|
WR
Mack Vincent |
|
2002
Statistics
|
Coach:
Charlie Weatherbie
1st
year |
2002
Record: 3-9
|
|
at
Mississippi |
LOST
3-31 |
at
Kansas State |
LOST
0-68 |
MCNEESE
STATE |
LOST
19-24 |
ARKANSAS
STATE |
LOST
21-33 |
TULANE |
LOST
9-52 |
IDAHO |
WON
34-14 |
at
New Mexico State |
LOST
21-34 |
UTAH
STATE |
WON
51-48 (2OT) |
at
North Texas |
LOST
2-41 |
at
Auburn |
LOST
14-52 |
at
Middle Tennessee |
LOST
28-44 |
LOUIS-LAFAYETTE |
WON
34-10 |
|
2002 Final Rankings
AP-UR, Coaches-UR, BCS-UR
|
2003
Outlook
|
It
has been a trying year for ULM football.
Bobby Keasler resigned halfway through the
year, and Mike Collins courageously filled
in. Then, just a month after being awarded
the full-time head coaching job (in December),
he was arrested and lost his spot. Now,
it is Charlie Weatherbie's mission to take
over a struggling program, proverbially
looking up from the bottom of a decent-sized
hole.
Weatherbie
is a proven winner, turning around similar
programs at Utah State and Navy. He is a
reputable "player's coach" who
shares a mutual belief and respect from
them. He believes it's going to take a full
effort from his team, the coaching staff,
and the fans, to turn this thing around-
so do we.
Offensively,
he has a full garden of potential to harvest
and compete with in the Sun Belt Conference.
Jyles and his receivers have the talent
to keep the Indians viable weekly, but they
need their running game to pick it up a
few notches. The problem with the 2002 offense
was scoring (only 19 ppg). They could easily
move the ball, but once they entered enemy
territory, it was lights out. The offense
must finish drives and culminate them with
(some) points, if they are to be competitive.
Defensively,
they must stop the ground attack. ULM gave
up 195 yards per game on the ground, and
33 TDs! Teams would scorch them through
the air, then once they got into the red
zone, they would run right at them and over
the goal-line every time. That facet must
change, too, but is easier said than done.
Stacking more men in the box leaves their
defense vulnerable against the pass, so
an improved secondary is imperative. Look
for scattered coverage and varied schemes
to confuse offenses and create more QB-pressure.
The
schedule scatters three quality SEC opponents
(LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn) but evens out (somewhat)
with matches against I-AA teams Stephen
F. Austin and Northwestern St. The true
measure of team ability comes Oct. 25th
against Sun Belt co-favorite New Mexico
State (in Monroe). If they can overcome
this hurdle, they will bode well against
North Texas two weeks later.
Bottom
line- Charlie Weatherbie inherits a young
team with some good, unrealized talent.
Give him a year to mold these youngsters
and integrate his system and philosophy
before judging his worth. Accordingly, the
Indians could be a front-running favorite
for the Sun Belt crown in '04. We mean it!
This year, they'll have to settle for sitting
on the fringe.
Projected
2003 record: 4-8
|
|
|
OFFENSIVE
MVP
QB Steven Jyles
|
DEFENSIVE
MVP
LB Maurice Sonnier
|
TOP
NEWCOMER
RB Krishun Williams
|
|
|
|
LOUISIANA-MONROE
*POWER RATINGS
|
Offense
|
Defense
|
QB
- 2 |
DL
- 1.5 |
RB
- 1.5 |
LB
- 3 |
WR
- 3 |
DB
- 2 |
OL
- 2 |
.. |
|
RETURNING
LEADERS
|
Passing:
Steven Jyles, 368-181-9, 2318 yds., 17 TD
Rushing: Krishun Williams, 39 att.,
172 yds., 1 TD
Receiving: Mack Vincent, 79 rec.,
1198 yds., 7 TD
Scoring: Mack Vincent, 7 TD, 42 pts.
Punting: Tyler Kuecker, 9 punts,
37.0 avg.
Kicking: Tyler Kuecker, 4-10 FG,
13-15 PAT, 25 pts.
Tackles: Chris Harris, 96 tot., 38
solo
Sacks: Corey Conde, 4 sacks
Interceptions: Shaune Maynard, 1
for 19 yds.
Kickoff returns: H.J. Adams, 14 ret.,
18.5 avg.
Punt returns: H.J. Adams, 12 ret.,
6.2 avg.
|
|
|
FS
Chris Harris
|
|
|
|
OFFENSE
- 8
|
----RETURNING
STARTERS----
|
DEFENSE
- 9
|
|
KEY
LOSSES
|
OFFENSE:
Bryant Jacobs-TB, Ben Wright-TE, Zack Sims-OG,
Joel Stelly-K |
DEFENSE:
Carlos
Hughes-LB, Seneca Lee-CB, Darwin Roberts-WLB,
Seneca Lee-CB, Kjell Nesen-P |
|
|
2003
OFFENSE
|
written
by Tim Chapman
The
strength of this team lies in the offense. Senior
WR Mack Vincent may be the best wide receiver
nobody knows. He finished 13th in the NCAA in
receiving yards-per-game (nearly 100 per contest).
He was a first-team All-Sun Belt pick who gives
the Indians a legitimate game-breaker, as well
as being a seasoned veteran who will help contour
this young offense. Although not very big, he
is a physical receiver. He will either find a
way to get open or make the necessary arrangements
for picking up needed yardage, both with and without
the ball (i.e. blocking).
His
partner-in-crime will be sophomore Drouzon Quillen.
Quillen is more of the downfield threat the Indians
like to utilize, taking advantage of his incredible
height and Superman hops. At 6'6", Quillen
is one of the tallest receivers in the conference
and should stretch secondaries to their limits,
accordingly. This plays favorably for the Indians
in goal-line situations, especially when throwing
fades against smaller corners. Jitterbug junior
Floyd Smith will also provide a spark to this
offense.
Throwing
to these aerial arsonists is sophomore phenom
Steven Jyles. Jyles emerged as the starter by
the fourth game. He gives the Indians hope of
great things to come, hopefully in the very near
future. After struggling in the early part of
his freshman campaign, he finished red hot, finishing
with 11 TDs against only one INT. His play (particularly
his decision-making and accuracy) must rise to
the next level for ULM to achieve elevated success
in '03.
The
strength and performance of a seasoned offensive
line will help propel this offense into a competitive
motion. Four returning starters give ULM a sturdy
stockade in the passing game as well as a potent
push in the run game. The bell-cow is senior OG
Shane Luna, who enters his fourth year as a starter.
Luna and his ox-like cohorts will need to be steadfast
to keep pressure off of young Jyles and alternatively
make space for their callow young running backs.
Weatherbie will find that to be successful in
the Sun Belt, you must be able to run the football.
The Indians lose a solid back (Jacobs), and must
dip into their youth to find a viable replacement.
Soph Krishaun Williams was 2002's second leading
rusher, but his numbers have not garnered him
the 2003 starting nod. Coaches say the intense
three-way battle between Williams, redshirt frosh
Kevin Payne and soph Errol Hogan still leaves
an opaque depth chart for the backfield heading
into fall. Our money says that Payne will eventually
stake his role as the top guy by around the third
or fourth game.
|
|
LOUISIANA-MONROE
2003 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters in bold
|
OFFENSE
|
QB |
Steven
Jyles-So (6-1, 191) |
Daniel
DaPrato-Sr (6-0, 183) |
FB |
Jason
Schule-So (6-0, 223) |
Joey
Trappey-So (6-1, 206) |
TB |
Krishun
Williams-So (5-10, 221) |
Errol
Hogan-So (5-9, 192) |
WR |
Mack
Vincent-Sr (5-11, 196) |
Jason
Deml-Jr (6-4, 195) |
WR |
Drouzon
Quillen-So (6-6, 187) |
Floyd
Smith-Jr (5-8, 180) / H.J. Adams-Sr |
TE |
Justin
Ebersole-Sr (6-4, 263) |
Jeremy
Hammock-So (6-0, 225) |
OT |
Bruce
Hampton-Jr (6-3, 314) |
Desi
Edwards-Fr (6-5, 260) |
OG |
Ben
Zapata-Sr (6-2, 316) |
Kenny
Ordeneaux-Sr (6-4, 283) |
C |
Hayden
Wadsworth-Jr (6-2, 273) |
Dorian
Beckwith-So (6-0, 317) |
OG |
Shane
Luna-Sr (6-2, 310) |
Don
Pitt-Jr (6-3, 295) |
OT |
Josh
Wade-Sr (6-5, 280) |
Robert
Aguirre-Sr (6-3, 313) |
K |
Tyler
Kuecker-Sr (6-1, 205) |
.. |
|
|
2003
DEFENSE
|
written
by Tim Chapman
The
defensive secondary will play a more valuable
role this season - they have to! The pass defense
ranked unfavorably low (88th in I-A), giving up
238 yards per game. That can't happen this year,
and we believe it won't. They return four (out
of five) starters, the best of whom is junior
FS Chris Harris. Harris (96 tackles, 5 TFL, 5
passes defended) is the scud of the group, finding
nearly every play and blowing it up with authority..
He is a peer-described big-play defender, with
the strength and tracking speed to shed blockers
so as to efficiently hunt down offensive prey.
He plays like a linebacker, as do junior strong
safeties Damien Richard and A.J. Bocard. The typical
eight-man front that D-coordinator Bob Trott likes
to run calls for the strong safeties (and sometimes
even free safety) to be near the line of scrimmage
to help in run support. That's not to say these
guys can't run though. Junior Cash Mouton is money
on outside coverage(s). His shut down skills need
to infect his comrades if the pass defense is
to improve.
The
linebacking corps would be listed as the strength
of this defense, if they returned two healthy
starters. There is no questioning the talent that
lies within senior Maurice Sonnier and junior
John Winchester. Both are tackling machines, demanding
attention and respect from both opponents and
teammates. Together, however, they played a combined
13 games last season due to injuries. Their health
is a major staple to the prominence of this defense.
Should they be nagged by ailments, junior LeKeith
Robinson will be called. He proved a reliable
contributor, and will need to step up if injuries
plague once again.
The
defensive line brings back only two starters from
a unit that was less than impactful as it finished
ranked 100th in run-stopping. Senior NT Corey
Conde (42 tackles, 4 sacks, 7 TFL) brings some
force to the front along with fellow senior, DE
John Thompson (16 QB hurries). Thompson is the
more physically opposing of the two, while Conde
brings a pleasant quickness to the front. These
two are gonna need help from their henchmen if
this group is to pose any sort of a threat.
The defense as a whole needs to shore up on their
abysmal numbers from 2002, especially against
the run where opponents averaged nearly five yards
per carry.
|
|
LB
Maurice Sonnier
|
|
LOUISIANA-MONROE
2003 DEPTH CHART
Returning Starters in bold
|
DEFENSE
|
DE |
John
Thompson-Sr (6-3, 271) |
Alnecco
Shine-Jr (6-3, 255) |
DT |
Jamond
Mason-Taylor-Sr (6-1, 286) |
Dilandos
Johnson-Jr (6-4, 285) |
NT |
Corey
Conde-Sr (6-2, 245) |
Chad
James-So (6-2, 275) |
DE |
Maynard
Johnny-Jr (6-3, 250) |
Lamont
Finley-Jr (6-3, 226) |
SLB |
Maurice
Sonnier-Sr (6-2, 246) |
LeKeith
Robinson-Jr (6-0, 226) |
WLB |
John
Winchester-Jr (6-2, 230) |
L.B.
Jeter-So (6-1, 215) |
CB |
Cash
Mouton-Jr (6-1, 193) |
Chaz
Williams-Fr (6-0, 175) |
CB |
Jaron
James-Jr (5-10, 170) |
Vernard
Wilkerson-Jr (5-11, 171) |
SS |
Damien
Richard-Jr (6-0, 196) |
Shaune
Maynard-Jr (6-0, 207) |
SS |
A.J.
Bocard-Jr (5-10, 187) |
Travin
Moore-Jr (5-11, 190) |
FS |
Chris
Harris-So (6-1, 200) |
Josh
Jenkins-So (6-0, 180) |
P |
Nick
Bascle-So (6-0, 195) |
Tyler
Kuecker-Sr (6-1, 205) |
|
|
|
2003
SPECIAL TEAMS
|
This
is an area that ULM does not look forward to fielding.
Senior Tyler Kuecker was an abysmal 4-of-10 on FGAs,
and 13-of-15 on PATs. Coaches say he has improved his
accuracy and leg strength in the off-season, but we'll
wait and see come real-game conditions. Sophomore Nick
Bascle steps in as the new punter, and will look to
better 2002's 36-yard average. The return game ain't
pretty, either. ULM averaged only 18 yards per kick
return and only 5 per punt return. Senior H.J. Adams
will handle both chores, teaming with junior Travin
Moore on kickoffs. Something has to give in a few of
these areas to keep special teams from costing this
squad a few of its precious, earned victories. Frustration,
and eventually implosion, will be the result if not.
|
|
|
|
|