The first win in the series for
Louisiana Tech came in the 1973 Pioneer Bowl
Semi-Final NCAA Division 2 playoff game. Louisiana Tech featured All-American
receiver Roger Carr and
Boise State countered with All-American Quarterback Jim
McMillan. Boise State was coming off a 53 to 10 blowout win over South Dakota
State and Louisiana Tech had edged Western Illinois 18 to 13 to make it to the
semi-final game.
The Broncos jumped out to a 17 to 0 lead and seemed to be rolling when
Louisiana Tech started their comeback. Louisiana Tech took their first lead of
the game with 12 seconds left in the game winning 38 to 34. The Bulldogs went on
to the Camellia Bowl where they trounced Western Kentucky 34 to 0 to win the
1973 Division 2 National Championship.
Louisiana Tech was in the Southland Conference and the whole conference moved
from NCAA Division 2 to NCAA Division 1 in 1975. In 1978, the NCAA divided the
Division 1 Football classification into a D1A and a D1AA. The Southland
Conference chose to compete in the D1A classification until the NCAA forced them
to be reclassified to D1AA in 1982. In 1986, Louisiana Tech left the Southland
Football Conference to pursue membership in D1A as an independent. Louisiana
Tech became a D1A Independent in 1988. Louisiana Tech was a Big West Conference
football only member from 1993 to 1995, and then returned to a D1A Independent
until joining the WAC in 2001.
Boise State and Louisiana Tech played 2 games in the late 1990’s after
Boise State joined the Big West Conference and moved to D1A in football.
Louisiana Tech beat Boise State in Boise 31 to 27 in 1997 and beat Boise again
in Ruston 63 to 28. The next time Boise State and Louisiana Tech met in
football, it was as the newest members of the Western Athletic Conference.
Boise State lost their fourth consecutive game to Louisiana Tech in 2001, 48
to 42. In a game with many lead changes, the Broncos were trying to score late
to win the game, when Ryan Dinwiddie’s pass to a wide open Jeb Putzier in the
end zone hit a lineman’s helmet and was deflected in the arms of a Bulldog
player to end the game. That game was for the WAC championship, so Louisiana
Tech became the WAC Football Champions and played in Boise’s Humanitarian
Bowl. Despite Boise State’s 8-4 record and second place finish in the WAC, the
Broncos did not go bowling.
The loss to Louisiana Tech would be the last loss to a WAC team for the next
31 WAC games. During Boise State’s 31 WAC game winning streak; the Broncos
would beat Louisiana Tech 36 to 10 in 2002, 43 to 37 in 2003, and 55 to 14 in
2004.
Louisiana Tech leads the overall Series 4 games to 3.
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