Stat Attack - Missouri State
Credit where credit is due. Louisiana Tech managed to keep things relatively clean in their 34-28 victory over Liberty on Saturday, accumulating just 55 penalty yards. But don’t let one somewhat disciplined performance fool you, this team still leads the nation in penalty yards at a staggering 73.7 per game.
To be fair to the Bulldogs, this isn’t some historically undisciplined team. Looking as far back as 1995, every season has had at least one team average more penalty yards per game than Tech’s current mark:
But it’s still safe to say that Tech has committed far too many penalties this season. And the relative restraint the Bulldogs showed against Liberty may have been the difference between victory and defeat.
In 2025, Tech has played three teams in games decided by a single possession:
- Western Kentucky: 80 penalty yards. Lost.
- Delaware: 98 penalty yards. Lost.
- Liberty: 55 penalty yards. Won.
When a game is close, those extra 10 or 15 yards from an untimely flag can more than just decide how a drive ends – they can decide how a game ends. And if Saturday’s showdown with Missouri State comes down to the final possession, you can bet penalties will play a starring role once again.
But that’s not to say Tech is alone in their struggle with yellow handkerchiefs:
What’s remarkable about Missouri State, though, is their ability to win despite shooting themselves in the foot. Their three most penalized games this season (against New Mexico State, Marshall, and UT Martin) were all victories. In those contests, the Bears committed an average of 50 more penalty yards per game than their opponents and still found a way to win.
Of course, one team’s penalties rarely exist in a vacuum. A trigger-happy officiating crew or two on one team’s schedule could skew our comparison. And that might be what’s happened with both Louisiana Tech and Missouri State:
So either both of these teams have gotten unlucky with the referees assigned to their games, or they’re just as good at drawing penalties as they are at receiving them. Or maybe a little of both.
Both squads managed to keep penalties in check last week, and Tech might be establishing a positive trend. Over their last three games, the Bulldogs committed fewer penalty yards than their opponents in each contest.
Still, given both teams’ track records this season, don’t be surprised if Saturday’s game features plenty of yellow laundry littering the field.
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Nathan is also a contributor to gtpdd.dog, a lighthearted Louisiana Tech blog. Be sure to check out @gotechplsdntdie on Twitter.
