MONROE, La. – The first scrimmage of the fall for ULM came with the team's first encounter with rain this preseason, but the Warhawks still had their share of impressive moments Saturday night.
As a light mist grew progressively harder and turned to a driving rain as the scrimmage moved forward, the ULM offense turned mostly to the ground, but the passing attack showed off a couple deep balls early in the practice.
“We wanted to get out today and run things that looked like plays and use defenses that looked like defenses. We still have a long way to go but I think we've made a lot of progress since the spring,” head coach Matt Viator stated. “All in all, (tonight) was good. We have a lot on tape to use going forward. That's what I'm most excited about. We have plays on tape to be able to evaluate both sides of the ball.”
Despite the eventual hard rain that altered some of the play calls late, Viator said he was happy to see some solid execution by the team in elements that are often hard to simulate in practice but very well may happen during the season. He added that keeping players safe in the rain was a top priority and that he was pleased with the way the offense continued to take care of the ball even as conditions deteriorated.
Sophomore quarterback Garrett Smith and the first-team offense started the night with a 70-yard touchdown drive capped by senior Tyler Cain's eight-yard touchdown run. Redshirt freshman Will Collins and true freshman Caleb Evans both took reps at quarterback with the second and third-team offenses. Evans threw a 75-yard touchdown pass to sophomore R.J. Turner on his first play from scrimmage, while Turner also hauled in a 35-yard touchdown pass from Collins.
After allowing two opening touchdowns from 30 and then 40 yards out, the ULM first-team defense clamped down and didn't allow a score for the rest of the night.
Defensively, sophomore linebacker David Griffith and freshman defensive end Ty Shelby each tallied a sack while junior Grant Dotsey intercepted a Collins pass for the only turnover of the scrimmage.
Following a day off on Sunday the Warhawks return to the practice fields next week before the second scrimmage of the fall comes Saturday night.
Daily practices will continue to take place mornings from 8:40-10:55 a.m. on the practice fields and are open to the public. The team will also continue hour-long walk-throughs until August 17 (most nights), beginning at 7:20 p.m. inside JPS Field at Malone Stadium.
ULM classes begin on Monday, August 22, with the Warhawks moving to afternoon practices that week, culminating in the ULM Athletic Department's 'The Pursuit' event on Thursday, August 25. Information about The Pursuit can be found at ulm.edu/thepursuit.
The 2016 season kicks off on Saturday, September 3 as the Warhawks host Southern University. Season and single game tickets are available by calling 342-HAWK or via this link.
