2020 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team

2020 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football
Conference	Conference USA
Division	West Division
Head coach	Skip Holtz (8th season)
Offensive coordinator	Joe Sloan (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	David Blackwell (1st season)
Home stadium	Joe Aillet Stadium (Capacity: 28,562)

2020 Conference USA football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
Marshall xy		4	–	1					7	–	3
Florida Atlantic		4	–	2					5	–	4
Western Kentucky		4	–	3					5	–	7
Charlotte		2	–	2					2	–	4
Middle Tennessee		2	–	4					3	–	6
FIU		0	–	3					0	–	5
West Division
UAB xy$		3	–	1					6	–	3
UTSA		5	–	2					7	–	5
Louisiana Tech		4	–	2					5	–	5
North Texas		3	–	4					4	–	6
Rice		2	–	3					2	–	3
Southern Miss		2	–	4					3	–	7
UTEP		0	–	4					3	–	5
Championship: UAB 22, Marshall 13
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Note: Due to COVID-19, Old Dominion opted out of the season.

The 2020 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team will represent Louisiana Tech University in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bulldogs will play their home games at Joe Aillet Stadium in Ruston, Louisiana, and will compete in the West Division of Conference USA (C-USA). They will be led by eighth-year head coach Skip Holtz.

Previous Season

The Bulldogs finished the 2019 campaign 10–3, 6–2 in C-USA play to finish in tied for first place in the West Division, but falling short of the conference championship invitation after losing to eventual division co-champion UAB earlier in the season. The Bulldogs were invited to play in the nearby Independence Bowl, their first time taking part in the annual Shreveport, Louisiana bowl game since their 2008 victory against NIU. They played Miami (FL) and won their eighth overall bowl game by the score of 14-0.

Preseason

Recruiting class

Reference:

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Luke Anthony Quarterback	Dallas, TX	All Saints' Episcopal Abilene Christian	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	-	Feb 5, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Ben Bell Defensive Line	Cedar Park, TX	Cedar Park HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	242 lb (110 kg)	-	Dec 18, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Dontrell Cobbs Defensive Line	West Monroe, LA	West Monroe HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	309 lb (140 kg)	-	Dec 18, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Joren Dickey Linebacker	Albuquerque, NM	Volcano Vista HS Trinity Valley CC	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	217 lb (98 kg)	-	Dec 18, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Harlan Dixon Running Back	Slidell, LA	Slidell HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	-	Dec 18, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Kershawn Fisher Linebacker	Slidell, LA	Northshore HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	222 lb (101 kg)	-	Dec 18, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Michael Gause Offensive Line	Byhalia, MS	Byhalia HS Hinds CC	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	285 lb (129 kg)	-	Dec 18, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jerren Gilbert Offensive Line	Lake Charles, LA	Sam Houston HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	276 lb (125 kg)	-	Feb 5, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Tyler Grubbs Linebacker	New Orleans, LA	Holy Cross HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	-	Dec 18, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Xavier Guy Offensive Line	West Monroe, LA	Carroll HS Tyler JC	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	280 lb (130 kg)	-	Dec 18, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Bert Hale Offensive Line	Epps, LA	Oak Grove HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	329 lb (149 kg)	-	Dec 18, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Cleveland "Tre" Harris Wide Receiver	Lafayette, LA	Ovey Comeaux HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	193 lb (88 kg)	-	Dec 18, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN: N/A
Jack McKenzie Offensive Line	McComb, MS	Parklane Academy	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	330 lb (150 kg)	-	Dec 18, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
J. D. Head Quarterback	Pearland, TX	Pearland HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	-	Dec 18, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jemaurian Jones Defensive Back	Bogue Chitto, MS	Brookhaven HS Copiah–Lincoln CC	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	181 lb (82 kg)	-	Dec 18, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jamison Kelly Defensive Back	Columbia, MS	Columbia HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	192 lb (87 kg)	-	Dec 18, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Ralpheal "Taz" Marshall Defensive Back	Pearland, TX	Pearland HS	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	-	Feb 5, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Joseph Mason Linebacker	Shreveport, LA	Green Oaks HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	221 lb (100 kg)	-	Dec 18, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Damon McFarland Defensive Back	New Orleans, LA	St. Augustine HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	179 lb (81 kg)	-	Dec 18, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
CJ McWilliams Wide Receiver	Haughton, LA	Haughton HS	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	172 lb (78 kg)	-	Dec 18, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN:
Keveion'ta Spears Defensive Line	Baton Rouge, LA	McKinley HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	221 lb (100 kg)	-	Dec 18, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Dallas Taylor–Cortez Defensive Back	West Hills, CA	Chaminade HS Iowa Western CC	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	-	Feb 5, 2020
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Dakota White Offensive Line	Katy, TX	Katy HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	-	Dec 18, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Cedric Woods Cornerback	Monroe, LA	Carroll HS	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	162 lb (73 kg)	-	Dec 18, 2019
	Recruiting star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

Award	Player	Position	Year

C-USA coaches poll

The C-USA coaches poll will be released in July 2020

Offense

1st team

2nd team

Defense

1st team

2nd team

|}

C-USA Preseason All-Conference teams

Offense

1st team

2nd team

Defense

1st team

2nd team

|}

Roster

2020 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 3 Aaron Allen  So QB 5 Logan McFadden  Fr WR 6 Adrian Hardy  Sr QB 10 Westin Elliott  Sr WR 11 George Scott  Jr WR 13 Isaiah Graham  Sr WR 14 Praise Okorie Sr TE 16 Zach Cousar  Sr QB 18 Jakson Thomson  Fr WR 19 Smoke Harris  So RB 22 Israel Tucker  Sr WR 24 Joshua Matthews  Jr WR 26 Jawaun Johnson  Fr RB 27 Elijah Hines  Fr RB 29 DeAndre Marcus  So RB 32 Ishmael Landers  Fr RB 33 Justin Henderson  Sr FB 45 Jacob Adams  Jr OL 47 Drake Carroll  So OL 51 Antawn Lewis  Jr OL 60 Brett Pope  Fr OL 62 Abraham Delfin  Jr OL 63 Stevie Ballard  Fr OL 64 Joshua Mote  Jr OL 65 Kody Russey  Sr OL 67 Walker Hankinson  Fr OL 68 Justin Throckmorton  Jr OL 72 Christian Henderson  So OL 73 Willie Allen  Sr OL 74 Jonah Brewster  Fr OL 76 Biron Rossell  So OL 78 Taylor Fondal  Sr WR 80 Griffin Hebert  Jr WR 81 Cee Jay Powell  Sr WR 82 Doyle Adams Jr.  Fr WR 83 Jake Norris  Sr WR 85 Joseph Walker  Fr WR 86 Wayne Toussant  So WR 87 Carson Rieder  Fr WR 88 Kyle Maxwell  Fr WR 89 Tahj Magee  So OL 95 Noah Pitre  So QB Luke Anthony GS RB Harlan Dixon Fr OL Michael Gause Jr OL Jerrren Gilbert Fr OL Xavier Guy Jr OL Bert Hale Fr WR Tre Harris Fr QB J. D. Head Fr WR C. J. McWilliams Fr OL Dakota White Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class LB 3 Trey Baldwin  Sr S 7 Jaiden Cole  Jr LB 8 Brandon Floyd  Sr CB 16 CJ Johnson  Fr CB 17 Brodrick Calhoun  So CB 18 Zach Hannibal  Sr S 20 Kollin Hurt  Jr CB 23 Marquallius Turner So S 25 Bee Jay Williamson  So S 31 Christian Archangel  Fr LB 34 Reggie Cleveland  Sr S 36 Khiry Morrison  Fr CB 38 Charvis Thornton  Fr LB 42 Maki Carabin  Fr DE 43 Tristan Allen  Jr DT 44 Keivie Rose  Fr LB 46 Ezekiel Barnett  Sr DE 47 Eric Kendzior  Sr LB 48 Alex Zayed  Sr LB 49 Isaiah Windmon  So DT 50 Chris Spence  Sr DT 52 D. J. Jackson  So LB 54 Allen Walker  Fr DE 56 Mykol Clark  Fr LB 85 Willie Baker  Sr DE 91 Steven Shaw  So LB/DE 93 Deshon Hall So DL 95 Calvin Rhines  Fr DE 97 Milton Williams  Jr DL 99 Malik Wells  Jr DL Ben Bell Fr DL Dontrell Cobbs Fr LB Joren Dickey Jr LB Kershawn Fisher Fr LB Tyler Grubbs Fr CB Jemaurian Jones  So S Jamison Kelly Fr DB Taz Marshall Fr LB Joseph Mason Fr DB Damon McFarland Fr DL Keveion'ta Spears Fr DB Dallas Taylor-Cortez  So CB Cedric Woods Fr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P/K 29 Brady Farlow  Sr LS 58 Reeves Blankenship  Jr LS 66 Noah White  Fr K/P 98 Jacob Barnes  Fr	Head coach Skip Holtz (Notre Dame) Coordinators/assistant coaches Joe Sloan (East Carolina) Offensive Coordinator David Blackwell (East Carolina) Defensive Coordinator Dennis Smith (Miami (FL)) Special Teams Coordinator/OLB Jeff Burris (Notre Dame) Defensive Backs Brian Gamble (Texas A&M) Linebackers Robert McFarland (McNeese State) Offensive Line Anthony Camp (McNeese State) Defensive Line Brock Hays (Grambling State) Running Backs John Allen (James Madison) Outside Receivers Trey Holtz (Ohio State) Inside Receivers Kurt Hester (Tulane) Head Strength and Conditioning Coach Krista Patrick Director of External Football Operation Paul Smith Director of Internal Football Operations Ed Jackson Assistant A.D./Character Education Mac Goode Graduate Assistant Ross Hornor Graduate Assistant Jason Shumaker Director of Football Recruiting Jude Holloway Football Video Coordinator Dylan Griffin Assistant Director of Recruiting Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: April 15, 2020

Schedule

Louisiana Tech announced its 2020 football schedule on January 8, 2020. The 2020 schedule consists of 5 home and 7 away games in the regular season.

The Bulldogs had games scheduled against Prairie View A&M and Vanderbilt, which was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. On July 22, Louisiana Tech announced it had added a game against Houston Baptist as a replacement for Prairie View A&M.

Date	Opponent	Site	Result
September 5	at UNLV*	Sam Boyd Stadium Whitney, NV
September 12	at Southern Miss	M. M. Roberts Stadium Hattiesburg, MS (Rivalry in Dixie)
September 19	Houston Baptist*	Joe Aillet Stadium Ruston, LA
September 26	at Baylor*	McLane Stadium Waco, TX
October 10	UTEP	Joe Aillet Stadium Ruston, LA
October 17	Marshall	Joe Aillet Stadium Ruston, LA
October 24	at UTSA	Alamodome San Antonio, TX
October 31	UAB	Joe Aillet Stadium Ruston, LA
November 7	at North Texas	Apogee Stadium Denton, TX
November 14	Rice	Joe Aillet Stadium Ruston, LA
November 21	vs. Louisiana–Monroe*	Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA (rivalry)
November 28	at FIU	Riccardo Silva Stadium Miami, FL
*Non-conference game

Game summaries

Statistics	Louisiana Tech	UNLV
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

at UNLV

See also: 2020 UNLV Rebels football team

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
1-2	2012	LT, 58–31

Pregame line	Over/under

Louisiana Tech at Nevada–Las Vegas – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Bulldogs			0
Rebels			0

at Sam Boyd Stadium, Whitney, NV

• Date: September 5
• Game time: TBA CDT
• Game weather:  
• Game attendance:  
• Referee:  
• TV:  

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers LT – UNLV – Top rushers LT – UNLV – Top receivers LT – UNLV –

Statistics	Louisiana Tech	Southern Miss
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

at Southern Miss

See also: 2020 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
16-35	2019	LT, 45–30

Pregame line	Over/under

Louisiana Tech at Southern Mississippi – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Bulldogs			0
Golden Eagles			0

at M. M. Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS

• Date: September 12
• Game time: TBA CDT
• Game weather:  
• Game attendance:  
• Referee:  
• TV:  

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers LT – USM – Top rushers LT – USM – Top receivers LT – USM –

Statistics	Prairie View A&M	Louisiana Tech
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

at Baylor

See also: 2020 Baylor Bears football team

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
1-5	1996	BAY, 16–24

Pregame line	Over/under

Louisiana Tech at Baylor – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Bulldogs			0
Bears			0

at McLane Stadium, Waco, TX

• Date: September 26
• Game time: TBA CDT
• Game weather:  
• Game attendance:  
• Referee:  
• TV:  

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers LT – BAY – Top rushers LT – BAY – Top receivers LT – BAY –

Statistics	UTEP	Louisiana Tech
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

UTEP

See also: 2020 UTEP Miners football team

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
13-2-1	2019	LT, 42–21

Pregame line	Over/under

Texas–El Paso at Louisiana Tech – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Miners			0
Bulldogs			0

at Joe Aillet Stadium, Ruston, LA

• Date: October 10
• Game time: TBA CDT
• Game weather:  
• Game attendance:  
• Referee:  
• TV:  

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers UTEP – LT – Top rushers UTEP – LT – Top receivers UTEP – LT –

Statistics	Marshall	Louisiana Tech
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Marshall

See also: 2020 Marshall Thundering Herd football team

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
1-2	2019	MRSH, 10–31

Pregame line	Over/under

Marshall at Louisiana Tech – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Thundering Herd			0
Bulldogs			0

at Joe Aillet Stadium, Ruston, LA

• Date: October 17
• Game time: TBA CDT
• Game weather:  
• Game attendance:  
• Referee:  
• TV:  

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers MRSH – LT – Top rushers MRSH – LT – Top receivers MRSH – LT –

Statistics	Louisiana Tech	UTSA
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

at UTSA

See also: 2020 UTSA Roadrunners football team

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
7-1	2019	LT, 41–27

Pregame line	Over/under

Louisiana Tech at Texas–San Antonio – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Bulldogs			0
Roadrunners			0

at Alamodome, San Antonio, TX

• Date: October 24
• Game time: TBA CDT
• Game weather:  
• Game attendance:  
• Referee:  
• TV:  

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers LT – UTSA – Top rushers LT – UTSA – Top receivers LT – UTSA –

Statistics	UAB	Louisiana Tech
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

UAB

See also: 2020 UAB Blazers football team

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
5-3	2019	UAB, 14–20

Pregame line	Over/under

Alabama–Birmingham at Louisiana Tech – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Blazers			0
Bulldogs			0

at Joe Aillet Stadium, Ruston, LA

• Date: October 31
• Game time: TBA CDT
• Game weather:  
• Game attendance:  
• Referee:  
• TV:  

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers UAB – LT – Top rushers UAB – LT – Top receivers UAB – LT –

Statistics	Louisiana Tech	North Texas
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

at North Texas

See also: 2020 North Texas Mean Green football team

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
11-7	2019	LT, 52–17

Pregame line	Over/under

Louisiana Tech at North Texas – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Bulldogs			0
Mean Green			0

at Apogee Stadium, Denton, TX

• Date: November 7
• Game time: TBA CDT
• Game weather:  
• Game attendance:  
• Referee:  
• TV:  

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers LT – UNT – Top rushers LT – UNT – Top receivers LT – UNT –

Statistics	Rice	Louisiana Tech
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

Rice

See also: 2020 Rice Owls football team

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
9-4	2019	LT, 23–20

Pregame line	Over/under

Rice at Louisiana Tech – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Owls			0
Bulldogs			0

at Joe Aillet Stadium, Ruston, LA

• Date: November 14
• Game time: TBA CDT
• Game weather:  
• Game attendance:  
• Referee:  
• TV:  

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers RICE – LT – Top rushers RICE – LT – Top receivers RICE – LT –

Statistics	Louisiana Tech	Vanderbilt
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Turnovers
Time of possession

at FIU

See also: 2020 FIU Panthers football team

Overall record	Last meeting	Result
4-0	2019	LT, 43–31

Pregame line	Over/under

Louisiana Tech at Florida International – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	Total
Bulldogs			0
Panthers			0

at Riccardo Silva Stadium, Miami, FL

• Date: November 28
• Game time: TBA CDT
• Game weather:  
• Game attendance:  
• Referee:  
• TV:  

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter Top passers LT – FIU – Top rushers LT – FIU – Top receivers LT – FIU –