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Howell Emerging as ULM’s Big-Play Receiver

Howell Emerging as ULM’s Big-Play Receiver

Football Oct 16
By ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist Paul Letlow If you asked anyone involved with the ULM offense for a likely breakout player during the preseason, Tyrone Howell's name was one of the first you heard. "The deepest part of our team is receiver," ULM head coach Terry Bowden said in late summer. "Ty Howell came in January as a transfer from Kansas State. He will be the most dynamic talent we have on that field offensively. I think he can be a big factor because of his skill level." After showing flashes during ULM's first six games, Howell erupted for a career-best 244 receiving yards and three touchdowns on nine catches in a 41-34 loss at South Alabama on Saturday night. He picked up 151 of his 244 receiving yards after the catch.
"To be honest, this IS my career high," Howell said. "I had 225 in high school, but I never got 244." Notably, Howell spent most of the night matched against All-Sun Belt Conference cornerback Darrell Luter Jr., a player on the Bednarik Award Watch List, Jim Thorpe Watch List and Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List, while also being selected fourth-team Preseason All-American by Athlon. "Tyrone had a really great night," said ULM quarterback Chandler Rogers, who completed 20-of-27 passes for a career-high 371 yards and four touchdowns. "He was a big part of the offense. It seemed like whoever was covering him, he was open." It was the second-highest total in school history, the first 200-yard receiving performance for a ULM player since Marty Booker did it in 1996 against UCF, and the 10th 200 receiving game in school history. 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.
 
In addition, Howell's 244 receiving yards marked the third-highest single-game total produced in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision in 2022, trailing only Ole Miss's Jonathan Mingo (244 on 9 catches vs. Vanderbilt) and Kent State's Dante Cephas (246 on 13 grabs vs. Ohio).
His 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 his career. The Rogers-Chandler connection helped ULM (2-5, 1-3 Sun Belt) keep pace with USA in a shootout that featured 1,053 yards of total offense. The Warhawks accumulated 438 yards while the Jaguars amassed 615 Howell's first touchdown, a 75-yarder, gave ULM a 7-3 lead in the first quarter. Howell caught the slant pass, spun out of an attempted tackle at the ULM 30 and raced down the right sideline. Howell added a 25-yard touchdown from Rogers with 6:16 left in the first half, giving the Warhawks a 17-10 lead 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. He caught three passes for 104 yards and one score in the fourth quarter alone.
"Really, it's just having that connection with him after practicing with him all summer one on one," Howell said of his chemistry with Rogers. "Now, he just trusts me. We get that one-on-one matchup in a game, he throws it up. It's really good having Chandler throwing that ball. He's going to give you a chance." Through seven games, Howell leads ULM with 24 catches for 505 yards and five touchdowns. He averages 21.0 yards per reception. Howell caught three balls for 124 yards in ULM's win over Louisiana Lafayette and made four catches for 77 yards and a one-handed touchdown in the Coastal Carolina loss that ESPN featured as one of its top plays of the day. "When we fix the little things we need to fix, we can win the whole conference," Howell said. "Hopefully, I get more targets and we can keep rolling." A product of Idabel, Oklahoma, Howell appeared in all 12 regular-season games last season at Kansas State and had seven catches for 98 yards. He transferred to Kansas State from Hutchinson Community College, where he helped the Blue Dragons to a National Championship in the spring of 2021. Coming into the year, Pro Football Network Draft preview identified Howell as the ULM transfer with the most upside. "Howell might not have standout statistics, but he possesses an alluring skill set," Pro Football Network Draft wrote before the season. "He's got good size to be a boundary threat, with the vertical athleticism to further elevate himself above opponents at the catch point. Howell also has some speed and twitch out of his routes to create a problem for defenses in the Sun Belt." After beginning his college football career at DII Central Oklahoma, Howell transferred to Hutchinson Community College, had his fall season canceled, played a pivotal role in Hutch winning the NJCAA National Championship, committed to ULM, and then flipped to Kansas State three days later. Howell caught 18 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns in the spring 2021 season, including six catches for 108 yards against Snow in the NCAA National Championship game. He arrived at ULM billed as a physical receiver with good hands and blocking skills. "He gives us a 6-2 guy that can run and jump and make explosive plays," Bowden said. "That's a big factor."
 
Tyrone Howell TD celebration vs South Alabama 2022
 
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