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Texas A&M Football: Schedule Preview – ULM

By Graham Harmon

Oct 22, 2022; West Point, New York, USA; Louisiana Monroe Warhawks wide receiver Alred Luke (9) runs with the ball against the Army Black Knights during the second half at Michie Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 22, 2022; West Point, New York, USA; Louisiana Monroe Warhawks wide receiver Alred Luke (9) runs with the ball against the Army Black Knights during the second half at Michie Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 22, 2022; West Point, New York, USA; Louisiana Monroe Warhawks wide receiver Alred Luke (9) runs with the ball against the Army Black Knights during the second half at Michie Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 22, 2022; West Point, New York, USA; Louisiana Monroe Warhawks wide receiver Alred Luke (9) runs with the ball against the Army Black Knights during the second half at Michie Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports /

This the third article in a series previewing the 2023 football opponents for Texas A&M Football. Click here for the previous article.

Well, this was supposed to be a weekly series previewing Texas A&M football’s 2023 opponents, but due to Real Life Things, it has been a little more than a week since I penned the Miami preview.  But we shall persevere nevertheless.

ULM is the final opponent for the Aggies in 2023 before their conference slate begins. Coming off a big non-conference matchup against Miami, this game will be a nice breather before Hugh Freeze and the Auburn Tigers roll into town against A&M. It’s not wrong to view this game as pretty much a layup for Texas A&M football, but as we learned last year, you shouldn’t count your chickens before they hatch.

Even so, the fact remains that Louisiana-Monroe has been one of the more moribund programs in all of FBS for quite a while now, and things don’t seem to be looking up anytime soon for the Warhawks. It’s tough to recruit Louisiana as any in-state school not named LSU, as the Bayou Bengals more or less have a stranglehold on the loyalties of almost everyone in the state. If you’re UL-Monroe or UL-Lafayette, you have to hope to find a diamond in the rough that the Tigers decide to not put the full-court press on, or reach out to neighboring states for talent.

That in mind, I return again to the idea that the Aggies should be able to easily out-talent the Warhawks in this week 3 matchup. If the starters are playing in the fourth quarter, something has gone terribly wrong.

Texas A&M Football matchup history vs. ULM

This will be the fifth meeting between the Aggies and Warhawks. Texas A&M football has won each of the previous four matchups. Their first meeting was in 1985, with the Aggies triumphing by a mark of 31-17. They most recently met in 2018—Jimbo Fisher’s first season as head man—with the Aggies taking that contest 48-10. The closest a game between these two teams has been was 21-16 in 2014, a game sandwiched between a 59-0 embarrassment at the hands of Alabama that put the final nail in the coffin of the Kenny Trill dream and an unexpected upset in Jordan-Hare Stadium over the then-3rd ranked Auburn Tigers. Also, the Ags wore cool throwbacks that day.

Texas A&M Football matchups vs. ULM

ULM had a tough year in 2022, going 4-8. The Warhawks really don’t do much well on offense. They were 104th in rushing offense last year, gaining 120.58 yards per game at a 3.46 yards per carry clip. They weren’t much better through the air, ranking 101st and gaining 205.3 yards per game on 7.4 yards per attempt. QB Chandler Rogers actually completed a decent percentage of his passages, basically 2/3 of all attempts. Accurate passer though he may be, the secondary of A&M will do what they can to completely shut him down. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Warhawks attempt to work the short game as much as possible and dare the Aggie DBs to make tackles in space.

On the flipside, the Aggies should be able to impose their will on offense. Whether Weigman or Johnson wins the job (I definitely think it will be the former), the QB for Texas A&M football should be able to pick apart what has been a leaky secondary for ULM. The Warhawks allowed 8.1 YPA last year against mostly subpar competition. This will be a good opportunity for what looks to be a much-improved Aggie offensive line and new backs to flex their muscles as well, as ULM gave up 4.85 YPC last year—again, facing mostly poor competition.

If you haven’t gotten it by now, this one should be an easy one for Texas A&M football. Let’s hope week 3 is uneventful for Aggie fans, and this early-afternoon matchup is easy viewing headed into the night slate.