The Student News Site of University of Louisiana Monroe

The Hawkeye

The Student News Site of University of Louisiana Monroe

The Hawkeye

The Student News Site of University of Louisiana Monroe

The Hawkeye

Koufie goes coo-coo for touchdowns

Koufie+goes+coo-coo+for+touchdowns

History was made on Saturday when the Warhawks traveled to the Georgia Dome for the first time ever to take on the Georgia State Panthers in a pivotal Sun Belt Conference showdown.

Running back Thomas Koufie became the first player in program history to score five touchdowns in one game after he rushed for a total of 201 yards on 31 carries.

Photo courtesy of ULM Athletics
Photo courtesy of ULM Athletics

After the game, Koufie talked about the reason he plays the game and what helps him elevate his play to the top level.

“I have a son on the way so I play for him and my ole lady, but first and foremost my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,” Koufie said.

Koufie’s five touchdowns accounted for all of the Warhawks scores besides the safety the defense tallied in the first quarter.

Early in the first quarter, the Panthers were backed up in their own end zone on fourth down.

After a bad snap went over punter Brandon Wright and out of the end zone, the Warhawks were awarded the safety.

The quick two points early in the game were a key part of the team’s success throughout the rest of the game.

While Koufie did score his first touchdown of the game in the second quarter, it was the third quarter were the Koufie show really started to heat up.

In the third quarter, Koufie was able to rush for three touchdowns giving his team an edge over the Panthers who tallied 13 points in the quarter.

On the other side of the ball, the run game was practically non-existent. Georgia State finished the game with only 42 rushing yards compared to ULM’s 264.

While Georgia State is a pass- first offense, the Warhawks secondary was able to shut down the Panther receivers multiple times throughout the game on third and long plays.

Conversions were also key from an offensive standpoint for ULM as they were able to convert all three attempts on fourth down. is helped the Warhawks run out the clock late in the game.

After Koufie scored his fifth touchdown of the day, the Warhawks kicked o to the Panthers with under ten minutes left in the game and the score 37-20.

Georgia State was able to put together a 12- play 44-yard drive. But they had to settle for a eld goal which only cut the margin by three points.

After the field goal, the Panthers attempted an onside kick but were unable to recover the ball which gave ULM prime field position at the Georgia State 49 yard line.

The Warhawks would go on to run the ball and eat up clock to cement their fourth victory of the season by a final score of 37-23.

This marked the program’s first win on the road in almost two years with their last road win being against New Mexico State on Nov. 22, 2014.

The team will pack everything up next week and head back to the East Coast again when they face Appalachian State on Saturday Nov.19 at 1:30 p.m.

Tune-in to ESPN3 to follow live coverage of the game.

Leave a Comment
More to Discover

Comments (0)

All The Hawkeye Picks Reader Picks Sort: Newest

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *