This was the Bulldogs last season as members of the WAC as they joined Conference USA in 2013.
Before the seasonedit
Recruitingedit
Four student-athletes in Louisiana Tech's 2012 signing class were already enrolled at Tech prior to signing day. After signing with Louisiana Tech on National Signing Day in 2011, running back Tevin King was finally declared eligible by the NCAA after waiting out the 2011 season, and his scholarship will count towards Tech's 2012 signing class.[2] On November 24, 2011, Sonny Dykes announced that four walk-on players would be receiving football scholarships which count towards the 2012 signing class. These players earning football scholarships include wide receiver D.J. Banks, defensive back Craig Johnson, running back Hunter Lee, and wide receiver Hayden Slack.[3]
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.
Sources:
"ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
"2012 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved February 10, 2012.
Death of Tyrone Duplessisedit
Early on the morning of February 2, 2012, Louisiana Tech redshirt sophomore running back Tyrone Duplessis awoke in distress at his off-campus apartment in Ruston, Louisiana. He reportedly sprung to a seated position in bed, pounded himself in the chest, and fell backward, never to rise again. He arrived at Northern Louisiana Medical Center before 5:00 a.m. and was pronounced dead shortly thereafter. The autopsy report showed Duplessis suffered a massive heart attack.[4] Toxicology reports came back negative with no drugs or alcohol found.[5] On February 10, approximately 1,000 people celebrated the life of Duplessis at a memorial service at the Thomas Assembly Center on the Louisiana Tech University campus.[6] The funeral was held on February 11 at the L. B. Landry High School auditorium in New Orleans. The Tyrone Duplessis Memorial Fund was established with the Louisiana Tech Foundation.
Ryan Lankford 18-yard pass from Nathan Scheelhaase (Taylor Zalewski kick)
ILL 0–7
1
5:58
LaTech
D.J. Banks 27-yard pass from Colby Cameron (Matt Nelson kick)
TIED 7–7
1
4:37
LaTech
Tevin King 9-yard run (Matt Nelson kick)
LaTech 14–7
1
0:19
LaTech
Tevin King 5-yard run (Matt Nelson kick)
LaTech 21–7
2
12:14
ILL
Taylor Zalewski 26-yard field goal
LaTech 21–10
2
4:01
ILL
Donovonn Young 1-yard run (Taylor Zalewski kick)
LaTech 21–17
3
14:15
LaTech
Quinton Patton 78-yard pass from Colby Cameron (Matt Nelson kick)
LaTech 28–17
3
9:26
LaTech
Quinton Patton 21-yard pass from Colby Cameron (Matt Nelson kick)
LaTech 35–17
3
4:27
LaTech
Antonio Mitchum 0-yard fumble recovery (Matt Nelson kick)
LaTech 42–17
3
1:42
LaTech
Matt Nelson 32-yard field goal
LaTech 45–17
4
10:39
LaTech
Myles White 38-yard pass from Colby Cameron (Matt Nelson kick)
LaTech 52–17
4
5:20
ILL
Reilly O'Toole 1-yard run (Taylor Zalewski kick)
LaTech 52–24
Linebacker Antonio Mitchum was named WAC Defensive Player of the Week (Week 4) for his performance against Illinois.[9] Wide receiver Quinton Patton was awarded an ESPN helmet sticker for his performance Week 4 against Illinois. Colby Cameron was named the Manning Star of the Week for his performance in Week 4.
Mike Evans 75-yard pass from Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet kick)
TAMU 7–34
2
2:55
LaTech
Kenneth Dixon 6-yard run (Matt Nelson PAT blocked)
TAMU 13–34
2
2:55
TAMU
Dustin Harris PAT return
TAMU 13–36
2
0:45
TAMU
Taylor Bertolet 28-yard field goal
TAMU 13–39
2
0:00
LaTech
Matt Nelson 43-yard field goal
TAMU 16–39
3
9:17
LaTech
Quinton Patton 2-yard pass from Colby Cameron (Matt Nelson kick)
TAMU 23–39
3
5:44
TAMU
Johnny Manziel 2-yard run (Taylor Bertolet kick)
TAMU 23–46
3
2:53
LaTech
Quinton Patton 5-yard pass from Colby Cameron (Matt Nelson kick)
TAMU 30–46
4
12:29
LaTech
Kenneth Dixon 22-yard run (Colby Cameron run for 2-point conversion)
TAMU 38–46
4
11:59
LaTech
Shakeil Lucas 5-yard interception return (pass for 2-point conversion failed)
TAMU 44–46
4
7:28
TAMU
Thomas Johnson 17-yard pass from Johnny Manziel (Taylor Bertolet kick)
TAMU 44–53
4
2:04
TAMU
Johnny Manziel 72-yard run (PAT failed)
TAMU 44–59
4
1:46
LaTech
Quinton Patton 62-yard pass from Colby Cameron (Matt Nelson kick)
TAMU 51–59
4
0:38
LaTech
Ray Holley 13-yard pass from Colby Cameron (pass for 2-point conversion failed)
TAMU 57–59
This game was originally scheduled for August 30 at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana. However, the game was postponed until October 13 due to Hurricane Isaac.[12]
Wide receiver Quinton Patton was named WAC Offensive Player of the Week (Week 7) for his performance against Texas A&M.[13]Colby Cameron was nominated for the Manning Star of the Week for his performance in Week 7.
R.P. Stuart 1-yard pass from Colby Cameron (Matt Nelson kick)
LaTech 7–0
1
10:26
UTSA
Cole Hubble 33-yard pass from Eric Soza (Kristian Stern kick)
Tied 7–7
1
9:38
LaTech
Kenneth Dixon 3-yard run (Matt Nelson kick)
LaTech 14–7
1
5:44
UTSA
Cole Hubble 57-yard pass from Eric Soza (Kristian Stern kick)
Tied 14–14
2
9:56
LaTech
Quinton Patton 79-yard pass from Colby Cameron (Matt Nelson Kick)
LaTech 21–14
2
0:08
LaTech
Jon Greenwalt 23-yard pass from Colby Cameron (PAT failed)
LaTech 27–14
3
10:52
UTSA
Earon Holmes 17-yard pass from Eric Soza (Kristian Stern kick)
LaTech 27–21
3
7:01
LaTech
Kenneth Dixon 7-yard run (Matt Nelson kick)
LaTech 34–21
4
14:27
LaTech
Matt Nelson 22-yard field goal
LaTech 37–21
4
11:50
UTSA
Cole Hicks 14-yard pass from Eric Soza (2-point conversion failed)
LaTech 37–27
4
7:33
LaTech
Malon Lee 9-yard pass from David Gru (Matt Nelson kick)
LaTech 44–27
4
0:14
LaTech
Kenneth Dixon 6-yard run (Matt Nelson kick)
LaTech 51–27
Punter Ryan Allen was named WAC Special Teams Player of the Week (Week 10) for his performance against UTSA.[15]Colby Cameron was nominated for the Manning Star of the Week for his performance in Week 10.
R.P. Stuart 4-yard pass from Colby Cameron (Matt Nelson kick)
Tied 7–7
1
6:27
TXST
Marcus Curry 55-yard run (Will Johnson kick)
TXST 7–14
1
1:10
LaTech
Kenneth Dixon 14-yard pass from Colby Cameron (Matt Nelson kick)
Tied 14–14
2
13:51
TXST
Bradley Miller 19-yard pass from Shaun Rutherford (Will Johnson kick)
TXST 14–21
2
11:04
LaTech
Kenneth Dixon 4-yard run (Matt Nelson kick)
Tied 21–21
2
7:19
LaTech
Kenneth Dixon 1-yard run (Matt Nelson kick)
LaTech 28–21
2
5:28
TXST
Marcus Curry 47-yard pass from Tim Hawkins (PAT blocked)
LaTech 28–27
2
2:38
LaTech
Kenneth Dixon 13-yard run (PAT failed)
LaTech 34–27
2
0:48
TXST
Marcus Curry 5-yard run (Will Johnson kick)
Tied 34–34
2
0:23
LaTech
D.J. Banks 49-yard pass from Colby Cameron (Matt Nelson kick)
LaTech 41–34
3
11:17
LaTech
Kenneth Dixon 16-yard run (Matt Nelson kick)
LaTech 48–34
3
3:11
TXST
Terrence Franks 22-yard run (Will Johnson kick)
LaTech 48–41
4
14:55
TXST
Bradley Miller 12-yard pass from Shaun Rutherford (Will Johnson kick)
Tied 48–48
4
12:51
LaTech
Ray Holley 6-yard run (Matt Nelson kick)
LaTech 55–48
4
3:23
LaTech
Colby Cameron 2-yard run (Matt Nelson kick)
LaTech 62–48
4
1:07
TXST
Shaun Rutherford 1-yard run (Will Johnson kick)
LaTech 62–55
Running back Kenneth Dixon was named WAC Offensive Player of the Week (Week 11) for his performance against Texas State.[16]Colby Cameron was nominated for the Manning Star of the Week for his performance in Week 11.
Myles White 33-yard pass from Colby Cameron (Matt Nelson kick)
LaTech 37–31
3
5:52
SJSU
De'Leon Eskridge 32-yard run (Austin Lopez kick)
SJSU 37–38
4
13:50
SJSU
De'Leon Eskridge 1-yard run (Austin Lopez kick)
SJSU 37–45
4
11:37
LaTech
Quinton Patton 10-yard pass from Colby Cameron (2-point conversion failed)
SJSU 43–45
4
6:53
SJSU
Jabari Carr 26-yard pass from David Fales (Austin Lopez kick)
SJSU 43–52
Statisticsedit
Louisiana Tech ranked 1st in the nation in scoring offense (51.5 points per game), total offense (577.92 yards per game), and net punting (43.51 yards per punt). Individually, Kenneth Dixon ranked led the nation in scoring average (14.0 points per game), and Ryan Allen led the nation in punting average (48.04 yards per punt).
After the seasonedit
Bowl invitation controversyedit
On Friday, November 30, Louisiana Tech was invited to play in the Independence Bowl, but asked for more time as they were in negotiations with the Liberty Bowl and Heart of Dallas Bowl.[17] Louisiana Tech athletic director Bruce Van De Velde and WAC commissioner Jeff Hurd claimed that on December 1, Liberty Bowl executive director Steve Ehrhart guaranteed the Bulldogs a bowl invite.[18][19] The Independence Bowl offered Louisiana Tech again on Saturday, December 1. After receiving no response, bowl organizers invited the Ohio Bobcats instead. On December 2, the Liberty Bowl extended their remaining bid to Iowa State Cyclones instead of Louisiana Tech. As a result, Louisiana Tech did not play in any of the 2012–13 NCAA football bowl games. The school's administration blamed bowl officials for the situation, which attracted national attention and controversy.[20]
For their individual performances during the regular season, several Bulldogs were named to various national All-America Teams. Ryan Allen was named to numerous All-America teams including the Associated Press (AP) All-America First Team, American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) All-America First Team, Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) All-America First Team, Sporting News (TSN) All-America First Team, Walter Camp All-America First Team (WCFF) All-America First Team, CBS Sports All-America First Team, ESPN All-America First Team, Pro Football Weekly (PFW) All-America First Team, and Sports Illustrated (SI) All-America First Team. The NCAA recognizes five All-America lists in the determination of unanimous All-America selections: the AP, AFCA, the FWAA, TSN and the WCFF.[21] Unanimous selections must be selected as first team in all five lists.[21] As such, for the 2012 season, Ryan Allen was named a unanimous All-American. Quinton Patton was named to several All-America teams including the AP All-America Second Team, CBS Sports All-America Second Team, SI All-America Second Team, and PFW All-America Honorable Mention Team. Colby Cameron was named to the SI All-America Honorable Mention Team. Kenneth Dixon was recognized with All-America honors including being named to the FWAA Freshman All-America First Team, CBS Sports Freshman All-America First Team, and College Football News (CFN) Freshman All-America First Team.
The WAC recognized a number of Bulldogs for their individual performances with various honors. Colby Cameron was named WAC Offensive Player of the Year, and Kenneth Dixon was named WAC Freshman of the Year. All-WAC First Team selections from Louisiana Tech included Ryan Allen, D.J. Banks, Colby Cameron, Dave Clark, Kenneth Dixon, I.K. Enemkpali, Jordan Mills, Quinton Patton, and Stephen Warner. All-WAC Second Team selections from Louisiana Tech included Chad Boyd, Ray Holley, Oscar Johnson, Kevin Saia, and Myles White.
The Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) decorated several Bulldogs with postseason honors. Colby Cameron was named LSWA Offensive Player of the Year, and Kenneth Dixon was named LSWA Louisiana Freshman of the Year. LSWA All-Louisiana First Team selections from Louisiana Tech included Ryan Allen, D.J. Banks, Colby Cameron, Kenneth Dixon, I.K. Enemkpali, Oscar Johnson, Quinton Patton, and Stephen Warner.
In addition to their on-field accomplishments, many Bulldogs were recognized for their performance off the gridiron. Ray Holley and Stephen Warner were named to the Capital One Academic All-District First Team, and subsequently Ray Holley was honored even further by being named to the Capital One Academic All-America First Team. Academic All-WAC honorees include Josh Cuthbert, Ray Holley, Matt Nelson, Solomon Randle, Chandler Spence, Andre Taylor, and Stephen Warner. Chandler Spence was also honored with the 1A FAR Academic Excellence Award.
At the team banquet, several Bulldogs were honored with team awards. Colby Cameron was named the Terry Bradshaw Offensive Player of the Year, and I.K. Enemkpali was named the Fred Dean Defensive Player of the Year. Ryan Allen was recognized as the Matt Stover Special Teams Player of the Year. Stephen Warner was named the Willie Roaf Lineman of the Year, and Chad Boyd was given the Tramon Williams Defensive Back of the Year award. David Gru was honored with the Karl Malone Strength and Conditioning Award. Kendrick James and Rufus Porter were both honored with the Most Inspirational Award. Ray Holley was given the Dan Reneau Academic Award, and D.J. Banks was honored with the Davison Family Community Service Award.
A couple Louisiana Tech assistant coaches were nominated for national awards. Offensive coordinator Tony Franklin was nominated for the Broyles Award, an honor bestowed upon the nation's top assistant coach. Franklin was also one of four finalists for the FootballScoop Offensive Coordinator of the Year. Assistant coach Pierre Ingram was one of five finalists for the FootballScoop Running Backs Coach of the Year.
Coaching changesedit
On December 5, 2012, head coach Sonny Dykes was announced as the new head football coach at the University of California, Berkeley to replace recently fired Jeff Tedford.[22][23] Offensive coordinator Tony Franklin, assistant head coach/outside receivers coach Rob Likens, special teams/inside receivers coach Mark Tommerdahl, running backs coach Pierre Ingram, and head strength and conditioning coach Damon Harrington were hired by Dykes at California. Cornerbacks coach Kevin Curtis was hired by Texas Tech. Offensive line coach Petey Perot was hired by Southern Miss. Defensive coordinator Tommy Spangler was hired by Presbyterian. On December 13, 2012, former South Florida head coach Skip Holtz accepted an offer to become the new head football coach at Louisiana Tech to replace Dykes.[24] Holtz retained defensive line coach Stan Eggen and linebackers coach Jeff Koonz.
^"9-3 Louisiana Tech won't play in bowl". ESPN.com. December 2, 2012. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
^"2012 Louisiana Tech Football Signing Day Central - Louisiana Tech Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on February 5, 2012. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
^"Three Bulldogs Thankful for Scholarships Earned - LA Tech Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on April 11, 2015. Retrieved February 12, 2012.
^"It's hard to make sense of Tyrone Duplessis' death".
^"Heart Attack Cited in Death of Louisiana Tech Running Back Tyrone Duplessis". KSLA. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
^"Louisiana Tech Celebrates the Life of Tyrone Duplessis - Louisiana Tech Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on March 11, 2012. Retrieved February 11, 2012.
^"2012 NCAA Football Rankings". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved August 2, 2012.
^"WAC Football Players of the Week Announced". WAC. September 17, 2012. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
^"WAC Football Players of the Week Announced". WAC. September 24, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2012.[permanent dead link]
^"WAC Football Players of the Week Announced". WAC. October 1, 2012. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
^"WAC Football Players of the Week Announced". WAC. October 8, 2012. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
^"Texas A&M-Louisiana Tech game postponed due to Hurricane Isaac". ESPN.com. ESPN. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
^"WAC Football Players of the Week Announced". WAC. October 15, 2012. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
^"WAC Football Players of the Week Announced". WAC. October 29, 2012. Archived from the original on December 5, 2012. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
^"WAC Football Players of the Week Announced". WAC. November 5, 2012. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
^"WAC Football Players of the Week Announced". WAC. November 12, 2012. Archived from the original on November 18, 2015. Retrieved November 26, 2012.
^Myerberg, Paul (December 3, 2012). "Why Louisiana Tech is staying home despite a 9-3 record". USA Today. Retrieved December 20, 2012.
^"Louisiana Tech AD, WAC claim Liberty Bowl reneged on deal". The Times. Retrieved December 20, 2012. (subscription required)
^"Louisiana Tech AD says Liberty Bowl 'went back on' its word to school". CBS Sports. Retrieved December 20, 2012.
^"9-3 Louisiana Tech won't play in bowl". ESPN. December 3, 2012.
^"GoldenBearReport.com - Cal hires Sonny Dykes as new head football coach". Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
^"Sonny Dykes Named Cal Head Football Coach - The University of California Official Athletic Site". Archived from the original on December 6, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2013.
^McMurphy, Brett (December 13, 2012). "Skip Holtz headed to Louisiana Tech". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 14, 2012.