By Paul Letlow, ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist
MONROE, La. – ULM's offensive output through nine games required another look at the program's record book this week.
With their 52-45 win over Appalachian State, the Warhawks topped the 50-point mark for the third time this season. In October, ULM beat UL Lafayette, 56-50, and Coastal Carolina, 51-43, in back-to-back 50-point outbursts for the first time since 1992.
The 1992 team is the only other in school history to top that plateau three times, beating Delta State, 52-13, McNeese State, 52-35, and Alcorn State, 78-27, in an FCS playoff game.
With 569 yards in total offense against the Mountaineers, ULM surpassed 500 yards for the fourth time. The Warhawks posted 593 yards on ULL, 589 against Texas State and 509 against Idaho.
ULM ranks No. 19 in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision in both scoring offense (37.0 points per game) and total offense (475.1 yards per game).
"Coach (Matt) Kubik is doing a great job," ULM head coach
Matt Viator said. "My only offensive philosophy is to be able to beat the defense. I've been asked that for years, 'What's your offensive philosophy?' Beat the defense. Whoever you're playing, but you've got to be good enough to beat them."
Kubik said the players and coaches have reached a comfort level in understanding roles, schemes and skillsets.
"It takes a spring practice, a season and then another spring practice before the kids really start feeling comfortable," Kubik said. "A lot of the guys playing for us this year are guys that played for us last year."
ULM is getting plenty of production out of quarterback
Caleb Evans, who passed for 356 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 47 yards and two scores in the App State win.
"Caleb has been doing a good job and really getting better each week at seeing those looks and understanding exactly what we want him to do as far as taking what they give him in the pass game and being patient if it's not there and handing the ball off if they're not giving us what we want," Kubik said.
Evans has 11 rushing touchdowns this season, believed to be a team record for ULM quarterbacks. He's within striking distance of the ULM record 14 rushing scores set by running back Irving Spikes in 1993.
Kubik said Evans is stronger this season and noted a physical difference in him while watching film from 2016.
"I was laughing with him about how skinny he looked on tape," Kubik said. "There's a noticeable difference, especially in his lower body."
Against App State, the Warhawks ran 38 times for 213 yards and three touchdowns, marking the fifth 200-yard rushing game of 2017. Running back
Derrick Gore pounded out 103 yards with a touchdown, Kaylin White ran for 50 and Evans added his 47 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
"Every week, we go in with a plan," Kubik said. "Everybody kind of throws that RPO or run-pass option term around loosely these days, but that's really what we've been hanging our hat on."
Viator said: "The key for us and I've been saying it all year is balance. I'm looking at 38 rushes and 32 passes. I'm different. When you say balance, people turn around and go, 'Well, 38 rushes and 32 passes.' I don't care if it's 68 to 2. My idea of balance is we can do what we want to do based off what you're doing. If you load the box, we're going to throw it. If you back off, we're going to run it. What I like about our offense right now is we're good enough to do both."
Kubik said offensive line coach
Eman Naghavi's mix of players up front has helped keep the unit rolling too. He said Naghavi monitors snap counts and is comfortable rotating eight linemen in most games.
"We rotate two centers and we've got guys interchangeable at guard and tackle," Kubik said. "That's a big deal when you can keep the big uglies fresh up front."
Speaking of records: Marcus Green's 95-yard kickoff return was his third of the season and the fifth longest in ULM history.
On offense and special teams, Green has now produced six scoring plays covering 80 or more yards.
"He's having a tremendous year," Kubik said. "He's a guy, when we got here, that we could tell he was special. He's been playing a lot of football at ULM, and he's taken the next step in his preparation, film study and things like that."
Green is ULM's leader with 29 explosive plays of 20 or more yards including: 16 kickoff returns, eight receptions, three rushes and two punt returns.
"He's fast, but he runs the ball hard too," Kubik said. "If there's a small crease in there, he's going to run it in there without any fear. He shows up a bunch on offense and obviously the kick returns. We were joking last night about how kickoff returns are becoming one of our best offensive plays."
Little things mean a lot: In a game well stocked with big plays, Viator noted a shoestring tackle by free safety
Roland Jenkins that likely thwarted a long touchdown run in the first quarter.
Quarterback Taylor Lamb rushed for 13 yards to the ULM 44 but could have gone the distance if Jenkins hadn't stopped him. App State settled for a field goal to trail 14-3 early in the second quarter.
"One play that I noticed in the game, and I'm going to make sure the team noticed, is when they got the field goal," Viator said. "Lamb broke a run and it looked like he was going to score. Jenkins comes running, throws an arm out and trips him. I mean, he's gone.
"He falls and then that's the time there that we held them to three. Huge play. These guys just keep playing hard and competing. That's what it's about."
Jenkins had a strong overall game with a team-leading 12 tackles, including a 9-yard sack.
