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USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
LSU schedule: Kickoff times for two more LSU football games revealed
LSU schedule: Kickoff times for two more LSU football games revealed Kickoff times for two more games on LSU football's 2025 schedule were revealed on Thursday. LSU will play Louisiana Tech at 6:30 p.m CT in week two and face Florida at 6:30 p.m. CT in week three. The Louisiana Tech contest will be streaming only on ESPN+. The Florida game will be nationally broadcast on ABC. LSU now knows the kick times for the first three games of the season. The Tigers begin the season at Clemson in week one. The game is scheduled for 6:30 PM CT on ABC. Two of LSU's first three games are the SEC's Saturday Night Slot on ABC, so don't be surprised if LSU lands on ESPN's College Gameday in that span. Few homefield advantages are as strong as LSU's. Tiger Stadium under the lights is among the best atmospheres in the sport. LSU fans are pleased with the first two home games receiving evening kickoffs.
Hindustan Times
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Phil Robertson dies: Was Duck Dynasty star a better QB than Terry Bradshaw? Exploring his football career
Phil Robertson, popular for starring in the reality show 'Duck Dynasty', died at the age of 79, his family announced on Sunday. In a Facebook post, Robertson's daughter-in-law wrote that they are 'grateful for his life on earth'. Meanwhile, several football fans dug into Robertson's college days to find that he was once a starter for Louisiana Tech while Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw warmed the bench. Born April 24, 1946, in Vivian, Louisiana, Robertson was a three-sport high school star (football, baseball, track) at North Caddo High, earning all-state honors. At Louisiana Tech (1965–1967), he played quarterback for the Bulldogs, starting in 1966 and 1967, with Terry Bradshaw, a highly-touted freshman, as his backup. Read More: Phil Robertson dies: All on Duck Dynasty patriarch's wife Miss Kay and 5 children Passing: 179 completions on 411 attempts (43.5%), 2,237 yards, 12 touchdowns, 34 interceptions. Record: Tech went 8-20 during his tenure, with a 1-9 record in 1966, including a 34-0 loss to Alabama, where Bear Bryant praised Robertson's arm. E.J. Lewis, a defensive backs coach, said, 'He had a good presence in the pocket… that booger could chuck that football." His quick release was compared to Joe Namath's by Bradshaw. However, his 34 interceptions (18 in 1966, 14 in 1967) and low completion rate reflect inconsistency. Read More: Phil Robertson dies: What was the Duck Dynasty patriarch's net worth? In 1968, Robertson quit football before his senior year, ceding the starting role to Bradshaw. He declined NFL interest from the Washington Redskins, who offered $60,000, as it clashed with duck season. He earned a bachelor's in physical education and a master's in education, later founding Duck Commander. Lewis further said: 'The headline in the Shreveport Times was 'Bradshaw is coming to Louisiana Tech' and [Phil] saw that and he wanted to quit." He and the university's president even tried talking to Robertson, urging him to stay. Robertson stayed, but did not continue football. Bradshaw, meanwhile, went on to win four Super Bowl titles in a six-year span with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Miami Herald
06-05-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Louisiana Tech Preview 2025: Can Sonny Cumbie Turn This Around?
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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 Transfer Out: David Blay Jr., DT 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 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.
New York Times
30-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Why isn't the state of Florida producing highly ranked quarterback recruits?
When it comes to producing NFL quarterbacks, the state of Florida ranks at the top with Texas and California. Dating to 2016, 11 quarterbacks from the Sunshine State have been drafted, third most behind Texas (15) and California (13), and five have been selected in the first round, second most behind California (eight). Advertisement Yet, when it comes to high school recruiting rankings, it's been hard to find the state's best quarterbacks high up on any national lists. From 2010 through 2025, Florida produced only three quarterbacks who ranked among the top 100 prospects nationally — Jeff Driskel (No. 17 in 2011), Feleipe Franks (No. 54 in 2016) and Deondre Francois (No. 66 in 2015). Eight states have produced more top-100 quarterbacks during this stretch. Driskel, who signed with Florida and finished his career at Louisiana Tech, is the state's only five-star quarterback since 2010. That, however, is about to change. Dia Bell, the son of former NBA standout Raja Bell, is ranked No. 12 overall and No. 3 among QBs in the Class of 2026. Bell, who plays at Plantation American Heritage, has been committed to Texas since June. Further down the pipeline, Class of 2028 product Neimann Lawrence out of Miami Northwestern has a chance to be one of the state's best quarterbacks in years. He's already been invited to play in the 2028 Navy All-American Bowl and will be leading the South Florida Express 7-on-7 team at the OT7 national championships at the end of June. Bell and Lawrence, however, are the exceptions. So why isn't Florida — historically one of the most talent-rich states in the country — producing more elite quarterback recruits? It's about development and economics. 'No. 1, coaching is not where it needs to be on the high school teams,' said a Group of 5 assistant coach who has recruited Florida for 20 years. 'No. 2, you don't have enough QB gurus. It's getting better. You see a little more development. We have more gurus, but it's still not nearly as much in places like Texas, Georgia and California.' Ken Mastrole has coached quarterbacks in Florida at the high school level and in the predraft process for the past two decades. His students include seven eventual NFL Draft picks, most notably Teddy Bridgewater, EJ Manuel and Jacoby Brissett. Advertisement He blames the developmental issues on the lack of financial support in Florida's public school system. High school coaches in Florida have been fighting in the state legislature recently for raises amidst claims they've been notoriously underpaid for years. 'I could sit here and tell you there's four or five high schools where there's a Power 4 quarterback in terms of talent, but they're not getting what they need to develop,' Mastrole said. 'I'm dealing with one now — I'm not going to name him — he's 6-3, 220. I don't want to knock the school, but the development is not good. The four to six hours I spend with him a month isn't enough. In Texas, (there is an athletic period during school for) football training. They're going over offense and situations with coaches.' There were 14 quarterbacks drafted last weekend. None were Florida-born. That's happened only three times since 2016. Mastrole said a strong family support system is a common thread for many quarterbacks who find success. 'I see this at the NFL level, the kids who have the greatest opportunities — Gardner Minshew, Teddy Bridgewater, Jeff Driskel, Brandon Allen — a big part of it is the parents who create a strong structural environment for them to flourish,' he said. 'Regardless if it's a single mom household or a complete family setting, the kids who have the proper structure, genetics and inner drive, and parents who know what it takes playing a sport, they know what to do. Their parents put them in the right places with the right people. It was the same with (2025 No. 1 overall pick) Cam Ward. His mom and father were coaches.' Bridgewater, a 2014 first-round pick out of Louisville, said his mother couldn't afford private coaching when he was in high school. He didn't have a position coach at Miami Northwestern until he was a senior and didn't work with a QB coach until he left Louisville to prep for the NFL Draft. Advertisement 'I wasn't really prepared (for college),' said Bridgewater, who coached his alma mater to a state championship in 2024. 'I knew coverages and everything, but I came from a system that was (two options).' Bridgewater said it took him a year to really grasp the offensive system at Louisville. He lacked the reps and the development, especially since he didn't start playing quarterback until the seventh grade. 'That was the norm back then,' he said. 'I never took quarterback seriously because you knew your chance of making the league at quarterback was scarce. I basically learned to throw on the street with my partners. These kids now, like Niemann (Lawrence), are at least starting at it earlier.' Coaching and development no doubt play a role, but you can also make the case that many Florida prospects have been misevaluated. Lamar Jackson, a Heisman Trophy winner at Louisville and a two-time NFL MVP, was a three-star prospect (No. 398) in the Class of 2015. Michael Penix Jr., who finished second in the 2023 Heisman voting and is the starter for the Atlanta Falcons, was ranked No. 548 in the Class of 2018. Of the state's 11 quarterbacks who have been drafted since 2016, only four were rated four-stars or higher: Brissett (third round, 2016), Driskel (sixth round, 2016), Nathan Peterman (fifth round, 2017) and Anthony Richardson (first round, 2023). Who are the next Sunshine State quarterbacks who might hear their names called during the draft? Last season, 12 Florida-born quarterbacks started at least seven games at FBS schools. Six were starters at the Power 4 level — Georgia's Carson Beck (now at Miami), Cal's Fernando Mendoza (now at Indiana), Iowa State's Rocco Becht, NC State's CJ Bailey, Virginia's Anthony Colandrea (now at UNLV) and West Virginia's Garrett Greene. Beck and Bailey were the only blue-chip recruits in the bunch. In fact, Mendoza was ranked 140th out of 142 quarterbacks in the 2022 recruiting class. Yet, he was one of the most sought-after QB transfers in the portal in December. Advertisement Beck, Mendoza, Becht and Bailey are all expected to be starters once again this fall. Austin Simmons, a third-year sophomore at Ole Miss, is another native Floridian in the mix for a starting assignment. If all four do indeed start, that still gives Florida only four starters among the 68 Power 4 schools. Not a great ratio for a state that has produced roughly 15 percent of the nation's blue-chip prospects (at all positions) over the last four recruiting cycles. 'You can tell a lot of these kids just aren't learning enough football,' Matrole said. (Photo of Jeff Driskel: Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images)
Yahoo
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
La Tech belts 3 straight homers in win over Pine Bluff
RUSTON, La. (KTAL/KMSS) — Louisiana Tech hit back-to-back-to-back homeruns for the first time since March 28th, 2017 in an 11-6 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff Tuesday night at J.C. Love Field. Sebastian Mexico hits two homers in the game, one was a grand slam, and drove in seven runs on the night. LA Tech's Sebastian Mexico walks off with a game-winning homer Mexico's bomb in the 2nd inning started the three homer stretch, Michael Ballard and Trey Hawsey followed with solo shots to jump start a seven run inning. Kade Parker got the win on the mound pitching six innings of scoreless baseball, giving up just four hits while striking out five batters. Louisiana Tech (27-17, 11-6 CUSA) will play Pine Bluff again Wednesday evening at 5 p.m. before traveling to Bowling Green, Kentucky to take on Western Kentucky in a three game series Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
