2012-13 Football Previews – (Sun Belt) – ULM Warhawks
The Sun Belt is one of the fastest rising conferences in college football. Gus Malzahn is the new coach at Arkansas State and Florida International has had a miraculous turnaround with Mario Cristobal.
Sun Belt 2012-2013 College Football Previews: Louisiana-Monroe
Head Coach: Todd Berry
2011 Record: 4-8
Louisiana Monroe Gambling Odds from JustBet to win BCS Championship: (Part of Field) +1,800
Louisiana Monroe Gambling Odds from 5Dimes to win Sun Belt: +800
ULM Team Page – Players Stats – Roster – 2012 Schedule –>
At this point, Louisiana-Monroe has to be wondering when they will get their chance to rise to the top of the Sun Belt. Since becoming an FBS level school in 1994, Louisiana-Monroe hasn’t had a winning season. Could this be the year?
The Warhawks actually have a pretty decent nucleus to build around. Last year the team struggled with injuries, which kept them from having a chance to make 2011 a turnaround season. Coach Todd Berry and his staff have high hopes that 2012 will be a much better season. Let’s take a look at how this team stacks up.
Team Strengths:
Kolton Browning gives the team a terrific quarterback to build the offense around. Browning is a dual-threat who has a great grasp on the offense. He played 2/3 of the season in 2011 with a sternum injury. In the offseason, Browning is said to have gotten much quicker (dropping four tenths of a second off his 40 time). He threw for 2,500 yards and was the team’s second-leading rusher last year. He should have a great season for the Warhawks. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The secondary is loaded with talent. Mitch Lane is a redshirt freshman that this team is extremely high on at the safety position. Vincent Eddie and Otis Peterson appear to have the cornerback positions locked down. In addition, the Warhawks signed eight secondary members in the 2012 class. There is tons of depth and athleticism in this area.
Team Weaknesses:
The running game hasn’t been successful enough. Browning is a great quarterback, but they need some running backs to step up and carry the load. 2011 was a perfect example of how badly this team needs to be able to run the ball. The Warhawks were 0-5 when they failed to run for 100 yards or more. They were 4-0 in their four games when they ran for 200 yards or more. This group must be better in 2012.
Louisiana-Monroe has to have some guys step up on the defensive front. They don’t get into the backfield enough to disrupt the opponent’s plans. The back of the defense is pretty good for the Warhawks, but the front line needs to make more plays.
2012-2013 Louisiana-Monroe Football Prediction: 5-7
The Warhawks are on the right path right now, but I think they are still just a little bit away from getting to that winning season. Louisiana-Monroe will almost certainly start 0-3 after playing Arkansas, Auburn, and Baylor in the first three contests of the season. The Sun Belt schedule gets tough in November when the team must travel to Arkansas State and FIU in two of the last three weeks.
Browning should have a good year and the team will be better than last year, but the Sun Belt is a little too tough for this team to get over the top without more experience on the field.
2012 NIU Schedule
9/8/12 7:00 PM ET ARK
9/15/12 12:20 PM ET @AUB
9/21/12 8:00 PM ET BAY
9/29/12 TBD @TULNE
10/6/12 TBD @MTENN
10/13/12 TBD FLATL
10/20/12 TBD @WKEN
10/27/12 TBD SALB
11/3/12 TBD ULLAF
11/8/12 7:00 PM ET @ARKST
11/17/12 TBD NOTEX
11/24/12 TBD @FLINT
