A pair of teams from the West Division of the Sun Belt take to the gridiron in search of a conference victory down in the Yellowhammer State. The UL Monroe Warhawks are on the road as they travel to face the South Alabama Jaguars Saturday night. UL Monroe comes in off a 28-21 home loss to Coastal Carolina last Saturday though they did manage to cover the line as a 12-point underdog. South Alabama escaped with a 20-17 home win over Louisiana in their most recent game October 1 but failed to cover the 8.5-point line in that contest. In the all-time series between the programs, the Warhawks own a 5-3 advantage, including a 41-31 home win in the most recent matchup on October 21, 2021.
UL Monroe hung tough at home against an unbeaten Coastal Carolina squad but was unable to pull out the victory. Terry Bowden’s team dropped to 2-4 overall on the season and 1-2 in the Sun Belt as they head out on the road for this game, where they are 0-3 on the year. Against Coastal Carolina, UL Monroe traded touchdowns with the Chanticleers on each team’s first two possessions before stalling. The Warhawks trailed 28-14 at the half, scored on their opening drive of the second half to get within a touchdown, and then neither team scored over the final 27:46 of the contest. UL Monroe was edged 433-424 in total offense and turned the ball over twice while failing to record a takeaway. Those turnovers proved costly and negated the Warhawks’ advantage in first downs (24-20) along with time of possession (32:46 to 27:14) in the contest.
The Warhawks are 111th in the FBS i n passing offense as they average 187.3 yards per game through the air on the season. UL Monroe stands 82nd in rushing offense as they put up 143.5 yards a game on the ground. The Warhawks are only 113th in scoring offense with an average of 20.3 points a game. UL Monroe is a dismal 118th in scoring defense as they give up an average of 35.3 points per contest. Chandler Rogers has completed 98 of 141 passes for 1,066 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions on the year. He is third on the team in rushing offense with 69 carries for 177 yards and three scores. Garrett Hable is four of eight passing for 58 yards while adding four yards on the ground. Malik Jackson is the lead back on the ground with 76 carries for 292 yards and five scores. Andrew Henry (43 carries, 222 yards, two TD) and Zack Martin (nine carries, 57 yards) are next in line on the ground game. Jevin Frett leads the team with 16 catches for 199 yards plus a score on the year. Tyrone Howell (15 receptions, team-high 261 yards, TD) and Alred Luke (15 grabs, 217 yards, TD) are the only other players with at least 100 receiving yards on the season. Calum Sutherland has drilled all 17 extra point attempts and one of two field goal attempts with a long of 25 this season.