Louisiana Tech battles back to down FIU, 22-17

RUSTON – Louisiana Tech had the lead for only 61 seconds, but it was the final 61 seconds as the Bulldogs defeated FIU in a 22-17 come-from-behind victory on Saturday night inside Joe Aillet Stadium.

LA Tech (1-0) trailed by as much as 14 points on two different occasions in the first half, but the Bulldogs ended up scoring 19 unanswered points to win the 2023 season opener.

It only took FIU (0-1) 54 seconds into the game to get on the scoreboard when Shomari Lawrence took a 3rd-down handoff up the middle for 67 yards. The Panthers tacked on another rushing touchdown with 4:42 to go in the first quarter as Antonio Patterson scampered in for a 6-yard score to make it a two-TD advantage.

After being shutout in the first quarter, LA Tech got its first points 56 seconds deep into the second quarter when Jacob Barnes connected on a 40-yard field goal.

The Panthers responded with a field goal of their own to make it a 14-point advantage again, drilling a 45-yard field goal with 10:06 remaining in the first half.

The Bulldogs got an explosive play of their own though just before the midway point when Hank Bachmeier found Smoke Harris on a short slant over the middle. Harris did the rest, going untouched for a 64-yard touchdown. Barnes added a 32-yard field goal as time expired to make it a 13-17 game at the half.

The defense was stellar the entire second half, keeping the ‘Dogs in the game. After allowing 164 yards through the first 30 minutes (158 of that on the ground), LA Tech only allowed 18 total yards in the second half including just one first down.

Meanwhile, Barnes drilled his third field goal of the game, a 46-yarder to get to within one point of the Panthers with 12:34 to go in the fourth. He had a chance to put the Bulldogs in front with 3:30 remaining, but his attempt from 43 yards went wide left of the post.

The Bulldog defense stood tall one final time, forcing their seventh 3-and-out to give the offense one more chance to take the lead.

And that they did.

Bachmeier, making his first career start at LA Tech, methodically led the team down the field. He completed four passes on their final drive, including a key 12-yard pass to Cyrus Allen on 4th-and-5 to keep the ‘Dogs alive. After connecting with Harris for an 11th time to the FIU 30-yard line, Bachmeier handed the ball off to Jacob Fields for the first time all night and the running back proceeded to race to the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown.

Now with a 22-17 advantage with 1:01 to play, the Panthers needed to go 75 yards and would have to go through the air to do it. Up until then, quarterback Grayson James had only four total passing yards. And that is what he would end with as Cecil Singleton Jr. picked off a deflected pass to seal the victory.

QUOTABLES
Head coach Sonny Cumbie

Opening statement…
“It was a great win for our team. It was not pretty by any means. We know we have 11 more ahead of us. Football games are hard to win. We are going to celebrate them. We talked about finishing plays, finishing drives, finishing games, and we were able to do that tonight as a football team.”

On being down the majority of the game…
“There was not any panic. Our demeanor was good. I wish we would have played better on offense in the third and fourth quarter. Credit to FIU on defense for keeping things in front of them. Our players had a good resolve and a good fight about them. Excited how the running backs stepped up.”

On the defense…
“I hope this game grows confidence in our defense. Credit to coach Power and the adjustments they made on defense. They rallied, did not get flustered, and stayed the course.”

Defensive back Cecil Singleton Jr.
On FIU utilizing the run game…
“We know they like to run the ball. I expected them to be more air-raid. Seeing the first drive when they scored the touchdown, we knew they were going to come back to it.”

On starting 1-0…
“I am defiantly proud of the team, showing how we handle adversity. Being down in the first half, we were 0-19 when down in the first half, showing that resiliency is big.”

On the game sealing interception …
“I was playing the play and practicing how we have been practicing, the plays just come to you. I enjoyed the celebration, and I am hoping for more.”

Defensive back Myles Heard
On his team leading nine tackles
“I feel like I had a decent performance, I left a lot of plays out there. I can learn from the film where I messed up on and see where I can improve.”

On allowing only four passing yards…
“It gives us a lot of confidence. It pushes us to work even hard and take even more pride in not allowing any passing yards. It is a boost in our confidence.”

NOTABLES
With the 22-17 victory, LA Tech now leads the all-time series against FIU, 5-1. The Bulldogs are now 3-0 versus the Panthers in Ruston.
LA Tech has won nine straight home openers. This marked the first season opener in Ruston since 2017. The Bulldogs are now 45-9-1 in home openers at Joe Aillet Stadium.
The Bulldogs have now won seven straight Conference USA openers.
Hank Bachmeier threw for 333 passing yards in his Bulldog debut. It is the most passing yards by a LA Tech quarterback in their first start in the last decade.
Smoke Harris caught a career-high 11 receptions for 155 yards (one yard shy of tying his career high in receiving yards). In doing so, he extended his streak of consecutive games with at least one reception to 33.
Smoke Harris recorded his third career 100-yard receiving game.
Smoke Harris has now registered a touchdown reception in each of the last six seasons. He now has 20 TD catches in his career, the ninth most in program history.
Nate Jones caught a career-high seven receptions.
The Bulldog defense allowed just 182 total yards, the first time LA Tech has held an opponent under 200 yards gained since Oct. 26, 2013 against FIU (197 yards).
Myles Heard and Brevin Randle each tallied a team-high nine tackles.
Cecil Singleton Jr. registered his second career interception as a Bulldog.
Jacob Barnes connected on three field goals. It marked the fifth time in his career he has made at least three FGs in a single game.
UP NEXT
LA Tech will make the short trek to Dallas, Texas to face SMU on Saturday, Sept. 2. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CT and will be broadcast live on ESPNU.

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