Austin Hawley gang tackle vs. Texas State 2019
Brendan Maloney
24
Winner ULM ULM 3-3 , 2-0
14
Texas State TXST 2-4 , 1-1
Winner
ULM ULM
3-3 , 2-0
24
Final
14
Texas State TXST
2-4 , 1-1
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
ULM ULM 7 10 0 7 24
TXST Texas State 0 7 7 0 14

Game Recap: Football |

ULM Grinds Out Gutsy Win at Texas State, 24-14

By Paul Letlow, ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist

SAN MARCOS, Texas – ULM needed a workmanlike effort to win on Thursday night.

A workhorse running back and a resilient defense was there to carry the load.

With a national audience on ESPNU watching, Josh Johnson rushed for 114 yards and scored two touchdowns to help the Warhawks to a 24-14 win over Texas State at Bobcat Stadium. 

"Anytime you win in this conference it's tough," ULM coach Matt Viator said. "But you go win on the road, in the short week and these circumstances, I'm really proud of our players and our coaches for putting it together in a short week and getting this done."

The win evened ULM's record at 3-3 overall and gave the Warhawks a first-place perch at 2-0 in the Sun Belt Conference's West Division. Texas State fell to 2-4 overall, 1-1 in the league.

"We're excited to be 2-0 in the conference, but we've still got some things to work on," Johnson said. "On offense, we left too many drives out there. For the game to be 24-14, we left a lot out there. But we fought to be 2-0, and we know we've got more work to do."

For Johnson, it was another stellar performance in a breakout year. The 100-yard game was his fourth of the season for the junior, who has become one of the Sun Belt's offensive stars in 2019.
       
ULM shook off the rigors of a road game on a short week just five days after falling to Memphis at Malone Stadium.

"What a gutsy effort by our team," Viator said. "We had guys dropping like flies in the second half, coming off such a tough game on Saturday."

Stagnant throughout the second half, the ULM offense was able to milk the clock late in the fourth quarter when it counted the most. On a drive that started at the ULM 14 with 8:27 left, the Warhawks worked their way to the Texas State 24 and faced fourth-and 1 with 2:26 remaining in the game. 
       
After two timeouts, Texas State was offsides and ULM had a first down at the 19. Two plays later, Austin "Bus" Vaughn darted into the end zone from 11 yards out to put ULM ahead 24-14 with 1:46 to go. ULM's game-clinching drive covered 86 yards on 13 plays and chewed 6:41 off the clock.

With fresh legs, Vaughn took over the workhorse role after Johnson was hit on the hand and fumbled late in the third quarter. Vaughn gained 29 valuable yards on five carries to help seal the win.   

"Everyone knew coming in it was going to be a tough game," Johnson said. "We just played five days ago. We knew it would be tough but we kept fighting."

Cortez Sisco Jr. led the defense with nine tackles while Austin Hawley added seven tackles and forced and recovered a fumble. Kerry Starks made two sacks and Sam Miller had one as ULM limited Texas State to 338 yards and just 91 on the ground.

"You have to give big ups to the defense," Johnson said. "For them to come in and step up when we weren't clicking was big. That's how it needs to be on both sides of the ball."

If the Warhawks had any issues lingering with their turnaround, it wasn't evident early in the game.

ULM took a quick 7-0 lead by scoring on its opening drive as Johnson pounded in a 1-yard touchdown run to cap a seven-play, 75-yard drive. The Warhawks had four plays of more than 15 yards on the march, including a 25-yard pass from Caleb Evans to Jonathan Hodoh to open the game.

Johnson's 8-yard touchdown run put ULM ahead 14-0 with 13:15 left in the second quarter. The Warhawks converted on third down twice while covering 80 yards in 11 plays

The Bobcats responded with their best drive of the game to close the scoring gap to 14-7 on a Calvin Hill's 3-yard touchdown run with 9:03 left in the first half. Texas State's 12-play, 75-yard drive included a near interception, a fourth-down conversion and burned 4:12 off the clock.

ULM's Jared Porter kicked a 34-yard field goal to extend the lead to 17-7 with  3:27 remaining in the half. ULM's nine-play, 68-yard drive stalled in the red zone with a pair of incomplete passes. 

The Warhawks carried their 10-point advantage into the break after outgaining the home team, 262-180, in the first half. Johnson rushed for 72 yards on 13 carries while Evans was 10-of-20 for 150 yards passing with one interception.

ULM's defense came through with several big plays to start the second half. Texas State lost a fumble to ULM's Hawley on its first series, then saw its next drive stall on sacks by Hawley and Miller, then end on downs as the Warhawks sniffed out a fake punt and Sisco made the stop.

A sudden turn of events late in the third quarter changed the complexion of the contest. ULM still had its 10-point lead and was in the red zone again when Johnson lost a fumble at the Texas State 12 and the Bobcats recovered, returning it out to the 38.

On his first play in the game, quarterback Tyler Vitt hit Trevis Graham Jr. on a 62-yard touchdown pass and the Bobcats trailed 17-14 with 54 seconds remaining in the third quarter.  

"That could have really deflated us," Viator said. "But our defense really kept us in it big time."

The three-point margin made for a tense fourth quarter until the offense found its footing at the end. Corey Straughter's interception with 1:24 remaining in the game put the finishing touches on ULM's win.

"Hats off to the defense," Viator said. "Except for one play, they got in there and shut the door for us."

Up next: On Oct. 19, ULM visits Boone, North Carolina, for a showdown against East Division leader Appalachian State. Kickoff is 2:30 p.m. CST. App State (5-0, 2-0 Sun Belt) claimed a 17-7 victory at Louisiana-Lafayette on Wednesday night.
       
Tail feathers: ULM's defense has recorded at least one takeaway in seven consecutive games, dating back to the 2018 season finale against the Ragin' Cajuns. Austin Hawley forced and recovered a fumble on the first series of the second half. … ULM's game captains were OG Trace Ellison, DE Sam Miller, C Bobby Reynolds, DT Jaylen Veasley. … TE Tyler Lamm had his best game of the year with three catches for 44 yards. … Red-shirt freshman Malik Jackson came through with several clutch catches in the game and finished with a team-leading five receptions for 55 yards.
 
Print Friendly Version