Jacksonville State squeaks by Tech on Homecoming

LA Tech led 37-28 with 6:30 left to play in regulation but after a 40-yard field goal from Jacksonville State and the jaw-dropping hail mary, the Bulldogs just couldn't hold on to a win that seemed right there for the taking on a night where quarterback Evan Bullock came up big with 266 passing yards and 3 touchdowns

"Guys crying. Players crying. Coaches crying, upset. This is what I shared with them, they're in the arena, we're in the arena and, man, we have known despair and defeat has come," Tech head coach Sonny Cumbie said postgame of how he handled the loss with players. "But we have not wavered. They haven't wavered. They continued to make themselves vulnerable and they have the courage to step foot on that field every single time and do it. We have to continue to stick together to do it. We absorb all this together."

As for the hail mary itself, Cumbie chalked the play up to a good quarterback, Tyler Huff, making an unbelievable play.

"They were all bunched up and number 18 made the catch. He just got lost behind them all. It was a heck of a throw. He just out-threw all the guys we had," Cumbie said.

Louisiana Tech's defense did all it could through the first eight games of the season to put the Bulldogs in position to win. But Saturday, late execution cost them by allowing the Gamecocks to out-gain Tech 188 to 77 between the fourth quarter and overtime. Jacksonville State, averaging over 370 rushing yards in league play, finished with just 191 yards at 3.2 YPC.

Tech defense had allowed just 19 points in the last two games combined and had not allowed more than 33 points all year.

LA Tech linebacker Kolbe Fields, who finished with 7 tackles, 1 TFL, and a forced fumble, was understandbly distrguht postgame and said the Bulldogs gave away their chance to grab real momentum down the stretch.

"The reciever just got behind the defense," Fields said of the hail mary. "Jacksonville State didn't do nothing to win the game. We lost the game. They didn't win the game. They weren't the better team."

Tech's defense started and finished poorly, allowing JSU to march down the field in methodical fashion.

Jacksonville State's first drive set the tone for the day as the Gamecocks drove 75 yards in 17 plays, picking up three first downs in the process and without a play over 12 yards for a truly methodical start before leading 7-0. JSU had three TD drives in the first half go for 75 yards, while the fourth score was set up by Tech quarterback Evan Bullock's sack fumble that was returned to the 2-yard line. Shortly after the miscue, Tyler Huff waltzed in for one of his two total TDs in the first half.

JSU finished with four TD drives of at least 75 yards.

But Bullock shook off the fumble without much problem the rest of the half, walking into the locker room 9-12 passing (75%) for 194 yards and 2 TD - connecting with his top reciever Tru Edwards for 115 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Edwards' first score tied the game at 7-7 as he caught a slip screen behind his back with one hand and never broke stride, streaking 86 yards for a TD in the first quarter. Edwards' second score of the half came with 23 seconds left on a 3-yard connection between him and Bullock to cut the deficit in half at the break.

Both teams combine for two turnovers and four punts through the first six drives, despite Tech recovering a fumble inside the JSU 23. The takeaway didn't amount to anything as Bullock was picked off in the end-zone, After the takeaway for JSU, Tech's defense forced a three and out. Really exciting third quarter after 49 points in the first half.

Tech's fourth drive of the half finally moved back inside JSU's 30 on a 21-yard pass to Tru Edwards. Two plays later, Jay Wilkerson caught a 32-yard TD to tie the game at 28-28 with 3:45 left in the third.

Tech took a 30-28 lead after a JSU safety and then Marquis Crosby's TD run made it a 9-point lead late in the fourth.

Bullock, who became the first Tech QB since Parker McNeil in 2022 with at least 250 passing yards and 3 TD, said Tech has to take positives out of the brutal loss.

"It's tough for sure," Bullock said. "Losing like that when you feel like everything is going well throughout the whole game. I thought the defense played great and the offense was really firing on all cylinders. It was good to see that. Just happened to get unlucky. It was a tough loss."

Louisiana Tech is now 9-24 under Cumbie, who told media postgame that the Bulldogs can't allow the loss to break them apart. For better or worse, they've been here before - on the bad end of a close game.

With three games left, Cumbie said the Bulldogs have to stay the course.

"There's not anything I can say that's going to change how the game ended," Cumbie said. "There's not anything I can say that's going to land that plane. But what I can assure them of is who they are. I know wins and losses are what you're judged on. But I wanted to make sure, and we don't just do it after wins or losses, just affirming these young men in the victories they can accomplish as young people."

Louisiana Tech travels to Bowling Green, Kentucky, next Saturday to take on Western Kentucky (7-2, 5-0 CUSA).