Louisiana Monroe’s special teams unit: blocks a field goal attempt by Alabama’s Lee Tiffin. The Warhawks went on to defeat the Crimson Tide 21-14 in one of the biggest upsets in college football last season. Contributed by ULM AthleticsThe Auburn Tigers will open their 2008-2009 football season against an opponent that should be all too familiar to people from Alabama, particularly Alabama fans.
Louisiana Monroe, who finished last season with a 6-6 record in the Sun Belt Conference, shocked the college football world when they upset the Crimson Tide 21-14 in Tuscaloosa.
With the element of surprise no longer a factor, Coach Charlie Weatherbie’s Warhawks will travel to Auburn to face the No. 11 ranked Tigers in a 6 p.m. showdown to start the season.
“Louisiana Monroe is extremely well-coached,” said Auburn offensive coordinator Tony Franklin after Sunday’s practice.
Before coming to Auburn, Franklin coached at Troy, which is in the Sun Belt Conference with ULM.
“They play hard, run hard and are very strong,” Franklin said. “They believe they will come in here and win. They have a tremendous amount of pride.”
ULM returns 19 starters from last year’s team that won five of its final six games to finish bowl eligible in 2007.
However, they have suffered key losses on both sides of the ball.
On offense, the Warhawks lost ULM’s all-time leading rusher Calvin Dawson, who ran for over 1,400 yards and recorded 12 touchdowns on just 281 carries.
Senior quarterback Kinsmon Lancaster returns as an extremely experienced leader, playing his third year as a starter.
Lancaster threw for 1,866 yards and 13 touchdowns last season, giving him a completion rate of 59.3 percent and 10 interceptions.
Auburn defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads said Lancaster is an important part of the Warhawk’ offense.
“(Lancaster) is a very scary operator at quarterback,” Rhoads said. “He’s a very talented and experienced football player, he’s certainly what makes them go.
ULM’s main weak spot on offense is the offensive line where they will have to replace four starters, two of which were All-Sun Belt selections.
At wide receiver and tight end, the Warhawks are stacked, losing just one player who recorded a catch last season.
While ULM did do most of their offensive damage on the ground last season, senior wide receivers LaGregory Sapp and Zeke Zacharie will provide experienced options through the air.
La Monroe runs a version of the spread offense that will frequently put the ball in the hands of sophomore running back Frank Goodin, as well as experienced wide receivers in order to maintain long drives and control the pace of play.
When asked how practicing against Auburn’s spread offense helps him prepare for the spread attack used by ULM, Rhoads said it did help him to an extent.
“(The offenses) are similar but not the same,” Rhoads said. “But what we’ve faced will help us going into the game without a doubt.”
Rhoads said the Warhawks have a very diverse offensive attack that utilizes a stable of running backs and wide receivers.
“They are going to run the ball first, they’re going to run a high number of screens and throw the ball down the field.”
Similar to the offense, the defense returns several starters, but also has a few holes to fill at key positions.
The Warhawks’ 2007 season sack leader David Cooper, as well as Kendall Mouton, are gone from the defensive line, and they will be replaced by a pair of junior college recruits.
At linebacker, all starters return and look to be the strongest portion of the defense.
The linebackers will be led by All-Sun Belt selection and leading ULM tackler Cardia Jackson.
In the secondary, ULM returns a deep and experienced group, a group that will play a very important factor in a 4-2-5 defense that requires many defense backs.
Safety Greg James picked off five passes last season and led the secondary with 88 tackles.
On special teams, the Warhawks return starting punter Scott Love who has averaged 41.7 yards per kick over two seasons, while redshirt freshman Radi Jabour will take over the placekicking duties.
The Warhawks head into Saturday with an overall record of 3-30-1 versus SEC opponents.
The Tigers have never lost to Louisiana Monroe, currently holding a 6-0 lead in the all-time series.
