MONROE, La. -- ULM
(7-4, 5-2) will head to south Florida this weekend for a Saturday evening
contest at FIU (3-8, 2-5). The final
contest of the regular season for both teams is set for a 5 p.m. (CT) kickoff
at FIU Stadium.
First and Ten...
- ULM snapped a two-game losing streak with its 42-16 win
over North Texas in the final contest of the season at Malone Stadium... The
Warhawks finished the 2012 home slate with a 3-2 record (L, Baylor; W, Florida
Atlantic; W, South Alabama; L, UL-Lafayette; W, North Texas).
- The win over North Texas was the seventh of the season
for ULM... It is the first time since moving up to the FBS-level (starting with
1994 season) that the Warhawks have tallied seven wins... At 7-4, ULM is assured
of its first winning season of the FBS-era.
- Through 11 games this season, the Warhawks have totaled
403 points (36.6 average)... The squad needs just 29 points to set a new
school-record for points in a season (current record: 431, 1993).
- DeVontae McNeal's 54-yard TD run with 2:45 to play in
the fourth quarter against North Texas was the 56th TD of the 2012 season for
the Warhawks... With 56 TDs, the 2012 team is tied with the 1993 squad for the
most TDs in a single season in program history.
- Brent Leonard continued to climb the career reception
ladder as he tallied eight receptions against North Texas... Leonard now has
189 career grabs and is just 14 receptions shy of tying Mack Vincent (203;
2000-03).
- Tony Cook's seven-yard reception on the first play from
scrimmage against North Texas was the rookie's third catch of the season... He
added two more receptions in the first quarter to post a new career high with
three receptions (previous high - 2 catches at Auburn, 9/15/12).
- Keavon Milton's 29-yard reception in the first quarter
against the Mean Green was the longest of his career.
- Kolton Browning made his first appearance since the ULL
game... He scored the game's first TD with a one-yard TD run in the first
quarter - it was his 15th career rushing TD.
- Kolton Browning entered the contest against North Texas
trailing Steven Jyles (55 career TD passes; 2002-05) by one in the career
record books... Browning hit Brent Leonard for a seven-yard TD in the 2nd
quarter to tie the career touchdown passing record and set a new record in the
fourth quarter, as he Je'Ron Hamm for a 24-yard TD to become the new ULM
all-time leader with 56 career TD passes... Later in the fourth quarter,
Browning again hit Hamm (61 yards) as he recorded career TD pass number 57.
- Kolton Browning finished 25-of-34 for 324 yards with
three TDs and one interception... He also rushed eight times for 13 yards and
one score.
- Mitch Bailey's seven-yard TD rush in the 3rd quarter
vs. North Texas was his second rushing TD of the season and fourth of his
Warhawk career.
- Against North Texas, Je'Ron Hamm set a new career-high
with 119 receiving yards... Hamm caught seven passes in the victory.
- R.J. Young tied a career-high with 14 tackles in the
win over the Mean Green.
- Rob'Donovan Lewis added 10 tackles and recorded his
second career interception in ULM's win over North Texas... Isaiah Newsome also
recorded an interception, his team-leading fourth of the season.
- Ray Stovall added nine tackles and totaled 2.5 tackles
for loss to push his season total to 10.5 TFLs.
The Series
Saturday afternoon's match-up between ULM and FIU will be
the final meeting between the two schools as conference members. FIU will depart the Sun Belt for C-USA
beginning with the 2013-14 academic year.
ULM leads the all-time series, 5-3; however, the Golden
Panthers have won the last two meetings.
Lucky Number
Seven
For the first time since joining the FBS ranks in 1994,
the Warhawks have won seven games in a season.
ULM's 42-16 win over North Texas (Nov. 17) pushed the team's record to
7-4. It also secured the Warhawks first
winning season since going 9-3 in 1993 (the final season of FCS [1-AA] play].
Bowl Eligible
At 7-4, ULM is bowl-eligible and it marks the third time
since joining the FBS level that the Warhawks have reached bowl-eligibility
(2007 & 2009 [were 6-6 both seasons]).
Four other Sun Belt schools are bowl eligible: Arkansas
State (8-3), Middle Tennessee (7-3), UL-Lafayette (6-4) and Western Kentucky
(6-5). Troy at 5-6 could reach bowl
eligibility with a win at Middle Tennessee on Saturday.
Warhawk 500
ULM tallied 518 yards of total offense in the 42-16 win
over North Texas. It marked the fifth
time this season that the Warhawks totaled 500 or more yards of offense. ULM is 4-1 this season when amassing 500+
yards of total offense.
Sept. 8 - vs. Arkansas - 550 yards - W, 34-31 (OT)
Sept. 21 - Baylor - 560 yards - L, 42-47
Sept. 29 - at Tulane - 553 yards - W, 63-10
Oct. 6 - at Middle Tennessee - 500 yards - W, 31-17
Nov. 17 - North Texas - 518 yards - W, 42-16
One Record Set,
Chasing Another
Kolton Browning's 24-yard touchdown pass to Je'Ron Hamm
with 13:36 to play against North Texas gave Browning his 56th career touchdown
pass. He replaced Steven Jyles (55;
2002-05) atop the ULM record books.
Browning added another TD in the 4th quarter (61 yards to Hamm) for
number 57.
Despite missing seven quarters of action (UL-Lafayette
and at Arkansas State), Browning is just three passing TDs shy of tying the
single-season school-record. Browning,
with his three passing TDs vs. North Texas, has 26 TD passes in 2012. Robert Cobb owns the record with 29 passing
TDs during the 1993 campaign.
Strong
Linebacker Trio
Ray Stovall, R.J. Young and DaCorris Ford rank first,
second and third on the team with 10.5, 8.5 and 7.5 TFLs, respectively. With 26.5 combined TFLs, the trio has
accounted for 45.7% of ULM's 58 TFLs this season.
