Tyrone Howell reception vs South Alabama 2022 (Scott Donaldson)
Scott Donaldson/USA Athletics
34
ULM ULM 2-5 , 1-3
41
Winner South Alabama USA 5-1 , 2-0
ULM ULM
2-5 , 1-3
34
Final
41
South Alabama USA
5-1 , 2-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
ULM ULM 7 13 0 14 34
USA South Alabama 10 7 17 7 41

Game Recap: Football |

Howell's Monster Game Not Enough as ULM Falls at South Alabama, 41-34

By ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist Paul Letlow

MOBILE, Ala. – ULM brought the firepower but not the finishing touch.

A second-half stumble contributed to ULM's 41-34 loss to South Alabama Saturday night at Hancock Whitney Stadium.

"We're close but no cigar," ULM coach Terry Bowden said. "We're good but not great. We're on the verge of getting there, but not there. All those explanations of where we are, that's where we are. We've got to try to hone every phase of our game."

The Warhawks led 20-17 at halftime, but the Jaguars scored 24 unanswered points after the break to squash the upset bid and overshadow a monster performance by ULM receiver Tyrone Howell.

Howell posted a career-best receiving 244 yards and three touchdowns on nine catches. It was the second-highest total in school history and first 200-yard receiving performance for a ULM player since Marty Booker did it in 1996 against UCF.

"If it wasn't for God, I wouldn't be able to do any of that," Howell said. "It felt good. I finally got the targets that I needed, and I just made the plays when the ball was thrown to me."

The ULM record for receiving yards was set by L Club Hall of Famer Stepfret Williams, who caught 10 passes for 264 yards against Nevada in 1995.

Howell's three receiving touchdowns (75, 25 and 83 yards) were the most since Brent Leonard scored four against South Alabama in 2012. It was also Howell's second 100-yard receiving game as a Warhawk and the third in the Kansas State transfer's career.

"Tyrone Howell had a breakout game tonight," Bowden said. "I think we've always known he had the ability to perform at a very, very high level. I think he showed that tonight with the plays that he made, with little plays through the big plays. That was a special night for him and it almost put us back in this game with a chance to win the game."

Quarterback Chandler Rogers completed 20-of-27 passes for a career-high 371 yards and four touchdowns, continuing his good fortune against the Jaguars. In 2021, Rogers passed for 368 yards and four scores in a 41-31 win over USA.

After falling behind by 21 points, Rogers rallied the Warhawks within seven points in the fourth quarter but the hole was too deep. After ULM cut the deficit to a touchdown with five minutes to go, USA played keep away for the remainder of the game.

"We got ourselves back in position to get the ball back," Bowden said. "We put them out there with three time outs and over four minutes left and they did what a good football team does. They never let us get back on the field."

ULM (2-5, 1-3 Sun Belt) tallied 438 total yards of offense while allowing 615 to South Alabama (5-1, 2-0 Sun Belt).

The Warhawks enjoyed a solid start on the road.

After holding ULM to a three-and-out on the game's opening series, the Jaguars claimed a 3-0 lead on Diego Guajardo's 34-yard field goal following a 10-play, 57-yard drive.

Howell provided a lightning response with a 75-yard touchdown catch from Rogers on ULM's next offensive play. Howell caught the slant pass, spun out of an attempted tackle at the ULM 30 and raced down the right sideline to give ULM a 7-3 lead with 8:36 remaining in the first quarter.

South Alabama took a 10-7 lead with 7:54 left in the first quarter as Jalen Wayne hauled in a 64-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Carter Bradley. USA needed just three plays to wrap up a 75-yard drive.

Driving as the first quarter ended, ULM tied the game at 10-10 on Calum Sutherland's 24-yard field goal. The Warhawks covered 42 yards in 12 plays for the score with 12:57 left in the first half.

Howell's incredible night continued with a 25-yard touchdown reception from Rogers with 6:16 left in the first half. ULM led 17-10 after nine-play, 80-yard march. Key to keeping the scoring drive alive, ULM converted on fourth-and-1 from the USA 49 on a direct snap to Andrew Henry, who ran for 6 yards to collect the first down at the Jags' 43.

The Jaguars knotted the score again at 17-17 on Marco Lee's 4-yard touchdown run with 4:01 to go before halftime. South Alabama's 79-yard drive took six plays.

Sutherland's season-long 40-yard field goal put ULM ahead 20-17 with 1:45 left in the second quarter. Jevin Frett's 35-yard reception to the USA 29 was instrumental in making the seven-play, 52-yard march a success.

ULM carried the three-point advantage into halftime after the Jaguars drove into scoring position but came up empty as time expired. Bradley fired incomplete on fourth down from the ULM 11 on the final play of the quarter.

The teams combined for 531 yards of total offense in the first half, with ULM gaining 245 with 214 through the air. Rogers completed 12-of-15 passes and tossed a pair of touchdowns to Howell, who caught six balls for 140 yards.

The third quarter saw the Jaguars make their move on ULM with 17 unanswered points.

South Alabama took the second-half kickoff and drove 75 yards in five plays to reclaim the lead at 24-20. Wayne scored his second touchdown of the game on a 20-yard pass from Bradley at the 12:49 mark.

A pivotal turnover with 10:58 remaining in the third quarter led to a two-score lead for the Jaguars. Yam Banks intercepted Rogers on a tipped pass and returned the ball to the ULM 41. Two plays later, Bradley fired a 24-yard touchdown pass to Caullin Lacy and suddenly, USA led 31-20.

With 3:51 left in the third, USA extended the lead to 34-20 on Guajardo's 29-yard field goal to finish a 10-play, 67-yard drive.

South Alabama continued the second-half onslaught as Lee scored his second touchdown on a 5-yard run with 14:55 left in the game. The Jaguars used seven plays to move 55 yards and go ahead 41-20.

After going without a target or a catch in the third quarter, Howell emerged again with an 83-yard touchdown catch from Rogers with 9:52 remaining, narrowing the deficit to 41-27.

ULM cut the score to 41-34 on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Rogers to Zach Rasmussen with 5:00 to go in the game. The Warhawks needed six plays to move 72 yards in just 2:41.

The Warhawks needed a stop to have a chance, but South Alabama held the ball the rest of the game, driving to the ULM 12 as time expired.

"There were times when it looked like they would run us off the field in the second half, really in the third quarter," Bowden said. "We were winning at halftime and we were head to head with them all the way. We didn't have a lot of answers for their offense tonight at any point."

Good play: Howell's 75-yard touchdown catch in the first quarter featured some nifty moves. Howell caught the slant pass, spun out of an attempted tackle at the ULM 30 and raced down the right sideline.

Something special: Sutherland's field goal in the second quarter was just his second of the year in three tries. He later nailed a season-long 40-yarder in the second quarter.

Did you notice?: Coach Bowden's brother Tommy, mother Ann (who recently celebrated her 90th birthday) and other family members attended the game in Mobile. Tommy Bowden, a former head coach at Tulane and Clemson, joined the ULM radio crew for a halftime interview.

"It's games like this that remind me why I got out of coaching," Tommy Bowden quipped after viewing the back-and-forth first half.

Enemy lines: Quarterback Carter Bradley completed 25-of-33 passes for 420 yards and three touchdowns, with three receivers topping 100 yards.

Caullin Lacy caught 12 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown, Devin Voisin made seven catches for 141 yards and Jalen Wayne added five catches for 127 yards and two touchdowns.

Up next: ULM travels to West Point on Oct. 22 to face Army at Michie Stadium. The Black Knights (2-4) rushed for 467 yards in a 42-17 win over Colgate on Saturday.

Tail feathers: Jackson, Alabama, native Eastwood Thomas, who closed out his ULM career by starting 42-straight games on the offensive line (right and left tackle), was selected as honorary captain for the contest. … ULM game captains were RB Malik Jackson, DT Quincy Ledet Jr. and WR Zach Jackson. … WR Will Derrick (illness) did not make the trip. … Former ULM kicker Jacob Meeks handled kickoff chores for USA. … ULM back-up quarterback and holder Brian Garcia began his collegiate career at South Alabama in 2020 where he received a COVID-19 season of competition waiver. … The game aired nationally on NFL Network. … Jalen Wayne is the nephew of Louisiana Sports Hall of Famer Reggie Wayne.
 
 
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