ULM Notebook: Bowden Encourages Players, Fans to Savor Rivalry Win Over Cajuns

Football Sep 25

By ULMWarhawks.com Online Columnist Paul Letlow
ULM's 21-17 win over Louisiana Lafayette is one head coach Terry Bowden wants his players and Warhawk fans to enjoy. ULM (2-2, 1-0 Sun Belt) scored twice in the fourth quarter and rallied from a 10-point deficit to reset a number of streaks ULL (2-2, 0-1 Sun Belt) brought into the rivalry game. The Cajuns had four-straight wins over ULM before bowing to Bowden's bunch in Monroe. ULL had also won 16 straight over Sun Belt West opponents, 13-straight Sun Belt regular-season road games and 13-straight regular-season conference games. For ULM, it was its first home win over the Cajuns in nine meetings going back to the 2004 season. "They're in our division and the defending champion," Bowden told the team and the media after Saturday night's Sun Belt Conference opener. "You guys that were here before me, they beat you 70-20 just two years ago and now you just beat them here. They're still the 13-1 defending champion until we announce another one. And so, what our guys have accomplished tonight in perception of our football team – the respect they got for our program tonight from our conference that knows that Lafayette has been a contender for a few years.

"Whether they like it or not, we're now in that boat. We've got to prove it again. It does nothing if we can't get to next week. But as of tonight, right now, it's the shot in the arm that we need to give credibility to the direction of our program." ULM's defense contributed a number of pivotal plays while limiting the Cajuns to 86 yards on 38 rushes. ULL punted six times, lost a fumble and an interception, had two turnovers on downs and three three-and-outs. "Even when I called plays as a head coach, I knew that defense wins championships," Bowden said. "If you play great defense, you're always in the football game." ULM registered three sacks and seven tackles for losses while holding ULL scoreless in the second half. Linebacker Zack Woodard led the Warhawks with eight tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery and one quarterback hurry. Cornerback David Godsey Jr. blitzed for a sack while Car'lin Vigers made the interception along with two pass break-ups. Fittingly, Caleb Thomas and Fitzroy Gardner's combo sack at midfield as time expired sealed ULM's victory. "I do so little but be a cheerleader now days," Bowden said. "I try to motivate and inspire. That was about our football players playing as hard as they could play and our coaches preparing them as hard as they could. I'm proud to be a part of them and a part of our players and staff and all those who helped make that. If I make this bigger than it is, it's because it's big for us right now. We have been moving in the right direction but it's a long journey and this is a major step in the right direction." Oh Henry: Running back Andrew Henry's 75-yard touchdown run in the first quarter was a career long while setting him up for a career night as well. Henry ran for 123 yards and the score on just 11 carries, averaging 11.2 yards per touch. As a team, ULM rushed 39 times for a season-high 227 yards and scored all three touchdowns on the ground. ULM averaged 5.8 yards per rush and lost just 8 yards in the running game (on a sack). "We just kept throwing the jabs all week," Henry said. "The O-line took care of everything and I ran the ball up the middle of the field. I appreciate all five of those guys making it possible for me to do that." A legion from the region: With a big game against a state rival, ULM's Sun Belt Conference opener attracted 19,077 fans to Malone Stadium. The crowd was the largest since 21,720 attended ULM's home opener against Jackson State on Sept. 18, 2021. "Both sides of the field, both end zones, the noise was there and the excitement was there," Bowden said. "We're starting to get that ULM electric home field. We've had six victories since I've been head coach here and they've all been at home. That means something to me." Enemy lines: ULL coach Michael Desormeaux lamented his team's flurry of fatal mistakes after the Cajuns lost for the second time in two weeks. A snap over the punter's head set up ULM at the ULL 8 in the fourth quarter and led to a short TD run by ULM quarterback Chandler Rogers that narrowed the score to 17-14. ULM also flipped the field on an 89-yard pass play from Rogers to Tyrone Howell in the final quarter. Malik Jackson scored two plays later with 6:51 remaining for what stood as the game-winning touchdown. "Every play matters, we treat it that way, and tonight, they had a couple of big ones that we gave up," Desormeaux told reporters outside ULL's locker room. "We've got to do a better job in critical situations and make them count. As the game went along we just kind of lost ourselves, we started pressing a little bit instead of just playing." Up next: Arkansas State plays host to the Warhawks on Oct. 1 in Jonesboro. The Red Wolves fell to 1-3, 0-1 Sun Belt after a 29-26 loss to Old Dominion on Sept. 24. Quarterback James Blackman completed 23-of-35 passes for 285 yards and one touchdown for Arkansas State. The Red Wolves led 12-0 at halftime.

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ULM Notebook: Bowden Encourages Players, Fans to Savor Rivalry Win Over Cajuns