College Football News Preview 2020: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the ULM Warhawks season with what you need to know.
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– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– ULM Previews 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2019 Record: 5-7 overall, 4-4 in Sun Belt
Head Coach: Matt Viator, 5th year, 19-29
2019 CFN Final Opinion Ranking: 108
2019 CFN Final Season Formula Ranking: 100
2019 CFN Preview Ranking: 111
NOTE: Obviously, no one knows what’s going to happen to the 2020 college football season. We’ll take a general look at where each team stands – doing it without spring ball to go by – while crossing our fingers that we’ll all have some well-deserved fun this fall. Hoping you and yours are safe and healthy.
5. College Football News Preview 2020: ULM Warhawks Offense 3 Things To Know
– The Warhawk offense has to somehow go on without Caleb Evans. The longtime star quarterback is finally done, and now it’s going to take some work to come up with the right guy who can make the attack that averaged 461 yards – second-best in the Sun Belt – and 32 points per game,
– Sophomore Colby Suits will get the first look after being Evans’ backup. He’s a 6-3, 242-pound passer who can move a bit, However, he’s going to have to hold off JUCO transfer Jeremy Hunt, a 6-3, 215-pound dual-threat option who fits the offense perfectly.
Leading receiver Markis McCray is done, but Josh Pederson is a fantastic tight end who caught a team-high nine touchdown passes on his 43 grabs as a go-to target and safety valve
The receiving corps is full of field stretchers options. It’s a deep, loaded group even without McCray with junior Perry Carter ready to take on a bigger role in his spot.
– The quarterback might have to be a big part of the rushing element – Evans was second on the team in rushing and led the way with 12 scores – but it all works around senior Josh Johnson, a tough 215-pound veteran who averaged well over six yards per carry with 1,298 yards and 11 scores.
The offensive line that was so strong in pass protection – Evans had a lot to do with that – but had problems keeping defenses out of the backfield against the run has to all but start over. Senior Samuel Williams is back at one tackle, and everyone else has to be replaced.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: ULM Warhawks Defense 3 Things To Know
4. College Football News Preview 2020: ULM Warhawks Defense 3 Things To Know
– The offense cranked up the points, and the defense gave them up. The pass rush didn’t exist at times and the run D was awful for the nation’s third-worst overall D. The Warhawks allowed 484 yards and 38.7 points per game, but now it’s a veteran group that has plenty of options to play around with.
– Leading tackler Cortez Sisco is done from the linebacking corps, and there’s little size to rely on, but fourth-leading tackler Rashaad Harding is back after coming up with 60 tackles to battle with 226-pound sophomore KeyShawn Johnson for time inside. 205-pound senior Traveion Webster is back after making 27 stops – he’ll likely take Sisco’s old gig.
They’ll all be working behind a line that loses three of the four parts. The size isn’t there on the inside, but the bigger issue will be the pass rushing on the outside. It was missing last year, and now needs more help around senior Kerry Starks, who came up with 45 tackles with five sacks and ten tackles for loss.
– The secondary didn’t get a whole lot of help from the pass rush, and it was too busy making stops against the run, but it’s loaded now with veterans. Now only are all five starters expected back, but getting Kansas State transfer Logan Wilson to push for time at one corner job is massive. Senior Corey Straughter has one side after coming up with five picks and 23 tackles.
Tyler Glass came from the JUCO ranks to come up with 75 stops at one safety spot, and senior Austin Hawley made a whole lot of plays – 50 tackles with a pick – at the weak safety job.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: Top ULM Warhawks Players
College Football News Preview 2020: Top ULM Warhawks Players
Best ULM Warhawks Offensive Player
RB Josh Johnson, Sr.
Josh Pederson might be the Sun Belt’s best tight end, and it would be a huge help if a quarterback could rise up and be another Caleb Evans, but everything works around the 5-9, 215-pound Johnson.
He ran for almost 1,300 yards with 11 touchdowns with seven 100-yard games. When he ran for two scores the Warhawks went 4-0.
2. TE Josh Pederson, Sr.
3. WR Jonathan Hodoh, Sr.
4. OT Samuel Williams, Sr.
5. WR Perry Carter, Jr.
Best ULM Warhawks Defensive Player
CB Corey Straughter, Sr.
The secondary is loaded with veterans, but the 5-10, 180-pounder will be the star of the bunch. Straughter was a decent playmaker in his first two years with four picks, and then it all came together in an All-Sun Belt season with 23 tackles and five interceptions – taking one for a score in the close-call loss to Florida State – with ten broken up passes.
2. DE Kerry Starks, Sr.
3. LB Rashaad Harding, Sr.
4. S Tyler Glass, Sr.
5. S Austin Hawley, Sr.
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: ULM Warhawks Keys To The Season
College Football News Preview 2020: ULM Warhawks Keys To The Season
Biggest Key To The ULM Warhawks Offense
Try to keep the offensive balance. It didn’t always translate into wins, but at least the O gave the team a fighting chance – only to have the defense biff it time and again.
The Warhawks managed to come up with 200 yards rushing and receiving in seven games after doing it four times the year before, and they hit the 500 total yard mark five times.
The D isn’t going to be appreciably better – it can’t be any worse – but keep the attack moving, and at least ULM will be in most games again.
Biggest Key To The ULM Warhawks Defense
The run defense can NOT continue to be this bad. It allowed over 200 yards to everyone but Texas State, giving up 253 yards per game and 31 scores overall with three or more in seven games.
It got pushed around by everyone, allowing almost 1,000 more yards than it did in 2018. However, to be fair, the program has had issue against anyone trying to run the ball – the 2016 run defense was even worse and the 2017 version was hardly a brick wall.
Give up 150 rushing yards or fewer, and ULM is 6-1 over the last two seasons.
Key ULM Warhawks Player To A Successful Season
QB Colby Suits, Soph.
Or JUCO transfer Jeremy Hunt. Someone has to replace the main man.
All Caleb Evans did was hit 60% of his passes for 9.520 yards and 58 scores to go along with 2,162 rushing yards and 36 touchdowns.
The 6-3, 242-pound Suits won’t run like Evans did, but he can stretch the field. The receivers are in place to help, and RB Josh Johnson is there to take the pressure off. Now the passing offense that averaged 254 yards per game has to be close to as strong.
Key Game To The ULM Warhawks Season
Louisiana, Nov. 28
Two in a row and five of the last six – ULM has had problems in the rivalry with the Ragin’ Cajuns. Last year it needed a win to get bowl eligible, but a heartbreaking 31-30 loss ruined that.
In 2018, ULM got to six wins, but getting to seven would’ve meant a bowl appearance – it loss to Louisiana 31-28.
The team is good enough to get close, and going bowling for first time since 2012 might just come down to the showdown once again.
– ULM Warhawks Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2019 ULM Fun Stats
– Penalties: ULM 95 for 764 yards – Opponents 76 for 645 yards
– Field Goals: Opponents 13-of-15 – ULM 9-of-15
– Kickoff Return Average: Opponents 20.96 – ULM 16.34
NEXT: College Football News Preview 2020: ULM Warhawks Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
1. College Football News Preview 2020: ULM Warhawks Win Total Prediction, What Will Happen
Head coach Matt Viator is only 19-29 in his four years at ULM. He has never been to a bowl game, he hasn’t had a winning season, and he hasn’t put together a winning Sun Belt campaign.
But ULM has put together some of the most fun offenses in college football over the last few years, it has been consistently on the verge of good things, and while it might not seem like an improvement, last season’s 5-7 campaign really was a good step.
The program needed rebuilding after a 2-11 2015, and it really is starting to shine though.
There weren’t any bad losses among the seven last year. The losing record isn’t fun, but the worst loss of the bunch was to … Georgia Southern? Technically, it was to a Florida State team that went 6-7.
It’s not like losing to a Georgia State team in 2018 that went 2-10, or to bad Idaho and South Alabama teams in 2017. 2019 ULM won the games it was supposed to.
This year’s team desperately needs to somehow improve a miserable defense that doesn’t have a whole lot of returning experience, at least up front.
It’s the first time in the Viator era that Caleb Evans isn’t available at quarterback, but the offense should still be a blast.
Appalachian State, Louisiana, and Georgia Southern are all home games, but most of the second half of the season is going to be spent on the road.
In this weirdest of all years, as long ULM is able to keep doing what it’s doing and can win the games it’s supposed to, everything advances.
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
