LAFAYETTE, La.?Jameson
Jordan forced a fumble on the three-yard line with just over three minutes
remaining to preserve a 17-11 ULM victory over Louisiana-Lafayette Saturday
night at Cajun Field. The win makes the
Warhawks bowl eligible for the first time since they made the jump to Division
I-A in 1994.
ULM (6-6, 4-3 Sun Belt) took the six-point
lead with 7:43 left in the game on a 28-yard field goal by Cole Wilson. The Warhawks ended the season winning five of their last six games.
On the next possession, the Ragin'
Cajuns (3-9, 3-4) found themselves with a third-and-four from the ULM eight-yard line. ULL quarterback Connor Morel found Jason
Chery on a screen pass down the sideline, but Jordan, a backup defensive end, stripped
the ball and Alaric Coleman came out from under a pile of players with the ball
in the end zone.
The Warhawks went three-and-out on
their ensuing possession punting the ball back to the Cajuns, giving ULL the
ball on its own 40-yard line and just over two minutes on the clock.
ULM held the Ragin' Cajuns on four straight
plays to preserve its sixth victory of the season, a number they have not
reached since 1993. This is the second
straight week that the ULM
defense has forced a four-and-out with under two minutes remaining to preserve
a victory.
In last week's 21-14 victory at Alabama, the ULM
defense held the Crimson Tide on three straight possessions late in the fourth
quarter, including a four-and-out on the last possession.
After tallying just 120 yards in
the opening half, the Warhawks responded with an 11-play 71-yard drive to open
the second half. Quarterback Kinsmon
Lancaster took a quarterback draw back up the middle for a three-yard touchdown
extending the ULM lead to 14-3; his first rushing score of the season and
eighth of his career.
Greg James put the Warhawks on
the board with a 60-yard interception return for a touchdown. The return was the 13th longest
interception return for a touchdown in ULM
history and the sixth longest on the road.
The touchdown was James' second
in his career. The sophomore from Monroe, La., returned a
blocked field goal for a score last year at Kentucky.
Louisiana-Lafayette scored on the
final play of the first half, but thanks to a goal-line stand by the Warhawk
defense it was just three points instead of seven. The Ragin' Cajuns had a first-and-goal from
the ULM
one-yard line following a 10-yard run by fullback Chance Roberson on
fourth-and-one.
The Warhawks forced three straight
incompletions by Morel, two of which were broken up by senior cornerback
Darrius Battles. Instead of going for it
for the second time on fourth down, ULL head coach Ricky Bustle opted for the
18-yard field goal by Drew Edmiston.
ULL pulled within 14-11 with just
42 seconds remaining in the third quarter on a 42-yard touchdown run by Tyrell
Fenroy. Connor found tight end Erik
Jones in the corner of the end zone for the two-point conversion.
ULM punter Scott Love's second punt of the
day rolled out-of-bounds at the ULL 15-yard line. It was his 23rd punt this season
inside the 20-yard line setting the Warhawk single-season record passing Joel
Stelly's mark of 22 from 2004.
Scoring Summary
ULM-James 60 interception return
(Wilson kick),
9:51, 1st 0-7
ULL-Edmiston 18 FG, 0:00, 2nd 3-7
ULM-Lancaster 3 run (Wilson kick), 11:13, 3rd
3-14
ULL-Fenroy 42 run (Connor pass to
Jones), 0:43, 3rd 11-14
ULM-Wilson 28 FG, 7:43, 4th 11-17
