Head coach Todd Berry led Louisiana at Monroe to a 4-8 record overall, including a 3-5 mark in the Sun Belt in his second season with the school. The record didn't tell the whole story, however, as they actually outgained their opponents in conference play by an average of 105.5 yards/game. Three of their losses came in the form of nail biters: Arkansas State (19-24), Western Kentucky in overtime (28-31) and Louisiana (35-36).
This is one of the more underrated teams in the conference and they could potentially surprise in the Sun Belt this season. The Warhawks have 13 starters returning and are now in their third year under Berry.
Offense
Junior quarterback Kolton Browning returns and he seems destined to become the school's all-time leading passer by the end of his career. After throwing for 2,552 yards and 18 touchdowns as red-shirt freshman in 2010, he regressed in 2011 as he threw for 2,438 yards and 13 touchdowns. He may not have had the kind of year the Warhawks hoped, but they are still optimistic that he can fully live up to his potential in 2012.
Browning brings a dual skill set as he is also a threat at running the football. He finished second on the team with 443 yards and five touchdowns in 2011. With the returns of starting running back Jyruss Edwards and backup Centarius Donald, ULM should have one of the better rushing attacks in the conference.
One of the big reasons Browning is likely to have a breakout year in 2012 is due to the fact that ULM has four of their best receiving threats coming back. The two players that will give opposing teams fits are senior Brent Leonard and junior Tavarese Maye. Sophomore Colby Harper is an intriguing prospect that the Warhawks are also excited about as he really impressed coaches in his eight starts to finish last season.
ULM loses 2nd Team All-Sun Belt right tackle Anthony Montgomery and starting center Ryan McCaul, but they should still be much better on the line than they were a year ago. That's because the Warhawks have some key pieces that should mature with the experience they gained last year. Among them are Joseph Treadwell, Ben Risenhoover and Josh Allen. Both Treadwell and Risenhoover had starting experience as true freshmen and Allen started eight games as a sophomore.
Defense
The Warhawks' defense caught a lot of people by surprise last year as they were quite good, especially up front on the defensive line. ULM gave up just 100 rushing yards/game last year, which was a huge improvement from 2010, when they allowed 160 yards/game on the ground. They lose 1st Team All-Sun Belt defensive end Ken Dorsey and 2nd Team All-Sun Belt defensive end Troy Evans, but they should still be pretty solid heading into the fall. That's because they will move starting nose tackle Kentarius Caldwell to defensive end, and place Missouri transfer Gerrand Johnson at the other stating spot.
The 'Hawks also lose two of their top linebackers from last year in 1st Team All-Sun Belt linebacker Darius Prelow and 2nd Team All-Sun Belt linebacker Jason Edwards. But things aren't as bad as they seem as get back a couple of senior starters in Cameron Blakes and R.J. Young. They also add a highly touted Arkansas transfer in Austin Moses.
The secondary is looking pretty good with the return of starting corner Vincent Eddie and free safety Isaiah Newsome. They also have corner Otis Peterson coming back from injury.
Sun Belt Prediction - 6th Place
This prediction was a difficult one as ULM actually showed some promise last year. However, their defense took a huge blow and their offense, though improved, cannot compensate for their deficiencies on the other side of the ball. Their schedule is also quite tough as they face some difficult opponents in Western Kentucky, Arkansas State and FIU, while also facing Arkansas, Auburn and Baylor in non-conference play.
ExperTrans language - multilingual services
ExperTrans voice-overs services
ExperTrans interpreting translation services
No comments:
Post a Comment