Louisiana Tech set to face defending champs
BOCA RATON, Fla. – Louisiana Tech will hit the road on a short week to take on the reigning Conference USA champions, as the Bulldogs travel to face Florida Atlantic on tonight in Boca Raton, Florida.
The game is set to kick off at 5:30 p.m. at FAU Stadium in Boca Raton and will be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network.
Louisiana Tech enters Friday’s game with a 5-2 overall record and 3-1 mark in league play. The Bulldogs head into the conference matchup having won four straight C-USA road games dating back to the 2017 season.
Louisiana Tech is 3-1 on the road so far in 2018. Last week, Holtz and the Bulldogs defeated the UTEP Miners 31-24 on homecoming. Louisiana Tech enters the weekend having won two straight with wins over Texas-San Antonio and UTEP.
Florida Atlantic has posted a 3-4 overall record on the season with a 1-2 record in C-USA games. The Owls are coming off a 31-7 loss at Marshall last week. Florida Atlantic has notched wins over Air Force, Bethune-Cookman and Old Dominion this season.
The Owls are led by second-year head coach Lane Kiffin, who has posted a 14-7 record since taking over at Florida Atlantic in 2017.
“FAU is a football team that is 3-0 at home and they have won 10 in a row at home going back a couple years,” head coach Skip Holtz said. “They have a confidence and an air about them at home that has been completely different than what we have seen on the road.
“We know we are going to face a talented team playing with a lot of confidence and we have to go to their place on a Friday night on a short week.
“This is one of the more talented teams in our league. They have more all conference players and preseason picks than any other team in our league.
“They won the conference last year and ran away with it last year. They are an explosive football team. There is a reason they won it all.”
The Bulldogs and Owls have only one previous time in the all-time series with Florida Atlantic holding the advantage after a 48-23 win in Ruston last season.