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Perhaps we should pity the poor boys from Louisiana -Monroe as the Warhawks prepare to head to Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, where they’ll face an angry Alabama squad ready to take out its frustrations after last week’s loss to Ole Miss.
ULM might otherwise be riding high coming off a 47-0 victory against Nicholls State, but the season-opening trip to Georgia, which resulted in a 51-14 pounding by the Bulldogs, is also still fresh in the minds of the Warhawk faithful.
It could have been a game for the Crimson Tide to overlook, sandwiched between the Rebels and Georgia on the Alabama schedule, but that won’t be the case after the Ole Miss loss. So is there any reason at all to think Louisiana-Monroe might pose a threat to the Tide? Frankly, it’s hard to come up with one.
The Warhawks are coming off a 4-8 season in 2014 and were picked to finish in the bottom half of the Sun Belt Conference. The strengths of this year’s ULM team are in the passing game, which is an area where the Tide can be vulnerable. But even as Warhawks quarterback Garrett Smith is proving himself to be a solid Sun Belt quarterback, he’s something much closer to the level of Middle Tennessee State’s Brent Stockstill than Ole Miss star Chad Kelly.
Smith leads the Sun Belt in passer rating at 180.5 and has completed 79 percent of his attempts for 576 yards and five touchdowns in two games. He was even impressive against Georgia, completing 23 of 29 passes for 206 yards and two touchdowns. But he also was sacked three times and had an interception against pressure that will likely be similar to what Alabama’s loaded defensive line can bring.
Even so, quarterback play will likely be pretty low on ULM coach Todd Berry’s list of concerns. The Warhawks rank sixth in the Sun Belt in rushing defense and allowed Georgia’s Nick Chubb to gain 120 yards on 16 carries while four different Georgia ball-carriers averaged at least 5.7 yards per carry.
That doesn’t bode well for ULM against an Alabama team that stars Derrick Henry. Henry continues to be among the top backs in the SEC, averaging 123 rushing yards per game. Henry is backed up by the speedy Kenyan Drake and former top running back recruit Damien Harris as the third-stringer.
If the Warhawks are going to have any shot of knocking off the Tide, or even keeping it close, they are going to have to force Alabama into passing downs in which they might be able to have some success as the Tide continues to sort out a quarterback situation featuring Jake Coker and Cooper Bateman.
Louisiana-Monroe ranks No. 1 in the Sun Belt in passing defense, giving up an average of just 183 yards per game through the air. But the Warhawks have yet to make an interception this season, and they will need to come up with some turnovers this week.
Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks Closer Look
Top player, offense: Garrett Smith, Fr., QB — Smith came in and won the starting quarterback job away from senior Brayle Brown and has performed more than admirably in his short career thus far. He’s proving to be one of the most accurate passers in the nation and has five touchdowns to just one interception so far. He could test Alabama’s young secondary if he gets enough time.
Top player, defense: Gerrand Johnson, Sr., NT — An all-conference performer last year, he’s been tough to block up front again this season. Johnson is quick for his size, 6-1, 290 pounds, and has 11 tackles, including two for a loss in two games. He’s also batted down a pass and forced a fumble. It could be an interesting matchup against Alabama’s senior center Ryan Kelly.
Top player, special teams: Chris Qualls, Fr., P — Qualls hasn’t unleashed any monster boots so far as a freshman. His season-long is 47 yards and his average is just 34. But half of his 12 punts have settled inside the 20-yard line.
Shane Mettlen is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Texas A&M, Missouri and Alabama.
