A Christmas gift for Derek Dooley?

It would have been a long two weeks for the Louisiana Tech football team had the Bulldogs lost last Saturday's game to San Jose State. With nothing the play for, the team would have struggled through the Thanksgiving holiday just trying to play out the string.

Instead, the Bulldogs will have a lot on the line when they visit Nevada on Dec. 1. Defeat the Wolf Pack and Tech becomes bowl eligible, along with finishing with a 5-3 mark in their first year under Derek Dooley.

If Hawaii or Bosie State qualifies for a BCS bowl, which is very likely, a victory over Nevada could vault the Bulldogs into the New Mexico Bowl, against possibly TCU, as the WAC's fourth place team.

That might be the best Christmas gift that Dooley has ever received.