Brent Leonard may not be the homecoming king, but he stole the show Saturday night in Malone Stadium.
Leonard had his way with the South Alabama secondary during ULM’s 38-24 victory. Taking advantage of man coverage, the senior from Keller, Texas hauled in nine catches for 126 yards and a record-tying four touchdowns.
“The opportunities were there. We made a few adjustments at halftime which I thought were big,” Leonard said. “Coach [Steve] Farmer made some great play calls at the right time.”
The Warhawks (6-2, 4-0) were thrown of early by South Alabama’s gameplan. The Jaguars (2-6, 1-3) came into the game with the Sun Belt’s second-ranked defense and held ULM scoreless in the first quarter for only the second time this season.
The offense adjusted and – thanks in part to a blocked punt by Preston Coleman–were able to take 21-14 lead in at halftime.
“There is always going to be a little bit of that whenever someone does something unique,” Berry said. “Once you figure out what’s going on, there aren’t a whole lot of other answers for that.”
South Alabama tied the game at 21 late in the third quarter, but on ULM’s subsequent possession, Mitch Bailey ripped off a 35-yard touchdown run to put the Warhawks up 28-21. The score was Bailey’s first of the season and the longest run of his career.
DaCorris Ford’s fourth quarter interception of USA quarterback Ross Metheny–followed by a touchdown pass from Kolton Browning to Leonard–ended the Jaguars’ chances for an upset win.
“The coaches told me during the timeout we needed to make a play,” Ford said. “I ran to the ball and that’s how I made the play.”
Offensively, Kolton Browning completed 23 of 35 passes for 250 yards and four touchdowns. After Jyruss Edwards left the game with an injury in the second quarter, Bailey and Monterrell Washington received the bulk of the carries. The duo combined for 103 yards on 21 carries.
It wasn’t a banner day for the ULM defense–particularly in the secondary–but the unit made plays when they were needed. Gerrand Johnson continues to stand out on the defensive line and led the Warhawks with eight tackles. Despite only recording one sack, the defense got after Metheny, hitting him six times during the game.
With its sixth win, ULM becomes bowl eligible for the first time since 2009 and becomes the second Sun Belt team to accomplish this feat in 2012. The Warhawks will face conference rival Louisiana-Lafayette in the Battle on the Bayou next Saturday at Malone Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:00 pm.
