Baylor outlasted ULM 47-42 in front of a record-crowd of 31,175 fans at Malone Stadium.
The Warhawks (1-2) traded big plays with the high-octane Bears (3-0) all night, but were done in by a costly fourth quarter fumble on a bad exchange between Kolton Browning and Jyruss Edwards. Baylor responded with a 22 yard touchdown pass from Nick Florence to Terrance Williams, effectively ending the game.
The ULM offense turned the ball over three times–all leading to Baylor scores–which has been uncharacteristic of Todd Berry’s team this season.
“The margin of victory is so small, just a few inches here and there,” Berry said. “You can’t turn the ball over like we did.”
Despite two fumbles, Jyruss Edwards turned in one of his better rushing performances as a Warhawk, carrying the ball 21 times for 120 yards and a touchdown. But it was Monterrell Washington’s performance that turned heads. Seeing his first significant playing time, the junior piled up 86 yards and two touchdowns on seven rushes, averaging 12 yards per carry.
“The offense gave me some great opportunities to make some cuts and find holes,” Washington said. “I owe it all to my offensive line and the receivers blocking down field.”
Overall, ULM finished with 262 yards on the ground, their best rushing performance since last season’s victory over Middle Tennessee State.
Despite picking off two passes, the Warhawks struggled on defense, getting burned in the secondary for three touchdown passes of 40 yards or more.
“We didn’t play very well back there, especially with post routes,” Berry said. “That’s something that in man coverage you should never give up.”
The defense also struggled with Baylor’s cadence at the line of scrimmage, jumping offsides six times in the game. Senior linebacker Cameron Blakes left the game with an injury in the third quarter, and according to Berry, will likely miss the rest of the season.
ULM produced over 500 yards of offense for the second time this season. Browning passed for 272 yards and two touchdowns, including two completions on trick plays in which he lined up in the backfield with backup quarterback Cody Wells. Colby Harper led the Warhawks receivers with five catches for 82 yards.
The team travels to New Orleans next Saturday to take on Tulane. Kickoff is set for 2:30.
