'Twas the Night Before Game Day

Here are game notes and info from HawaiiAthletics.com and LaTechSports.com. A note from the latter:

While Louisiana Tech often is at the top of the nation in miles traveled, this is a week where the Bulldogs have no right to complain. LA Tech will be hosting its second consecutive home game while Hawai'i will be on the road for the third straight week. When the two teams kickoff on Wednesday night, LA Tech will have traveled 3,212 miles this season to date while Hawai'i will have traveled 19,624 miles, coming off the island for the third consecutive week.

2theadvocate.com has a game preview.

Ethan Conley of The News Star writes that this game means a lot to LaTech. The article also has quotes from Derek Dooley on how he hopes to contain UH's offense.

“The key to defending these guys is you’ve got to do a lot of different stuff,” Dooley said. “At the end of the day you have to somehow find a way to get pressure. You have to do a great job of tackling in space, because they’re going to complete passes. You’ve got to be physical, disrupt the receivers, and try to affect the quarterback so the timing gets affected.

“All those things -- and there are so many elements -- and the red area is important. They’re going to make yards. They’re going to complete balls. It’s OK. But let’s hold them to field goals, let’s create some turnovers, let’s tackle, and make them earn it.”

Dooley relives going for the failed 2-point conversion in UH's 45-44 victory over LaTech in 2007.

Then as Dooley walked off the field he saw his son standing near the goal posts, so he went over to give him a hug.

“You always expect a little support from your family. The first thing out of his mouth, however, was ‘Dad, why’d you go for two?’ I just looked at him and said ‘not now, son.’ But as we walked up the hill, he said a little louder, ‘But I just don’t understand, why’d you go for two, dad.’ I knew then it was gonna be rough at home.”

The article has some quotes about UH from LaTech players Antonio Baker and Dustin Mitchell.

“They haven’t lost a beat. They have some real talented receivers and Alexander is getting into a groove. I can see a little Colt Brennan in him,” Baker said. “They hit you with a short pass here and a short pass there, then they throw one deep. And they can run the ball, which they did on us last year. We just have to bring our ‘A’ game.”

“I expect another shootout because their offense is explosive,” Tech tight end Dustin Mitchell said. “I believe our defense can step up and stop them enough to give our offense the chance to put some points on the board.”

The Shreveport Times has more about the matchup between the Warrior offense and the Bulldog defense.

Hawaii is coming to town at 7 p.m. on Wednesday with its one-of-a-kind air show that is far different from the two option attacks the Bulldogs faced against Navy and Nicholls State.

"We have to say that everything we've done for the first three weeks forget about it ... it doesn't work anymore. We have to switch our personnel around ... change who's in the game," Tech coach Derek Dooley said. "We have a base defense, but everything's different because it's four wides. It's throwing it every down ... it's doing some one-back screens and runs. It's how you pass rush. What are your keys are up front?"

And apparently the cast of a reality show will be signing autographs before the game.

The cast of the top-rated show on A&E, The Exterminators, will be at Joe Aillet Stadium in Ruston, La. Wednesday night signing autographs before kickoff of the Louisiana Tech vs. Hawaii "Red out" football game.