Traveion Webster sack vs. LSU 2021
MG Miller
14
ULM ULM 4-7 , 2-5
27
Winner LSU LSU 5-6 , 2-5
ULM ULM
4-7 , 2-5
14
Final
27
LSU LSU
5-6 , 2-5
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
ULM ULM 0 7 0 7 14
LSU LSU 7 10 7 3 27

Game Recap: Football |

ULM Gains Respect Despite Loss to LSU

By ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist Paul Letlow

BATON ROUGE, La. – A play here, a play there and ULM might have been in position to shock LSU on Saturday night at Tiger Stadium.

Two fruitless ULM drives ended on downs a yard or two short of the end zone. Offensively, the Warhawks struggled on third downs, converting just 3-of-14. The defense gave up touchdown passes of 67 and 42 yards.

Against a heavily favored opponent, it was too much to overcome as LSU escaped with a 27-14 win over ULM.

"We came to play," ULM coach Terry Bowden said. "In every area, we did the best we could. If we make two more plays on the 1-yard line going in, they're trying to find a way to win that game at the end."

The Warhawks (4-7) left the field feeling like they'd missed out on a golden opportunity. Hardly overpowered, ULM remained in the hunt for much of the game and cut the LSU lead to 10 with 3:20 remaining in the contest on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Chandler Rogers to tight end Zach Rasmussen.

"I told our players to hold their heads high," Bowden said. "They have the respect of the ULM fans and the ULM family and people who watched that game. That's important to every one of those guys."

ULM finished with 311 total yards, with 193 passing and 118 rushing. Rhett Rodriguez completed 12-of-22 attempts for 157 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Malik Jackson carried 21 times for 78 yards. ULM recorded three sacks while surrendering just one.

The Tigers finished with 411 yards as quarterback Max Johnson completed 22-of-33 passes for 319 yards and two touchdowns. Malik Nabers caught four balls for 143 yards and one score.

"There are no moral victories in football," Bowden said. "But there are victories where you gain respect. There's not a player on that team over there that played us today that doesn't have respect (for our program). There's not a ULM player who ever put on that jersey that doesn't respect the effort they gave."

In game that kicked off at 8 p.m. and was televised nationally on ESPN2, LSU (5-6) flexed on ULM early but failed to keep its foot on the gas and the Warhawks hung around.

Johnson completed two passes for 55 yards and scrambled for a 3-yard touchdown as LSU scored on its opening drive. The Tigers gained 64 yards in six plays to go up 7-0 with 11:49 to go in the first period.

ULM responded with an impressive drive after allowing the touchdown, moving 74 yards in 13 plays. But the Warhawks came up short on fourth-and-goal from the 2 and turned the ball over on downs.

Cade York hit the left upright on a 44-yard field-goal attempt with 51 seconds left in the first quarter as LSU came up empty too after their own 12-play, 73-yard drive .

After ending the first quarter down just 7-0, ULM got off to a rocky start with a turnover to begin the second quarter.

Rodriguez's third-down pass intended for Jevin Frett was intercepted by LSU's Jay Ward and returned 7 yards to the ULM 33. The Warhawks held LSU out of the end zone, but the Tigers converted the takeaway into points nine plays later on a 27-yard field goal by York to go up 10-0 with 12:05 to go before halftime.

Rogers took his first turn at quarterback on the next series for ULM but the Warhawks went three-and-out and LSU had another opportunity to dial up its passing attack.

Nabers, who had a 48-yard catch on LSU's first drive, continued his monster night for LSU as he took a crossing route from Johnson and raced 67 yards for a touchdown with 9:19 showing to put the Tigers on top 17-0.

"They really weren't behind us," Bowden said. "They just made people miss."

LSU tried to trick ULM on a fake punt, but Avery Atkins' pass was intercepted by Josh Newton at midfield and returned 22 yards to the Tigers' 28. Two plays later, Rodriguez found Boogie Knight for a 28-yard touchdown pass to cut the score to 17-7 with 3:34 left in the half.

"Offensively, we made some huge plays and put some points on the board," Bowden said. "On special teams on the fake, we were where we needed to be to make the interception."

LSU's 16-play opening drive of the second half stalled out at the ULM 24 as the Warhawks forced a turnover on downs. On fourth-and-3, the Tigers lost 10 yards on a sack by Nick Roberts.

ULM picked up a first down after the stop but ultimately punted. LSU responded with an eight-play, 82-yard drive finished off by Johnson's 42-yard touchdown pass to Brian Thomas Jr. with 1:29 left in the third. The Tigers led 24-7 after three quarters.

Early in the fourth quarter on fourth-and-11, Fred Lloyd pulled down a 33-yard catch at the LSU 10. But facing another fourth down from the 2, ULM's trick play came up empty as Jared Sparks took a pitch from Andrew Henry but misfired on his pass to a wide-open Rodriguez.

Rogers tossed a 27-yard touchdown pass to Rasmussen with 3:20 left in the game to cut the lead to 24-14 after a 10-play, 58-yard drive.

After the score, ULM tried an on-side kick but LSU recovered at the ULM 45. LSU picked up a first down on fourth-and-1 from the ULM 36 and York kicked a 50-yard field goal with 46 seconds to go.

"We're fourth-and-1 on the goal line twice," Bowden said. "We catch a ball and just don't quite get across. They don't stop it. We throw a pass over to the quarterback and he's open but we lob it and it goes a little over his head. If we do that, the field goal they kick at the end of the game is to be one point behind. That's how close it was."

Good call: ULM dialed up the pressure in the second quarter and Traveion Webster broke through for a sack of LSU quarterback Max Johnson.  The 9-yard loss on second down led to LSU's ill-fated fake punt two plays later.

Up next: ULM concludes the regular season with a Sun Belt Conference game at Louisiana-Lafayette. Kickoff is 3 p.m. on ESPNU.

Tail feathers: ULM game captains were QB Rhett Rodriguez, LB Zack Woodard and LB Traveion Webster. … Woodard led the ULM defense with 11 tackles… Adam Sparks started at cornerback after missing the past two games with a neck injury. … Johnson opened the game 7-for-7 passing for 107 yards. … Knight's second-quarter touchdown reception was his second of the season. … ULM fell to 0-4 in the all-time series against LSU. The Warhawks had scored just seven points total in the three prior meetings.
 
Boogie Knight TD reception vs. LSU 2021

 
 
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