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ULM Opens Bowden Era at Kentucky

ULM Opens Bowden Era at Kentucky

Football Sep 04
Game 1: ULM (0-0, 0-0 SBC) at Kentucky (0-0, 0-0 SEC)
Saturday, Sept. 4 | 12 p.m. ET/11:02 a.m. CT
Lexington, Kentucky | Kroger Field (61,000)
SEC Network | KLIP 105.3FM
 
ULM Football Notes: Game 1 vs. Kentucky
 
Terry Bowden's Weekly Press Conference
 
 FIRST-AND-10 –
• ULM begins its 71st season of football on Saturday at Kentucky. ULM is 316-438-8 since becoming a four-year institution prior to the 1951 season. In its 70-year football history, ULM is 30-38-2 (.443) in season openers, including a 5-4 record (.556) in its last nine games.
 
• Saturday's game marks the sixth meeting between ULM and Kentucky. The Wildcats lead the all-time series 4-1, with all five previous games played in Lexington, Kentucky. Kentucky has won four in a row in the series after ULM won the inaugural meeting, 21-14, on Nov. 12, 1994. Since that upset, Kentucky has won the last four meetings by an average of 23.5 points. ULM fell just short of a second upset on the bluegrass in 2006, losing 42-40. The two teams last met on Oct. 11, 2014, with Kentucky posting a 48-14 win in Coach Mark Stoops' second season at UK.
 
• In then-Northeast Louisiana's 21-14 upset of Kentucky in 1994, current ULM assistant head coach/ safeties coach Alonzo Hampton made the game-saving tackle for the Indians, stopping UK's Clyde Rudolph at the 2-yard line on the final play of the game. Hampton had five tackles in the win for NLU.
 
• The Warhawks have compiled a 4-47-1 record (.087) against current members of the Southeastern Conference. ULM's last win over an SEC opponent came in the 2012 season opener against No. 8 Arkansas in Little Rock, 34-31, in overtime.
 
• ULM is one of 15 programs with three or more quarterbacks, who have started at least one NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision game: sophomore Colby Suits (started the first eight games in 2020), junior Jeremy Hunt (started the last two games of the 2020 season) and junior Rhett Rodriguez (transfer from Arizona started one game in 2018).
 
Rodriguez, who will make his second career start in Saturday's season opener at Kentucky, made his first collegiate start at UCLA in 2018 and completed 15-of-34 throws for 231 yards and two scores.
 
• ULM returns four of its top five pass catchers in 2021. While the Warhawks lost leading receiver Josh Pederson (32 catches, 367 yards) to graduation, Malik Jackson, Perry Carter, Jonathan Hodoh and Jevin Frett all return. Jackson made 23 catches for 189 yards and four touchdowns in 2020. Carter added 22 grabs for 312 yards and two scores. Hodoh had 22 receptions for 251 yards and Frett added 18 catches for 188 yards and a touchdown.
 
• Sixth-year senior Ty Shelby ranked third on the team in tackles for loss (6.5 for 14 yards) and sacks (2 for 2 yards), setting career highs in both categories. Shelby finished second among ULM defensive linemen and ranked eighth on the team with a career-best 36 tackles (13 solos, 23 assists).
 
The Preseason All-Sun Belt selection (third team by Pro Football Focus and fourth team by Athlon Sports) heads into his third year as one of ULM's starting defensive ends. Shelby has started 19 of 44 career games and his career totals include 108 total tackles, with 16.5 resulting in losses (58 yards) including 6.5 sacks (27 yards).
 
• Fifth-year senior linebacker Traveion Webster led the Warhawks in tackles (82 total: 37 solos, 45 assists), tackles for loss (8.5 for 25 yards), sacks (2.5 for 18 yards) and quarterback hurries (5). The 5-foot-11, 209-pound Webster ranked fourth in the Sun Belt Conference in tackles, averaging 8.2 per game. He led the team in tackles in five games, including three double-digit efforts.
 
• Sixth-year senior safety Austin Hawley ranked second on the Warhawks with a career-best 77 tackles (49 solos, 28 assists). Hawley recorded double-figure tackles in three of his last four games, including a career-high 12 stops in the home finale against the Ragin' Cajuns. He produced 11 tackles each against App State (4-yard sack) and at Arkansas State (career-high 2 tackles for loss for 4 yards). Hawley registered his second career interception at Liberty and returned it 39 yards.
 
• ULM head coach Terry Bowden (17 seasons) and associate head coach/offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez (16) have a combined 33 years of head coaching experience at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision/Football Championship Subdivision levels. The 33 combined seasons of head coaching experience rank second among FBS staffs, trailing only Wake Forest.
 
CLASS BREAKDOWN (STARTERS) –
ULM Offense: 1 senior, 4 juniors, 1 sophomore, 5 freshmen
ULM Defense: 5 seniors, 2 juniors, 3 sophomores, 1 freshman
Kentucky Offense: 5 seniors, 5 juniors, 1 sophomore
Kentucky Defense: 10 seniors, 1 sophomores
 
2020 RETURNING STAT LEADERS –
ULM (10 games):
Rushing – Kadyn Roach (18 carries for 112 yards, 6.2 avg., 1 TD)
Passing – Colby Suits (152 of 249 for 1,541 yards, 8 TDs, 7 INTs)
Receiving – Perry Carter (22 catches for 312 yards, 14.2 avg., 2 TDs)
Tackles – Traveion Webster (76 tackles, 33 solos, 43 assists, 6.5 TFL, 5 QB hurries)
 
Kentucky (11 games):
Rushing – Chris Rodriguez Jr. (119 carries for 785 yards, 6.6 avg., 11 TDs)
Passing – Beau Allen (3 of 7 for 40 yards, 0 TDs, 0 INTs)
Receiving – Josh Ali (54 catches for 473 yards, 8.8 avg., 1 TD)
Tackles – Yusuf Corker (77 tackles, 39 solos, 38 assists, 2.5 TFL, 2 INT, 2 PBU, 1 forced fumble)
 
ULM/KENTUCKY SERIES NOTES –
Saturday's game marks the sixth meeting between ULM and Kentucky. The Wildcats lead the all-time series 4-1, with all five previous games played in Lexington, Kentucky. Kentucky has won four in a row in the series after ULM won the inaugural meeting, 21-14, on Nov. 12, 1994. Since that upset, Kentucky has won the last four meetings by an average of 23.5 points. ULM fell just short of a second upset on the bluegrass in 2006, losing 42-40. The two teams last met on Oct. 11, 2014, with Kentucky posting a 48-14 win in Coach Mark Stoops' second season at UK.
 
THE LAST MEETING –
Kentucky 48, ULM 14 (Oct. 11, 2014, in Lexington, Ky.): The ULM football team led 14-3 at the end of the first quarter, but it was not enough as the Warhawks fell to Kentucky 48-14 on Saturday afternoon at Commonwealth Stadium.
 
Pete Thomas completed 20-of-31 passes for 167 yards and two touchdowns. Kenzee Jackson caught eight passes for 73 yards and a touchdown, while Ajalen Holley added four receptions for 68 yards and a touchdown.
 
Kaylon Watson led the Warhawks on the ground with eight rushes for 32 yards.
 
Cordero Smith, Gerrand Johnson and Mitch Lane had six tackles each, with Smith also garnering a sack and a tackle for loss.
 
Patrick Towles led Kentucky as he completed 16 passes on 28 attempts for 216 yards and 3 touchdowns.
 
Kentucky scored the first points of the game. After a 75-yard kickoff return on the opening drive, the Warhawks defense stifled the Wildcats and held them to a 37-yard field goal by Austin MacGinnis.
 
ULM responded later in the quarter with a touchdown of its own to take the lead. Led by Thomas, the Warhawks marched 84 yards down the field. After a roughing-the-passer call that gave the team a crucial first down, Thomas completed a 12-yard pass to Ajalen Holley to give the Warhawks a 7-3 lead.
 
The Warhawk defense remained strong on the next drive as Kentucky was once again forced to settle for a field-goal attempt. The Wildcats' 52-yard attempt fell short and to the left of the goalposts as ULM maintained the lead.
 
After Hunter Kissinger snatched his second interception of the year and returned it 22 yards, Thomas found Kenzee Jackson in the back of the end zone on a 9-yard pass to increase ULM's lead to 14-3 heading into the second quarter.
 
Kentucky's Towles completed a pass to Javess Blue for a touchdown to cut into the deficit. The Wildcats then regained the lead as Josh Forrest returned an interception to the end zone with 7:47 remaining in the half.
 
Towles found Blake Bone on a 4-yard pass to give Kentucky 10-point lead that it carried into the locker room.
 
The Wildcats scored three more touchdowns and a field goal in the second half en route to victory.
 
NORTHEAST LOUISIANA KNOCKS OFF KENTUCKY (current ULM assistant head coach Alonzo Hampton with game-saving tackle) –
 
Northeast Louisiana 21, Kentucky 14 (Nov. 12, 1994, in Lexington, Ky.): Raymond Philyaw's 54-yard touchdown pass to Stepfret Williams in the fourth quarter put Northeast Louisiana back on top, and a game-saving tackle by NLU's Alonzo Hampton at the 2-yard line on the final play of the contest helped NLU to a 21-14 upset of Kentucky on Saturday, Nov. 12, 1994, at Commonwealth Stadium.
 
Trailing by seven with 4:44 to play, Kentucky took over at its own 30-yard line. The Wildcats pro­ceeded to go on a 19-play drive, converting three third downs and one fourth down before facing fourth-and-goal from the NLU 10-yard line with just seconds remaining. On the final play of the game, UK quarterback Antonio O'Ferral completed a pass to running back Clyde Rudolph, but Hampton saved the game for the Indians, making the game-winning tackle at the 2.
 
Northeast led 7-0 early on, thanks to Eric Foster's 13-yard touchdown run with 9:42 left in the first quarter. The score held until halftime.
 
NLU extended its lead early in the third quarter as Markee Lockett hauled in a 2-yard touchdown pass from Philyaw for a 14-0 advantage with 10:17 left in the frame.
 
Momentum swung to the Wildcats on the ensuing kickoff as Kio Sanford returned the kick 96 yards for a touchdown, cutting NLU's lead in half, 14-7.
 
Kentucky tied the game at 14 early in the fourth quarter on quarterback Jeff Speedy's 5-yard touch­down run with 11:29 to play.
 
Northeast answered back on the ensuing drive, as Philyaw connected with Williams for what was the game-winning touchdown with 8:37 left.
 
NLU outgained Kentucky, 431-270, including 266 yards rushing. Philyaw completed 10-of-16 passes for 165 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Foster carried 13 times for 104 yards and a touchdown. Williams had three catches for 71 yards and the game-winning TD. Hampton tallied five tackles.
 
WARHAWKS vs. SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE TEAMS –
The Warhawks have compiled a 4-47-1 record (.087) against current members of the Southeastern Conference (1-2 vs. Alabama, 1-8 vs. Arkansas, 0-11 vs. Auburn, 0-2 vs. Florida, 0-4 vs. Georgia, 1-4 vs. Kentucky, 0-3 vs. LSU, 1-4-1 vs. Mississippi State, 0-1 vs. Missouri, 0-3 vs. Ole Miss, 0-1 vs. Tennessee and 0-4 vs. Texas A&M). ULM's last win over an SEC opponent came in the 2012 season opener against No. 8 Arkansas in Little Rock, 34-31, in overtime.
 
2012 ULM/ARKANSAS FLASHBACK (ULM's last win over an SEC opponent.) –
ULM 34, No. 8 Arkansas 31 (Sept. 8, 2012; Little Rock, Ark.): Quarterback Kolton Browning accounted for 481 total yards and four touchdowns, including a 16-yard TD run in overtime, to lead ULM to a 34-31 victory over No. 8 Arkansas in the 2012 season opener for both teams.
 
It marked ULM's first win over an NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision ranked opponent in school history. It also marked the first time a Sun Belt Conference member had defeated a Top-10 team.
 
The Warhawks trailed 28-7 in the third quarter before Browning led a furious comeback. The ULM defense also played a key role in the rally, holding the Razorbacks to 10 points and 108 total yards in the second half.
 
Jyruss Edwards finished off a nine-play, 75-yard drive with a 3-yard TD run, as ULM pulled to within 28-14 with 5:41 left in the third quarter. The drive featured a 19-yard run by Browning on a fourth-down play.
 
The Warhawk defense forced Arkansas to go three-and-out on its next possession, thanks to an 18-yard sack by Ray Stovall.
 
On the second play of the fourth quarter, Browning tossed a 1-yard TD pass to tight end Kevin Steed on fourth down, as ULM cut its deficit to 28-21 with just under 15 minutes to play.
 
ULM started its game-tying TD drive from its own 10-yard line with 2:59 remaining in regulation. On fourth-and-10, Browning hooked up with Brent Leonard for a 23-yard scoring play as the Warhawks tied the game at 28 with 55 seconds remaining on the clock.
 
Arkansas' opening possession of overtime resulted in a 37-yard field goal and a 31-28 lead.
 
Faced with fourth-and-1 from the Razorback 16, ULM elected to forego a potential game-tying field-goal attempt. Browning scrambled 16 yards for the game-winning TD, diving head-first into the end zone.
 
Browning completed 42-of-67 passes for 412 yards and three TDs. He added 69 yards rushing and another score. His favorite target was Leonard, who had 11 receptions for 112 yards.
 
ULM BOASTS THREE QUARTERBACKS WITH NCAA FBS STARTING EXPERIENCE –
ULM is one of 15 programs with three or more quarterbacks, who have started at least one NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision game: sophomore Colby Suits (started the first eight games in 2020), junior Jeremy Hunt (started the last two games of the 2020 season) and junior Rhett Rodriguez (transfer from Arizona started one game in 2018).
 
Rodriguez, who will make his second career start in Saturday's season opener at Kentucky, made his first collegiate start at UCLA in 2018 and completed 15-of-34 throws for 231 yards and two scores.
 
FOUR OF TOP FIVE RECEIVERS RETURN
ULM returns four of its top five pass catchers in 2021. While the Warhawks lost leading receiver Josh Pederson (32 catches, 367 yards) to graduation, Malik Jackson, Perry Carter, Jonathan Hodoh and Jevin Frett all return. Jackson made 23 catches for 189 yards and four touchdowns in 2020. Carter added 22 grabs for 312 yards and two scores. Hodoh had 22 receptions for 251 yards and Frett added 18 catches for 188 yards and a touchdown.
 
SHELBY RETURNS TO ANCHOR DEFENSIVE FRONT
Sixth-year senior Ty Shelby ranked third on the team in tackles for loss (6.5 for 14 yards) and sacks (2 for 2 yards), setting career highs in both categories. Shelby finished second among ULM defensive linemen and ranked eighth on the team with a career-best 36 tackles (13 solos, 23 assists).
 
The Preseason All-Sun Belt selection (third team by Pro Football Focus and fourth team by Athlon Sports) heads into his third year as one of ULM's starting defensive ends. Shelby has started 19 of 44 career games and his career totals include 108 total tackles, with 16.5 resulting in losses (58 yards) including 6.5 sacks (27 yards).
 
WEBSTER RETURNS AS HEART OF DEFENSE
Fifth-year senior linebacker Traveion Webster led the Warhawks in tackles (82 total: 37 solos, 45 assists), tackles for loss (8.5 for 25 yards), sacks (2.5 for 18 yards) and quarterback hurries (5). The 5-foot-11, 209-pound Webster ranked fourth in the Sun Belt Conference in tackles, averaging 8.2 per game. He led the team in tackles in five games, including three double-digit efforts.
 
HAWLEY RETURNS FOR SIXTH SEASON IN SECONDARY
Sixth-year senior safety Austin Hawley ranked second on the Warhawks with a career-best 77 tackles (49 solos, 28 assists). Hawley recorded double-figure tackles in three of his last four games, including a career-high 12 stops in the home finale against the Ragin' Cajuns. He produced 11 tackles each against Appalachian State (4-yard sack) and at Arkansas State (career-high 2 tackles for loss for 4 yards). Hawley registered his second career interception at Liberty and returned it 39 yards.
 
SEASONED STAFF
ULM head coach Terry Bowden (17 seasons) and associate head coach/offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez (16) have a combined 33 years of head coaching experience at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision/Football Championship Subdivision levels. The 33 combined seasons of head coaching experience rank second among FBS staffs, trailing only Wake Forest, which boasts a combined total of 41 years (head coach Dave Clawson, 22 seasons; associate head coach/wide receivers coach Kevin Higgins, 16; and assistant head coach/defensive line coach Dave Cohen, 4).
 
Including all four-year programs, Bowden (25) and Rodriguez (24) have a combined 49 seasons of head coaching experience.
 
WARHAWKS TO FACE SIX 2020 BOWL SQUADS IN 2021
ULM is scheduled to play six teams which played in a bowl game in the 2020 season this fall. Kentucky (5-6, Gator), Coastal Carolina (11-1, Cure), Georgia State (6-4, LendingTree), Liberty (10-1, Cure), App State (Myrtle Beach) and the Ragin' Cajuns (First Responder) all played in bowl games. Two other teams, Jackson State (4-3) and LSU (5-5), finished .500 or better but did not play in the postseason.
 
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