Mason Husmann tackle vs Army 2020
7
Louisiana-Monroe ULM 0-1
37
Winner Army ARMY 2-0
Louisiana-Monroe ULM
0-1
7
Final
37
Army ARMY
2-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
ULM Louisiana-Monroe 0 7 0 0 7
ARMY Army 14 3 13 7 37

Game Recap: Football |

ULM Falls in Season Opener at Army, 37-7

By Paul Letlow, ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist

WEST POINT, N.Y. – The 2020 season will be a work in progress for ULM football.

The COVID-19 pandemic hampered normal preparations for the Warhawks, who lost 37-7 to Army at historic Michie Stadium on Saturday.

Limited in spring drills that were cut short as everything shut down, stalled 10 days in the preseason after positive COVID tests in the program and sidelined for four more days following Hurricane Laura, the Warhawks (0-1) debuted with an opening day lineup that featured 14 new starters.

A tough opponent in most circumstances, Army (2-0) turned into a formidable matchup for the untested Warhawks.

"We've got to get back to work and get back to practice," ULM coach Matt Viator said. "Some things started to show that we have to fix. I thought our kids came in and played hard, but it just didn't happen."

Quarterback Colby Suits completed 14-of-19 passes for 148 yards and a touchdown in his first ULM start. He didn't throw an interception but fumbled at the Army 28 in the fourth quarter. Quarterback Jeremy Hunt completed 2-of-5 attempts for 15 yards and threw an interception.

"I thought both of them did a few good things for sure," said Viator, who called plays for the first time since coming to ULM as head coach. "But we looked out of whack offensively. I can't put the finger on anybody or anything. We never got in any rhythm offensively, and that's my fault"

ULM gained 200 total yards on 44 plays with nine first downs. Tight end Josh Pederson caught five balls for 56 yards. Running back Josh Johnson netted 38 yards on 12 carries.

"They did a good job getting after our quarterback," Viator said. "It's not like we didn't know what they were going to do. … We just didn't execute offensively. We've got to run the ball better than that for sure."

The defense battled Army's relentless option attack, surrendering 436 rushing yards on 65 attempts to the Black Knights who collected 24 first downs and won time of possession 36:47 to 23:13.  ULM linebacker Traveion Webster led the defense with a career-high 11 tackles and helped force a fumble.

ULM's defense was playing well in the third quarter, but Army gambled on fourth-and-10 with a fake punt that gained 47 yards on a run by Wilson Catoe down to the ULM 18. Three plays later, quarterback Christian Anderson ran for a 6-yard touchdown and Army led 24-7 with 6:22 left in the third.

"We saw a look that was favorable and called the play," Army coach Jeff Monken said, regarding the fake punt. "Fortunately, we executed. It was a big play in the game."

The Warhawks were playing from behind from early on.

After holding ULM to three-and-out on the first series, Army set the tone with a 15-play, 60-yard opening drive. Anderson scampered for a 5-yard touchdown and the 7-0 lead.

The Black Knights extended their edge to 14-0 with 1:47 left in the first quarter on Sandon McCoy's 2-yard run. Army covered 61 yards in just four plays.

After gaining just 19 yards on nine plays in the first quarter, ULM flipped the field early in the second with a 54-yard pass from Suits to Jahquan Bloomfield. However, ULM sputtered in the red zone and Army blocked a 37-yard attempt by first-time kicker Davis Hughes.

"We gave up a couple more big plays this week than we did last week." Monken said. "We let them get some throws down the field that cost us. But I thought the guys did a great job.'

ULM coaxed Army's first turnover of the season when Keilos Swinney raked loose a fumble recovered by Mason Husmann at the Warhawk 30. As planned, Hunt came in to play quarterback, but the offense went three-and-out for the third time and couldn't take advantage.

However, when Warhawk defenders Jabari Johnson and Webster came up with fourth-and-4 stop at the ULM 37 with 6:08 left in the second quarter, the offense was ready to respond.

After sitting out a series, Suits returned to lead a seven-play, 64-yard scoring drive. He was 4-for-4 passing, including a 6-yard touchdown strike to Malik Jackson to narrow the score to 14-7 with 2:12 in the half.  The touchdown catch was the first of Jackson's career.

Army started its final drive of the half at the ULM 47 with 27 seconds remaining. Quarterback Jemel Jones, in the game for a sidelined Anderson, completed a 29-yard pass to help set up a 40-yard field goal by Landon Salyers.

The Black Knights held a 17-7 halftime lead after outgaining ULM 237 to 138 in total yardage. ULM was 2-for-7 on third downs in the first two quarters. Army collected 13 first downs, compared to five by the Warhawks.

After turning the fake punt into points, the Black Knights began to pull away when fullback Jakobi Buchanan sprinted 25 yards for a touchdown that put Army up 30-7 with 24 seconds left in the third quarter. Salyers missed the PAT.

Buchanan added his second rushing touchdown on a 40-yard run in the fourth quarter as Army extended the lead to 37-7 with 5:58 remaining. Buchanan led Army with 106 yards on 11 carries.

Up next: The Warhawks jump right into Sun Belt Conference action with a home game against Texas State on Sept. 19. Kickoff at Malone Stadium is scheduled for 6:30 p.m.

Tail feathers: Senior CB Corey Straughter served as ULM's game captain. … ULM wore white jerseys with gold pants. … Isaiah Phillips, who returned kickoffs for the Warhawks, scurried 35 yards with his first opportunity. … Presumptive starting kicker Zach Elder was a late scratch for ULM and didn't make the trip. … Because of COVID-19 restrictions, only West Point cadets were the only fans allowed to attend the game.
 
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