Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks
Sun Belt
Louisiana-Monroe got off to a nice start by beating Arkansas 34-31 in their season opener. They followed it up with close losses to Auburn and Baylor. That is an extremely tough schedule and the Warhawks still managed to finish with an 8-4 record. The 6-2 Sun Belt mark was not good enough to win the conference title, but this is a team that can compete with anybody and they have proven it.
2012 Record: 8-4, 6-2
Coach: Todd Berry
Coach Bowl Record: 0-0
Big Wins: 9/8 Arkansas (34-31), 10/6 at Middle Tennessee State (31-17)
Bad Losses: 11/3 Louisiana (24-40), 11/8 at Arkansas State (23-45)
Strengths:
ULM has a great quarterback in Kolton Browning. The junior signal caller threw for 2,830 yards and 27 touchdowns. Browning has a very accurate arm and has thrown a mere seven interceptions this season. Browning has a few great targets to throw the ball to as well. Brent Leonard is the top receiver on the team, catching 97 passes for ten touchdowns. Tavarese Maye is also a very good possessions receiver who can break some big plays. Je’Ron Hamm is the usual big play receiver. He caught 58 passes for 862 yards and six scores during the regular season. That is an average of nearly 15 yards per catch. But Browning can do more than throw; he is also the team’s leading rusher. Browning only rushed for 441 yards, but he is a dangerous scrambler. The ground game may be led by Browning and his unimpressive 441 rushing yards, but the ground game is not quite as bad as it looks. Jyruss Edwards is a quality back when healthy and Monterrell Washington will get some carries as well. With Browning, Edwards and Washington, ULM has enough of a threat to run to open up the passing game.
Weaknesses:
Coach Todd Berry’s team has done a very good job stopping the run, but stopping the pass is another story. The team ranked 104th in the nation, allowing over 270 yards per game through the air. That is a lot of yards. ULM has been getting involved in some shootouts, so they are going to give up yards. However, 270 is a tad too much and the secondary is susceptible to good passing offenses. Part of the problem with the secondary is the fact that the pass rush has been inconsistent and most decent passing attacks can pick apart the Louisiana-Monroe secondary given time in the pocket.
Statistical Leaders:
Rushing: Kolton Browning, QB, 441 yards
Passing: Kolton Browning, QB, 2,830 yards
Receiving: Brent Leonard, WR, 1,042 yards
Tackles: R.J. Young, LB, 90
Sacks: Gerrand Johnson, DT, 4.0
Interceptions: Isaiah Newsome, S, 4
2012 Team Stats:
Rushing Offense: 146.00 (80th in nation, 7th in conference)
Passing Offense: 296.67 (25, 2)
Total Offense: 442.67 (35, 4)
Scoring Offense: 35.50 (28, 2)
Rushing Defense: 135.83 (30, 1)
Pass Defense: 271.50 (104, 8)
Total Defense: 407.33 (70, 5)
Scoring Defense: 27.83 (62, 4)
Turnover Margin: 0.67 (24, 2)
Sacks: 1.83 (70, 4)
Sacks Allowed: 1.83 (56, 6)
Recent Bowl Appearances:
No Bowl Appearances
*all team stats through 11/24
