Nebraska’s first opponent has a true road-warrior mentality

By Hugo Guzman  |   Friday, September 01, 2006  |  Comments( 2 )

Nebraska Cornhuskers
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans!

The casual fan might look at the first name on the Nebraska Cornhuskers schedule and quickly dismiss Louisiana Tech as a lower-tier team primed to fold under the bright lights and heavy hype that accompany a nationally televised game in Lincoln. But the Bulldogs are no spring chickens when it comes to tough road tests.

Nebraska comes into this game as a three-touchdown favorite, riding high on the golden arm of quarterback Zac Taylor and boasting a Top-25 ranking to go along with "favorite" status in the Big 12 North. But that doesn't seem to mean much to the Bulldogs. When Tech nose tackle Josh Muse was asked about his team's prospects on the road against the Cornhuskers, he bluntly said, "we can beat them."

And this team's impromptu swagger should not come as a complete surprise. Even though they are members of a mid-major conference, the Western Athletic Conference to be exact, the Bulldogs have played dozens of road contests against top-notch competition. For example, in 2004 alone, Tech went up against four top-15 teams on the road; Miami, Tennessee, Auburn, and Boise State. Last year they opened the season in the Swamp, against Florida.
Now to be fair, those top-tier teams absolutely lambasted the Bulldogs by a combined score of 238-41, so maybe they shouldn't get too far ahead of themselves. Still, Louisiana Tech is not a complete pushover. Tech did beat a ranked opponent last year, 23rd ranked Fresno State, and held their usually uber-potent offense to a relatively pedestrian 28 points.

Does that mean that the Bulldogs are capable of holding down Zac Taylor and company? Probably not. Taylor is a senior that is coming off a record-breaking '05 campaign, and he has more than enough talent around him to overwhelm Tech's confident but somewhat inconsistent defensive front. Expect to see Taylor come out firing on all cylinders, and also expect running back Marlon Lucky to lead a four-pronged rushing attack that should whittle away at Tech's defensive resolve all afternoon long.

The 20th ranked Cornhuskers should be able to easily handle the road-hardened but physically overmatched Bulldogs, but don't expect Tech to go away easily. Remember, it's not the size of the dog in the fight that counts. It's the size of the fight in the dog. The Bulldog that is.

Notes

- The Bulldogs last visited Lincoln in 1998, losing the Cornhuskers 56-27. But in the process, Louisiana Tech wide receiver Troy Edwards set an NCAA record with 405 receiving yards on an incredible 21 receptions.

- Louisiana Tech will receive $750,000 for playing in Lincoln. The Bulldogs have two more extremely tough travel dates later in the season, going on the road against both Clemson and Texas A&M.

- The game will be nationally televised by FOX Sports. Kickoff is set for 2:30 pm CT.
Got something to say?

Log In above and share your thoughts on this topic with other fans! (2)

About Hugo Guzman

Trying to bring an objective approach to NFL analysis.
read more
Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report