AUBURN, Ala. – The ULM football team (5-5) dropped its final non-conference game of the regular season at Auburn (4-6) by a score of 48-14, on Saturday (Nov. 16) afternoon at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala.
 
The Warhawks trailed 24-0 at the half before Ahmad Hardy's 10^th touchdown of his freshman campaign trimmed Auburn's lead to 17 in the third quarter. The Tigers regained the momentum and scored three unanswered touchdowns in the second half to seize control of the game.
 
The Tigers rushed for 203 yards on the ground and threw for 304 yards in the air, totaling 507 yards on offense. ULM generated 218 total yards with 64 rushing yards and 154 passing yards.
 
Auburn converted 12 of 17 third down attempts while holding the Warhawks to 2 of 12 on third down and 1 of 3 on fourth down.
 
Individually, Hardy rushed for 60 yards on 15 attempts to lead all ULM rushers while James Jones added 40 rushing yards. Aidan Armenta completed eight passes on 15 attempts for 89 yards. General Booty threw his second touchdown pass of the season on a 65-yard strike to Jonathan Bibbs for his first-career touchdown reception before time expired.
 
Defensively, Wydett Williams Jr. made a game-high 13 total tackles to go along with one tackle for loss and one quarterback hurry. Carl Glass Jr. forced a fumble and scooped up the recovery for ULM's lone takeaway. He and Tyrese Hopkins also recorded a tackle for loss.
 
Following a ULM three-and-out to start the game, Auburn marched the ball 60 yards on eight plays for an early six points after Payton Throne connected with Cam Coleman in the flat for a 20-yard touchdown pass. Armenta hit Wells for a six-yard completion to set up a 3^rd and 4 on ULM's next drive. The Warhawks could not move the sticks after a sack and were forced to punt.
 
Auburn advanced the ball to ULM's 10-yard line for a first-and-goal on its next drive. The ULM defense prevented the Tigers from reaching the end zone after a pass breakup by Korian Wilson on second down and a tackle by Jaeden Calender and the Tigers settled for three points. ULM entered Auburn territory for the first time on its next drive after a first down pickup by Jones and a 19-yard completion from Armenta to Nate Sullivan Jr. ULM's drive stalled at Auburn's 41-yard line. Makenzie Ryan pinned Auburn at its one-yard line on a 40-yard punt before the end of the first quarter.
 
The Tigers' offense picked up four third down conversions en route to a 99-yard scoring drive that concluded with a Thorne touchdown pass to Coleman. The Warhawks went for it on 4^th and 2 from the ULM 33-yard line. Hardy plunged forward for two yards and kept the drive alive. Armenta's pass intended for Godfrey on 3^rd and 7 fell incomplete and the Warhawks' drive resulted in a 56-yard punt from Ryan that downed the ball at Auburn's six-yard line with 2:50 left in the half.
 
After two Auburn incompletions, Pullen chased Thorne out of bounds short of the line to gain and the Tigers punted the ball back to the Warhawks after the two-minute timeout. A fumbled snap and a penalty pushed the Warhawks back to their 29-yard line and ULM was unable to move the sticks, resulting in the fifth ULM punt of the half. Thorne avoided the ULM defensive rush and scrambled for three separate rushes that set Auburn up at its own 49 with 19 seconds on the clock. Thorne swung a pass to tight end Rivaldo Fairweather for 21 yards and set up 1^st and 10 from ULM's 30-yard line with nine seconds on the clock. KeAndre Lambert-Smith hauled in a toss from Thorne on the sideline and tiptoed into the end zone before the end of the half to push Auburn's lead to 24-0.
 
After an Auburn three-and-out to start the second half, Armenta dished a pass to Artis Cole for nine yards on 3^rd and 4 to move the chains. Two plays later, Armenta completed his longest pass of the afternoon to Tyler Griffin on a 37-yard strike to put ULM in Auburn territory. Hardy continued the momentum with a 20-yard rush and the Warhawks had first and goal from the Auburn three-yard line. Hardy plunged into the end zone for the 10^th rushing score of his freshman campaign on a 1-yard rush for ULM's first points.
 
Auburn converted a 3^rd and 1 on its next drive after Hunter gained six yards for the first down. The Tigers faced a 4th and 4 from the ULM 22 and elected to go for it. Thorne lofted a pass over the top for his fourth touchdown of the afternoon to Coleman as Auburn went back ahead by 24. After ULM failed to respond, Auburn extended its lead when Thorne racked up his fifth passing touchdown on a 40-yard completion to Malcolm Simmons before the end of the third quarter.
 
The Warhawks earned a takeaway when Carl Glass Jr. forced his first fumble of the season ending Auburn's first offensive drive of the fourth quarter. After a turnover on downs by the Warhawks, Auburn padded its lead thanks to a Damari Alston seven-yard rushing touchdown. The Tigers added a field goal when Ian Vachon split the uprights from 26 yards. In the final minute, Booty entered the game and launched a 65-yard touchdown pass to Bibbs for his first-career touchdown before the final whistle.
 
The Warhawks return to Sun Belt Conference play next Saturday (Nov. 23) at Arkansas State. ULM's final road game of the regular season will begin at 2 p.m. from Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro, Ark.