The Basics
--Score: Idaho 27, ULM 13
--Records: ULM (1-6, 0-3 SBC), Idaho (3-4, 2-2 SBC)
--Location: Kibbie Dome – Moscow, Idaho
--Attendance: 14,414
How It Happened
--The Vandals began the day with a workman-like 13-play drive that ended with a 39-yard field goal by Austin Rehkow. Caleb Tucker's 14-yard sack on the final play of the drive ended Idaho's touchdown threat.
--The Warhawks proceeded to win the field possession the rest of the first quarter, helped by a Chris Qualls punt that was downed at the 2. After one of his touchbacks, Lenzy Pipkins wrapped around the offensive line on a blitz to sack Matt Linehan and force a fumble.
--Michael Johnson recovered the Idaho drop, and two plays later Smith found an open Marcus Green in the middle of the end zone for the 11-yard strike. ULM took a 7-3 lead with 42 seconds to go in the first quarter.
--Idaho's ensuing drive saw the Vandals move it downfield again, but Johnson came up big yet again with an untouched sack that made it second-and-18 at the ULM 22. Consecutive incomplete passes set Idaho up for its second 39-yard field goal of the game, cutting the Warhawk lead to 7-6 with 12 minutes to play in the first half.
--Johnson continued to wreak havoc on the Idaho offense with a fumble recovery after a dropped handoff. Craig Ford ended the ULM drive with a 44-yard field goal that gave the Warhawks a 10-6 lead with nine minutes, three seconds to play before intermission.
--Idaho was not fazed by Qualls' second punt of the game to be downed inside its own 5. The Vandals put together a 12-play, 96-yard drive that ended with a 36-yard scoring pass from Linehan to Trent Cowan with just seven seconds remaining in the half. It gave Idaho a 13-10 lead.
--The two squads exchanged punts to begin the second half before ULM tied it up on a 31-yard field goal from Ford. Completions of 21 and 22 yards to Jared Mapps and Harley Scioneaux, respectively, were the primary weapons for the Warhawks on the drive.
--The Vandals responded on the ensuing drive with a nine-play, 79-yard drive that was finalized by a 33-yard endzone loft from Linehan to Deon Watson. The touchdown made it a 20-13 Idaho lead with six and a half minutes to play in the third.
--Idaho extended its lead to 27-13 with 12 minutes, 35 seconds to play in the contest. Linehan and Watson connected again on a 23-yard scoring pass to the goal line.
Inside (and Beyond) The Box Score
--ULM captains: Kaylon Watson (offense), Hunter Kissinger (defense), Tre' Hunter (special teams)
--Idaho captains: Broc Westlake, Elijhaa Penny, Quinton Bradley, Dallas Sandberg
--Idaho won the coin toss and elected to receive.
--ULM's three forced turnovers were a season-high. It also had three against Idaho last season in Monroe.
--Linebacker Michael Johnson's two fumble recoveries in just over a quarter of play were the first two of his three and a half years as a Warhawk.
--Hunter Kissinger's 17 tackles marks four consecutive outings of double-digit stops (60 in that span). He had a career-high 18 the previous week.
--Craig Ford's 44-yard field goal tied a career-long.
--Tre' Hunter's second-quarter interception in the end zone and succeeding 26-yard return gave him two picks for 38 yards in his Warhawk career, the first one coming at Alabama.
--Gerrand Johnson picked up a one-armed sack of Linehan as he tried to escape the rush up the middle, his second of the season.
--Marcus Green continued to step up with his second straight six-catch game, tying his career-high.
--De'Vonte Haggerty's 16-yard catch was his first of the season after sitting out due to injury for the first five games.
--Xavier Brown's 25-yard grab came after he had just two catches for 12 yards heading into the day.
--Markis McCray had his first collegiate catch in just his second game after having his redshirt lifted.
--Gerrand Johnson and Caleb Tucker each had a pair of tackles-for-loss. Johnson also had one and a half in his previous outing and the Houston transfer Tucker had one and a half in his lone collegiate season coming into the game.
--Lenzy Pipkins' sack was the first of the season for the cornerback.
Quoting Head Coach Todd Berry
First of all I want to congratulate Idaho, they played well and they played hard. I thought we had some opportunities in the first half, we talked all week about field position, and turnovers were going to be critical. We got some turnovers, which was great from a defensive perspective. We gave up a few too many yards on third down conversions in that first half defensively, but overall we played hard. Offensively we struggled at times with our young receivers, it just is what it is. They have some out of body experiences at times that can create some problems for us, and obviously that was apparent. I think the other thing too is just you're in position and we've talked about it all year long, we're in position to make a play, and we're just not making the play, and it's something that we got to get fixed. And, we played hard, didn't play smart as much as I'd like to see us play so I've got to look hard at what we're doing in relation to it, and then again, we've got to make some plays when they're there.
Up Next
--The three-game road swing continues for ULM, albeit a much closer trip. The Warhawks head south to play UL Lafayette on Halloween Saturday at 4 p.m. It will air on ESPN3.
