LITTLE ROCK, Ark. - ULM (1-0) scored first and last in a 34-31 overtime victory over No. 8 Arkansas (1-1) on
Saturday night in front of 53,089 inside War Memorial Stadium. The Warhawks
held the Razorbacks to a field goal to begin overtime, and on ULM's possession,
junior quarterback Kolton Browning
sprinted 16 yards and dove headlong into the endzone for the win - ULM's first over
an FBS ranked program in school history.
In addition, it is the first time a Sun Belt team beat has
beaten a top-10 team and just the second time ever that a Sun Belt school has
defeated a ranked opponent. The Warhawks improved to 1-9 all-time against
Arkansas.
ULM battled back from a 28-7 deficit in the third quarter. Browning
led the Warhawks all night, finishing 42-of-67 for 412 yards through the air
with three touchdown passes. He also added 69 yards rushing with another
touchdown. His 481 yards of total offense is the fifth-best mark in school
history.
Browning's stellar performance earned him ESPN College
Football Player of the Day. Browning's favorite target during his record
setting day was senior wide receiver Brent
Leonard, who caught 11 passes for 112 yards.
The ULM defense dominated the highly-touted Razorback
offense in the second half, holding them to 108 total yards and 10 points after
halftime.
Junior running back Jyruss
Edwards capped a nine-play, 75-yard drive (4:01) with a three-yard
touchdown run to bring ULM back within 14 at 28-14 with 5:41 remaining in the
third quarter. The drive included a 19-yard run from Browning on fourth down
and a defensive pass interference call.
On Arkansas' ensuing drive, ULM's defense forced a punt from
the Razorbacks' two-yard line after a three-and-out, which was highlighted by sophomore
linebacker Ray Stovall's sack for an
18-yard loss.
Browning completed a 13-yard pass to junior wide receiver Tavarese Maye on a fourth and 11 to
keep the Warhawks driving. Senior tight end Keavon Milton collected his first reception of the night for 10
yards to make it first and goal. The teams flipped endzones as the fourth
quarter began with a third-and-three play. On fourth down, Browning found junior
tight end Kevin Steed with a
one-yard touchdown pass, bringing ULM within a touchdown, 28-21, with just less
than 15 minutes to play.
Both teams traded punts for the majority of the fourth
quarter. ULM forced a three-and-out and an Arkansas punt. ULM took possession
with 2:59 to play from its own 10-yard line. Browning hit sophomore wide
receiver Colby Harper across the
middle for a first down and Leonard down
the sideline for 27 yards. Browning completed two more passes to Harper for
first downs, advancing ULM to the Razorback 23-yard line.
On fourth-and-10, with 55 seconds to play, Browning found Leonard
down the seam for a 23-yard touchdown pass to tie the game at 28-28 with 47
seconds left in regulation.
With all three timeouts remaining, Arkansas drove the ball but
a tipped pass resulted in a DaCorris
Ford interception for ULM along its own sideline. The Warhawks took over
with 20 seconds left in regulation on its own 43-yard line. The game headed to
overtime after a penalty resulted in a 10-second run off.
Arkansas started overtime with the ball but ULM's defense
forced the Razorbacks to take a 37-yard field goal, which was good giving
Arkansas a 31-28 lead. The defensive stand was highlighted by several pass
break ups in the endzone and a quarterback fumble, which was recovered by the
quarterback and resulted in an incomplete pass.
The Warhawks were faced with a fourth-and-one on their only possession
in overtime, and instead of trying a game-tying field goal from 33 yards out, Browning
scrambled for 16 yards and dove head-first into the endzone to give ULM its
first season-opening victory since 2006.
The Warhawks travel to Auburn next Saturday (Sept. 15) with
kickoff scheduled for 11:21 a.m. inside Jordan-Hare Stadium. The game will be
broadcast on the SEC Network/ESPN3.
Scoring Summary
First Quarter
ULM -
C. Donald, four-yard TD reception from K. Browning (J. Manton XP good), 12-67
5:03 (7-0 ULM)
Arkansas
- J. Horton 20-yard TD reception from T. Wilson (Z. Hooker XP good), 9-75 2:34
(7-7 Tie)
Second Quarter
Arkansas - C. Hamilton 39-yard TD reception from T. Wilson (Z. Hooker XP good),
7-80 3:02 (14-7 Ark.)
Arkansas
- K. Davis 3-yard TD run (Z. Hooker XP good), 3, 87 1:00 (21-7 Ark.)
Third Quarter
Arkansas
- M. McKay 13-yard TD reception from B. Allen (Z. Hooker XP good) 8-66 2:59
(28-7 Ark.)
ULM
- J. Edwards 3-yard TD run (J.Manton XP good) 9-75 4:01 (28-14 Ark.)
Fourth Quarter
ULM
-K. Steed 1-yard TD reception from K. Browning (J.Manton XP good), 11-39 5:34 (28-21 Ark.)
ULM- B. Leonard 23-yard TD reception from K. Browning (J. Manton XP good), 10-90 2:12 (28-28 Tie)
Overtime
Arkansas- Z. Hooker 37-yard FG (31-28 Ark.)
ULM- K. Browning 16-yard TD run (35-31 ULM)
