No. 19 Louisiana Tech takes its explosive offense to Texas St

SAN MARCOS, Texas – Records have been falling all season for No. 19 Louisiana Tech, and more could fall this week.

The Bulldogs travel to San Marcos to face Western Athletic Conference newcomer Texas State on Saturday night. Already off to the best start in school history, Louisiana Tech (8-1, 3-0) will face a Bobcats team that has lost two straight since opening the WAC schedule with a victory over Idaho.

Picking up that second victory against the reigning conference champion will be difficult.

"We wanted FBS football and we got it," Texas State coach Dennis Franchione said. "Louisiana Tech comes to town and they are the real deal. (They are a) fantastic offensive team. They score a lot of points. I hope our fans turn out and want to see this kind of football. Hopefully we'll play as well as we can and make it into a good, festive evening in our own stadium."

Louisiana Tech is averaging 52.4 points and 570 yards per game. The Bulldogs' only loss was a 59-57 shootout against No. 15 Texas A&M on Oct. 13.

Freshman running back Kenneth Dixon is already the school's single-season leader in rushing touchdowns (20) and needs only one more to tie the NCAA freshman record set by Marshall Faulk (San Diego State) in 1991 and matched by Virginia Tech's Ryan Williams in 2009.

"It's been amazing," Louisiana Tech receiver Quinton Patton said. "The sky's the limit for him. When I first saw him out on the field when he came out for practice, he was always trying to shake and bake and everything, and I told him, 'You're too big to be doing that shaking stuff . just run through people, run over them.' And you've seen where it's gotten him."

Dixon is tied for first in the nation in scoring (13.33 points per game) with Oregon's Kenjon Barner. He is averaging 100.9 yards rushing per game.

Texas State's defense has allowed 32 touchdowns this season and opponents are averaging 202.8 yards rushing.

The Bobcats (3-5, 1-2) can't focus only on Dixon, however. Bulldogs quarterback Colby Cameron is averaging 327.3 yards per game and thrown 24 touchdown passes.

He passed for 348 yards and three touchdowns in a 51-27 win over UTSA last week — the seventh 300-yard game of his career, tying him with NFL Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw for fourth on the school's all-time list.

"I had no clue about records," Cameron said. "It's pretty unbelievable to be mentioned in the same category as Terry Bradshaw. It's pretty cool."

Cameron has not thrown an interception in 358 attempts, but Franchione predicts that streak will stop Saturday.

"I'll bet you we get one (an interception)," Franchione said. "Craig Mager or somebody (will get one). We seem to find a way to hang in there on those kinds of odds. We've made some interceptions that have been from some darn good football plays, especially by Craig and Darryl (Morris)."