Louisiana Tech 2012 Recruiting

2012 Louisiana Tech Bulldogs ... Head Coach: Sonny Dykes

Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

2011 Record: 8-5

Sept. 3 Louisiana Tech L 19-17
Sept. 10 Central Ark. W 48-42
Sept. 17 Houston L 35-34
Sept. 24 at Miss St L 26-20 OT
Oct. 1 Hawaii L 44-26
Oct. 8 at Idaho W 24-11
Oct. 15 OPEN DATE
Oct. 22 at Utah State W 24-17
Oct. 29 San Jose St W 38-28
Nov. 5 at Fresno St W 41-21
Nov. 12 at Ole Miss W 27-7
Nov. 19 at Nevada W 24-20
Nov. 26 New Mexico St W 44-0
Poinsettia Bowl
Dec. 21 TCU L 31-24

2010 CFN Prediction: 7-5
2010 Record:  5-7

Sept. 4 Grambling W 20-6
Sept. 11 at Texas A&M L 48-16
Sept. 18 Navy L 37-23
Sept. 25 So. Miss L 13-12
Oct. 2 at Hawaii L 41-21
Oct. 9 Utah State W 24-6
Oct. 16 Idaho W 48-35
Oct. 26 at Boise St  L 49-20
Oct. 30 OPEN DATE
Nov. 6 Fresno State L 40-34
Nov. 13 at NMSU W 41-20
Nov. 20 OPEN DATE
Nov. 27 at San Jose St W 45-38
Dec. 4 Nevada L 35-17
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The Entire 2012 Recruiting Class

Top 5 Louisiana Tech Recruits To Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. DE Terrell Lathan
6-4, 235, Scout.com 94th ranked, three-star end. A versatile big athlete, Lathan is comfortable with his hand down playing end in the 4-3 as well as dropping into coverage as a linebacker when his team goes to a 3-4. He's an instinctive defender with plus athleticism. He changes directions well and has long strides in order to gain ground on plays going away from him. He has long arms that can clog passing lanes and he's solid against the run. Will continue to gain size/strength.

2. WR Jaydrick Declouet
5-10, 175, Scout.com 178th ranked, three-star receiver.

3. LB Lloyd Grogan
6-1, 210, Scout.com 102nd ranked, three-star outside linebacker.

4. OG Richard Greenwalt
6-5, 300, Scout.com, two-star JUCO transfer.

5. WR Jon Greenwalt
6-3, 205, Scout.com, two-star JUCO transfer

The 2012 Class Was Heavy On... Not much. Head coach Sonny Dykes had the WAC’s best recruiting class last year and loaded up in a big way on the defensive line and the secondary over the last two seasons. Now it’s about trying to find a few stars to add to the mix. This isn’t likely to be a big class in any one area, but 2013 will be when the big haul has to come.

Team Concerns For 2012: The defensive front seven. Fortunately, the prospects were stockpiled to be ready to come up with a few good battles for this season. Both starting ends are gone, including Matt Broha, and linebackers Adrien Cole and Jay Dudley will be missed. More options at running back are a must with Lennon Creer done, while the focus of the offense will be on a quarterback battle between Colby Cameron and Nick Isham.

Looking Ahead To The 2012 Season: After winning the WAC – and no one noticing – the Bulldogs should be even stronger with QB Nick Isham more experienced and ready to do more behind a line that gets four starters back. RB Lennon Creer is done, but the receiving corps is loaded to finally make the passing game rock like it’s supposed to under Sonny Dykes. The WAC’s top run defense loses both ends, but the biggest problem will be replacing linebacker Adrien Cole in the middle. The secondary should be among the best in the WAC with three good starters returning.

2011 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 84. That Class Was Heavy On ... Defensive linemen. This is a big, big class with a little something for everyone. The splash is in the passing game as quarterbacks and receivers are hot for the Sonny Dykes passing offense. JUCO transfer receivers Quinton Patton, Scott Cathcart and Myles White will play right away, while JUCO transfer quarterbacks Brodrick Watters and Nick Isham will fight it out. The meat of the class is on the defensive front with several strong prospects led by Malcolm Pichon, a 6-3, 330-pound tackle who could be the anchor of the line for the next four years.

2010 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 96. That Class Was Heavy On ... Defensive backs. Sonny Dykes. While the focus will be on the quarterback and receivers in the Sonny Dykes system, Derek Dooley brought in those prospects last year. This year, the coaching staff, with no time to work whatsoever, loaded up for the secondary with seven prospects who'll be thrown to the wolves right away. Antonio Burton, Michael Schrang, and Connor Nichols form a solid safety trio, while JUCO transfer Ryan Williams might be one of the WAC's best corners right away.

2009 CFN Recruiting Ranking: 70. That Class Was Heavy On ... Running back and receiver. Head coach Derek Dooley went hard on the offense, and while he didn’t pick up any sure-thing stars, he got a lot of prospects. If you’re a strength in numbers fan when it comes to recruiting, then you’ll like all the options the Bulldogs have to choose from over the next few years with a few smallish but speedy backs like Lyle Fitte and Tyrone Duplessis. Big receivers like C.J. Broadus and Jaccari Jackson should be interesting to keep an eye out for as they develop.

Dec. 21 San Diego Country Credit Union Poinsettia Bowl
TCU 31 … Louisiana Tech 24
- CFN Thoughts on the Game

TCU: The Horned Frogs held on to the ball for 36:28. … QB Casey Pachall completed 15-of-29 passes for 206 yards with a touchdown and a pick, and he ran for 31 yards. … Ed Wesley ran 16 times for 77 yards and a score. … Josh Boyce led the Horned Frogs with 5 catches for 66 yards, but Skye Dawson caught four passes for 85 yards and the game-winning scoring pass. … Anson Kelton averaged 43.8 yards with two put inside the 20 on five kicks.

Louisiana Tech: QB Colby Cameron completed 21-of-43 passes for 264 yards and two scores with a pick. … Hunter Lee ran 20 times for 64 yards and a score. … WR Myles White caught seven passes for 110 yards and a score, and Quinton White caught five passes for 67 yards and a score. … Ryan Allen averaged 43.2 yards per punt with two put inside the 20. … LB Jay Dudley made ten tackles with a tackle for loss.

(AP) SAN DIEGO -- Casey Pachall and the TCU Horned Frogs are headed to the Big 12 Conference on an eight-game winning streak.

Pachall highlighted a record-setting game with a 42-yard touchdown pass to Skye Dawson with 4:26 left to lift No. 16 TCU to a 31-24 victory against Louisiana Tech in the Poinsettia Bowl on Wednesday night.

It was the eighth straight victory for Mountain West Conference champion TCU (11-2), which moves to the Big 12 next year. It was the third time this season TCU overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to win, including a 36-35 victory at Boise State on Nov. 12, the Broncos' only loss.

"It feels great because it's going to give us a lot of momentum," Pachall said. "As a young team, no one expected us to get this far."

Pachall was 15 of 29 for 206 yards. He set school single-season records with 228 completions, 2,921 yards and a completion percentage of 66.5, breaking marks previously held by Andy Dalton.

On the winning play, the sophomore took the snap in the shotgun and Dawson ran past safety Chad Boyd to pull in the long pass.

Pachall said he changed the play when he saw a blitz coming.

"It was a great catch by Skye and a touchdown," the QB said.

"Once I saw single coverage, I pretty much knew I could get by the guy," Dawson said. "You have to secure the ball and get in the end zone."

TCU is 3-0 in the Poinsettia Bowl.

The Horned Frogs, who beat Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl last season, had hoped to make it to a BCS bowl for the third straight season.

"It didn't turn out the way we expected or how we wanted it to but we came out with a win," Dawson said."

Western Athletic Conference champion Louisiana Tech (8-5) had its seven-game winning streak snapped hours after coach Sonny Dykes agreed to a contract extension through 2017.

TCU tied the game at 24 on Luke Shivers' 1-yard run with 7:49 left that capped an 18-play, 72-yard drive that consumed 9 minutes, 21 seconds. A replay review took away one yard on a completion from Pachall to Matthew Tucker to bring up a fourth-and-1 from the Bulldogs' 9-yard line. Tucker gained six yards for the first down. On third-and-goal from the 8, a pass interference call against the Bulldogs in the end zone gave TCU a first down on the 2. Shivers scored two plays later.

The Bulldogs had to punt on their next drive and TCU scored the go-ahead touchdown six plays later.

Louisiana Tech seemed to have the momentum after turning two TCU turnovers into scores in the third quarter to take a 24-17 lead.

TCU's Brandon Carter fumbled a punt that was recovered on the 12, setting up Hunter Lee's 2-yard run that tied the game at 17.

Quinn Giles intercepted a pass from Pachall on the Louisiana Tech 39-yard line. Three plays later, Myles White made a sensational one-handed, over-the-shoulder catch of a 61-yard pass from Colby Cameron for a touchdown and a 24-17 lead.

White reached up for the ball with his right hand and pulled it in.

"I tracked the ball late," he said. "I reached out and by the grace of God it kind of fell into my body. I thought we were going to bust the game open from that point."

The teams traded field goals in the first half before Quinton Patton pulled in a 2-yard TD pass from Cameron. The play originally was ruled an incompletion, but was overturned after video review. Patton got one foot inbounds before tumbling out of the side of the end zone.

"I felt like we had the best of them in the first half," White said. "Against good teams, you can't be lackadaisical against them."

Late in the first half, TCU cornerback Greg McCoy jumped a route, intercepted Cameron and returned it 25 yards to the Bulldogs' 25. Four plays later, Ed Wesley ran 7 yards up the gut to tie the game at 10.

"They were hitting us in the mouth in the first half and we had to counter," Dawson said.

TCU had 190 yards rushing.

"I was a little disappointed in the way we played tonight," Dykes said. "I wish we would have played better. I think we would have had a good opportunity to win. But they made plays down the stretch when they needed to and we didn't."

Nov. 19 Louisiana Tech 24 … at Nevada 20

Nov. 12 Louisiana Tech 27 … at Ole Miss 7  

Nov. 5 Louisiana Tech 41 … at Fresno State 21

Oct. 29 at Louisiana Tech 38 … San Jose State 28  

Oct. 22 Louisiana Tech 24 … at Utah State 17
CFN Analysis: Is Louisiana Tech back in the bowl hunt? With two straight road wins over Idaho and Utah State, and with a winnable date with San Jose State up next, the Bulldogs are back in the WAC title chance and playing well at just the right time. The run defense that’s been strong all year picked a great time to come up with its best game of the season, keeping the high-powered Aggie offense to just 166 yards and two scores. If this wasn’t Adrien Cole’s best game of his impressive career, it was close with 14 tackles and two tackles for loss. The passing game still isn’t rolling, with Nick Isham completing just 10-of-22 passes for 63 yards, and Colby Cameron not doing much more when he got his chances, but the offense took advantage of every chance and got help from Terry Carter’s pick six to turn the game around.  

Oct. 8 Louisiana Tech 24 … at Idaho 11
CFN Analysis: Considering the pass defense has been awful, giving up 244 yards and picking off three passes wasn’t bad. The defense came up with one of its best games of the year, and while the offense didn’t roll, it was good enough to get by and didn’t make any major mistakes. Nick Isham had a decent day, but his job was to hand off toe Hunter Lee, who came up with a workmanlike 134 yards on 28 carries. Punter Ryan Allen was the star, averaging 48 yards per kick with a whopping six put inside the 20, and with the way the Idaho offense was playing, a long field was a killer. Against Utah State in two weeks, the offense has to be ready for more of a shootout.  

Oct. 1 Hawaii 44 ... at Louisiana Tech 26
CFN Analysis: Just when it seemed like the Bulldogs were going to make a statement, they came up with their worst performance of the season. The pushed Mississippi State hard in a tough overtime loss, but there wasn’t any hope against the Hawaii passing game. The pass rush did its part, and the offense got a nice day out of Nick Isham, who threw for 305 yards and three touchdowns, but the ground game couldn’t get rolling. With ten penalties and three turnovers, Tech gave the Warriors plenty of opportunities to take control, and they did. Now at 1-4 with five road games in the next six, the Bulldogs are in big, big trouble.
 
Sept. 24 at Mississippi State 26 … Louisiana Tech 20 OT
CFN Analysis: Louisiana Tech had what it took to get to overtime against Mississippi State, but it couldn’t manage to come through in crunch time. Nick Isham, even with the overtime pick, came up with a breakthrough game in a tough environment, and the team pushed hard and played well enough to win. However, now Tech has lost to Southern Miss by two, Houston by one, and to MSU in overtime. Hawaii is up next and Isham and the passing game have to be ready to dial up offense to another level – and for a full four quarters. 

Sept. 17 Houston 35 ... at Louisiana Tech 34
CFN Analysis: Tech could easily be 3-0 right now, but considering the overtime win against Central Arkansas, it could also be 0-3. The pass defense folded in the clutch, and the offense screwed up too much in crunch time allowing Houston the chances to come back. The offense still isn’t working like it’s supposed to, with just 199 yards through the air from Nick Isham, but the running game did its part with 233 yards and three scores spread around. The secondary won’t be a problem next week against Mississippi State, but WAC play starts with Hawaii, and the offense has to be ready for a shootout. 

Sept. 10 at Louisiana Tech 48 … Central Arkansas 42 OT
CFN Analysis: Uh oh. The passing game was fine, with Nick Isham completing 22-of-37 passes for 318 yards and two touchdowns with a pick, and Lennon Creer was fantastic with 177 yards and three touchdowns, but Central Arkansas did even more with its passing attack, with Nathan Dick throwing for 372 yards and four scores. The Tech attack needs playmakers to emerge, and Quinton Patton became one with eight catches for 211 yards and two scores, and the D finally came up with a stop in overtime, but this was hardly a confidence builder. There were too many penalties, too many mistakes, and too many breakdowns, and to make matters worse for the beleaguered pass defense, Houston is up next. The WAC season doesn’t start for a few weeks, but the opener is against Hawaii. The nation’s 107th ranked pass defense is getting help from the pass rush, but the defensive backs aren’t making plays.

Sept. 3 at Southern Miss 19 … Louisiana Tech 17
CFN Analysis: The Louisiana Tech passing game still isn’t working quite right. It’s supposed to be high-powered and should stretch the field both vertically and horizontally, and Nick Isham only threw for 176 yards and was off on third downs. With Lennon Creer not picking up the slack – with 53 yards and a score on 17 carries – the offense wasn’t able to put away the game. Beating Central Arkansas next week shouldn’t be a problem, but the offense needs to come up with more than 244 yards, and the O line has to be much tighter for the Bulldogs to have any shot against Houston and Mississippi State.

(AP) HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Danny Hrapmann made a 49-yard field goal with 2:32 left to help Southern Miss beat Louisiana Tech 19-17 on Saturday night in the season opener for both teams.

Southern Miss held freshman quarterback Nick Isham and the Louisiana Tech offense to 244 yards, but mistakes on special team cost the Golden Eagles in several crucial situations. Southern Miss muffed and lost a punt at its own 3, had a field goal blocked and gave up Lyle Fitte's 85-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Down 7-0 at the half, Louisiana Tech tied it at 10 with the kickoff return and took a 17-13 lead after Southern Miss receiver Tracy Lampley muffed a punt at the 3.

Southern Miss pulled within a point on Corey Acosta's 42-yard field goal with 7:44 to go and took the lead on Hrapmann's 49-yarder. The defense then held on fourth-and-5 at midfield to seal the win.

Southern Miss quarterback Austin Davis completed 21 passes for 226 yards. He also threw an interception.

Isham finished 20 of 36 for 176 yards for Tech.

The 2011 Class Is Heavy On … Defensive linemen. This is a big, big class with a little something for everyone. The splash is in the passing game as quarterbacks and receivers are hot for the Sonny Dykes passing offense. JUCO transfer receivers Quinton Patton, Scott Cathcart and Myles White will play right away, while JUCO transfer quarterbacks Brodrick Watters and Nick Isham will fight it out. The meat of the class is on the defensive front with several strong prospects led by Malcolm Pichon, a 6-3, 330-pound tackle who could be the anchor of the line for the next four years.

Five Louisiana Tech Recruits You Should Care About
Player writeups by Scout.com

1. LB Beau Fitte
Fitte doesn’t wow you with his size but he gets it done on the field and makes a lot of plays. He has good speed and makes a lot of plays between the hashes. He is physical when he gets to the ball and navigates well in traffic with avoiding blocks. Getting better at taking blocks on and getting off of them is something he can improve on along with getting bigger to fill out his frame

2. WR Quinton Patton
6-0, 195, Three-star JUCO transfer

3. DT Malcolm Pichon
6-3, 330, Scout.com’s 86th ranked defensive tackle

4. DE Daniel Hayden
6-3, 235, Three-star JUCO transfer

5. OT Oscar Johnson
6-6, 355, Three-star JUCO transfer

2011 Entire Recruiting Class
Brice Abraham ATH 5-11 175 Jennings, La. (Jennings HS)
Zeke Alsander OL 6-6 300 Baton Rouge, La. (Southern Lab)
Larry Banks OL 6-4 325 Fayette, Miss. (Copiah-Lincoln CC)
Warren Bates LB 6-0 205 Plaquemine, La. (St. John HS)
Scott Cathcart WR 6-5 220 Santa Maria, Calif. (Fullerton CC)
Vontarrius Dora DL 6-4 235 West Point, Miss. (West Point HS)
Beau Fitte LB 6-1 210 Port Sulphur, La. (South Plaquemines HS)
Jeremy Graffree OL 6-3 300 Perkinston, Miss. (Miss. Gulf Coast CC)
Zach Griffith QB 6-3 185 Fullerton, Calif. (Fullerton CC)
Daniel Hayden DL 6-4 235 Poplarville, Miss. (Pearl River CC)
Chip Hester LB 6-0 230 North Myrtle Beach, S.C. (Hutchinson CC)
Ty Hook LB 6-0 210 Denton, Texas (Ryan HS)
Nick Isham QB 6-0 185 Hidden Hills, Calif. (Westlake HS)
Oscar Johnson OL 6-6.5 350 Crystal Springs, Miss. (Copiah-Lincoln CC)
Tevin King RB 5-7 160 Moultrie, Ga. (Colquitt Co. HS)
Levander Liggins ATH 5-11 185 Leesville, La. (Leesville HS)
Antonio Mitchum LB 6-1 245 Hemingway, S.C. (Georgia Military College)
Quinton Patton WR 6-1 195 La Vergne, Tenn. (Coffeyville CC)
Malcolm Pichon DL 6-3 330 Slidell, La. (Salmen HS)
Tyler Porter DL 6-0 310 Lafayette, La. (Northside HS)
Josh Robinson OL 6-4 275 Lancaster, Texas (Lancaster HS)
Dirk Tanner DL 6-1 270 North Little Rock, Ark. (Pulaski Academy)
Brock Waters ATH 5-10 190 Sarasota, Fla. (Independence CC)
Jon’al White DL 6-1 300 Ruston, La. (Jones County JC)
Myles White WR 6-1 185 Livonia Mich. (Northwest Miss. CC)