Football loses to FIU 28-17 in home finale; Ambrose, Browning get in record books

Senior Day for the football team started with Ace the Warhawk flying into Malone Stadium, and ended with the Florida International Panthers running out with a win.

ULM (3-8, 2-5) lost its final home game of the season 28-17.

In the first half, FIU (7-4, 4-3) led 14-0 through the second quarter until ULM senior receiver Luther Ambrose put seven on the board with a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, the fourth longest return in ULM history.

Ambrose’s touchdown made him the fifth player in Sun Belt Conference history to return two kicks for points in a season and is the first ULM player to ever do it.

But FIU and receiver T.Y. Hilton showed ULM that Ambrose isn’t the only player on the field with speed.

The senior receiver torched the defense with a catch over the middle, and zigged and zagged his way

through the defense for a touchdown.

“We didn’t play well, and that’s my responsibility,” head coach Todd Berry said. “They’ve got a nice football team, and they took advantage of it.”

Quarterback Kolton Browning spent most of the night trying to avoid FIU’s defensive front.

He finished the night leading the team in rushing with 25 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown. He is the first ULM quarterback to rush for over 100 yards since Kinsman Lancaster did it in 2008, and it made the sixth time this season and ninth career time he has led the team, both school records.

Berry said, “We just told the quarterback to run around for his life, which is the best thing we do in those situations.”

The Warhawk defense looked lost at times and the offense didn’t get moving until the two-minute drill offense came in to close the half with a field goal by freshman Justin Manton.

FIU led the Warhawks at the break 28-10.

Senior cornerback Nate Brown said, “That was a good team. They had a good core, we just didn’t execute on defense.”

He said, “I was real emotional, and it caused me to bust through a few assignments in the first half.”

ULM’s defense came alive in the second half, holding FIU to zero points and 57 total yards.

“Coach came in at halftime and just said we need to do our assignments. It was a tale of two halves.”

ULM closed the gap to 11 with a two-yard touchdown run by Browning with less than 10 minutes to play in the game, but the effort was far too little.

Brown said, “It’s frustrating, because you want to come out hot, stay hot and finish hot.”

ULM plays its final game Saturday at Florida Atlantic University.