2006 UL Monroe Warhawks Season, Game Recaps, Scores and Reviews
Dec. 2
UL Monroe 39 ... UL Lafayette 20
Helped by three interceptions, UL Monroe exploded to a 33
point first half with Calvin Dawson running for two touchdowns and
Kinsmon Lancaster connecting with Joe Merritt for a 24 yards score and
LaGregory Sapp for a 64-yard touchdown. Cole Wilson added four field
goals connecting from 41, 44, 20 and 25 yards out. UL Lafayette stayed
close early with two Tyrell Fenroy touchdown runs, but a 23-point ULM
run put it away. Player of the game ... UL Monroe QB Kinsmon Lancaster
completed 11 of 18 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns and ran for
29 yards. Stat Leaders: UL Lafayette - Passing: Jerry
Babb, 22-42, 189 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT Rushing: Tyrell Fenroy, 27-118, 2 TD Receiving:
Derrick Smith, 8-98 UL Monroe - Passing: Kinsmon Lancaster, 11-18,
244 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Calvin Dawson, 24-129, 2 TD Receiving: LaGregory Sapp, 3-137, 1
TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Talk
about closing out a season hot, UL Monroe won three of its last four
game with the one loss coming in the shootout at Kentucky. The emergence
of Kinsmon Lancaster as a steadier playmaker should energize the team in
the off-season. The offense didn't make mistakes against UL Lafayette
and the offense kept the ball moving. Calvin Dawson was terrific to keep
the chains moving, while Lancaster made big throw after big throw early
to put the game away. 4-8 might not look pretty, but it's a positive
4-8.
Nov. 25
UL Monroe 23 ... North Texas 3
North Texas was held to 137 total yards of offense with the
only score coming on a 33-yard Denis Hopovac field goal in the second
quarter. The rest of the game belonged to UL Monroe with Calvin Dawson
starting the scoring with a one-yard score, Cole Wilson nailing field
goals from 33,49 and 21 yards, and Erroll Hogan capping things off with
a 24-yard touchdown run. Player of the game ... UL Monroe RB Calvin Dawson ran 23
times for 117 yards and a touchdown Stat Leaders: North Texas - Passing: Matt
Phillips, 9-18, 66 yds, 2 INT Rushing: Deavin Cox, 12-37 Receiving:
Johnny Quinn, 4-5 UL Monroe - Passing: Kinsmon Lancaster, 12-19,
193 yds Rushing: Calvin Dawson, 23-117, 1 TD Receiving: LaGregory Sapp, 3-78 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The
Warhawks have finally come together on both sides of the ball, but
unfortunately there's only one game left. Calvin Dawson picked up where
he left off after the impressive game against Kentucky with a strong day
against North Texas from QB Kinsmon Lancaster. .The defense completely
shut down the Mean Green, especially against the pass. Now the team
needs to go into the off-season on a real high note and beat UL
Lafayette in a rivalry game.
Nov. 18
Kentucky 42 ... UL Monroe 40
UL Monroe's two-point conversion attempt after a one-yard
Kinsmon Lanscaster touchdown run came up short as Kentucky held on in
the final minute to get the tough win. The Wildcats roared out to a
28-10 lead helped by two of Keenan Burton's three touchdown catches and
an 84-yard Rafael Little punt return for a score, but the Warhawks
stayed alive with three Calvin Dawson touchdown runs after opening the
scoring with a blocked field goal for a score from Greg James. The two
teams combined for 958 yards and 52 first downs. Player of the game
...
Kentucky QB Andre Woodson threw for 359 yards and three touchdowns on
25-of-35 passing. Stat Leaders: UL Monroe- Passing: Kinsmon
Lancaster, 8-15, 128 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Calvin Dawson, 26-179, 3 TDs Receiving:
LaGregory Sapp, 4-104 Kentucky - Passing: Andre Woodson, 25-35, 359 yds,
3 TDs
Rushing: Rafael Little, 19-82 Receiving: Keenan Burton,
9-115, 3 TDs Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Just
when it seemed like ULM was in the midst of a ho-hum, awful season as a
Sun Belt also ran, it blows up on Kentucky for 40 points and 501 yards
of offense on Kentucky coming within an eyelash of tying it up late.
With two games left against North Texas and UL Lafayette, those will be
easy, walk-in-the-park wins if Kinsmon Lancaster and Calvin Dawson run
like they did this week. To nitpick on a great offensive performance,
there were too many penalties that slowed things down.
Nov. 11
UL Monroe 35 ... FIU 0
UL Monroe held FIU to 210 yards of total offense and nine
first downs while Calvin Dawson ran wild cranking out 129 yards with
touchdown runs from 31 and two yards out. The D got in the scoring
column with a 26-yard interception return for a score from Chaz
Williams, while the passing game got quirky with Chance Payne, in for an
injured Kinsmon Lancaster, throwing a three-yard pass to Mitch Doyle and
Darrell McNeal taking a reverse and hitting LaGregory Sapp for a 51-yard
score. Three turnovers killed potential FIU scoring drives. Player of the game ... UL Monroe RB Calvin Dawson ran
23 times for 129 yards and two touchdowns Stat Leaders: UL Monroe- Passing: Chance
Payne, 10-11, 110 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Calvin Dawson, 23-129, 2 TD. Receiving:
LaGregory Sapp, 5-98, 1 TD FIU - Passing: Josh Padrick, 18-30, 179
yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Amod Ned, 8-26 Receiving: Jeremy
Dickens, 5-75 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
ULM needed an easy outing to finally
break the glum of a seven-game losing streak. Even though FIU is
depleted, it was a big game for both sides of the ball with Calvin
Dawson running well for the fourth straight game and the defense
swarming all over FIU's passing game. Chance Payne was strong with
Kinsmon Lancaster knocked out early with a banged up hand. He won't have
to carry the offense over the final few games, but he'll just have to be
efficient if Lancaster can't go.
Oct. 28
Arkansas 44 ... UL Monroe 10
UL Monroe made things interesting early with Calvin Dawson
ripping off a huge run setting up a 17-yard touchdown catch from
LaGregory Sapp. That was the only highlight for the Warhawks as Arkansas
took advantage of ULM punting mistakes and six turnovers with short
fields allowing for a 44-point run highlighted by a nine-yard halfback
pass from Darren McFadden to Wes Murphy and two touchdown grabs from
Marcus Monk. The Hogs outgained ULM 428 yards to 268 cranking out 331
rushing yards. Michael Grant picked off three passes for Arkansas. Player of the game ... Arkansas RBs Felix Jones and
Darren McFadden combined to run 27 times for 270 yards and two
touchdowns with McFadden throwing a touchdown pass. Stat Leaders: UL Monroe- Passing:
Kinsmon Lancaster, 14-25, 147 yds, 1 TD, 5 INT Rushing: Calvin Dawson, 19-128. Receiving:
Zeek Zacharie, 5-45 Arkansas - Passing: Mitch Mustain, 7-18,
71 yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Felix Jones, 9-141, 1 TD Receiving:
Marcus Monk, 5-51, 2 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
ULM got some decent production from
Calvin Dawson and the running game against Arkansas and Kinsmon
Lancaster had his moments, but six turnovers and a myriad of problems
from the punting game proved to be too much to make it an interesting
game. The Warhawks can't make mistakes against anyone and win, much less
against a team like Arkansas. Now it's back into Sun Belt play where
there has to be more production on third downs and far, far tighter
overall play to beat FIU next week.
Oct. 21
Middle Tennessee 35 ... UL Monroe 21
Down 21-14 at halftime, Middle Tennessee opened things up in
the second half scoring 21 unanswered points with Eugene Gross running
for a three-yard score, Desmond Gee taking a Clint Marks pass 54 yards
for a touchdown, and DeMarco McNair scoring his second touchdown of the
game on an eight-yard run with just over six minutes to play. ULM got
short touchdown runs from Erroll Hogan and Calvin Dawson, and converted
a turnover into a 32-yard J.J. McCoy touchdown late in the first half,
but sputtered in the second half.
Player of the game ... Middle Tennessee QB
Clint Marks complete 19 of 24 passes for 234 yards and two touchdowns
with an interception. Stat Leaders: UL Monroe - Passing: Kinsmon
Lancaster, 15-27, 184 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Calvin Dawson, 12-72, 1 TD Receiving:
LaGregory Sapp, 3-62 Middle Tennessee - Passing: Clint Marks, 19-24, 234
yds, 2 TD, 1 INT Rushing: Eugene Gross, 21-100, 1 TD Receiving:
Desmond Gee, 6-109, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
The ULM offense went into the tank in the second half against Middle
Tennessee with no big drives to slow down the Blue Raider momentum,
while the run defense got rolled over. There were plenty of big plays in
the first half, and the O did a good job of converting off of mistakes,
but there simply isn't enough consistency to beat the better Sun Belt
teams. If ULM couldn't handle the Middle Tennessee running game, it'll
have a nightmare of a time against Arkansas.
Oct. 14
Troy 24 ... UL Monroe 19
Troy got two touchdown run from freshman Justin Brooks and QB
Omar Haugabook had his best game of the year, but it had to hang on as
UL Monroe got within five on a one-yard Calvin Dawson touchdown run,
threatened, and made it interesting. The Warhawks got two Cole Wilson
field goals and an Erroll Hogan four-yard scoring run, but struggled
with turnovers. The two teams combined to give it up nine times.
Player of the game ... Troy RB Justin
Brooks ran 11 times for 64 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Stat Leaders: UL Monroe - Passing: Kinsmon
Lancaster, 15-31, 147 yds, 2 INTs Rushing: Calvin Dawson, 20-118, 1 TD Receiving: J.J.
McCoy, 7-123 Troy - Passing: Omar Haugabook, 27-40, 246 yds, 1
TD, 1 INT Rushing: Justin Brooks, 11-64, 2 TDs Receiving: Gary
Banks, 10-83 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... ULM can't get a close win.
After coming out of Troy with the loss, that makes it four times this
year the Warhawks lost by five points or fewer. Turnovers, penalties,
and missed opportunities were the problem against Troy, but the running
game worked well with Calvin Dawson motoring as well as he had all
season long. J.J. McCoy emerged as a potentially dangerous target for
Kinsmon Lancaster. To get by Middle Tennessee next week, the offense has
to be much, much sharper.
Oct. 7
Arkansas State 10 ... UL Monroe 6
In a tough, defensive battle, Arkansas State got a ten-yard
Corey Leonard touchdown run with two minutes to play. ULM was able to
get down to the ASU 29, but stalled after a fourth down pass fell
incomplete. The Warhawks got an eight-yard Calvin Dawson touchdown run
early in the second quarter, but only finished with 223 yards of total
offense. ASU kicked off the scoring with a 24-yard Josh Arauco field
goal. Player of the game ... Arkansas State LB Devrett Wade
made 11 tackles, two tackles for loss and broke up a pass Stat Leaders: Arkansas State- Passing:
Corey Leonard, 13-26, 130 yds, 2 INT Rushing: Corey Leonard, 7-48, 1 TD Receiving:
Cedric Wilkerson, 5-47 UL Monroe - Passing: Kinsmon Lancaster,
9-13, 48 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Calvin Dawson, 16-71, 1 TD Receiving:
Marty Humphrey, 3-48 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... ULM can't
seem to come up with close wins. This is the third time this year the
team lost by four points or fewer showing an inability to come up with a
big play late. Kinsmon Lancaster played, but he's still not 100% healthy
and didn't push the ball well down the field. The ASU defense stuffed
the Warhawks time and again on third downs and kept the running game
from getting going. The season will be made or broken over the next two
weeks at Troy and against Middle Tennessee.
Sept. 30
Florida Atlantic 21 ... UL Monroe 19
Florida Atlantic got ahead for good on a 16-yard Aaron Sanchez
touchdown run with less than five minutes to play, and then the defense
held on as Darrell McNeal caught a scoring pass to bring ULM to within
two, but the conversion failed, FAU recovered the onside kick, and ran
out the clock. Sean Clayton threw a 224-yard touchdown pass to Avery
Holley and Charles Pierre ran for a six-yard score for a 14-10 FAU
halftime lead, but ULM stayed alive on a four-yard Kinsmon Lancaster run
and two Cole Wilson field goals. Player of the game ... Florida Atlantic QB Frantz
Simeon completed 12 of 18 passes for 164 yards and a touchdowns and ran
nine times for 54 yards Stat Leaders: Florida Atlantic- Passing:
Sean Clayton, 12-18, 164 yds, 1 TD Rushing: Charles Pierre, 21-85, 1 TD Receiving:
Frantz Simeon, 3-64 UL Monroe - Passing: Chance Payne, 11-20,
160 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Darrell McNeal, 1-39 Receiving:
LaGregory Sapp, 5-96 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
On the plus side out of the home loss to
Florida Atlantic, the Sun Belt's worst team, was that the offense showed
it could move a little bit even after losing QB Kinsmon Lancaster and RB
Calvin Dawson to leg injuries. Chance Payne did a decent job of rallying
the team in the fourth quarter and the defense wasn't bad, but the team,
even the offense, will have to do a whole bunch more to have any shot
against the nasty defenses of Arkansas State and Troy over the next two
weeks.
Sept. 16
Alabama 41 ... UL Monroe 7
The Alabama running game got 219 yards and three touchdowns
from nine different runners on the way to an easy win. John Parker
Wilson threw two touchdown passes highlighted by a 43-yard scoring play
to D.J. Hall, and Roy Upchurch ran two one-yard scores in the fourth
quarter. UL Monroe stayed alive for almost a half on a two-yard Kinsmon
Lancaster touchdown run, but Bama answered with a six-play drive
culminating in a three-yard Tim Castille touchdown run. Player of the game ... Alabama QB John Parker Wilson
completed 13 of 21 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns Stat Leaders: UL Monroe- Passing:
Kinsmon Lancaster, 10-20, 73 yds, 1 INT Rushing: Calvin Dawson, 16-118. Receiving:
Zeek Zacharie, 3-32 Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson,
13-21, 210 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Ken Darby, 14-79. Receiving: Keith Brown,
5-82 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... UL Monroe
didn't have a prayer of staying alive against Alabama's running game.
The worst part about the blowout loss was the lack of any spark to the
offense despite running the ball relatively well. This was the
type of game Kinsmon Lancaster needed in order to keep progressing. He
has faced a great defense in a hostile environment; Florida Atlantic
won't seem like that big a deal by comparison. DB Kevin Payne provided
some good pop, but it's not a good thing when a safety leads the team in
tackles.
Sept. 9
Kansas 21 ... UL Monroe 19
Kansas survived a late run by UL Monroe as Zeek Zacharie
caught a three-yard touchdown pass with 3:31 to play, but he couldn't
get the pass on the two-point conversion that would've tied it at 21. KU
recovered the onside kick and ran out the clock. The Jayhawks got out to
a 21-7 lead on two touchdown passes and a ten-yard scoring run from
Kerry Meier, but the offense couldn't put any more points on the board
over the final 20 minutes, and ULM took advantage with a nine-yard
touchdown run from Kinsmon Lancaster before the final sequence. Zacharie
caught a 59-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter. Player of the game ... Kansas RB Jon Cornish ran 23
times for 103 yards and caught two passes for 62 yards. Stat Leaders: UL Monroe- Passing:
Kinsmon Lancaster, 24-41, 377 yds, 2 TD Rushing: Calvin Dawson, 7-38. Receiving:
LaGregory Sapp, 8-82 Kansas - Passing: Kerry Meier, 16-27, 185
yds, 2 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Jon Cornish, 23-103. Receiving: Dexton
Fields, 6-39, 1 TD Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Where did
that offense come from? After struggling to get anything moving against
Alcorn State, the Warhawks discovered a tremendous passing game against
Kansas that was almost able to pull out the win (or at least force
overtime). Kinsmon Lancaster was terrific at spreading the ball around,
while Zeek Zacharie and LaGregory Sapp have emerged as go-to targets.
The defense already appears to be in midseason form, so if the offense
can play like it did late against Kansas, ULM will be a force in Sun
Belt play.
Aug. 31
UL Monroe 24 ... Alcorn State 6
ULM took advantage of a few Alcorn State mistakes and a shaky
offensive performance to come away with the first win as the Warhawks.
Kinsmon Lancaster ran for a one-yard touchdown after the ULM D forced a
turnover on the 15-yard line, and threw an 18-yard touchdown pass to
Darrell McNeal for a little breathing room. James Wright sealed the win
late in the fourth with a 33-yard interception return for a score. ASU
only managed two Joanthan Willia field goals. Player of the game ... UL Monroe DB Kevin Payne led the
defense with seven tackles with an interception and a broken up pass..
He also averaged 42.2 yards per punt on four kicks. Stat Leaders: Alcorn State- Passing:
Tony Hobson, 17-33, 165 yds, 2 INT Rushing: Vernadus Cooper, 14 -30. Receiving:
Nate Hughes, 5-34 ULM - Passing: Kinsmon Lancaster, 8-17,
100 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Calvin Dawson, 17-78. Receiving: Zeek
Zacharie, 3-40 Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
It's obvious the defense will
have to carry things for a while until Knsmon Lancaster gets
comfortable. If Alcorn State can make the ULM offense struggle, then
Kansas and Alabama might shut the attack down completely over the next
few weeks. On a positive note, the defense showed it can make some big
plays and turn the momentum, but now it has to do it on an even higher
level.
Six games were decided by a touchdown or less, so for the close
gaffes to Northwestern State and Florida International that the team
will look back on as the reason it couldn't come up with a winning
season, the Indians also got their fair share of close wins. When
you have a quarterback like Steven Jyles, you can pull off several
close games. But now Jyles, as well as the team's nickname, are both
gone.
UL Monroe will have to undergo several changes with Kinsmon
Lancaster taking over for longtime starter Jyles, the entire
defensive line has to be replaced, the top receivers are gone, and
the nickname has gone from the Indians to the Warhawks. All those
changes aren't going to help ULM get over the hump this season and
win the conference title.
However, this is the Sun Belt, and wacky things tend to happen. The
offensive line should be among the league's best and the secondary
should be outstanding with two pro prospects in corner Chaz Williams
and safety Kevin Payne. Now the team has to win all the close games,
and not just a few of them.
This is the fourth year under head
coach Charlie Weatherbie and it's a transition season. While he got the
team in range to win the title last year, a season-ending 54-21 blowout
by UL Lafayette ruined New Orleans Bowl dreams. It's going to be at
least a year before the Warhawks will field the strongest team over the
last several years, so Weatherbie and his staff
will have a tricky task of blending the young backups with the decent
veterans. With only six senior starters, every game has to be about
improving with an eye towards the future.
Of course, ULM isn't going to just pack it in and not play. Since UL
Lafayette and North Texas appear to be the league's best teams going
into the year, and the Warhawks don't play them until the end, there's a
chance to be in the thick of things up until late November.
Can ULM fill in the gaps and stay alive long enough to have a shot at
the end? Probably not with too many tough road games, but it'll come up
with a few big wins and should show glimpses of what it'll be in 2007.
The Schedule: It's
not that there are seven road games that's a killer, it's that the
Sun Belt away dates are at Arkansas State, Troy and UL Lafayette.
The Warhawks can't win the conference title unless they win two of
those three. On the plus side, MTSU and North Texas have to come to
Malone Stadium. Can the team survive four road games in the first
six?? There aren't two home dates in a row to put together a run.
Best
Offensive Player: Junior OT Kyle Cunningham. The team needs
quarterback Kinsmon Lancaster to quickly grow into the team's best
player, but he'll get time to work with a good line in front of him
led by guard Aaron Schutz and Cunningham. Each will get a look from
an NFL camp in the near future with the 6-4, 285-pound Cunningham
showing enough potential to be the league's best lineman.
Best
Defensive Player: Senior FS Kevin Payne. The former running back
and now punter has also turned into a next-level caliber safety.
He's big, fast, and learning the ins and outs of being a top
defensive back. Junior corner Chaz Williams could also be considered
the team's top defender.
Key
player to a successful season: Sophomore QB Kinsmon Lancaster. He
has the speed, the moves and the arm, no he has to prove he can be a
consistent passer and has to become Steven Jyles-like at making
things happen
The
season will be a success if ... UL Monroe wins six games. This
isn't as good as last year's team, and it's still a year away from
big-time success, but it's good enough to beat Alcorn State, Florida
Atlantic, and come up with a few home wins against teams like MTSU,
FIU and North Texas. It'll take a few road upsets to get to six
wins, so five victories might be the ceiling.
Key
game: Oct. 7 at Arkansas State. ULM needs at least two Sun Belt
road wins to realistically be in the hunt for a winning year. After
beating the Indians 31-27 last year, ULM has to pull the same feat
off on the road before going on a road trip to Troy.
2005
Fun Stats:
- Third quarter scoring: Opponents 110 - UL Monroe 35
- Sacks: UL Monroe 18 for 128 yards - Opponents 9 for 70 yards
- Punt return average: Opponent 11.8 yards per return - UL Monroe 3
yards per return
The
Last Time UL-Monroe…
…played in a bowl game…never
…missed a bowl game…2005
…pitched a shutout…1999 (Middle Tennessee State)
…was shutout…2005 (Wyoming)
…scored 50 points…2002 (Utah State)
…went undefeated…never
…won a conference title…1992 (Southland)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…1993 (Robert Cobb)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2002 (Bryant Jacobs)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2002 (Mack Vincent)
…had a first-round draft choice…1971 (RB Joe Profit, 7th overall,
Atlanta Falcons)
