LA Tech, Marshall to meet for conference title

Despite being projected to finish fourth in the West Division, Louisiana Tech will head to Marshall Saturday in the Conference USA Championship Game as it plays the Thundering Herd on ESPN2.
While the game marks the first time LA Tech has played in a specific conference championship game, the Bulldogs are looking to win their 26th conference championship in school history.
Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. at Joan C. Edwards Stadium in Huntington, West Virginia.
To overcome its projected finish in league play, Tech (8-4, 7-1 Conference USA) relied on its defense early on, but it was the offense gaining the headlines with wins of 48-20, 42-21, 55-3 and 59-10.
But credit the defense with the high scoring, too. Louisiana Tech enters Saturday’s game ranked first in the nation in turnovers gained and first in the nation in points off turnovers. Better than any other team in the nation this year, Louisiana Tech has taken the ball away from the opponent and turned it into points.
One member of Louisiana Tech’s defense this season is former Central Catholic standout Lloyd Grogan. Grogan, a redshirt sophomore defensive back, has appeared in 11 games this season. He has recorded 37 tackles (23 solo and 14 assists), including one tackle for a seven yard loss. He also has broken up two passes and defended two more while recovering one fumble and blocking one kick.
To bring home another conference championship, Louisiana Tech’s defense will have to continue to force turnovers and the offense will have to turn that into points as the Bulldogs face the league’s best offense in Marshall (11-1, 7-1).
The Thundering Herd rank atop the conference in total offense, scoring offense and rushing offense, and when they don’t reach the end zone, Marshall leads the league in punting, too.
For Louisiana Tech to win its 26th conference title and first since joining Conference USA last year, it likely will have to do so in inclement weather. The forecast for Huntington Saturday calls for a high of 55 and a 100 percent chance of rain.
That is not necessarily a premonition for the outcome. The last time Louisiana Tech won a conference championship, the Bulldogs did so in a steady downpour as they clinched the 2011 Western Athletic Conference title in a shutout against New Mexico State.
Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz said playing at Marshall would be tough.
“I think the environment with Marshall at home with the history they have and the record and their winning percentage at home … second in the FBS only to Baylor, is going to make it very difficult,” Holtz said. “I am sure people are going to come out and support the program, and I have had the opportunity to play there a number of times. It is going to be late, and the weather may have an effect on the game. Playing on the road against the crowd noise is going to be very difficult.”
While Marshall fell one game shy of a perfect regular season — a 67-66 overtime loss at home to Western Kentucky last week — the Thundering Herd are not taking an 8-4 Louisiana Tech team lightly.
“I’m not surprised,” Marshall head coach Doc Holliday said when asked about Tech’s turnaround from 2013 (4-8 last season to 8-4 this year). “I think (Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz has) done a tremendous job wherever he’s been. You have a lot of great players in the state of Louisiana. Knowing Skip and (offensive coordinator) Tony (Petersen) and (defensive coordinator) Manny (Diaz) like I do, they’re going to go out and work extremely hard to find players, and they’ve done that. They understand it’s a personnel-driven game, and he’s done a great job of getting personnel in there to have a chance to play and compete for championships.”
Both teams enter the game receiving votes in the Coaches poll while Marshall is also receiving votes in the Associated Press poll.
All Bulldog football games can be accessed online (audio for all games) by purchasing a subscription to LA Tech All-Access on LATechSports.com. Cost of a subscription to LA Tech All-Access is $9.95 per month or $79.95 for a year (which includes all live broadcasts for all of Tech’s athletic teams).
Fans also can purchase the C-USA Digital Network subscription for $14.95 per month or $119.95 per year, which includes all of the above content as well as audio and video for all road C-USA games along with additional video content throughout the year.
For coverage of Bulldog football, follow @LATechFB on Twitter or visit the official home of Louisiana Tech Athletics at LATechSports.com.