ULM Football
SAN MARCOS, Texas– The ULM football team (3-8, 1-6 Sun Belt) fell in San Marcos to the Texas State Bobcats (5-6, 2-5 Sun Belt) on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 22), 31-14. A defensive fight in the first half saw the offense break open in the second, the Bobcats pulling ahead in the third quarter. Noah Flemmings was the star of the defense, while Zach Palmer-Smith saw the bulk of yardage on the offense.
ULM was 100% (2-of-2) in the red zone, going 5-of-13 from third down and converting one of two from fourth down. The Bobcats led with 422 total yards (221 rushing, 201 passing) to ULM’s 300 (134 rushing, 166 passing). The Warhawks led with 76 tackles to Texas State’s 67, claiming the lone takeaway of the night in an interception.
Aidan Armenta threw 19-of-26 pass attempts for 166 yards, posting a 73% completion rate and no interceptions on the evening. His favored target of the game was JP Coulter, who caught three passes for 56 yards. Nic Trujillo and Dorian Lewis also had three receptions, Trujillo for 29 yards and Lewis for 16. Javon Campbell also made his season debut after returning from injury to see some snaps.
Zach Palmer-Smith was the rushing leader for the Warhawks, collecting 80 yards off 15 carries and averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Both touchdowns for ULM came as rushing touchdowns, one from Palmer-Smith and the other from quarterback Armenta. Armenta rushed for 20 yards off four carries, including the keeper that reached the endzone.
On the defensive end, it was a showstopper for multiple ULM players, namely Noah Flemmings. Flemmings tied his career high of nine tackles in just the first half alone, reaching a total of 13 to go along with half a sack and two tackles for loss. Zy Jackson came close behind with seven tackles and a tackle for loss. Jyren Ester was able to get in on the action with six tackles, a tackle for loss and two pass breakups. Billy Pullen also had a stellar game, with four tackles, half a sack and 1.5 tackles for loss on his stat line. David Godsey Jr. notched his fourth career interception to go with his three tackles.
ULM won the toss and deferred, allowing Texas State to open on offense. After collecting a first down, the Warhawk defense was able to shut down the Bobcats, forcing short yardage and a punt with 13:22 left in the quarter. After ULM was able to try their hand on the offense, the Warhawks picked up two first downs before a loss of yardage was too much to overcome, forcing the punt.
With Makenzie Ryan’s punt forcing the Texas State offense to open on the three-yard line, Kevontay Wells was able to stuff Lincoln Pare with a two-yard loss, then holding on to force another Bobcat punt. Two rushes for loss prevented a first down for ULM, both teams trading three-and-outs yet again. While both teams found a few more first downs, neither team was able to find a score before the first quarter ended.
The Bobcats were able to put together some positive yardage to open the second quarter, collecting two first downs and entering the red zone. But some incomplete passes had Texas State settling for a field goal, making it a 3-0 score with 12 minutes left in the half. Another punt by the Warhawks set up Texas State to swing the pendulum in its favor.
Chris Dawn Jr. was able to pick up multiple first downs for the Bobcats, placing the home team in the red zone. On third and long with five minutes left in the half, Pare’s pass was intercepted in the endzone by David Godsey Jr., his second of the season. The momentum was short lived, however, the Warhawks settling for a punt with less than two minutes remaining in the half.
The ULM defense refused to give the Bobcats a score as time ran down, Billy Pullen posting a quarterback hurry and combining with Flemmings for a sack to make it third and long with 25 seconds remaining. ULM regained possession as the clock ran out, the score remaining 3-0 in favor of the Bobcats at halftime.
While the Warhawks opened the second half with possession, it was a quick three-and-out. Aidan Armenta was able to rush for 10 yards, but the Bobcats held ULM on fourth and one, turning the ball over on downs. Greg Burrell rushed for 11 yards to pick up the Texas State first down, continued to gain positive yardage. Brad Jackson then rushed for 19 yards to reach the endzone and notch the first touchdown for either team of the contest to make it a 10-0 score with 11:10 on the clock.
A deep ball from Armenta to Bibbs for 20 yards had the Warhawks on the right track in the third quarter. Palmer-Smith continued to push the offense ahead, Coulter also picking up 14 yards on the drive. Reaching the red zone for the first time all game, Palmer-Smith rushed 14 yards for the ULM score to make it 10-7 with 7:15 remaining in the third quarter.
Texas State looked to reply after the Warhawk score, slowly marching downfield to find the endzone. Beau Sparks saw a few long balls, but it was a Jackson pass to Pare that saw the Bobcats extend the lead further as the clock wound down in the third quarter. ULM was able to pick up a first down before Ryan punted for the sixth time, the Bobcats regaining possession as the third quarter concluded.
While the ULM defense battled to prevent another score for the Bobcats, Jackson was able to reach the red zone. Beau Sparks collected the third touchdown of the contest for Texas State, a 16-yard reception to make it 24-7 with 11:30 left.
The Warhawks looked to close the gap as time ran down, a holding penalty against the Bobcats setting up good field position. Palmer-Smith went on a 29-yard rush to enter Texas State territory, but two more short gains brought up fourth and three to go. McReynolds picked up four yards to convert on fourth down, reaching the red zone for the Warhawks. McReynolds and Palmer-Smith traded rushes before Armenta rushed for 12 yards to score his second rushing touchdown of the season with 7:37 on the clock.
As Texas State regained possession, they slowly marched downfield, Pare collecting most of the rushes to reach the red zone. Jackson rushed for seven yards to score another touchdown to stretch the lead to a 31-14 score with 1:44 left. Time expired before the Warhawks could add onto their tally.
ULM drops to 1-6 in conference play, with the Bobcats jumping to 2-5. The Warhawks will close out the season against an in-state foe in the Ragin’ Cajuns down in Lafayette. Kickoff on Saturday (Nov. 29) is slated for 2 p.m. CT.
**ULM PRESS RELEASE**
