Tech seeks to close season the right way against Owls

For a third season in a row, Louisiana Tech will only be playing for pride in its season finale.

It’s been a year of frustration for the Bulldogs, who, despite finally getting their previous defensive issues under control to the tune of the no. 22 total defense in the country, have cost themselves multiple chances to win thanks to familiar mistakes.

Last week at Arkansas was no different, even with the final score being 35-14. Tech (4-7, 3-4 CUSA) held the Razorbacks down for as long as they could, forcing three punts and two takeaways through five drives. But offensively, it was more of the same in terms of poor execution when it mattered most. Thus, the final was the final.

The Bulldogs’ top 25 defense is paired with a red-zone offense ranked as one of the 10 worst in the country. Kickers that can’t make kicks (66.7% on field goals). And there’s a non-existent run game at 105 yards per game — 119th in the country out of 133 teams.

Louisiana Tech is one of just two teams nationally with a top 25 total defense that will miss a bowl game. Auburn (5-6), the other team, still has a chance to make a bowl with a win over Alabama this weekend.

And in turn, Saturday’s matchup against Kennesaw State ( 2- 9, 2-5 CUSA) is all about finishing the right way in 2024 — not letting frustration of a middling offense keep the Bulldogs from letting another first-year FBS team come into their home field and win like last year’s 42-27 loss to Sam Houston. Winning big games is out of the question. Now, it’s all about positive vibes for the offseason.

Tech head coach Sonny Cumbie set up the stakes of Saturday’s game as a reminder to stay resilient through tough times.

“ I think the resilience this team has gone through this season and the ups and downs of the season is reflective of how connected they are from the standpoint of how they play. Our edge should be each other. You want to finish well,” Cumbie said. “You want to have a hard finish. And you want to be known for someone who finishes really well. That’s the expectation for our team and that’s what I anticipate our guys doing this week. It starts with our preparation. I think it’s all about our mindset. That’s the messaging for our guys and will be every day.”

Kennesaw State’s two wins over Liberty and FIU prove the Owls are good enough to win every now and then, leaving Tech with the responsibility of taking care of an inferior opponent to end 2024 on a positive basis.

The Owls rank in the bottom 10 nationally in total offense (260.5 yards per game) and scoring offense (18 points per game) while also giving up 31 points per game on defense. Kennesaw also hasn’t won a road game since 2022.

Tech linebacker Zach Zimos, fresh off a 10-tackle performance at Arkansas last week, was visibly frustrated by the season when speaking to the media Tuesday.

To go from the second- worst rushing defense in the country last season to now a top 25 unit is an amazing feeling for Zimos, someone who came to Ruston looking for an opportunity. But the moment is temporary for him as he realizes it still wasn’t enough to give the program a winning season or a postseason berth.

As he and the defense enter Saturday to end the 2024 season, all they can do is compete like they’ve done all year.

“To me personally, I just wanted to go to a bowl game this year. I don’t know,” Zimos said. “ If what could have been, I think this season had a lot of highs and lows, lot of times it didn’t go our way but that’s just the way it goes. Nothing we can do about it now but end the right way and that’s getting a win on Saturday and send these seniors and myself out the right way.”

Offensively, Tech will try to marginally improve its overall numbers in the finale, but it won’t make up for spending most of this season outside the top 100 in scoring. Entering Saturday’s contest, the Bulldogs rank 113th in scoring offense (21.2 points per game) and 112th in total offense (333.9 yards per game).

Wide receiver Tru Edwards has done his part this season, ranking third in CUSA in yardage (813) and touchdowns (6), while ranking first in catches (67). He’s never had a winning season in his three years at Tech and is understandably disappointed he won’t wrap up his college career properly as far as team goals.

But he told reporters on Tuesday he won’t let the frustrating 2024 season end on a dour note if he can help it.

“ Obviously frustrated a little bit. I wouldn’t say it’s harder just at the end of the day, I’m always going to continue to fight and continue to strive for greatness and just make every play that I can,” Edwards said. “I wouldn’t say it’s harder to get up and play this game, but I will say it’s frustrating because this is my last year, and I wanted to go to a bowl game and want to win a conference championship but just gotta continue to grind.”

Tech was outscored 98-44 last year over its final two games after missing bowl eligibility. But Cumbie doesn’t see quit in this year’s team. He thinks Saturday will be a victory if the Bulldogs stick together.

“It’s been a group since when we started back in August you have aspirations and goals of being in a bowl game, of being in the conference championship conversation. As close as we’ve been, we’re not,” Cumbie said. “There’s been a ton of progress from that standpoint of our players in terms of how hard we’ve played. There isn’t any type of moral victory in that, but I do think if you watch and see the way our team has grown and the way we’ve competed defensively, the improvement our guys have made has been tremendous. If you had asked before the season if we played defense like this, I would say we’re probably going to win a lot of games. Offensively, we just haven’t been able to find our footing for whatever reason. But I think it’s a resilient season.”

For reference, Tech hasn’t won its season finale since 2019.

Tech battles Kennesaw State on Saturday at 3 p.m. at Joe Aillet Stadium. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.