CONWAY, S.C. – The ULM football team (3-3, 1-1 Sun Belt) evened its Sun Belt record on Saturday evening (Oct. 11), falling to the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (3-3, 2-1 Sun Belt) on the road. After getting down in the count early, the Warhawks were unable to make it up as the heavy rainfall hit hard.
 
Aidan Armenta completed 50% of his passes (14-28), while collecting 176 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Jonathan Bibbs led the receivers with 79 yards on five receptions, also tallying the lone touchdown. Braylon McReynolds led the running backs, slotting 78 yards on 14 attempts in the contest.
 
Coastal Carolina opened the offense with a six-minute drive, concluding in a field goal. Billy Pullen and Andre Mack led the charge in preventing a Coastal Carolina score, as Jabari Tiller sacked Tad Hudson for a loss of six yards and holding the home team to a field goal with 8:53 remaining in the quarter.
 
Lynard Harris led the team with six tackles on the night, while Tiller notched five tackles, a sack and three tackles for loss. David Godsey is credited with a pass breakup and a forced fumble. 
 
A quick three-and-out for the Warhawks gave control back to the Chanticleers, who picked up a few first downs before Marcus Ross and an offensive holding call kept Coastal Carolina from the end zone. Another field goal came from Kian Afrookhteh, making it a 6-0 score with four minutes left in the quarter. A few first downs for ULM got momentum going, but a penalty flag kept the Warhawks from scoring in the first quarter.
 
Mack continued to battle through the rain for the ULM defense, securing a turnover on downs and sending the Warhawk offense back out on the field. Both teams continued to trade punts until Coastal Carolina broke through yet again to get into field goal range, making it a 9-0 score with seven minutes left in the half. 
 
While ULM punted yet again, Godsey forced a fumble and recovered it, returning the ball back to the Warhawks. In a crucial third down, Armenta launched the ball 22 yards to JP Coulter for the first down. After a penalty pushed the offense back, a third and long led to another punt from Makenzie Ryan. 
 
While the Chanticleers went 3-3 in the red zone, 5-16 from third down and 1-2 from fourth down, the Warhawks had a different story. ULM went 0-1 in the red zone, converting one of 14 third down attempts and going 1-4 from fourth down.
 
As the clock on the first half continued to run low, the home team fought to find the game's first touchdown. Samari Collier and Jalen John led the Chanticleer offense, an eight-yard pass from Collier to Brooks Johnson clinching the first touchdown of the night for the 16-0 score just before halftime.
 
The second half began with McReynolds breaking through to go on a 41-yard run and pass midfield. But a few short gains were not enough to reach the endzone for ULM. A three-and-out by Coastal Carolina gave the Warhawks another chance early in the third quarter. A reception for Bibbs and total gain of 43 yards placed ULM in position to reach the endzone for the first time all night. A rush by Zach Palmer-Smith and a 27-yard pass to Bibbs gave ULM its first score of the game, a two-point conversion for Dorian Lewis securing the 8-16 score with 9:30 left in the third.
 
The Chanticleers were able to prove the elements were no match for them, as they marched downfield, a 39-yard quarterback keeper for Collier giving Coastal Carolina the edge for a score of 23-8. A long drive for ULM followed, as the team was able to pick up a few first downs, but ultimately found themselves punting again.
 
A few major plays came in the fourth quarter, including a solid drive with complete long passes to Bibbs and Nic Trujillo to get momentum going. But the pendulum swung back in the direction of the Chanticleers, as the home team defense picked off Armenta. After the Warhawks held Coastal Carolina to a three-and-out, Hunter Herring threw an interception. Flags moved both teams up and down the field, but the 23-8 score remained the same through the fourth quarter, as the Warhawks fell to 3-3 in the series.
 
The Warhawks picked up 315 total yards to Coastal Carolina's 369, ULM leading in passing (176-92) while the Chanticleers led in rushing (277-139). Penalties were the name of the game, especially in the final 15 minutes. ULM claimed seven penalties for 64 total yards, while Coastal Carolina picked up three penalties for 25 yards. The Warhawks led in possession time and saw the Chanticleers fumble the ball three times but were unable to capitalize on the other side of the ball.
 
ULM Football will return to Malone Stadium next weekend, facing the Troy Trojans on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 18). Kickoff against the Trojans is slated for 2 p.m. as the Warhawks look to maintain an undefeated record at home.