Scouting Report: Louisiana-Monroe

Texas wraps up non-conference play Saturday night when the Longhorns welcome Louisiana-Monroe to DKR. The two teams met in the season opener in 2022, with Texas cruising to a 52-10 win. The Warhawks have undergone a lot of change since that matchup. Following the 2023 season, which saw ULM finish on a 10-game losing streak, head coach Terry Bowden was fired, and New Mexico offensive coordinator Bryant Vincent was tabbed to lead the program.

Vincent was tasked with a massive rebuild (19 of the 22 starters this season are transfers), but the Warhawks have shown some fight to start 2024. A season-opening 30-14 win over Jackson State was followed by a 32-6 trashing of UAB. The level of competition has been suspect, but the Warhawks certainly have something to build on for the rest of the season.

Offense

Former Oklahoma QB General Booty won the quarterback battle in fall camp and has started the first two games. ULM doesn’t ask him to do much. Booty has attempted just 30 passes through 2 games, with a long of 31 yards. The Warhawks will lean heavily on the ground game (89 rushing attempts vs 31 pass attempts so far this season). ULM goes 3-deep at RB, with true freshman Ahmad Hardy leading the way (33 carries for 161 yards). James Jones (20 carries for 110 yards) and Taven Curry (17 carries for 88 yards) will also see action.

There isn’t much to know about the ULM WR group because the Warhawks rarely have thrown the ball. Only 3 receivers on the roster have recorded a reception, with Javon Campbell having a team-high 89 yards on 5 catches.

The offensive line has allowed 2 sacks on 31 pass attempts, so if Texas can keep ULM behind the chains, it will likely be a long day for the Warhawks. The unit has shown to be decent run blockers thus far, but the competition level must be factored in. This is likely to be a big mismatch on Saturday.

Defense

Edge rusher Billy Pullen is the guy to watch. The junior college transfer has already notched 3 sacks on the season and has shown good ability as a pass rusher. The Warhawks have 7 sacks as a team on the season, with 5 coming against UAB. LB Carl Glass Jr. leads the team with 21 tackles and is a multi-year starter.

In the secondary, CB Car’lin Vigers is the top CB and had a pick-6 against UAB. It is tough to judge the secondary because the Warhawks have yet to face a competent passing attack, but it should be noted FCS Jackson State had some success through the air in the season opener.

Final Thoughts

Despite ULM having a 2-0 record, the argument could probably be made this is the worst non-conference opponent Texas will face this season. ULM will surely try to shorten the game by milking the clock, running the ball a lot and hoping they can convert on 3rd down. This is a similar strategy that Colorado State deployed against the Longhorns and it allowed the Rams to hang around for about 1.5 quarters before Texas broke the game wide open.

Texas should be able to empty the bench in the second half of this game.