MONROE, La. -- The ULM football team (5-1, 3-0 Sun Belt Conference) won its third-straight conference game with a 38-21 victory over Southern Miss (1-5, 0-2 SBC) on Saturday (Oct. 12) afternoon at Malone Stadium in Monroe, La. 

The Warhawks' 5-1 start is the best in program history since the 1987 season. ULM's 3-0 Sun Belt record had not been achieved since the 2017 season. The Warhawks improved to 4-0 playing at home under Bryant Vincent. 

"To be 4-0 at home in front of our fans and former players, that's a big deal and something we are proud of," said Vincent. "It was a hard-fought, physical game." 

In front of a crowd of 22,645 fans, which was the highest-attended ULM football game in five seasons, the Warhawks commanded the run game and chalked up 246 yards on the ground on 42 attempts, averaging 5.9 yards per carry. Freshman Ahmad Hardy continued to impress in his rookie campaign, scoring two rushing touchdowns and eclipsing 100 yards for the third game this season with 121 yards. He also added two receptions for 53 yards and tallied 174 all-purpose yards. 

In his second career start, redshirt freshman quarterback Aidan Armenta completed 10 passes on 17 attempts for 188 yards and two touchdowns and added 52 rushing yards to accompany his first career rushing touchdown. 

Defensively, ULM forced two turnovers thanks to a Carl Fauntroy forced fumble and a Wydett Williams Jr. Interception. Fauntroy led the Warhawks with nine total tackles while Carl Glass Jr. finished with seven. Kevontay Wells made 2.5 tackles for loss in the backfield and recorded 0.5 sacks. Tristan Shorter recorded a sack in his second-straight game and logged a pair of quarterback hurries. 

ULM's defense held Southern Miss to just 1-of-13 on third down, while the Warhawk offense converted 7-of-14 third-down attempts. The Warhawks finished with 432 yards of total offense while the Golden Eagles had 347.  

A fumbled snap on third down for ULM forced the Warhawks to punt on the first drive of the game. After ULM's defense held Southern Miss to a three-and-out, Hunter Herring rushed up the middle for two yards on 3rd and 1 to move the chains for ULM. The Golden Eagles' defense recorded a tackle for a loss of two and the Warhawks punted on their second-straight drive.  

The Golden Eagles continued to move the chains until a sack by Shorter on the 1-yard line. Southern Miss settled for a 22-yard field goal for the 3-0 lead and first score of the contest. An 18-yard catch by Jake Godrey brought the Warhawks into Golden Eagle territory. Ahmad Hardy took it the rest of the way, a 35-yard touchdown run for the freshman. Max Larson added to the tally, closing the first quarter, 7-3 ULM. 

The second quarter started just as strong for the ULM defense after Williams Jr. recovered a fumble forced by Fauntroy, giving the ball right back to the Warhawks. A 36-yard run by James Jones delivered another touchdown for the Warhawks, making the score 14-3. 

Southern Miss and ULM continued to trade three-and-outs as the clock ran down. In the final seconds of the first half, Southern Miss moved the football into Warhawk territory to close the gap with a 37-yard field goal, ending the half with the Warhawks ahead,14-6. 

After the Golden Eagles opened the second half with another punt, the Warhawks drove down to the Southern Miss 28-yard line. Larson split the uprights with a 47-yard field goal to increase ULM's lead to 17-6. Later in the quarter, Larson lined up for a 41-yard field goal attempt. Larson's attempt was blocked, and the Golden Eagles returned the ball to the end zone and succeeded in the two-point conversion, closing the gap to 17-14. 

The Warhawks refused to back down as the third quarter wound down. Armenta passed the ball to Hardy, who powered over several Golden Eagles and took the pass 53 yards to flip the field. As the fourth quarter began, Armenta found tight end Julian Nixon wide open in the end zone for a six-yard reception score, which was his first career touchdown catch. The extra point by Larson was good, solidifying the lead, 24-14. 

The ULM defense held the Golden Eagles to another punt and gave ULM the chance to extend the lead further. Hunter Herring moved the chains with a 22-yard rush into Southern Miss territory. After a personal foul by the Golden Eagles that set up first and goal for the Warhawks, Armenta kept an option play and ran the ball into the endzone himself for his first career rushing touchdown, making the score 31-14 in favor of the Warhawks. 

With less than five minutes left on the clock, the Golden Eagles faced a 4th and 11 at their own 19-yard line. Williams Jr. picked off the pass for the Warhawks' second forced turnover of the night. Two plays later, Hardy sprinted past USM's defense for his second rushing touchdown of the night to seal the win for ULM. 

"This bye week couldn't have come at a better time," said Vincent. "We've gotta continue to climb." 

The Warhawks will play for a chance to become bowl-eligible on Saturday, Oct. 26 at South Alabama. The game time and network for the game will be announced on Monday.