MONROE, La. – Trailing 20-19, Justin Manton kicked the game-winning field goal on ULM's final drive of the game to edge Troy, 22-20 on homecoming Saturday evening at JPS Field at Malone Stadium.
Manton's 29 yard kick capped off a big 13 play, 57 yard drive to improve the ULM football program's record to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in theSun Belt Conference. Rashon Ceaser and Kenzee Jackson both caught a pair of passes on the final drive to put the Warhawks in position for the victory.
Troy (0-5, 0-1 SBC) had one last chance with just over two minutes remaining, but a big combined sack from Joey Gautney and Cody Robinson pushed the Trojans back. A quarterback hurry from Ray Stovall on fourth down sealed the win.
ULM quarterback Pete Thomas threw for 328 yards and two touchdown passes, both to Ajalen Holley. Thomas converted on 28-of-43 passes, 12 of which were caught by Rashon Ceaser for a game-high 121 yards. Holley registered 109 receiving yards.
On the ground, Donald rushed for 42 yards on 15 carries. Tyler Cain and Thomas tallied 18 rushing yards apiece.
Defensively, Michael Johnson shined with seven tackles including 1.5 sacks and 2.5 tackles for a loss. Mitch Lane, Hunter Kissinger and Gerrand Johnson also wrapped up for seven tackles in the contest.
For the Trojans, Brandon Silvers threw for 270 yards and three touchdowns on 23-of-34 passing. Bryan Holmes grabbed a team-high 97 receiving yards and a touchdown while Chandler Worthy caught a pair of touchdowns and 66 yards. Silvers also rushed for 64 yards.
The Warhawks got on the board first with a 37 yard field goal by Manton on their opening series to go up 3-0. It capped an 11 play, 62 yard drive where Thomas completed five of six pass attempts.
After a defensive three-and-out, ULM wasted little time adding to its total as Thomas found Holley deep on a 64 yard bomb to increase the lead to 10-0. It was the third play on the drive after a pair of rushes from Donald.
Another three-play drive forced Troy to punt, but the Trojans were able to pin the Warhawks on their own three-yard line. ULM answered with a 14 play, 80 yard drive, capped by a 34 yard field goal by Manton. A 30 yard completion to Jackson and a 21 yard reception from Cain highlighted the drive. It put the Warhawks ahead 13-0 with 13:39 left in the second quarter.
The Trojans got on the board with 5:51 left in the second quarter on a 19 yard touchdown pass to Holmes. It ended a 10 play, 98 yard drive and cut the deficit to 13-7.
Troy took its first lead of the game, 14-13, on a four yard pass to Worthy right before the end of the half. The Trojans cashed in after an interception gave them good field position at the ULM 37 yard line.
The Warhawks re-captured the lead late in the third quarter on Holley's second touchdown reception, a 15 yard grab. Holley caught it at the three yard line and made a spin move in the center to reach pay dirt. It completed a seven play, 48 yard drive. The point after was no good as a bad snap turned into a scramble play and the pass was incomplete to keep it at a 19-14 game.
With 7:36 left in the fourth quarter, the Trojans scored on a six yard touchdown pass to Worthy to go up 20-19. The two-point conversion attempt failed as Silvers was stopped a yard shy as he tried to leap into the endzone. The missed two-point attempt proved pivotal as it gave the Warhawks the chance to win on a field goal on their final drive.
Manton connected on three-of-three field goals in the contest.
Up next, ULM will look to stay unbeaten in conference play as it travels to Jonesboro, Ark., for a 6:00 p.m. contest against Arkansas Statenext Saturday.
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
8:19: ULM – 37 yard field goal by Justin Manton, 11-62-5:15, ULM 3-0
5:54: ULM – 64 yard pass from Pete Thomas to Ajalen Holley, (Manton, J. XP), 3-72-1:10, ULM 10-0
Second Quarter
13:39: ULM – 34 yard field goal by Justin Manton, 14-80-5:10, ULM 13-0
5:51: Troy – 19 yard pass from Brandon Silvers to Bryan Homers, (Solomon, J. XP), 10-98-3:39, ULM 13-7
0:41: Troy – Four yard pass from Brandon Silvers to Chandler Worthy, (Solomon, J. XP) 5-37-0:44, Troy 14-13
Third Quarter
3:05: ULM – 15 yard pass from Pete Thomas to Ajalen Holley, (PAT failed) 7-48-3:03, ULM 19-14
Fourth Quarter
7:36: Troy – Six yard pass from Brandon Silvers to Chandler Worthy (Two-point conversion failed) 7-80-2:26, Troy 20-19
2:08: ULM – 29 yard field goal by Justin Manton, 13-57-5:28, ULM 22-20
