Tech's offense fumbles SHS contest

Before Tuesday’s road contest at Sam Houston, Sonny Cumbie said the Bulldogs would have to play a clean brand of football down the stretch to seize true momentum and end its midweek games with a chance to stay alive in the Conference USA race.

That certainly wasn’t on display in Huntsville, Texas, as the Bulldogs fell in a 9-3 ballgame to Sam Houston to fall to 3-5 overall and 2-3 in CUSA play with Tech coughing up four turnovers, including two inside Sam Houston’s 10-yard line.

“That’s the story of the night. I felt like we moved the football inside the 20s well. I think our offensive line did a nice job establishing a run game. I thought our backs were better. The quarterback was better in the RPO game. And then you get inside the 20-yard line and you don’t score touchdowns. The way our defense was playing, it was going to be a defensive game and we weren’t able to capitalize.”

On paper, the first half had the framework of a shootout and one of Tech’s best all year as the two teams combined to go 8-15 on third down with three drives getting inside the other team’s 12 yard line. But in execution, not so much.

The Bulldogs put together a competent offense with three drives of 10+ plays and moved inside Sam Houston’s 10 yard line twice in the first half - out gaining the Bearkats 208 to 94. But all they got was a 24-yard field goal to show for it through two quarters, fumbling on the first drive of the night and later making a 24-yard chip shot on the second drive - getting inside the 6-yard line twice. On Tech’s third series of the game, quarterback Evan Bullock was sacked for a safety to give Sam Houston its only points of the half. 

After that? Tech had an interception, Bullock’s first of the year, on 4th and 1 at Sam Houston’s 29, and then a fumble by Bullock on the team’s next drive as the ball slipped out his hand.

By halftime, fans were treated to five total points and four turnovers.

The second half got even worse, with Sonny Cumbie benching Bullock for Jack Turner in the fourth quarter after four straight punts on offense in the second half. Turner’s arrival in the game didn’t produce better luck, even after the Bulldogs drove inside Sam Houston’s 4-yard line as he and Jimmy Holiday mishandled a handoff exchange to cause a fumble recovered by the Bearkats.

Tech got back inside the Sam Houston 3-yard line with a 4th and goal staring the team in the face. In the crucial moment, Tech’s play call asked Turner to drop back and throw a fade pass to the back corner of the end-zone to Tru Edwards. The pass fell incomplete and Tech’s final drive inside Sam Houston’s red zone ended the same as the others: without a touchdown.

“That was the first progression versus the look that we had,” Cumbie said of the play call. “As Tru came across in motion, they didn’t run with him, they just passed it off from their safeties. They played man. They played it over the top and that’s why he was able to be there to match Tru.”

Why was Turner in the game in the fourth instead of Bullock? Cumbie said it came down to wanting a spark offensively.

“I think we needed a spark on offense. And not just that. The reason behind it is just watching Evan, I thought in the second half in particular he was not seeing the field well,” Cumbie said. “I think he had trouble seeing the rush a little bit and getting his eyes off his progressions. I thought bringing Jack in that opportunity in that moment to let him have a chance to see the field better and some of the stuff we were doing in the RPO game fit him really well. The other thing too, I think Evan just had an off night.”

Bullock finished 16-25 for 148 yards and an INT, while Turner went 8-15 for 59 yards.

Sam Houston’s offense didn’t manage much either, unable to run the ball effectively like they have all season - finishing with 32 carries for 105 yards. The Bearkats also went 5-15 on third down.

“They did a great job,” Cumbie said of the defense’s play. “Just did an unbelievable job of eliminating the run game, taking the quarterback run game out of it. I was just really proud of our defense. We got takeaways in the red zone, we had a takeaway on the plus-side of the field that we weren’t able to capitalize on it. That’s really the difference.”

Roderick Roberson and Jakari Foster had takeaways for the defense on the night.

LA Tech (3-4, 2-2 CUSA) returns to action next Saturday to host Jacksonville State (4-3, 3-0 CUSA) at Joe Aillet Stadium.