Louisiana Tech football coach Sonny Cumbie after loss to Missouri: Expect QB play improvement

Sonny Cumbie's Louisiana Tech football debut as head coach against Missouri on Saturday ended in a 52-24 loss, but he said Tuesday that improvement is coming.

Part of that improvement is having a consistent arm at the quarterback position. Cumbie said Matthew Downing will start on Saturday vs. Stephen F. Austin ( 6 p.m., ESPN3). In his first start with the Bulldogs (0-1), Downing was 20-for-35 with 194 yards and a touchdown but with three interceptions and three sacks. He ran five times for 11 yards.

"I wasn't very good as a quarterback whisperer in that first game," Cumbie said.

The Bulldogs played two quarterbacks against the Tigers. Redshirt senior Parker McNeil got on the field late in the third quarter and finished 7-for-11 with 142 yards for two touchdowns with one sack.

"I think the biggest thing is not to make the game anything more complicated, don't make it anymore complicated than it is," Cumbie said. "It's really not that hard."

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Cumbie said it boils down to two things: pre- and post-snap assignments. The Bulldogs work all week to anticipate what may be thrown their way but when it's game time, Cumbie expects the quarterbacks to execute.

"That is the message to all of our quarterbacks, and then also to just do it with a great sense of belief," Cumbie said.

Wide receiver Tre Harris has seen the progression and mistakes made by the Louisiana Tech offense as it works the air raid scheme.

"We've just got to limit the mistakes, and that's really what our coaches have been telling us," Harris said. "What separates a good team from a great team is the little mistakes."

Harris caught six passes for 36 yards. He said that it doesn't matter to him who is throwing the ball; Harris is worried about executing his assignments, minimizing errors and catching the pass.

Pleasant surprises from Missouri

Cumbie said there were a few things that he was impressed with. One that stood out was the level of competition in which the players held throughout the course of the game and the camaraderie among the players on the sidelines.

Cumbie was pleased with the explosive plays, typical in his air-raid offense, and recognized the potential for more explosiveness in the run game but saw a need to create more space to facilitate the backfield.

This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Louisiana Tech football coach Sonny Cumbie expects improved QB play