MONROE, La. – The ULM football team prepares to open home play for the first time in FMOL Health | St. Francis Stadium, taking on Florida Atlantic on Saturday (Sept. 26). Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. CT.
 
Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Sean Fox (play-by-play) and Desmund Lighten (analyst) on the call. The game will also air on KLIP 105.3 FM with the Voice of the Warhawks, Mike Hammett and analyst Mike McGee.

OPENING DRIVE –
• The ULM football team remains at home, competing against the Florida Atlantic Owls on September 26. The Warhawks will kick off in their homecoming game at 7 p.m. in FMOL Health | St. Francis Stadium.
• The 2026 season is the first playing in FMOL Health | St. Francis Stadium, the name changed to recognize an expanding partnership with FMOL Health | St. Francis. The new name was announced on August 7, with a press conference held earlier this month. Additionally, the FMOL Health | St. Francis logo will be represented in jersey patches across all ULM women's sports as part of the expanded partnership.
• While the name has been changed, an installation is in progress to recognize the former namesake of the stadium, Coach James Malone, widely revered as the father of ULM Athletics. Malone was Northeast Louisiana's second head football coach, leading the Indians from 1934 to 1953, boasting a 94-64-12 record. With one of the top records of any football coach at ULM, he coached two unbeaten football teams and three bowl teams, leading the 1935 team to the junior college national championship. Malone also led the team from junior college into senior college competition in 1951. 
• The Warhawks hold a 7-2 edge over the Owls, five of those wins coming in Boca Raton on the road. When playing in Monroe, the teams are tied, 2-2. This is the first time Florida Atlantic and ULM will face off when not playing as conference competitors. The series dates back to 2004, a ULM victory on the road, 17-13. The last win over FAU the Warhawks had was the last time the teams competed, in 2012.
• In the final year of Florida Atlantic's time in the Sun Belt (2012), the Owls took on the Warhawks in Monroe. ULM claimed the 35-14 victory. The Warhawks opened the scoring, seeing a touchdown in all four quarters. Kolton Browning passed for 147 yards, completing 10 of 23 passes and leading the team with 59 yards rushing. Monterrell Washington logged two touchdowns with 45 yards rushing. The defense combined for 11.0 tackles for loss and five sacks.
• ULM sees a former Sun Belt opponent in Florida Atlantic, who was in the Sun Belt Conference from 2006 to 2013. The last former SBC team the Warhawks faced was UAB, who joined the Sun Belt in 1979 until 1991. ULM has not played a nonconference game against a former Sun Belt opponent.
• The Warhawks have agreed to a nonconference home-and-home with the Owls, returning to Boca Raton in 2027. ULM also has settled a future home-and-home agreement with Sam Houston, seeing the Bearkats at FMOL Health | St. Francis Stadium in 2027 and traveling to Huntsville in 2028. 
• On the 2026 roster, ULM welcomes back 49 returners and brings in 56 newcomers, providing an 48% retention rate from 2025. Out of the newcomers, the Warhawks welcome 10 first-years, 23 NCAA transfers and 23 JUCO transfers to the bayou. Out of those returning to Monroe, 20 have played with ULM for one year, 21 for two years, three for three years and four for four years.
• ULM has 26 states featured on its roster in 2026. In announcing its roster, ULM Football posts 19 Louisiana players, 11 coming from Monroe's own Ouachita Parish. Louisiana is the state with the most representatives on the team, with Mississippi following close behind with 18. Texas records the third-most with 15 and Alabama records 10. Iowa, Florida, Pennsylvania and Georgia all record a few, while 19 other states are represented with one or two.