The Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks have been part of the FBS since 1994. In 2001, the Warhawks joined the Sun Belt Conference and have remained there since. It has been a slow, methodical process for the Warhawks to build a competitive team in the Sun Belt. They did not achieve a winning record until 2012, when they went 8-5. That season showcased them defeating the then #8 Arkansas Razorbacks in Little Rock, 34-31. Also in 2012, they went to the Independence Bowl, which was their first bowl game in school history. They lost 45-14 to the Ohio Bobcats. Before we go in depth on the 2014 team, let's take a look back on the 2013 season.
2013 Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks Season
The 2013 season started as well as the Warhawks could have thought. They were blown out on the road at #16 Oklahoma, but rebounded to defeat FCS Grambling State and held on to beat Wake Forest on the road. They were absolutely crushed by the #19 Baylor Bears, 70-7 and sat at 2-2. The Tulane game saw ULM lose star quarterback Kolton Browning. They lose to Tulane and Western Kentucky, which left the Warhawks at 2-4. Browning actually came back to lead wins against Georgia State and Troy. They were crushed by Arkansas State and South Alabama, but came back to win the season finale at rival Louisiana-Lafayette. They finished the season 6-6 and were not invited to a bowl game. It was not that bad of a season given the injury to Browning and the offensive line. The entire 2013 schedule is below.
Offense
In 2013, the ULM offense averaged only 22.3 points and 360 yards per game. Part of the reason was due to the lack of a healthy Browning at quarterback and offensive line. In all, 6 starters return on offense, but Browning is not one of them in 2014. Brayle Brown did play in place of Browning, but he was not as effective. Brown finished with 645 yards passing, a 52.1 completion percentage, 1 touchdown, and 6 interceptions. Probably ending up at quarterback will be Pete Thomas, who played at both Colorado State and North Carolina State in his career. Thomas started 6 games in 2013 with the Wolfpack, finishing with 1,6667 yards, 60.3 completion percentage, 4 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions. Thomas will not be as effective as Browning was.
The running back position featured quite a bit of sharing in 2013. Not a single back had over 100 carries. The top rusher was Jyruss Edwards with 447 yards and two touchdowns on 99 carries. He is gone, but Centarius Donald is still with the team. Donald started only 4 games in 2013, but finished with 433 yards and 4 touchdowns on 87 carries. DeVontae McNeal (205 yards and 2 touchdowns) will also be back. No matter who is back here, the group as a whole should do better than their 123 rushing yards per game they put up in 2013.
The Warhawks' top receiver, Rashon Ceaser, is coming back in 2014. Ceaser had 65 catches for 964 yards and 5 touchdowns. No other receiver in 2013 had more than 42 catches or 370 yards. Kenzee Jackson was the 4th leading receiver in 2013 with 25 catches, 271 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Ajalen Holley finished with 21 catches, 266 yards, and 5 touchdowns as a freshman in 2013. Added in are junior college transfer Tyrone Carter and redshirt freshman De'Vontre Haggerty. This unit should do well to help out their quarterback.
Three of the five starters return on the offensive line for the Warhawks. All three returning starters will be seniors, but that is not all. The two new projected starters at center and left tackle will be a junior and senior, respectively. Both of those players have seen game action as well. Right guard Demiere Burkett has started the last 25 games at right tackle, but now moves inside one spot. Moving to left guard will be Ben Risenhoover. Risenhoover started all 12 games at right guard in 2013. Also flipping sides will be right tackle Joseph Treadwell. His first three years were spent at left tackle, where he did not miss a game. Despite the jockeying around, the offensive line will be stout in 2014 if they avoid injury.
Defense
In 2012, ULM gave up an average of 29.2 points and 419 yards per game with only 5 returning starters. In 2013, the defense returned 9 starters, but performed slightly worse. They gave up an average of 30.2 points and 427 yards per game. In 2014, 9 starters return again to this 3-3-5 defensive scheme. The defensive line will see all 3 starters return. Former Missouri Tiger Gerrand Johnson will anchor the line at nose tackle. Johnson was a beast in 2013 with 56 tackles, 1 sack, and 10 tackles-for-loss while earning second team Sun Belt honors. He will be joined by Darius Lively and Joey Gautney. These three should improve on the 189 rushing yards per game they gave up in 2013.
Of the three linebackers, two are returning this season. Their one lost starters is a big one, however, as Cameron Blakes was the best linebacker on the team. Blakes recorded 77 tackles, 4 sacks, and 3.5 tackles-for-loss. Hunter Kissinger was second on the team in tackles with 73. He also recorded 1 sack, 5.5 tackles-for-loss, and 3 interceptions. The other returning starter is Ray Stovall, who recorded 49 tackles, 2 sacks, and 9 tackles-for-loss. The "new" starter is Michael Johnson. He started the first 3 games, but was soon replaced by Blakes. This group should help bolster the other two units and have a solid year.
More good news for coach Berry and ULM is the fact that 4 of the 5 starters return in the secondary. Safety Cordero Smith started the last 25 games over the previous two years. In 2013, he recorded 63 tackles, which was third most on the team. Also returning are Mitch Lane at the HAWK position (53 tackles and 2 interceptions in 2013), Trey Caldwell at cornerback, and Rob'Donovan Lewis also at cornerback. With experience and plenty of depth, this group should be solid in 2014.
Special Teams
The Warhawks will return Justin Manton, who does the kicking and punting for the team. Manton is not the best kicker, as noted by his 5 of 9 field goals with a long of 38 yards. However, he did outstanding at punter. He averaged 45.8 yards per punt with a net of 39.1 yards. Rashon Ceaser had 12 punt returns for 126 yards and 1 touchdown in 2013. Ceaser should also get plenty of returns on kickoffs in 2014 to go along with his receiving and punt return duties.
2014 Season Outlook
Todd Berry has quite a few pieces to work with in 2014. The offense may take several games to get going, but should be fine as the season progresses. The defense should definitely improve in 2014 with 9 returning, however, many people thought the same thing in 2013 with 9 returning starters as well. The non-conference schedule is not kind to ULM in 2014. They have three SEC teams to deal with, all on the road. They do welcome a rebuilding Wake Forest team to Monroe, Louisiana. They did beat the Demon Deacons 21-19 in 2013. Below is the entire 2014 schedule.
The Warhawks can beat both Wake Forest and Idaho to start the season 2-0. LSU is can be chalked up as a loss, but the next two games are critical to ULM's Sun Belt Title chances. The Troy and Arkansas State games are both toss-ups that can go to either team in the contest. The game at Kentucky will probably be a loss, which makes the previous two games even more important. Texas State can also go either way, especially if the offense has not hit their best gear. Again, Texas A&M will probably be a loss on the road, but the schedule gets better after that. Appalachian State is a team that ULM can beat and the UL-Lafayette game is a rivalry game, which can go either way. It is not a stretch to say that ULM should beat both New Mexico State and Georgia Southern at season's end. Wins against Wake Forest, Idaho, Appalachian State, New Mexico State, and Georgia Southern gets the Warhawks to 5. All they need is one more win to get bowl eligible, which is not out of the question. With home games against Troy, Texas State, and Louisiana-Lafayette, the Warhawks should get enough wins to be bowl eligible and to their second bowl game in history.