The Warhawks are only three weeks and two games into the season, but there is a lot to unpack. The team is 1-1 so far, and with many more games to go, the team is optimistic about the rest of the season.
In week one, the Warhawks shined in a 29-0 shutout win over Saint Francis. This game was also their first shutout win in over a decade. The offense totaled 434 yards, with most of it coming on the ground. Braylon McReynolds led the way with 113 yards and one receiving touchdown.
The brightest part of week one was defensive back D’Arco Perkins-McAllister winning the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week award. Perkins-McAllister gathered five solo tackles, three assists, and two sacks, which led the Sun Belt Conference after week one. With him leading the defense, the opponent was only able to cross the 50-yard line one time throughout the whole game.
In week two, the Warhawks took a turn for the worse, falling to No. 21 Alabama on the road with a score of 73-0. While ULM tried to build momentum all game, nothing was working for them. The team totaled 148 yards, with 93 of those coming on the ground. The Crimson Tide scored three touchdowns in every quarter except the third, so ULM’s defense was not the same as it was in week one. Granted, Alabama has one of the best offenses in the country, so any team would have a tall task in front of them.
Without many bright spots in week two, ULM’s punter, Makenzie Ryan, made the most of his time on the field. Ryan punted the ball in the first quarter after another three-and-out from ULM, and while every other player on ULM’s punt team missed Alabama’s punt returner, Ryan was there to make a viscous tackle. He made headlines on ESPN, Bleacher Report, and many other sports news stations for his clothesline-esque tackle, and many were calling it the tackle of the week.
Week three was ULM’s bye week. The team didn’t have a game, but they were surely practicing and tuning up any weak spots that they’ve seen in the first two weeks.
In Bryant Vincent’s week four press conference, he addressed the Alabama game and how they wanted to respond to it against UTEP. “We’ve been knocked down, but we haven’t been knocked out. We gotta get up, and I think our players got up.”
Bryant also stated, “Without a doubt, you can say there has been laser focus.” The Warhawk football team has prepared for its next game with intention and the “want” to win.
ULM takes on UTEP in week four on Sept. 20 in the Sun Bowl.
