The Basics
--Score: Georgia Southern 51, ULM 31
--Records: ULM (1-3, 0-1 SBC), Georgia Southern (4-1, 2-0 SBC)
--Location: JPS Field at Malone Stadium – Monroe, La.
How It Happened
--ULM's first drive of the game ended in a punt, which was blocked by Georgia Southern's Ken Butler, Jr. after an originally low snap. He returned it 26 yards for a score to give the Eagles a 7-0 lead just two minutes, 44 seconds into the game.
--A Garrett Smith interception set Georgia Southern up the ULM 43. Penalties by both teams prolonged the drive into an 11-play, 31-yard sequence that led to an Alex Hanks field goal from 29 yards out.
--The Warhawks were able to move it into the middle of Eagle territory before a fourth-and-long pass from the 36 fell incomplete. Georgia Southern responded with a nine-play, 64-yard drive that was bookended by Matt Breida's 13-yard touchdown run, making it a 17-0 lead for the Eagles.
--A career-long 44-yard field goal for freshman Craig Ford put the Warhawks on the board with seven minutes, seven seconds left in the first half. A 14-yard pass from Smith to Ajalen Holley was the primary benefactor of the 12-play, 38-yard scoring drive.
--The Eagles responded immediately with a four-play, 72-yard march that extended their advantage to 24-3. A Breida 22-yard run to begin the drive was followed up by a Favian Upshaw 45-yard rush down the home sideline that set L.A. Ramsby up for a one-yard push into the end zone.
--It became a 31-3 lead in favor of Georgia Southern after a Wesley Fields one-yard touchdown rush with 91 seconds left in the first half finalized an eight-play, 67-yard drive.
--ULM got its first touchdown of the night after Harley Scioneaux hauled in a three-yard touchdown pass right before a hard hit in the middle of the end zone. That score came with 20 ticks left in the first half to end the nine-play, 50-yard drive.
--The Warhawk defense stood tall in its first appearance after the intermission. The Eagles pushed it on the ground for eight minutes, but they were stymied in the red zone when Hanks missed a 31-yard field goal.
--ULM answered the fortuitous miss with a 69-yard pass from Smith to Holley on the first play of the ensuing drive. Jared Mapps snagged a 12-yard catch over his defender in the end zone two plays later to cut the ULM deficit to 31-17.
--The tide continued to turn the Warhawks' way when Junior Williams got his first career interception en route to taking it 56 yards for a touchdown. That narrowed the score to 31-24 with 14:06 to play in the game.
--Georgia Southern faced a fourth-and-short with 11 minutes to play before Ramsby busted through for a 41-yard touchdown run, his second of the game. It capped a six-play, 61-yard drive and put ULM back 38-24.
--ULM was forced to punt on their next drive, and Georgia Southern responded with another score that made it a 45-24 advantage. Breida pushed it in on a six-yard rush with six minutes, four seconds on the clock.
--The Warhawks got a nice glimpse of the future in redshirt-freshman D'Marius Gillespie, who hauled in a 10-yard scoring reception with exactly four minutes to go in the game. It pulled ULM to a 45-31 deficit.
--Georgia Southern padded their lead after taking advantage of a short field after an onside kick. Fields punched it in from four yards out with 31 seconds to play. The PAT hit off the upright, concluding the night's scoring.
Inside (and Beyond) The Box Score
--ULM captains: Frank Sutton, Jr. (offense), Trey Caldwell (defense) and David Griffith (special teams).
--Georgia Southern captains: Jake Banta, Ryan Brown, Riyahd Jones and Alex Hanks.
-- Georgia Southern won the opening coin toss and deferred to the second half.
--The Warhawks had 21 consecutive points from the second quarter till the early fourth that cut the Eagle lead to 31-24.
--ULM's first offensive play of the second half was a 69-yard connection from Garrett Smith to Ajalen Holley, the Warhawks' longest play from scrimmage of the year.
--It was also Holley's longest career reception.
--Holley had eight catches for 166 yards as the Warhawks' top offensive performer. He has 16 for 321 in two home contests.
--Jared Mapps' 12-yard touchdown catch midway through the third quarter was his first score as a Warhawk.
--D'Marius Gillespie's 10-yard touchdown catch was the first of his career. He got his first collegiate touch in the second quarter.
--The Junior Williams 56-yard pick-six was ULM's first since Mitch Lane accomplished the feat against Wake Forest in 2014. It marked back-to-back weeks a Warhawk collected his first career interception (Tre' Hunter against Alabama).
--Ben Banogu had three tackles-for-loss on the heels of getting his first career TFL against Alabama. It was the most by a Warhawk since Michael Johnson (4.5) and Lorenzo Jackson (3.0) accomplished the feat against New Mexico State in 2014.
--Hunter had a career-high nine tackles. Hunter Kissinger's 12 stops were his most since a career-high 13 against Texas A&M in 2014.
--Cody Robinson had a season-high eight tackles. He had that many heading into the game.
--Craig Ford's 44-yard field goal in the second quarter was the longest of his career.
Up Next
--The Warhawks will travel to Tulsa, Okla., next weekend as they face the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. The contest is set to begin at 5 p.m. and will air on ESPN3.
For updates on the football squad, be sure to follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
