2011-2012 Football Previews – Sun Belt Conference – Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks
Todd Berry did a nice job with the Warhawks of Lousiana-Monroe in his first year with the team in 2010. The Warhawks had only nine returning starters overall, but the team showed marked improvement from 2009.
Sun Belt Conference 2011-2012 Football Previews: Louisiana-Monroe
Head Coach: Todd Berry
2010 Record: 5-7
Louisiana-Monroe Gambling Odds from JustBet to win BCS: +1,500 (Part of Field)
Louisiana-Monroe Odds from 5Dimes to win Sun Belt Conference: +675
ULM Team Page – Players Stats – Roster – 2011 Schedule –>
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This is a program that is accustomed to losing, but Berry is attempting to change that. How bad have things been at Louisiana-Monroe? The Warhawks have been an FBS school since 1994, and they have yet to finish with a record above .500.
The team returns 17 starters from last year’s team. Expectations are higher surrounding the team than they have ever been before. The Sun Belt is a conference where a team can definitely make a big jump, so anything is possible.
Can the Warhawks finally get over the top and finish with a winning record?
Team Strengths:
Kolton Browning is an excellent leader at the quarterback position. Browning was tremendous as a freshman in 2010, and I think he’ll continue to improve as the years pass. Browning completed almost 62% of his passes and threw for 18 touchdowns last year. He needs to reduce the number of interceptions he throws, but that will come with time.
This is a young quarterback with all the skills necessary to be one of the best in the league.
The Warhawks run a 3-4 defense, and the front three should be tremendous in 2011. Ken Dorsey and Troy Evans are probably the best defensive end duo in the Sun Belt. Though the starter in the middle at the defensive tackle spot isn’t clear yet, the team does appear to have impressive depth at this position.
Louisiana-Monroe’s offensive line struggled in 2010, but they should be much better this year. All five starters are back and these guys are finally accustomed to working together.
Also, this being the second year in Berry’s offensive system should mean there will be significant improvements in blocking schemes. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Team Weaknesses:
It seems most teams in the Sun Belt have a star running back to turn to, but Louisiana-Monroe doesn’t. The Warhawks averaged only 120 yards on the ground per game last year, and they lost their top running back. Browning is a very good quarterback, but he could definitely use some help from the running game.
The Warhawks secondary will be very young in 2011, and it wouldn’t surprise me if they are beaten badly by the best passing teams in the league. The team will be starting three youngsters in the secondary, and that generally isn’t a good thing.
2011-2012 Louisiana-Monroe Football Prediction: 7-5
It seems strange to predict a winning record from a team that never wins more than half of its games, but this should be the year that the Warhawks do it. Browning is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, and the team has quite a few returning starters.
The non-conference schedule is difficult, but they do get Arkansas State and Florida International at home inside the Sun Belt. The lack of a running game is a concern, but this team has quite a bit more talent than they have had in the past.
The passing game should be very difficult to stop, and the defense should be above average.
The Warhawks should top the .500 mark this season.
2011 Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks Schedule
9/3/11 3:30 PM ET @FSU
9/10/11 7:00 PM ET GRAMB
9/17/11 2:00 PM ET @TCU
9/24/11 12:00 PM ET @IOWA
10/8/11 12:00 PM ET ARKST
10/15/11 12:00 PM ET @TROY
10/22/11 12:00 PM ET @NOTEX
10/29/11 12:00 PM ET WKEN
11/5/11 12:00 PM ET @ULLAF
11/12/11 12:00 PM ET MTENN
11/19/11 12:00 PM ET FLINT
12/3/11 12:00 PM ET @FLATL
