A look at the schools that are overlooked by the ESPNs of the world.


Friday, May 25, 2012

Fall Preview: Louisiana Tech

Preview for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs


QB
#10 Colby Cameron 6-2 205 QB RS SR Newbury Park, Calif. (Newbury Park HS)--7 games played. 6 starts. 43 carries for 183 yards. 118-215 passing for 1667 yards and 13 TD. 1 tackle.
#16 Taylor Burch 6-4 225 QB RS SO Monroe, La. (Neville HS)--12 games played. 1-1 passing for 12 yards.
#09 Zach Griffith 6-3 185 QB RS SO Fullerton, Calif. (Fullerton JC)--No stats in 2011.
#?? Ryan Higgins 6-1 196 QB FR Hutto, Texas (Hutto HS)--Incoming freshman.

Redshirt senior Colby Cameron looks to be the starter this fall due to the sudden departure of sophomore Nick Isham. Redshirt sophomore Taylor Burch saw action in all 12 games and looks to be the best possibility to fight Cameron for the starting spot. Griffith and Higgins may struggle to work up the depth chart although Higgins could come in and impress and start some as a freshman like the transferred Isham did in 2011.

RB
#36 Hunter Lee 5-10 200 RB SO Flower Mound, Texas (Flower Mound HS)--13 games played, 2 starts. 135 carries for 650 yards and 5 TD. 13 catches for 126 yards. 1 tackle.
#47 Cooper Lewis 5-10 180 RB RS FR Austin, Texas (McNeil HS)--Redshirted in 2011.
#02 Lyle Fitte 5-9 190 RB SR Port Sulphur, La. (South Plaquemines HS)--6 games played, 1 start. 12 carries for 81 yards. 12 catches for 60 yards. 22 kickoff returns for 26.1 yard average and 1 TD.
#32 Ray Holley 5-9 200 RB RS SR Orange, Calif. (Orange Coast College)--4 games played, 2 starts. 36 carries for 144 yards and 4 TD. 1-1 passing for 4 yards. 4 catches for 29 yards.
#46 Rickey Courtney 5-9 185 RB RS JR Shreveport, La. (Northwestern State)--2 games played. 4 carries for 5 yards.
#35 Brandon Adams 5-9 175 RB RS SO Benton, La. (Benton HS)--No stats in 2011.
#27 James Banks 5-8 175 RB SO Violet, La. (Chalmette HS)--No stats in 2011.
#35 Jereme Lagarde 5-10 235 RB RS JR Gray, La. (Fullerton CC)--No stats in 2011.
#21 Marlon Seets 5-11 215 RB SO Haughton, La. (Alcorn State)--No stats in 2011.
#25 Blake Martin 5-11 195 RB RS FR Lucas, Texas (Lovejoy HS)--Redshirted in 2011.
#?? Kenneth Dixon 6-0 211 RB FR Strong, Ark. (Strong HS)--Incoming freshman.
#26 Tevin King 5-7 160 RB FR Moultrie, Ga. (Colquitt County HS)--Incoming freshman.

Sophomore Hunter Lee came in last season and surprised many by stealing some carries from starter Creer and ending the season with over 600 yards on the ground and 13 receptions. Cooper Lewis looks to be the starter at a fullback/H-back position. Fitte, Holley, and Courtney all look to fight for playing time as well. Many of the other running backs will have to prove their worth on special teams this fall.

TE
#86 Giles Menard 6-2 240 TE RS JR Lafayette, La. (Lafayette HS)--No stats in 2011.

The only tight end on the roster, Menard has no game playing experience and will have to show the coaching staff something to get some playing time this fall.

WR
#08 Jacarri Jackson 6-2 185 WR RS JR Logansport, La. (Logansport HS)--11 games played. 6 catches for 62 yards.
#07 Myles White 6-1 185 WR RS SR Livonia, Mich. (Northwest Mississippi CC, Michigan State)--10 games played, 4 starts. 1-2 passing for 26 yards. 30 catches for 414 yards and 3 TD.
#04 Quinton Patton 6-2 195 WR RS SR La Vergne, Tenn. (Coffeyville (KS) CC)--13 games played, 13 starts. 10 carries for 42 yards. 79 catches for 1202 yard and 11 TD. 8 punt returns for 3.4 yard average. 6 kickoff returns for 16.8 yard average. 1 tackle.
#05 D.J. Banks 5-9 185 WR RS JR West Monroe, La. (Tulane)--No stats in 2011.
#38 Malon Lee 6-0 210 RB RS SR Baton Rouge, La. (Fullerton CC)--8 games played, 5 starts. 2 catches for 11 yards.
#18 D.J. St. Julien 6-0 185 WR RS SO Lafayette, La. (Acadiana HS)--No stats in 2011.
#01 Richie Casey 5-11 185 WR RS SR Homer, La. (Homer HS)--13 games played, 4 starts. 2 carries for 18 yards and 1 TD. 1-1 passing for 45 yards. 19 catches for 213 yards and 1 TD. 2 kickoff returns for 15 yard average. 1 tackle.
#81 Scott Cathcart 6-5 220 WR RS JR Santa Maria, Calif. (Allan Hancock CC)--2 games played. No stats in 2011.
#?? Grant Childress 6-1 179 WR FR Tyler, Texas (Grace Community HS)--Incoming freshman.
#?? Jaydrick DeClouette 6-0 165 WR FR Patterson, La. (Patterson HS)--Incoming freshman.
#37 Ben Dickerson 6-3 190 WR RS SR Sterling, Va. (Grambling)--No stats in 2011.
#?? Jon Greenwalt 6-3 200 WR JR Wildomar, Calif. (Riverside CC)--JUCO transfer.
#85 David Gru 6-0 185 WR RS SR Newbury Park, Calif. (Ventura CC)--13 games played, 3 starts. 26 catches for 339 yards and 1 TD. 1 tackle.
#19 Andrew Guillot 5-10 180 WR RS SR Slidell, La. (Pope John Paul II)--8 games played, 1 start. 12 catches for 118 yards. 14 punt returns for 12 yard average. 1 kickoff return for 16 yards.
#18 Mark Harrington 6-0 170 WR JR Benton, La. (Benton HS)--No stats in 2011.
#07 David Jones 5-10 206 WR RS SR Alexandria, La. (Grant HS)--No stats in 2011.
#15 Hayden Slack 5-9 175 WR RS JR Bossier City, La. (Calvary Baptist Academy)--No stats in 2011.
#88 Ian Soignier 6-0 175 WR SO West Monroe, La. (West Monroe HS)--No stats in 2011.
#89 Chandler Spence 6-3 245 WR RS SR Arlington, Texas (Lamar HS)--13 games played, 3 starts. 3 kickoff returns for 16 yard average.
#82 Cody Stidham 6-3 210 WR RS FR Waco, Texas (Midway HS)--Redshirted in 2011.

Jackson, White and Patton all come back this fall with playing experience led by redshirt senior Quinton Patton who had 79 catches for 1202 yards and looks to be the go to guy in the passing game this fall. Banks, Lee, St. Julien,Gru, Spence and Guilot all look to be working to earn playing time this fall.

OL
#67 Oscar Johnson 6-6 330 LT SR Crystal Springs, Miss. (Copiah-Lincoln CC)--13 games played, 13 starts.
#57 Kevin Saia 6-2 305 LG RS SR Geismar, La. (Dutchtown HS)--13 games played, 13 starts.
#63 Stephen Warner 6-0 295 C RS SR Ruston, La. (Ruston HS)--13 games played, 13 starts.
#66 Matthew Shepperd 6-3 305 RG RS JR Marshall, Texas (Marshall HS)--2 games played.
#78 Jordan Mills 6-6 315 RT SR Napoleonville, La. (Assumption HS)--13 games played, 13 starts.
#74 Larry Banks 6-4 325 LT RS JR Fayette, Miss. (Copiah-Lincoln CC)--1 game played.
#73 Josh Parrish 6-3 290 LG RS SR Klein, Texas (Klein Collins HS)--7 games played, 1 start.
#69 Vince Cano 6-2 305 C RS JR Kilgore, Texas (Kilgore HS)--7 games played.
#68 Josh Robinson 6-4 300 RG RS FR Lancaster, Texas (Lancaster HS)--Redshirted in 2011.
#77 Jens Danielson 6-5 290 RT SO Wichita, Kan. (Coffeyville CC)--JUCO transfer.
#76 Zeke Alsander 6-6 300 OL RS FR Baton Rouge, La. (Southern Lab HS)--Redshirted in 2011.
#?? Darrell Brown 6-5 240 OL FR Abilene, Texas (Cooper HS)--Incoming freshman.
#61 Matthew Conger 6-4 250 OL RS JR Prairieville, La. (Catholic HS)--No stats in 2011.
#79 Alec Davis 6-1 275 OL JR Mission Viejo, Calif. (Orange Coast JC)--No stats in 2011.
#64 Johnny Ginart 6-5 240 OL RS FR Meraux, La. (Chalmette HS)--Redshirted in 2011.
#72 Jeremy Graffree 6-3 300 OL RS SR Perkinston, Miss. (Mississippi Gulf Coast CC)--4 games played.
#?? Richard Greenwalt 6-4 297 OL JR Wildomar, Calif. (Riverside CC)--JUCO transfer.
#?? Ross Lodge 6-5 292 OL FR Austin, Texas (Westwood HS)--Incoming freshman.

4 of the five returning offensive linemen (Johnson, Saia, Warner, Mills)  started all 13 games for a very impressive rushing attack last fall and look to be even better in 2012. The question mark is right guard where redshirt junior Matthew Sheppard is the projected starter although he only played in 2 games in 2011. There is a multitude of players on the roster that could work for reserve spots.

DL
#22 Kendrick James 6-1 240 DE RS JR New Orleans, La. (O.P. Walker)--13 games played, 1 start. 19 tackles, 1.5 for loss. 1.5 sacks, 1 pbu, 1 pd.
#94 Shakeil Lucas 6-2 280 DT RS JR Marrero, La. (L.W. Higgins HS)--13 games played, 8 starts. 30 tackles, 2 for loss. 1 sack.
#41 IK Enemkpali 6-2 245 DE RS JR Pflugerville, Texas (Pflugerville HS)--12 games played. 33 tackles, 7.5 for loss, 3.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble.
#70 Justin Ellis 6-2 330 DL RS JR Monroe, La. (Neville HS)--13 games played, 11 starts. 29 tackles, 3.5 for loss. 1 sack, 1 pbu, 1 pd, 1 fumble recovery.
#95 Jon'al White 6-1 300 DL SR Ruston, La. (Jones County JC)--13 games played, 2 starts. 29 tackles, 3.5 for loss. 3.5 sacks.
#75 Philip Longino 6-0 275 DT RS SR Missouri City, Texas (Marshall HS)--4 games played. 3 tackles, 1.5 for loss. 1.5 sacks.
#84 Andre Taylor 6-5 250 DT RS SO Round Rock, Texas (Round Rock HS)--7 games played. 5 tackles.
#98 Vontarrius Dora 6-4 250 DE RS FR West Point, Miss. (West Point HS)--No stats in 2011.
#92 Carter Street 6-2 250 DT RS SO Pilot Point, Texas (Pilot Point HS)--No stats in 2011.
#40 Kevin Kisseberth 6-1 225 DE RS SO Spring, Texas (Klein HS)--2 games played. 1 tackle.
#?? Vernon Butler 6-3 295 DL FR Summit, Miss. (North Pike HS)--Incoming freshman.
#??Stephen Gibson 6-4 229 DL FR Marrero, La. (Archbishop Shaw HS)--Incoming freshman.
#99 Malcolm Pichon 6-3 330 DL RS FR Slidell, La. (Salmen HS)--Redshirted in 2011.
#88 Tyler Porter 6-0 310 DL RS FR Lafayette, La. (Northside HS)--Redshirted in 2011.

The defensive line does not come into 2012 with a ton of experience although Lucas and Ellis had 8 and 13 games started in 2011 respectively. The Bulldogs do have 5-6 good players that have experience and should be in the rotation in James, Lucas, Enemkpali, Ellis, White and possibly Taylor. It will be hard for many other players to get into the rotation much with the talent at the top.

LB
#56 Solomon Randle 5-11 230 MLB RS SR Mobile, Ala. (LeFlore Academy)--12 games played, 1 start. 19 tackles. 1 pbu, 1 pd.
#46 Rufus Porter 6-1 210 SLB RS JR Destrehan, La. (Destrehan HS)--12 games played, 3 starts. 23 tackles, 2 for loss. 1 sack.
#43 Chip Hester 6-0 230 LB RS SR North Myrtle Beach, S.C. (Hutchinson (KS) CC)--12 games played, 4 starts. 7 tackles.
#50 Ches Morrison 5-11 240 MLB RS SO Houma, La. (Vandebilt Catholic HS)--No stats in 2011.
#55 Antonio Mitchum 6-1 245 SLB RS SR Hemingway, S.C. (Georgia Military College)--13 games played. 14 tackles. 1 forced fumble.
#39 Warren Bates 6-0 205 LB RS FR Plaquemine, La. (St. John HS)--Redshirted in 2011.
#59 Mason Dean 6-2 205 LB RS FR Ruston, La. (Ruston HS)--Redshirted in 2011.
#06 Beau Fitte 6-1 210 LB RS FR Port Sulphur, La. (South Plaquemines HS)--Redshirted in 2011.
#51 Riccie Gray 5-11 215 LB SO Delhi, La. (Delhi Charter HS)--No stats in 2011.
#52 Ty Hook 6-0 210 LB RS FR Denton, Texas (Ryan HS)--Incoming freshman.
#58 Zachary Voss 6-0 230 LB RS JR Katy, Texas (Seven Lakes HS)--No stats in 2011.
#48 Andre Wiggins 6-2 200 LB RS FR San Antonio, Texas (Wake Forest)--Redshirted in 2011.

The linebacker corps looks to be one of the least experienced spots on the field for the Bulldogs in 2012 with the leading returning tackler only having 23 last season. Randle and Porter look to be definite starters this fall with redshirt senior Chip Hester being one of the favorites to take the weak side linebacker spot. The spot is honestly open for anyone and should be one of the most anticipated positional battles this fall.

DB
#15 Brice Abraham 5-11 175 CB RS FR Jennings, La. (Jennings HS)--Redshirted in 2011.
#24 Dave Clark 6-2 190 CB RS SR Baton Rouge, La. (Independence CC)--12 games played, 6 starts. 33 tackles, 1 for loss. 3 interceptions, 3 pbu, 6 pd, 1 forced fumble.
#20 Jamel Johnson 6-1 200 SS RS SR Cleveland, Ohio (Fort Scott CC)--13 games played, 13 starts. 88 tackles, 0.5 for loss. 2 interceptions, 1 pbu, 3 pd, 1 forced fumble.
#31 Chad Boyd 5-11 200 FS SR Westwego, La. (Archbishop Shaw HS)--13 games played, 13 starts. 76 tackles, 3 for loss. 3 interceptions, 6 pbu, 9 pd, 1 fumble recovery. 1 defensive touchdown.
#27 Quinn Giles 5-11 195 FS SR Shreveport, La. (Evangel Christian Academy)--12 games played, 4 starts. 34 tackles. 4 interceptions, 3 pbu, 7 pd.
#16 Jabari Prewitt 5-9 182 CB SO Hutto, Texas (Hutto HS)--No stats in 2011.
#30 Ahmad Wallace 5-8 170 CB RS JR Miami, Fla. (Broward College)--No stats in 2011.
#14 Craig Johnson 5-8 175 DB SR Harvey, La. (Arkansas Baptist)--12 games played, 5 starts. 27 tackles, 2 for loss. 1 interception, 4 pbu, 5 pd, 1 forced fumble.
#13 Levander Liggins 5-11 185 DB SO Leesville, La. (Leesville HS)--12 games played. 10 tackles. 1 pbu, 1 pd, 1 forced fumble.
#47 Javontay Crowe 5-11 185 S SR Ruston (Ruston HS)--10 games played, 2 starts.  36 tackles, 1.5 for loss. 1 interception, 4 pbu, 5 pd, 2 fumble recoveries.
#34 Mike Schrang 6-1 205 SS RS SO Kingwood, Texas (Kingwood HS)--12 games played. 1 tackle.
#29 Kendall Hayes 5-11 185 DB RS SO Lancaster, Texas (Lancaster HS)--13 games played. 6 tackles.
#?? Kentrell Brice 5-11 173 DB FR Ruston, La. (Ruston HS)--Incoming freshman.
#19 Ronnie Fields 5-6 155 DB RS SO Haynesville, La. (Haynesville HS)--No stats in 2011.
#?? Lloyd Grogan 6-0 201 DB FR Morgan City, La. (Central Catholic HS)--Incoming freshman.
#?? Tra'Vez Taylor 6-0 172 DB SO McComb, Miss. (North Pike HS)--No stats in 2011.
#08 Sam Trotter 5-10 185 DB SO Plano, Texas (Plano East HS)--No stats in 2011.
#38 Connor Nichols 6-2 195 S RS SO Bossier City, La. (Airline HS)--2 games played. No stats in 2011.

Nearly every player in the secondary that saw action made an impact for the Bulldogs with 6 played having 25+ tackles in 2011. Jamel Johnson and Chad Boyd are the leaders of the defense from the safety spots with 88 and 76 tackles and a combined 5 interceptions on the season. Redshirt senior Dave Clark was also very impressive with 33 tackles and 3 interceptions on the season. Abraham, Giles, Prewitt, Wallace, Johnson, Liggins and Crowe all have the ability to get into the rotation and get some significant playing time.

DS
#51 Josh Cuthbert 5-11 240 DS RS JR Belle Glades, Fla. (Glades Day School)--11 games played. 1 tackle.

Redshirt junior Josh Cuthbert is returning as the long snapper after playing in 11 of 13 games in 2011 as the snapper. Expect another solid season from Cuthbert.

K
#33 Matt Nelson 5-10 160 K SR Cibolo, Texas (Steele HS)--13 games played. 15-21 field goals. 4 of his 6 misses were from 40+ yards. 46-48 on extra points. 77 kickoffs, 10 touchbacks.

Nelson comes back in 2012 with a respectable 15-21 on field goals in 2011. The numbers are more impressive considering that 4 of Nelson's 6 misses were from 40+ yards. Nelson also kicked off in 2011 with 10 of 77 kickoffs being touchbacks, expect that number to jump dramatically in 2012.

P
#86 Ryan Allen 6-2 215 P/K RS SR Salem, Ore. (Oregon State)--13 games played. 83 punts for 46.1 yard average. 39 inside the 20 yard line. 29 punts over 50 yards. 2 tackles.

Allen was very impressive as a junior in 2011 with a 46.1 yard punt average with 29 of his punts going over 50 yards. Also, 28 of his 83 punts were fair catches. Allen should continue to be a field position weapon for the Bulldogs in 2012.

ATH
#?? Adairius Barnes 5-11 176 ATH FR Port Gibson, Miss. (Port Gibson HS)--Incoming freshman.
#?? Thaddaeus Medford 5-11 190 ATH FR Newbern, Tenn. (Dyer County HS)--Incoming freshman.


Overall, Louisiana Tech should handily win the WAC this fall with the defections of Hawaii, Nevada, and Fresno State to the MWC. The Bulldogs could turn some heads this fall with 6 non-conference games versus Rice, UNLV (expected wins), Houston, Illinois, Virginia, and Texas A&M. The Bulldogs have a chance in every game with Illinois and Virginia perennially underachieving and Texas A&M and Houston losing major players on their teams. Any fewer than 8-9 wins would be unacceptable for the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs this fall. There is an outside shot at 10 wins plus a bowl game for Louisiana Tech if everything goes right.

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