The Basics
--Score: Alabama 34, ULM 0
--Records: ULM 1-2 (0-0 Sun Belt), Alabama (3-1, 0-1 SEC)
--Location: Bryant-Denny Stadium – Tuscaloosa, Ala.
--Attendance: 101, 323
How It Happened
Alabama first got on the board with a workman-like 11-play, 55-yard touchdown drive. The Crimson Tide had just one completion there, and punched it in on a fourth-and-one rush by Kenyan Drake from the ULM 3.
The Crimson Tide extended its lead to 14-0 by virtue of a wide long snap that ultimately gave Alabama possession at the 15. On the next play, Jake Coker found Calvin Ridley for a touchdown just inside the pylon.
The Warhawks threatened with a solid opening drive to the second half but stalled out. A kick-catch interference on the punt return gave Alabama some extra breathing room. The six-play, 41-yard drive ended with a 40-yard field goal to increase the Tide lead to 17-0. The previous play was a false start on fourth-and-one.
It was a near-splitting image in the next Alabama drive. Another 15-yard penalty on the punt gave the Crimson Tide at the ULM 40. Three rushes later, Jake Coker found Mike Nysewander for a 19-yard strike, making it 24-0 just after the halfway mark in the third quarter. It was the longest pass play of the game against the ULM defense.
Garrett Smith threw his second interception of the season just two minutes after Alabama kicked its second field goal of the game, and the Tide responded with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Coker to Ardarius Stewart two plays later. That concluded the scoring for the night.
--ULM captains: Colby Mitchell (offense), Michael Johnson (defense) and David Griffith (special teams).
--Alabama captains: Denzel Devall, O.J. Howard and Dalvin Tomlinson.
-- ULM won the opening coin toss and deferred to the second half.
-- LB Hunter Kissinger made his first start (and appearance) of the 2015 season on Saturday.
--The Warhawks held Alabama to 303 yards of total offense after the No. 12 Crimson Tide entered the game averaging 512.3 per game, including two games against ranked teams. It was the fewest Alabama was held to in a contest since Oct. 11, 2014 (12 games).
--Alabama had just 166 yards passing. The Warhawks have not yielded 200 yards to a team through the air since the Nov. 8, 2014 game against Appalachian State.
-- ULM forced Alabama to go three and out on its opening drive of the game… It marks the third consecutive game this season that the Warhawks have forced its opponent to go three-and-out on the opening drive.
-- Rashon Ceaser hauled in a pass during the first quarter to extend his streak to 34 consecutive games with a reception (ranked fourth in FBS entering Saturday).
-- Tre' Hunter intercepted a Jake Coker pass in the second quarter and returned it 12 yards… The interception by Hunter was the first of his career.
-- Midway through the second quarter, ULM ran a fake punt as Chris Qualls completed a five-yard pass to Harley Scioneaux to give the Warhawks a first down (ULM faced fourth down and three yards).
-- In the opening half, the Warhawks limited the Crimson Tide to a mark of 2-for-9 on third down attempts… ULM also held Alabama to just 175 yards of total offense in those first 30 minutes.
-- The successful field goal by Alabama's Adam Griffith in the third quarter was the first made field goal of the season by a Warhawk opponent.
--Trey Caldwell's seven tackles tied for a game-high. Mitch Lane also had six stops.
Up Next
--The Warhawks will open up Sun Belt Conference play next weekend as they host the Eagles of Georgia Southern. The homecoming contest is set to begin at 6 p.m. and will air on ESPN3.
For updates on the football squad, be sure to follow the team on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
