Congratulations La. Tech
posted Wednesday, December 10th, 2008 @ 10:12 pm

Congratulations are in order for the La. Tech Bulldogs, who are headed to the Independence Bowl to face Northern Illinois.

The Dec. 28 bowl game in Shreveport will mark the first time in years La. Tech will play in a post-season contest. The game will be broadcast by ESPN.

Under the guidance of head coach Derek Dooley, the Bulldogs posted a 7-5 mark in the 2008 season and finished tied for second in the Western Athletic Conference. Four Bulldogs were named first team All-WAC. They were junior running back Daniel Porter, junior safety Antonio Baker, junior defensive tackle D'Anthony Smith and sophomore returner Phillip Livas. Meanwhile, sophomore offensive lineman Rob McGill and senior punter Chris Keagle earned second-team All-WAC accolades.

La. Tech's success on the gridiron in the '08 campaign delivered much-deserved recognition to the university, though we have always known La. Tech is a first-class institution of higher learning, which also serves as a catalyst in helping fuel the economy in northern Louisiana.

It was Dooley, though, who, in just his second season as head coach, revitalized the football program at Tech. By most accounts, Dooley is what we would describe as a comer among college football coaches. He's good.

La. Tech is lucky to have Dooley.

And Dooley is lucky to have the opportunity to coach at a first-rate university, which deserves the accolades it's receiving today.