Louisiana-Monroe gave Louisiana all they could handle as the Cajuns improved to 3-0 by holding on for a 35-24 win.
Louisiana-Lafayette scored first when quarterback Brooks Haack found the endzone on a four yard read option keep. Following a turnover on downs Haack led a nice drive that was capped by an eight yard touchdown pass to a leaping Scott Austin, putting the Cajuns on top 14-0 after a quarter.
Monroe got on the board early in the second quarter when quarterback Bivins Caraway connected with tight end Alec Osborne who fought his way into the endzone for an eight yard score.
Following an interception thrown by Haack the Warhawks tied things up when Tevin Horton found the endzone on a seven yard run.
The Cajuns retook the lead later in the quarter via a 13 yard Haack pass to Justin Carter on which Carter fought his way into the endzone.
Each team would have a turnover on downs then Monroe punted and Lafayette ran out of time before the half.
Following another Haack interception and a missed field goal by ULM the Cajuns extended their lead late in the third quarter, capping a 13 play drive with an 11 yard touchdown run by Bryan Jones. Yatkowski's kick made it 28-14 Cajuns.
Haack coughed up the ball on a fumble late in the third quarter and Horton added another touchdown run to cut the lead to 28-21.
After a turnover on downs by Louisiana the Warhawks cut the lead to four points after a 29 yard field goal by Cedric Bailey.
The Cajuns recovered a muffed punt deep in Warhawks territory but came up empty with Yatkowski missed a 33 yard field goal.
Troy McCollum picked off Caraway's next pass and the Louisiana offense was able to cover 37 yards in seven plays and put the game on ice when fullback Thomas Singleton ran in for a two yard score with 15 seconds to play.
"It was a nerve wracking game." Louisiana coach Porter Davis said after the final gun. "Those guys have a lot of talent now on both sides of the ball and they always play us tough. Plus you know they're going to want to defend their turf."
BROOKS HAACK SCORES ON AN OPTION KEEP
SCOTT AUSTIN LEAPS TO MAKE A TOUCHDOWN GRAB
ULM TE ALEC OSBORNE FIGHTS INTO THE ENDZONE FOR A SCORE
TEVIN HORTON SCORES A RUSHING TOUCHDOWN FOR ULM
JUSTIN CARTER SCORES
ULM SAFETY LEONARD HAGEN PICKS OFF A PASS THROWN BY HAACK
BRYAN JONES SCORES ON AN 11 YARD RUN, HIS ONLY CARRY OF THE GAME
Scoring
ULL|14|07|07|07|
35
ULM|00|14|00|10|
24
1Q ULL B. Haack 4 Yd run (J. Yatkowski kick)
1Q ULL S. Austin 8 Yd pass from B. Haack (J. Yatkowski kick)
2Q ULM A. Osborne 8 Yd pass from B. Caraway (C. Bailey kick)
2Q ULM T. Horton 7 Yd run (C. Bailey kick)
2Q ULL J. Carter 13 Yd pass from B. Haack (J. Yatkowski kick)
3Q ULL B. Jones 11 Yd run (J. Yatkowski kick)
4Q ULM T. Horton 3 Yd run (C. Bailey kick)
4Q ULM C. Bailey 29 Yd FG
4Q ULL T. Singleton 2 Yd run (J. Yatkowski kick)
Key Player Stats
Passing: B. Haack 17/32 232Yds 2TD 2Int
Rushing: B. Haack 19/102 1TD, K. Hicks 6/43, B. Jones 1/11 1TD
Receiving: D. Guerrero 5/96, S. Austin 3/53 1TD, S. Palmero 2/26, J. Carter 2/14 1TD
Tackles: D. Batiste 7, C. Polk 7, T. McCollum 5, S. Thomas 5
Sacks: A. Jefferson 2, C. Miggins 2, D. Batiste 2, C. Bolden 1, S. Douglas 1
Interceptions: T. McCollum 1
Special Teams: J. Yatkowski 0/1 FG 5/5XP, D. Guerrero 51 Ret Yds, J. Nixon 98 Ret Yds
Passing: B. Caraway 28/43 289Yds 1TD 1Int
Rushing: T. Horton 11/51 2TD
Receiving: N. McClain 4/81, A. Osborne 7/66 1TD, L. Thompson 5/57
Tackles: R. Brown 8, L. Pipkins 8, L. Hagen 8
Sacks: D. Thomas 1
Interceptions: S. Wise 1, L. Hagen 1
Special Teams: C. Bailey 1/2FG 3/3XP, T. Hunter 18 Ret Yds
Key ULL Defensive Stats
Points Allowed: 24
First Downs: 17
Total/Rush/Pass Yards: 320/31/289
Takeaways: 1
Sacks: 8
Coach Davis' Take
Always a tough opponent regardless of what things look like on paper, big win at their house. Nice momentum going into conference play but we've got some things that need fixing for sure.
Coach Davis' Player of the Game
CB Troy McCollum
Next Game
@
3-0 | 0-2
09-20-16