Louisiana Tech Scores 80 on Northwestern State
Northwestern State led for exactly eleven seconds. Payne Williams III kicked a 33-yard field goal with 8:59 left in the first quarter, and on the very next Louisiana Tech possession Blake Baker threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Mickens at 8:48. That was the lead change, and the end of the suspense.
From there the Bulldogs piled up eleven touchdowns and a field goal for an 80-6 win. It was 21-3 after one quarter, with Baker's second touchdown pass, a 27-yarder to Jay Wilkerson, and a 16-yard score from Joshua Brantley to Talyn Shettron. Then the second quarter turned into a parade: Dylone Brooks from 28 yards, Shettron from 37, Eli Finley on a 9-yard catch, Dedrick Latulas on a 58-yard punt return, Sergio Snider from 2 and Jaden Miller from 7. That is six touchdowns in about twelve minutes, and it was 63-3 at the half.
The second half was almost polite by comparison. Trey Kukuk threw touchdown passes of 35 yards to Luke Watkins and 6 yards to Latulas, and Hunter Rioux added a 49-yard field goal at 8:56 of the fourth for 80-3. Williams kicked a 37-yarder with 47 seconds left for the final 80-6.
Louisiana Tech finished with 530 yards (296 passing, 234 rushing) on 35 carries, no turnovers and one sack. Baker was 10 of 14 for 232 yards and three touchdowns. Three different quarterbacks threw touchdown passes, which does not happen when the game is in doubt.
Louisiana Tech is 1-0 and Northwestern State is 0-1. In fantasy, Baker's 27.4 points led the way, and Mickens' 133 receiving yards on three catches (75 on one of them) is a fun line.