Auburn Football: 5 Louisiana Tech Players to Watch This Week

Sep 21, 2013; Lawrence, KS, USA; Louisiana Tech Bulldogs wide receiver Sterling Griffin (4) is pushed out of bounds by Kansas Jayhawks cornerback JaCorey Shepherd (24) in the first half at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: John Rieger-USA TODAY Sports

#4 Sterling Griffin, 6-foot-1, 189 pounds, Senior, Wide Receiver

Following Skip Holtz’s press conference this week, the head coach allowed two players to field questions from the media. One was senior receiver Sterling Griffin, perhaps Holtz’s most trusted player. The two also spent time together as player and coach at USF.

When asked about the Bulldogs’ most recent game, an embarrassing home loss to FCS opponent Northwestern State, Griffin didn’t bat an eye and recalled the words he shared with his teammates in the days following the defeat.

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“I just try to tell them we still have to stay focused on the goals we have ahead of us,” Griffin said.  That is just to go 1-0 in this next game facing Auburn and just to win the conference.  At the end of the day, it is a loss but it does not affect us in achieving our goal, which is to be conference champs.  We are just looking at it as we are going to take it, correct the mistakes and we are going to move forward.”

Beating the Auburn Tigers and winning Conference USA are very lofty aspirations for a team that lost to a mediocre lower division opponent, but neither is impossible (though beating a No. 5 Auburn football team is close).

Last season, Griffin led the team with 33 receptions and 357 receiving yards (74 of which came on one play) and tied for the high point with two TD catches. Not exactly a huge offensive output. On the bright side though, Griffin’s 2013 numbers show how dedicated Louisiana Tech is to spreading the football around. Six players recorded 26 catches or more and all of them had more than 227 receiving yards.

Griffin is well on his way to surpassing last season’s numbers. In just four games, he has 19 catches for 280 yards (which both lead the team) and a touchdown, which was a 78-yarder against Louisiana-Lafayette. And his teammates are pulling their weight as well.

Trent Taylor, LSU Transfer Paul Turner and Hunter Lee each have 14 catches thus far and all three have found the end zone twice this season. Together, the quartet of Tech receivers has accounted for 806 receiving yards.

They’ll need to be even better, however, to reach the goals Griffin has of winning in Jordan-Hare Stadium or hoisting the C-USA championship trophy.