What new Louisiana Tech football Sonny Cumbie said about Bulldogs quarterback competition

Louisiana Tech football coach Sonny Cumbie is high on Calvary Baptist quarterback Landry Lyddy, but he’s also expecting a heated battle for the top job when practice opens in August.

“It will be a good one,” Cumbie said at Thursday’s Bulldog Blitz in Shreveport. “We’ve added Landry Lyddy, Andrew Brister, Lonnie Ratliff and then we’ve also added Jack Turner from Navarro Junior College.

“So those guys coming in with Matt Downing being there and Parker McNeil being there, I think our quarterback battle is really set up with Parker and Matt right now, and those other guys nipping at their heels.”

The Shreveport version of the Bulldog Blitz was held at The Seventh Tap Brewing Project and featured most of the head coaches in Tech sports. It followed a similar event in Monroe on Tuesday. 

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Tech struggled with low quarterback numbers last year, but that doesn’t appear to be the issue for Cumbie in his inaugural season.

“You may have a higher volume, but you want to make sure you have one or two of them in there who are really, really good,” Cumbie said. “I think we have the makings of a group that will be really talented.”

The Bulldogs are gearing up for a more wide open offense than they enjoyed under former coach Skip Holtz. A graduate of Texas Tech, Cumbie is known for pushing the offensive tempo.

Brister is the son of former Northeast Louisiana (now UL Monroe) quarterback Bubby Brister, who played 15 seasons in the NFL. The younger Brister transferred to Tech from Northern Colorado where he played one season and completed one pass. Cumbie had no problem prying Brister out of Monroe.

“He and his dad were proactive about coming,” Cumbie said. “Andrew has done a nice job picking up the offense. It might have been a little different from what he was doing at his previous place. He’s been working hard this summer and we’re glad to have him around.”

Jimmy Watson covers Shreveport-Bossier area sports. Email him at jwatson@shreveporttimes.com and follow him on Twitter @JimmyWatson6.