair share of explosive plays, but Shelton said the big night on the ground came down to making simple reads and trusting in the lanes the big boys up front created.

“I think it’s just us trusting it,” Shelton said. “I think the first two weeks we kind of left some yards on the field on going back and watching the film. I mean, making our adjustments and learning from our mistakes and being able to capitalize on them. I think that was the biggest reason for our success today.”

As for his first collegiate carries since 2022, Shelton couldn’t hide how big of a moment it was just to make it back out after a rough summer and fall of adversity.

“It felt great,” Shelton said of his return. “Just for me getting hurt so close to the start of the season, all the work that we put in – this has definitely been my hardest summer of all my years in college so it was a bummer to miss the first two weeks, but it felt good to finally get out there and playing with the guys.”

Moments after the big score from Willis, Tech cornerback Cedric Woods took a pick six 49 yards to the house to make it 48-21 Bulldogs. And with just over a minute left in the third, Tech would cease its onslaught after a 32-yard field goal from Jacob Barnes, who made all three of his kicks.

Koby Duru, who finished with three catches for 29 yards and a touchdown from Bachmeier for the second-straight game, was all smiles when talking about the 5’11”, 206-pound Bulldozer for the Bulldogs.

“Keith is a beast. We call him the Bulldozer,” Duru said. “He doesn’t stop. He runs hard. He’s a Bulldozer. Eveyrhting that his nickname is, he lived up to it.”

Myles Heard led the Bulldogs with 15 tackles, including 2.5 TFL. Freshman safety Michael Richard has three pass breakups in his second career start, while Willie Roberts came up with an interception and eight tackles. Defensive end Mykol Clark also finished with eight tackles and 2.5 TFL.

LA Tech is back at home next Saturday in a matchup with North Texas (0-2).