ULM Football drops game against Troy

MONROE, La. – The ULM football team (3-4, 1-2 Sun Belt) fell at Malone Stadium, 37-14, to the Troy Trojans (5-2, 3-0 Sun Belt) on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 18). After getting off to an early lead, the Warhawks battled to get back in the game. But late-game turnovers had Troy scoring 20 unanswered points to claim the road win.

The Warhawks led with 326 total yards to Troy’s 314, both teams under 100 rushing yards. While Troy averaged 2.8 yards per rush, the team did pick up two rushing touchdowns. The Trojans completed 62% of their passes, averaging 17.2 yards per completion while ULM held at a steady 56%.

“Our kids played their tails off,” said head coach Bryant Vincent. “I was really proud of our players. They fought to the end, they played their butts off and we will continue to. Obviously this one hurts, Troy’s got a good football team.”

Aidan Armenta throw 19-of-33 for 171 yards and a touchdown in the contest, Hunter Herring and Landon Graves also seeing action at quarterback. Herring went three-for-four and also snagged a touchdown in the game.

Jonathan Bibbs led receivers with 60 yards on four receptions, averaging 15 yards a reception. Nic Trujillo and Brandon Buckhaulter both picked up the two Warhawk touchdowns, Trujillo notching 25 yards and Buckhaulter logging 12.

Zach Palmer-Smith carried the brunt of the rushing against the Trojans, recording 78 yards on 10 carries. Tyrell Reed Jr. followed behind with a season-high 15 yards on four carries. Herring, Dorian Lewis, D’Shaun Ford and Braylon McReynolds also saw time at running back.

Kevontay Wells led the defense with six tackles (three solo, three assists), also registering 0.5 tackles for loss. Jaden Hamlin (one tackle) and Billy Pullen (three tackles) each were credited with half a sack. Pullen also notched 1.5 TFLs. David Godsey Jr. (two tackles) forced a fumble in the top of the fourth quarter. The Warhawk defense held Troy to going one-of-four on third and shorts in the contest.

Troy opened with a quick trip down to the endzone, Tucker Kilcrease logging a 29-yard pass to Tray Taylor on second down to enter ULM territory. A short pass and a rush opened up Tae Meadows, who ran 20 yards to score the first touchdown of the day, making it a 7-0 score with 12:32 remaining in the quarter.

A few short plays from the Warhawks brought Makenzie Ryan onto the field to punt, giving the ball back to the Trojans. ULM’s defense fought to push Troy back, but the Trojans broke through, converting two third downs to reach the red zone again. Pullen was able to push Kilcrease back three yards, as Troy settled for a field goal to go up 10-0.

With ULM getting the ball back, Palmer-Smith drove the ULM offense forward, going on a 28-yard rush to forge ahead into Trojans territory. An offsides call for the Troy defense continued pushing ULM ahead, a 12-yard rush by Lewis reaching the red zone. Lewis then caught another pass from Armenta to convert from fourth down as the first quarter came to a close, ULM on the seven-yard line.

The second quarter began hot for the Warhawks, Herring passing the ball to Trujillo for the touchdown, cutting down the lead. In a faked extra-point attempt, holder Andrew Wells ran it in for the two-point conversion, making it a 10-8 score with 14:55 remaining in the half.

The Trojans made quick work of moving ahead, but a holding penalty pushed the opponent back yet again. A Kilcrease pass to Peyton Higgins converted from third down, but three quick downs and a tackle for loss from Wells and Amarion Ware sent the Trojan punting team out.

Another long run for Palmer-Smith continued to drive the offense, Bibbs getting in on the action with a 26-yard run. On a fourth and long call, Herring launched the ball 17 yards to Jake Godfrey for a new set of downs. On a fourth and one call, a penalty for delay of game had the Warhawks kicking a field goal. New kicker Danny Hagan missed, leaving the score at 10-8.

A quick complete pass from Kilcrease to Ethan Conner put the Trojans back in control. Kilcrease then tossed the ball to Taylor, as he went on a 60-yard run for the Troy touchdown. The extra point was good yet again from Scott Taylor Renfroe, making it a 17-8 contest with 3:06 left in the half.

ULM tried to get momentum swinging in its direction as the clock ran down, a 34-yard pass to Bibbs from Armenta moving the chains. A false start call for ULM pushed the team back, but JP Coulter entered the red zone with an 11-yard reception. As the Warhawks continued to march down the field, time ran out and concluded the half without a last-minute score.

The Warhawks regained control as the third quarter began, Palmer-Smith anchoring the offense with short spurts to move downfield. Two targeting calls came for the Trojans within two minutes, moving ULM further ahead as two Trojans were disqualified from play. A quarterback sack by Donnie Smith halted the Warhawk offense, but another Troy penalty offset things.

Reed Jr. saw action, going on a 16-yard rush to get the Warhawks to the 11-yard line. Two incomplete passes and a rush for loss saw fourth down and 11, but Armenta’s pass to Buckhaulter secured the touchdown for ULM. A missed extra point from Herring made it a three-point game, 17-14 with 9:40 left in the quarter.

Another penalty for the Trojans pushed the offense back as they got the ball back. Pullen and Hamlin then added to the yardage with a seven-yard sack to send the Troy punting team onto the field. The Warhawks then pushed a quick three-and-out for Troy to receive the ball again.

A 27-yard run for Conner had the Trojans entering Warhawk territory, but ULM’s defense broke up a pass and held strong, forcing Renfroe to make another field goal, with a 20-14 score. ULM got back on offense, but a fumble was then returned for a Trojan touchdown to make it a two-possession score, 27-14, with 39 seconds left in the quarter. Armenta followed that up with an interception to place Troy back in the red zone.

The ULM defense was able to hold the Trojans without another touchdown, Godsey Jr. forcing a fumble and Dylan Howell hurrying the quarterback. A field goal by Renfroe extended the lead to 30-14 with 14:13 left in the contest.

Just as the Warhawks looked to cut down the lead on offense, Coulter picked up 15 yards before fumbling the ball, Troy regaining control at midfield. As Troy looked to score again, short rushes prevented a score. Tyrese Hopkins then forced the turnover on downs to give the ball back to the Warhawks.

A string of positive plays for the Warhawk offense saw potential to cut down the Trojan lead. But Armenta’s pass in Trojan territory was intercepted, Joe Lott returning the ball 53 yards for the pick six. The extra point was good for a 37-14 score with 7:23 left in the game.

Landon Graves entered at quarterback for ULM as Palmer-Smith went on another rush for a first down. A few short gains prevented a new set of downs for the Warhawks, the fourth and short shut down by Troy. Another three-and-out for the Trojans gave ULM the ball with just under three minutes left in the contest. Graves fought to break through for a first down, but a loss of yards cemented the score as it stood, 37-14.

In the red zone, Troy was four-of-five, while ULM was just at 50% (two-of-four). Both teams were even at 5-of-13 from third down, Troy going one-of-two in fourth down territory and ULM going three-of-four. The Trojans picked up 17 points off turnovers, while the Warhawks had 33 minutes of possession time.

**ULM PRESS RELEASE**