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UL Monroe has enjoyed a two-game homestand but will soon have to dust off their road jerseys. They will take on the Texas State Bobcats at 7:00 p.m. ET on Saturday at Jim Wacker Field at Bobcat Stadium. UL Monroe is expected to lose this one by 16 points, so we'll see if that gives them a bit of motivation.
After soaring to 40 points the game before, UL Monroe faltered in their game on Saturday. They were dealt a punishing 55-7 loss at the hands of South Alabama. UL Monroe was in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 31-7.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, the Warhawks weren't very productive in the air and finished the game with only 112 passing yards. They were dismantled by their opponents in that department as South Alabama threw for 387.
Meanwhile, Texas State unfortunately witnessed the end of their three-game winning streak on Saturday. They fell to Louisiana 34-30. Texas State has struggled against Louisiana recently, as Saturday's match was their ninth consecutive lost matchup.
Even though the team lost, they still had several impressive performances. One of the most dominant came from Ismail Mahdi, who rushed for 188 yards and a touchdown. Mahdi also notched 25+ carries for the first time this season. The team also got some help courtesy of TJ Finley, who threw for 326 yards and two touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes.
Special teams played a big role in the game for Texas State, adding 12 points to the final score. All those points came courtesy of Mason Shipley: he added nine points with three field goals, and another three kicking extra points.
The losses dropped UL Monroe to 2-3 and Texas State to 4-2.
In addition to losing their last games, the pair failed to cover the spread. Looking forward, Texas State is the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by 16 points. Anyone thinking of taking them against the spread should keep this in mind: the team hasn't covered the last three times they've played UL Monroe.
UL Monroe barely slipped by Texas State when the teams last played last November, winning 31-30. One of the biggest obstacles trying to stand in the way of that victory was Texas State's Layne Hatcher, who threw for 237 yards and two touchdowns. Now that he won't be playing on Saturday, will it be that much easier for UL Monroe to walk away with another win? There's only one way to find out.
