Shai Werts, who missed the final two regular-season games with a shoulder injury, ran for three touchdowns and threw for another as Georgia Southern pounded Louisiana Tech 38-3 in the New Orleans Bowl on Wednesday in the Superdome.

Werts gained 71 rushing yards on 15 carries. He scored on runs of 1, 37 and 1 yards. He was 7-for-12 for 126 yards in the air.

Georgia Southern (8-5) led 21-3 at halftime.

Khaleb Hood scored on a 65-yard pass from Werts in the second quarter and about 8 1/2 minutes later Werts rambled on his 37-yard scoring run.

Louisiana Tech (5-5) scored its lone points on Jacob Barnes' 45-yard field goal with nine seconds left in the first half.

Louisiana Tech's bowl winning streak of six games was the longest active mark in the country, but it came to a crashing conclusion. Bulldogs coach Skip Holtz was denied from picking up his 150th career college coaching victory.

Louisiana Tech quarterback Aaron Allen was just 10-for-24 for 41 yards with three interceptions. Backup JD Head came on and completed 9 of 14 throws for 78 yards with one interception. Running back Israel Tucker gained 123 yards on 20 carries.

Georgia Southern scored on the game's opening possession, using 10 plays to cover 65 yards with Werts finishing it with a 1-yard run. Receiver Malik Murray's 43-yard ground pickup and a fourth-and-1 conversion were the big plays on the drive.

Louisiana Tech moved inside the Georgia Southern 20-yard line late in the first quarter. That threat was doused by Justin Birdsong's interception.

Gerald Green's 4-yard fourth-quarter run marked the game's final touchdown.

Georgia Southern had only a 17-15 edge in first downs, but most of the big plays went in its direction.

This was the first meeting between the teams.

Georgia Southern lost three of its last four regular-season games, each of the setbacks by eight points or less. Louisiana Tech didn't play in November because of postponements and cancelations, then played three games (including the bowl) in December.

Georgia Southern is 3-1 in bowls in a six-year span since rising from the Football Championship Subdivision.

--Field Level Media