ULM Inside Slant
Better late than never.
That could be the
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theme for ULM, which rallied for four
fourth-quarter touchdowns for its 35-30 victory
over winless Western Kentucky. Trailing
24-7 entering the quarter, the Warhawks scored
on three consecutive possessions and got a
fourth score on an interception return for an
11-point cushion. ULM recovered an onside
kick to seal the deal after the Hilltoppers
scored in the final minute.
"What we're going to do from this point on,
when we're at home, we're just going to put a
four on the bottom of the quarter and we're not
going to go first, second, third and fourth,"
coach Todd Berry said following the game. "I
think we play better when we see the four."
Earlier this season, the Warhawks needed a
fourth-quarter touchdown to get past
Southeastern Louisiana by one point, and they
scored the decisive touchdown with under three
minutes left in a three-point victory over
Florida Atlantic.
For the second consecutive game, freshman
running back
Jyruss Edwards gave the Warhawks the lead
for the first time, scoring on a 6-yard run to
make it 28-24 with 3:35 left in the game.
A week earlier, he had scored the decisive
touchdown in a 20-17 victory over Florida
Atlantic.
"We never panicked," Edwards said. "We knew
what we had to do. We had to depend on our
defense like always. We knew we were going to go
out there and do our job and refuse to lose."
The victory evened ULM's record at 3-3 and
left the Warhawks 2-1 in the Sun Belt
Conference. They are back on the road again for
the next game, traveling to preseason conference
favorite Middle Tennessee on Saturday.
That will be the second outing of a five-game
stretch that has them on the road four times.
The only home game for the Warhawks in that span
is Oct. 30 against Troy.
NOTES, QUOTES
•Redshirt freshman RB Jyruss Edwards
led ULM in rushing with 60 yards on 12 carries
and also scored two touchdowns, his second and
third of the season. His 33-yard run in the
second quarter was the Warhawk's first run of
more than 20 yards this season.
•The Warhawks had a season-high five
sacks against Western Kentucky, one each by LB
Jason Edwards, NT
Quantez Hunter, DE
Keavon Milton, LB
Cameron Blakes and LB
Theo Smith.
•Senior RB
Frank Goodin continues to struggle to get
his game going, but he did score his first
touchdown of the season on a two-yard run to
bring ULM to within three points of Western
Kentucky midway through the fourth quarter.
Goodin had only 21 yards rushing, however, on
eight carries, giving him 158 for the season.
Game Ball Goes To: QB
Kolton Browning-The redshirt freshman threw
for 208 yards and a touchdown on 20-of-33
passing against the Hilltoppers. He didn't have
an interception. It was his fifth consecutive
game of more than 200 yards passing, and he also
rushed for 52 yards on nine carries. Browning
has thrown a touchdown pass in five of ULM's six
games, missing only against Auburn.
Keep An Eye On: CB
Robert Nelson-Nelson came up with the first
interception of his career at a key moment at
Western Kentucky. He returned the fourth-quarter
pick 55 yards for a touchdown and a 35-24 lead.
Quote To Note:
"It never crossed our
mind. It never crossed my mind,
for sure."
-RB
Jyruss Edwards, on the possibility of losing at
Western Kentucky.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Looking Good: The defense came up
with five sacks and an interception at Western
Kentucky and held the Hilltoppers to 164 yards
passing. On the other side of the ball, QB
Kolton Browning threw for 208 yards, with WR
Luther Ambrose catching five passes for 77
yards and WR
Tavarese Maye grabbing five for 31 yards.
Ambrose had the only touchdown reception. The
Warhawks rushed for 131 yards, with RB Jyruss
Edwards accounting for 60 of the total on only
12 carries.
Still Needs Work: The Warhawks gave
up 180 yards rushing to the Hilltoppers with RB
Bobby Rainey, the conference's leader rushing,
gaining 169 on 32 carries. Aaron Munoz averaged
only 34.2 yards on five punts, although three
were downed inside Western Kentucky's 20-yard
line. His long of the game carried only 39
yards, and he also threw incomplete on two
fourth-down passes.
Roster Report:
•WR
Tim Taylor's reception in the second quarter
was his first of the season. He became the 15th
Warhawk with a reception this year.
•CB Robert Nelson's 55-yard
interception return for a touchdown was the
first such return for a score since Greg James
ran a pick back against UL-Lafayette in 2008.