Louisiana Tech played Texas-San Antonio for the first time Saturday afternoon in Ruston. And the two schools, both of whom leave the WAC for Conference USA next year, look like they have the making for a pretty heated rivalry.
The Bulldogs (8-1, 3-0 WAC) handed Larry Coker’s Roadrunners (5-4, 1-3) their fourth straight defeat, but the FBS newcomers from San Antonio didn’t go down without a fight.
UTSA, a 31-point underdog, trailed by just 10 points, 37-27, midway through the fourth quarter before Tech pulled away for a 51-27 Homecoming victory. The two teams also combined for 28 penalties for 288 yards, including 13 personal foul penalties.
Louisiana Tech coach Sonny Dykes even got flagged twice in the third quarter when he went out on the field to argue the ejection of offensive lineman Oscar Johnson.
“I’m not sure what was going on with all the penalties or why,” Dykes said. “That’s not our team. I wasn’t real fired up about some of the stuff happening out there. (When he got flagged I was trying to find out Oscar Johnson was ejected for and went out on the field. I had to let (the officials) come to me.”
Quarterback Colby Cameron passed for 348 yards and freshman running back scored three touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs to their school record ninth consecutive WAC victory.