On Nov. 2, the ULM football team traveled to West Virginia to face the Marshall Thundering Herd. With a record of 5-2 overall and 3-1 in the Sun Belt, the Warhawks sought one more win to be bowl-eligible. The last Warhawk bowl game appearance was at the 2012 AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl against the Ohio Bobcats, where the Warhawks fell 45-14.
Within minutes of the first few runs, ULM defensive lineman Earl Barquet Jr. shook the Marshall offense and sacked the quarterback. The Warhawks batted down two of Marshall’s throws.
Defensively, Trevor Randle, Kevontay Wells and Billy Pullen led the board. Randle totaled nine tackles, Wells accumulated nine tackles and 0.5 sacks and Pullen completed eight tackles and one sack. A roughing-the-passer penalty temporarily slowed the Warhawk defense’s momentum, but ULM’s defense quickly restored it by swarming the Marshall’s quarterback for a second sack.
The ULM offense also made strong contributions. Running back Ahmad Hardy led with 25 carries, one touchdown and 207 rushing yards. This 207-yard trek was significant as it made him the first player in ULM FBS history to do so since 2016.
Running back James Jones—a rushing and receiving game leader—also made big moves. Jones racked up nine carries, 50 rushing yards and one cinematic 41-yard touchdown.
Wide receivers Tyler Griffin and Davon Wells each made show-stopping plays of their own. Griffin went for one reception and 31 receiving yards, and Wells tallied three receptions and 27 receiving yards.
Lastly, Quarterback Aiden Armenta tallied 149 passing yards and 2 two touchdowns with 69.2% CMP.
Despite many impressive plays and stats, the Warhawks lost 23-28 to the Thundering Herd. They will play Texas State on Nov. 9, hoping to improve their overall record to 6-3.