Louisiana Tech Preview 2025: Can Sonny Cumbie Turn This Around?

Miami Herald

06-05-2025

College Sports Louisiana Tech Preview 2025: Can Sonny Cumbie Turn This Around?
Why isn't this working?Louisiana Tech won plenty of games under Skip Holtz - a Bulldog win in a minor bowl game became an annual norm - Sonny Cumbie is a brilliant offensive coach, and, we're all adults here and can speak freely, Conference USA has been triple-awful after being raided in expansion.But over the last three seasons under Cumbie the program is 11-26.
Louisiana Tech was thrown a pity bid to the Independence Bowl last year after Marshall couldn't go - it wasn't a pretty 27-6 loss to Army - and now it's been five seasons since the program has known a winning record.Like almost all Group of Five programs, the Bulldogs lost a slew of key players to the transfer portal, but some decent parts are still around - depth is the issue in key spots - Cumbie really is a good offensive coach, and it's still Conference USA. The schedule is manageable.So, really, why isn't this working? Horrible D in 2023, solid O. Horrible O in 2024, fixed the D and it was No. 1 in CUSA. There's just no consistency, and this year it starts with ...
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs College Football Preview 2025
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Preview 2025: Offense
X CFN, Fiu | CFN Facebook | Bluesky Fiu, CFN- It's Sonny Cumbie. The offense will be better, but it won't happen unless there's more from the line. The Bulldogs have to get far more production from the front five, and that's been tough over the last few years. There wasn't a push for the ground game, the pass protection wasn't there, and it'll take more work after losing guard Ja'Marion Kennedy to Wake Forest and center Zarian McGill to Colorado. The starting five has enough experience to be okay - helped by guard Jonathan Denis coming in from Central Missouri - but the backfield needs more time to work.- Quarterback Evan Bullock had a nice run in his freshman season with over 2,100 yards with 14 touchdown passes and just three picks. He won't run, but he's a big passer who can stretch it deep. The same goes for 6-5, 224-pound backup Blake Baker - he saw time as the No. 2 man.The top wide receivers are gone, but tight end Eli Finley was third on the team with 25 catches, Jay Wilkerson averaged over 20 yards per catch, and there are enough decent options to play with the rotation.- The ground game isn't an afterthought in this attack - it just didn't produce. Omiri Wiggins and Amani Givens combined for well over 800 yards with six touchdowns. They can both catch.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Preview 2025: Defense
- The defense was more than just a pleasant surprise. It was No. 1 in CUSA and 12th in the nation allowing 308 yards and 21 points per game. It would've enjoyed more attention if the offense had helped the cause.- Top pass rusher David Blay is off to Miami. He was great in the interior, and now the tackle situation is very, very thin. The ends should be okay - Kansas State transfer Donovan Rieman has to matter on one side.- The linebacking corps should be terrific with Kolbe Fields a tough tackler and Sifa Leota about to be a stat-sheet filler in the middle.The secondary will also be a positive once again around - arguably - CUSA's best safety combination in Jacob Fields and Blake Thompson. The corners are good, but the defensive backs as a whole need to come up with more picks.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Key to the Season
Get more big plays out of the passing game.The midrange throws are nice considering there's no ground attack, but the Bulldogs went 4-2 when averaging ore than 6.6 yards per pass attempt and 1-6 when they didn't. In those two losses, one was a wild overtime game against Jacksonville State, the other a good fight against NC State.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Key Player
Jay Wilkerson, WR Jr.The former JUCO transfer stepped in and became a decent deep threat - even if he wasn't used much over the second half of the season. He'll have a bigger role now on the outside coming off a 13-catch season, and now the Bulldogs desperately need him - or someone - to be a true No. 1 target.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Top Transfer, Biggest Transfer Loss
Top Transfer In: Noah Biglow, CB Sr.Not used much over the last four years at Pitt, Biglow has the skills and upside to be an instant starter and key veteran. If he can make plays on the other side of veteran Cedric Woods, the secondary will be okay.Top Transfer Out: David Blay Jr., DT Sr.It's hard enough to find pass rushers. It's harder to find 300-pound pass rushers who can play inside or out. Blay stepped up last season with 46 tackles, 6.5 sacks, and 11 tackles for loss. Now he'll be taking his talents to South Beach to play for Miami.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Key Game
Liberty, Nov. 22It's asking a whole lot to be strong in every CUSA game, but the conference slate is beyond manageable. If the Bulldogs can show just a little more offense, they should be favored in every CUSA game except for a home date against WKU. Beat Liberty, and it will be a great season.- 2025 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Schedule Breakdown
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Top 10 Players
1. Kolbe Fields, LB Sr.2. Jacob Fields, S Jr.3. Sifa Leota, LB Sr.4. Evan Bullock, QB Soph.5. Blake Thompson, S Jr.6. Omiri Wiggins, RB Jr.7. Zion Nason, DT Sr.8. Eli Finley, TE Jr.9. Ashanti Cole, OT Jr.10. Jay Wilkerson, WR Jr.
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 2024 Fun Stats
- Kickoff Returns: Louisiana Tech 26 for 389 yards, Opponents 4 for 58 yards- Sacks: Opponents 41 for 250 yards, Louisiana Tech 22 for 148 yards- Fumbles: Louisiana Tech 23 (lost 13), Opponents 21 (lost 12)
Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 2025 Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen
Last year's schedule wasn't that bad, and Louisiana Tech still managed to lose at home to a bad Tulsa team, lost on the road to a worse FIU team, and … Five of the eight losses were by a touchdown or less, one of the others was at NC State, another was to Arkansas, and the third was in the bowl to Army. Turning this thing from a losing program to a winner will take a tweak, not an overhaul.
The defense should be okay as long as the injuries aren't coming in waves, but this year is all about the offense. If the attack can be back to pre-2024 form - and even better - the Bulldogs will be a factor in the CUSA race.Set The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs Win Total At … 6.5Likely Wins: New Mexico State, Southeastern50/50 Games: at Delaware, at Kennesaw State, Liberty, at Missouri State, Sam Houston, Southern Miss, at UTEP, WKULikely Losses: LSU, at Washington State
© 2025 The Arena Group Holdings, Inc. All rights reserved.
This story was originally published May 5, 2025 at 11:41 PM.