Louisiana Tech football falls to Rice 42-41 in overtime homecoming heartbreaker

RUSTON – Louisiana Tech football trudged through a late fourth-quarter deficit and overtime but fell to Rice 42-41on Saturday in a homecoming heartbreaker.

What began as a comfortable lead over the Owls became a fight for survival in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs (2-5, 1-2 Conference-USA) dug themselves into a hole in the second half but bounced back with seconds left in regulation against Rice (4-3, 2-1).

The Bulldogs attempted a two-point conversion in overtime but the pass was incomplete. It was the first home loss of the season for Louisiana Tech.

"Our guys fight and they play really hard," Louisiana Tech coach Sonny Cumbie said. "They play with tenacious effort, they play with the toughness. Those are all things that we want to continue to build and to base our identity from a football standpoint on."

Here are three observations from the Louisiana Tech loss.

Quarterbacks stepping up

Late in the first quarter, Louisiana Tech starting quarterback Parker McNeil took a hit and made his way to the sidelines after going 5-for-7 passing for 32 yards and a TD.

Matthew Downing replaced McNeil. He had a rocky start, ending his first drive with an interception in the end zone.

After the first-drive jitters Downing finished 12-for-24 passing for 159 yards, two TDs and an interception.

With less than a minute left in the game, Downs existed the game with an injury. The Bulldogs turned to freshman Landry Lyddy, who threw two perfect throws – a 19-yard TD and a two-point conversion to keep Louisiana Tech alive.

Lyddy finished 3-for-6 passing for 38 yards and two TDs in his second appearance.

"For a freshman he's got a lot of swag," linebacker Hugh Davis said. "He had confidence so for him to go out there and do what he did, it didn't surprise me at all."

Tre Harris making big plays

Harris was the favorite target among the quarterbacks. The highlight of the game came in the form of a 32-yard TD reception to Harris in the third quarter.

Toward the beginning for the fourth quarter, Harris was brought to the ground by multiple defenders and got up on his own but walked off the field. He returned a few drives later. He finished with eight receptions for 92 yards and three TDs.

Defending against the run game

The Bulldogs' defense had struggled in limiting the run game. Opponents were averging 263 rushing yards per game.

The Owls stacked up 282 rushing yards for three TDs.

The defense had 69 tackles, one sack, six tackles for loss, three broken up passes, four quarterback hurries, four forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.

"They have a lot of fight, they have a lot of want to and they have a lot of will power," Cumbie said.

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This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Louisiana Tech football stumbles in overtime, falls to Rice in homecoming