Louisiana Tech football reports for fall camp

Louisiana Tech began preparations for its 2015 season as the squad had its first official team meeting and opened fall camp Sunday with 99 players reporting.
The team will hold its first practice tonight.
The Bulldogs enter the season with hopes on building upon last season’s success after advancing to the Conference USA Championship Game in just the second year in the league but falling short against Marshall in the title game. LA Tech capped the 2014 season with a 35-18 win against Illinois in the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl.
“This is the kickoff to the fall portion of the 2015 season,” Louisiana Tech head coach Skip Holtz said in a news release Sunday. “The real excitement is that we are 27 days away from putting the ball on the tee and kicking off the season, with today being reporting day. It is finally here. This is a day we have long been waiting for, as coaches, players, fans and administrators. This is the start of it all. I know there is a lot of excitement and energy.”
Louisiana Tech had 99 players report to camp Sunday for three weeks of preparation before opening game week starts in September. The Bulldogs will kick off the 113th season of Louisiana Tech Football Sept. 5 against Southern in the newly expanded Joe Aillet Stadium.
Sunday’s events covered several administrative aspects of the program, including a team meeting, dorm keys issued and a team photo was taken.
“We have a lot of housekeeping things to take care of,” Holtz said Sunday. “Tomorrow we will really kick it off. Tomorrow is our first day. We will have our conditioning test at six in the morning. Originally, we were going to practice at 3:30 in the afternoon, but the heat index is going to be about 115 degrees, so we will be moving practice around a lot.”
The 2015 season also marks the first season Blake Baker will be in the defensive coordinator role, taking over for the departed Manny Diaz.
“The base (scheme) will stay the same,” Holtz said of the defense. “It will obviously not be the exact same. There are some wrinkles that we have played with a little bit when you go back and watch your film. You see what other people are doing and visit some other coaches at other schools. We will add some of that, but 80 percent of it will be very similar to how we did things a year ago. After 12 games last year, people still do not know what we were doing because of all the different looks that we give.”
After a nine-win season and a bowl victory, excitement for the 2015 season is high as the team enters camp.
“I have to keep pinching myself to try and bring down the energy level,” said Holtz. “There is a lot of energy right now. There is a lot of excitement. We had a lot of success last year against bowl teams. The players love the white helmets and the uniforms. There is a brand new turf out there. There is a brand new south end zone.
“With the way Kurt Hester is helping them change their bodies, they feel like they are getting better. They are in the same offense and defense for two years in a row, which is the first time any of them have done that. There are just a lot of things to help build that morale. It is creating a lot of excitement and enthusiasm.
“We are getting a lot of attention with the amount of players who are being placed on national award watch lists. We got votes pre-season for the first time in a very long time. There is a lot of excitement and energy,” Holtz said.