ULM Athletic Communications; featured photo by Luke Richard/ULM Athletics
MONROE — ULM scored 16 unanswered points and pulled away in the second half to open the 2024 season with a 30-14 home victory over Jackson State on Thursday at Malone Stadium.
Bryant Vincent earned a win in his ULM head coaching debut. The Warhawks broke a 10-game losing streak.
“These players have bought in to turn this program around,” said Vincent. “They have worked extremely hard to fight daily. I’m proud of our coaches and thought our staff did a great job. We made some really good halftime adjustments and felt like we attacked the boundary well in the second half.”
ULM rushed for 204 yards. True freshman Ahmad Hardy gained 103 yards and scored one touchdown.
“Coach V told us to keep the same mentality,” said Hardy. “I fought for my spot just like everyone fought for their spot. I just had to do my job and learn from my mistakes. We kept going and got the job done to get the win.”
James Jones rushed for 54 yards and one touchdown. General Booty started at quarterback. He completed 10-of-14 passes for 104 yards and one touchdown. Booty also had a 31-yard run.
Defensively, ULM held the Tigers to 59 rushing yards and forced a turnover with a Wydett Williams Jr. Interception.
ULM took a 7-0 lead on an 11-yard pass from Booty to Davon Wells with 2:35 left in the first quarter.
“It was a great feeling getting things going with the first touchdown of the game,” said Booty.
At the beginning of the second quarter, Jackson State responded with a touchdown on a 41-yard pass by Jacobian Morgan to Joanes Fortillien.
Williams’ interception gave the Warhawks favorable field position with just over five minutes left in the half. After a JSU personal foul, the Warhawks faced a third-and-9 at the 13-yard line.
Booty swung a pass to Taven Curry in the flat for eight yards to make it fourth-and-1 at the two-minute timeout. Hardy powered his way up the middle to pick up the first down to extend the drive.
With the clock ticking down, Hardy again delivered a huge carry for the Warhawks and bulldozed his way into the end zone to put the Warhawks back in front, 14-7 at the end of the first half.
Jackson State quickly evened the score with a seven-play, 75-yard scoring drive within the first five minutes of the second half.
ULM was backed up to its two-yard line after an intentional grounding penalty was called. On third-and-17, Jackson State was called for a facemask infraction that gave ULM a fresh set of downs.
Booty kept the football on a read-option play and found a running lane for 31 yards. Curry then tacked on a 15-yard rush up the middle to move the chains on fourth-and-4. On the next play, Jones took a handoff 22 yards for his first score as a Warhawk and pulled the home team back ahead, 21-14 midway through the third quarter.
Florida State transfer Max Larson extended ULM’s lead to 24-14 after he hit a 39-yard field goal for his first field goal as a Warhawk.
Williams and Kevontay Wells provided pressure on Morgan, who was called for intentional grounding that resulted in a loss of nine yards on second down. After a ULM punt, Jackson State faced a fourth-and-1 at their own 36-yard line with 3:30 remaining on the clock. Randle delivered a tackle for a loss and the Tigers turned the ball over on downs down 10 points.
After two rushes by Hardy, redshirt freshman quarterback Aidan Armenta lofted a pass to Campbell down the right side, who hauled his pass in for a 28-yard touchdown to push the Warhawk lead to 30-14.
ULM football faces UAB next Saturday (Sept. 7) in Monroe at 6 p.m.