From Monroe News Star...
ULM braces for second homecoming at Tulsa
Adam Hunsucker, ahunsucker@thenewsstar.com
Homecoming is over at ULM on campus at least, but there’s still one more to get out of the way.
Now it’s head coach Todd Berry’s turn.
Tulsa isn’t just Berry’s alma mater. It’s where he got his start in coaching under John Cooper and where he met Steve Logan, who helped mold his offensive philosophy later on at East Carolina.
Berry said he’ll have not only family, but some former college teammates and his whole high school football team from Miami, Oklahoma in the crowd when the Warhawks (1-3, 0-1) kick off against the Golden Hurricane (2-2, 0-1) on Saturday at 5 p.m.
"This is not my first time to go back as a coach and play them but there are a few spots on that field I have some memories of,” Berry said. “Obviously it will be neat for me to go back.
“There will be a lot of people in the stands and they all better be cheering for ULM.”
Berry didn’t wax nostalgic when it came to this version of Tulsa football. New head coach Phillip Montgomery is one win away from equaling the program’s entire total from 2014 after moving north from Baylor.
Yes. The same Baylor that put 70 points on ULM in 2013 with Montgomery serving as offensive coordinator.
Tulsa’s offense is derivative of the same scheme Montgomery learned from head coach Art Briles over 12 years at both Baylor and the University of Houston. The Golden Hurricane are going to spread their receivers out wide — like past the numbers wide — and force the defense to win one-on-one situations.
Tulsa is scoring 37 points-per-game and averaging over 500 yards of total offense. Junior Dane Evans is the leading passer in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) at 374.5 yards-per-game and senior wide receiver Keyarris Garrett’s eight-catch and 134.8-yard average are the best in the league.
“They do a great job of playing at a high-tempo and throwing the football,” ULM co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Adam Waugh said. “They’re getting a lot of attention because they’re doing a great job moving the ball down the field but they also run it very well so you can’t fall asleep on that.”
ULM will have one new starter in the secondary with sophomore Roland Jenkins replacing veteran Justin Backus, who was dismissed from the program.
Berry was hoping ULM would have carved out an offensive identity at this point in the year, but that hasn’t been the case. In an ideal setting, Berry wants it to look like it did in the Nicholls State game.
The Warhawks rolled up 47 points and 593 total yards behind a balanced game plan of 38 runs and 38 pass attempts. That hasn’t been easy to do with Rashon Ceaser and RJ Turner sidelined with injuries at wide receiver, but ULM did get some production out of some fresh faces.
Redshirt freshman D’Marius Gillespie and junior Jared Mapps each caught touchdown passes. Berry also singled out the play of true freshman Xavier Brown, who went from scout team to taking second-team snaps at wide receiver the week of Georgia Southern.
“Moving forward our style of play has to change a little bit for us to get the best players on the field,” Berry said.
“We’re still moving through that process but we have a better idea this week and will continue to as we move forward.”
ULM braces for second homecoming at Tulsa
Adam Hunsucker, ahunsucker@thenewsstar.com
Homecoming is over at ULM on campus at least, but there’s still one more to get out of the way.
Now it’s head coach Todd Berry’s turn.
Tulsa isn’t just Berry’s alma mater. It’s where he got his start in coaching under John Cooper and where he met Steve Logan, who helped mold his offensive philosophy later on at East Carolina.
Berry said he’ll have not only family, but some former college teammates and his whole high school football team from Miami, Oklahoma in the crowd when the Warhawks (1-3, 0-1) kick off against the Golden Hurricane (2-2, 0-1) on Saturday at 5 p.m.
"This is not my first time to go back as a coach and play them but there are a few spots on that field I have some memories of,” Berry said. “Obviously it will be neat for me to go back.
“There will be a lot of people in the stands and they all better be cheering for ULM.”
Berry didn’t wax nostalgic when it came to this version of Tulsa football. New head coach Phillip Montgomery is one win away from equaling the program’s entire total from 2014 after moving north from Baylor.
Yes. The same Baylor that put 70 points on ULM in 2013 with Montgomery serving as offensive coordinator.
Tulsa’s offense is derivative of the same scheme Montgomery learned from head coach Art Briles over 12 years at both Baylor and the University of Houston. The Golden Hurricane are going to spread their receivers out wide — like past the numbers wide — and force the defense to win one-on-one situations.
Tulsa is scoring 37 points-per-game and averaging over 500 yards of total offense. Junior Dane Evans is the leading passer in the American Athletic Conference (AAC) at 374.5 yards-per-game and senior wide receiver Keyarris Garrett’s eight-catch and 134.8-yard average are the best in the league.
“They do a great job of playing at a high-tempo and throwing the football,” ULM co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Adam Waugh said. “They’re getting a lot of attention because they’re doing a great job moving the ball down the field but they also run it very well so you can’t fall asleep on that.”
ULM will have one new starter in the secondary with sophomore Roland Jenkins replacing veteran Justin Backus, who was dismissed from the program.
Berry was hoping ULM would have carved out an offensive identity at this point in the year, but that hasn’t been the case. In an ideal setting, Berry wants it to look like it did in the Nicholls State game.
The Warhawks rolled up 47 points and 593 total yards behind a balanced game plan of 38 runs and 38 pass attempts. That hasn’t been easy to do with Rashon Ceaser and RJ Turner sidelined with injuries at wide receiver, but ULM did get some production out of some fresh faces.
Redshirt freshman D’Marius Gillespie and junior Jared Mapps each caught touchdown passes. Berry also singled out the play of true freshman Xavier Brown, who went from scout team to taking second-team snaps at wide receiver the week of Georgia Southern.
“Moving forward our style of play has to change a little bit for us to get the best players on the field,” Berry said.
“We’re still moving through that process but we have a better idea this week and will continue to as we move forward.”
