The LA Tech vs LA Monroe rivalry is back on Saturday night, and for North Louisiana it marks the return of the first I-20 showdown in 26 years. The schools are only 35 miles apart, but the gap in bragging rights has felt much longer for families and fans waiting for this one to come around again.
This is more than just another game on the schedule. With the rivalry dormant for more than two decades, the matchup has created fresh energy on both sides, especially inside households where support is split between the Warhawks and Bulldogs.
Family bragging rights are already in play
For Sarah Adams, a ULM student, the build-up has been impossible to ignore. She said she has not held back her trash talk from family members, adding: “We talk smack a lot about the game and about our schools.”
That kind of back-and-forth has become part of the story, with the rivalry giving friends and relatives plenty to argue about before kickoff. The local nature of the matchup means the noise is not just confined to campus; it is being felt across homes in North Louisiana.
Sophia Parkman was even more direct about the confidence around the ULM side. “We don’t have any bets going on and that’s because I’ve been talking so much smack and I’ve tried and no one will take me up on it because we’re going to crush them,” she said.
That kind of talk is exactly what a rivalry game should bring out, especially when the teams have not met for 26 years. The fact that the schools are so close only adds to the edge, because this is the sort of fixture that naturally divides a community.
Why this rivalry still matters
Jody Adams said the game carries real significance for the region. “ULM had the upper hand for a while. I think the roles have reversed a little bit since then, but I’m excited about this I-20 rivalry,” she said.
Her comments reflect the wider feeling around the fixture: this is not simply about one night of football, but about restoring a game that many people in the area remember fondly. Emily Adams also pointed to the history of the series, saying: “It was a good rivalry, but tech, usually wins. So that kind of, I think that’s why we stopped playing.”
Whatever the reason the series went quiet, it is back now, and there is a clear sense that it matters beyond the field. Jody Adams summed up that mood by saying there is “a lot of love on both sides” for ULM and Tech, while also predicting the game will be packed and played in a “fun environment.”
That is why Saturday night feels bigger than a routine meeting. It is the return of a local rivalry that has been missing for 26 years, and it arrives with family pride, school pride and North Louisiana bragging rights all on the line. As Jody Adams put it: “It’s about time we’ve been needing this for North Louisiana. It’s going to be fantastic.”
