ULM Warhawks
Preview 2009
By
Pete Fiutak
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2009
ULM Preview |
2009
ULM Offense
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2009 ULM
Defense |
2009 ULM Depth Chart
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2008 ULM Preview |
2007 ULM Preview |
2006 ULM Preview
Head coach: Charlie Weatherbie
7th year: 25-45
17th year overall: 70-109
Returning Lettermen
Off, 20,
Def, 17, ST 3
Lettermen Lost: 19 |
Ten
Best ULM Players
1. LB Cardia Jackson,
Sr.
2. S Greg James, Sr.
3. Rover Josh Thompson, Sr.
4. RB Frank Goodin, Jr.
5. DE Aaron Morgan, Sr.
6. QB
Trey Revell, Jr.
7. CB Nate Brown, Soph.
8. S James
Truxillo, Sr.
9. WR Darrell McNeal, Sr.
10. WR Anthony
McCall, Soph. |
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2009 Schedule
CFN Prediction:
3-9
CFN Record: 0-0
9/5 at Texas
9/12 Texas Southern
9/12 at Arizona State
9/26 at Florida Atlantic
10/3 FIU
10/13 Arkansas State
10/24 at Kentucky
10/31 at Troy
11/7 at North Texas
11/14 Western Kentucky
11/21 at UL Lafayette
11/28 Middle Tenn. |
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2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 5-7
CFN Record: 4-8
8/30 at Auburn L
34-0
9/6 at Arkansas L 28-27
9/13 Alabama A&M
W 37-15
9/20 at Tulane L 24-10
9/27
OPEN DATE
10/4 UL Lafayette L
44-35
10/11 at Arkansas St L 37-29
10/18 North Texas W
35-23
10/25 Florida Atlantic
L 29-28
11/1 Troy W 31-30
11/8 at Middle Tenn L 24-21
11/15 at Ole Miss L 59-0
11/22 at FIU W 31-27
11/29
OPEN DATE
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ULM was on a roll at the end of 2007 having won five of its final six games,
highlighted by an upset over Alabama, and a loaded team was coming back for
2008.
Clunk.
The defense was awful and the offense wildly inconsistent, but there were still
chances to come up with big wins and come up with a nice season. Instead, ULM
lost a one-point heartbreaker to Arkansas, a one-point killer against Florida
Atlantic, and a three-point battle against Middle Tennessee when there were
three missed field goals. While it’s not fair to think about what would’ve
happened had UL won those three games, especially considering there was a
shocking 31-30 win over Troy and a 31-27 win over FIU to close things out, the
time needs to be now to win those games to get over the Sun Belt hump.
ULM simply won’t be good enough this year to give away any winnable games. Troy,
Middle Tennessee, and Florida Atlantic are just three of the league’s stars, and
ULM isn’t in their category. That doesn’t mean there can’t be wins over everyone
and anyone in the Sun Belt, but it does mean that all the close games have to go
the team’s way to get the first winning season at the D-I level since 1980.
This year’s team will have issues. It needs to find a pass rush, the offensive
line has to be far better, the defense has to come up with a stop or two, and
the offense has to be more consistent. However, there’s tons of speed on both
sides of the ball, the receiving corps should be excellent, and the linebacking
corps will be among the best in the Sun Belt. Will it be enough to finally make
ULM a major factor in the conference race? Maybe.
No one will pick the Warhawks to win the Sun Belt title, and expectations will
be kept relatively low. With as much potential explosion as this year’s team
has, and with the experience on defense, this could be a sleeper team in the
chance … again. ULM would rather be good enough to become the hunted, but there
must be more wins to get to that level.
What to watch for on offense: An interesting quarterback battle. Trey
Revell should be ready after serving as the understudy to Kinsmon Lancaster, but
junior Zach Rhodes is speedy fast and has the upside to become a dangerous
playmaker with a little more time to work. Revell can run, too, and he has a
live arm who can push the ball deep, but Rhodes might still be too good a
prospect to keep on the sidelines.
What to watch for on defense: A change in alignment. ULM ran a 4-2-5 over
the last few years with some semblance of success. Now things will change to a
3-3-5 set, and that’s a big positive considering the Warhawks are thin at tackle
and have an abundance of good linebackers. However, the front three will now
have to show it can get into the backfield on a regular basis.
The team will be far better if … more plays are made in the backfield …
again. ULM hasn’t come up with steady sacks over the last few years, and now
there will have to be more from the linebackers and even the safeties to
generate pressure. Aaron Morgan is a tremendous pass rusher who has to all but
do it all by himself while all-star linebacker Cardia Jackson provides a little
bit of help, but that’s it. Those two came up with ten of the team’s 13 sacks.
Obviously, those two will be keyed on by every blocking scheme.
The Schedule:
It’s tricky, but there are moments of manageability. Forget about the
season-opener at Texas, that’s just a game to get everyone’s feet wet, but Texas
Southern is a winnable game the following week. The rest of the non-conference
schedule is against Arizona State and Kentucky, but those two will have their
heads focused on games ahead and could be ripe for the picking. Starting out the
Sun Belt slate at Florida Atlantic isn’t a plus, but FIU and Arkansas State will
be a decent back-to-back home stand before going on the road for four times in a
five week run. Going to Troy, along with the early date at FAU, will all but
kill Sun Belt title hopes, but getting Middle Tennessee at home to close things
out is a plus.
Best Offensive Player:
Junior RB Frank Goodin. He has the speed and surprising power for a 5-9,
200-pound back. While he had a bit of a disappointing season running for 783
yards and five touchdowns, he led the team in rushing and was fourth in
receiving with 25 catches for 277 yards and two scores. He did all of that while
trying to get through an ankle injury, and now he’s 100% and should be ready for
a breakout year.
Best Defensive Player:
Senior LB Cardia Jackson. The star of the defense for the last three years,
Jackson is coming off a 127-tackle season and should do even more with more
responsibility. He got bigger and is now up to 240 yards, so the potential is
there that he can be an even bigger hitter after already being known as one of
the most intimidating poppers in the Sun Belt.
Key player to a successful season:
Senior NT Aaron Williams. In the new 3-3-5 set, the tackle has to be a true
anchor for everyone to work around. The 296-pound Williams had a good season
making 29 tackles, but he has to do more this season. More stats isn’t a must,
but he has to gum up the works to allow the rest of the back six to roam around
and make plays.
The season will be a success if
... ULM comes up with a winning season. It’ll take a win at North Texas, at
least one other road upset somewhere else, perhaps against FIU or UL Lafayette,
and there can’t be any slips at home. There aren’t any home dates against anyone
who came up with a winning record last year. In the end, 6-6 would be
acceptable, but 7-5 would be tremendous.
Key game:
Sept. 26 at Florida Atlantic. The Warhawks lost to the Owls in a 29-28
heartbreaker last season. It might be tough to come up with the upset in the Sun
Belt opener, but it would be a tremendous tone-setter for the rest of the season
if they can do it considering there are two home games to follow. A win means a
winning season quickly becomes a truly attainable goal.
2008 Fun Stats:
- Sacks: Opponents 31 for 176 yards – ULM 13 for 87 yards
- Field goals: Opponents 20-of-28 – ULM 8-of-17
- Punt return average: Opponents 11 yards per try – ULM 6.5 yards per try
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2009
ULM Preview |
2009
ULM Offense
-
2009 ULM
Defense |
2009 ULM Depth Chart
-
2008 ULM Preview |
2007 ULM Preview |
2006 ULM Preview
|