The Louisiana Tech Bulldogs take on a Power Five foe as they open their 2016 schedule with a week 1 matchup against the Arkansas Razorbacks Saturday afternoon. The contest kicks off at 4:00 pm ET from Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas and can be seen on the SEC Network. The oddsmakers currently have Arkansas as a 24.5 point favorite with the over/under set at 52 points in this contest.
Louisiana Tech compiled a 9-4 record in 2015 and capped their season with a 47-28 win over Arkansas State in the New Orleans Bowl. The third year of the Bret Bielema era at Arkansas led to another improvement in the standings. Arkansas went from 3-9 in 2013 to 7-6 in 2014 and followed that up with an 8-5 mark in 2015. Arkansas won six of their last seven games after starting 2-4. They capped the season with a 45-23 whipping of Kansas State in the Liberty Bowl.
Arkansas was victorious in each of the three previous matchups between the schools. The Razorbacks took a 17-13 victory in Fayetteville in the last meeting between the teams back in 1997.
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Arkansas closed out the 2015 season on a roll and hopes to contend in the competitive SEC West this season. The Razorbacks lone loss in the last seven games last year was a 51-50 defeat to Mississippi State. That game was decided on a blocked field goal in the closing minute. Arkansas comes back with just four starters from last season on the offensive side of the ball. The quarterback position shouldn’t be an issue because even though Brandon Allen is gone after tossing 30 scoring passes a year ago, his replacement is familiar with the system. It’s Allen’s brother, Austin, who is in his third year with the program. The Razorbacks were 27th in the nation in scoring offense with an average of 35.9 points per game.
The big issue is replacing running backs Alex Collins and Johnathan Williams along with tight end Hunter Henry. Henry won the John Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end last season. That puts pressure on Jeremy Sprinkle, who caught 27 balls for 389 yards and six scores in a reserve role. The Razorbacks may become a pass first offense this season, especially with Keon Hatcher, Drew Morgan, Dominique Reed and Jared Cornelius back. That group combined to catch 138 passes and 21 touchdowns last year.
Arkansas brings back nine starters on defense from last season. The Razorbacks were very good against the run, ranking 12th in the FBS by allowing 116.5 yards a game. They were terrible in the pass defense department, ranking 116th by giving up 275.2 yards per contest. Three of the four starters are back in the secondary. If they can improve, Arkansas could be a threat.
Louisiana Tech may be in a rebuilding year with all the departures from last year’s team. The Bulldogs bring back only nine starters from last season. Six of them are on offense but their major skill position players are gone. The Bulldogs lose Jeff Driskel at quarterback and Kenneth Dixon from the running back spot. Driskel threw for 4,026 yards with 27 touchdown passes against eight interceptions while running for 323 yards and five scores. Dixon ran for 1,073 yards and 19 scores while catching 33 passes with seven touchdowns. Trent Taylor, who caught 99 passes last season, is back but Ryan Higgins has to prove he can get the ball to him.
Defensively, the Bulldogs have just three starters back. Eight of the team’s top nine tacklers from last year are gone. Overall, the team lost 33 of their 69 lettermen from a season ago. That is a major amount of experience to lose from one season to the next. There’s a new defensive coordinator in Blake Baker running the show. He has a lot on his plate trying to get players up to speed in his new system. Louisiana Tech led Conference USA in run defense last year but was scorched to the tune of 256.5 yards a game through the air. Can the Bulldogs succeed with so much inexperience throughout the roster?
Arkansas is 4-1 ATS in their last five overall and 7-3 ATS in their last 10 non-conference games.