Warhawks ride Rogers to roll Colonels, 35-7

MONROE, La. – ULM players and coaches were dancing in the locker room after a 35-7 win over Nicholls State Saturday night but only after weathering some anxious moments early on.

After falling behind by a touchdown to open the contest, ULM erupted for 35 unanswered points to seize control and roll at Malone Stadium. The Warhawks (1-1) scored on four of five possessions to flip the game and claim a win in their home opener.

“That’s an important game for us because Nicholls has all the ability to come out here and knock you off,” ULM coach Terry Bowden said.

Quarterback Chandler Rogers shook off a handful of deflating drops by receivers to finish 20-of-25 passing for 253 yards with two touchdowns. Rogers added 55 yards rushing with another score on eight attempts.

“The first quarter, we were finding a rhythm and getting settled,” Rogers said after his fifth career 200-yard passing game. “We just kept rolling and found our rhythm. That’s who we are.”

Jevin Frett led all receivers with a career-high six catches for 71 yards and one touchdown. Eleven different players made catches and 10 different players registered carries as ULM tallied 424 yards of total offense.

ULM’s defense pitched a shutout over the final three quarters while holding Nicholls to 306 total yards. Linebacker Tristan Driggers led the Warhawks with eight tackles and a pivotal interception to help reverse ULM’s fortunes.

“We just had to stay focused and keep motivating our teammates,” Driggers said. “We had four quarters to play football.”

Said Bowden: “To see the way our defense continued to play and make play after play, I was thrilled the way they kept them out of the end zone the entire game after that one drive.”

The locals were restless early as ULM’s offense sputtered through of the first quarter, gaining just 44 yards on 15 plays and punting twice.

“As I told our players, ‘Don’t be surprised if they come out there and getting first downs isn’t that easy or they drive the football,'” Bowden said. ‘”But if you’ll keep pushing and firing back at them and play as hard as you can, I think your talent will overcome it.’ That’s exactly what happened.”

Adding to the anxiety for the 13,536 in attendance, Nicholls (0-2) drew first blood with an 86-yard, 10-play drive, culminated on a 7-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kohen Granier to receiver K.J. Franklin with 2:18 left in the first quarter.

“They have one drive all night, an 80-yarder,” Bowden said. “And our guys hadn’t gotten things going yet. But our guys responded.”

The Warhawks finally found their spark when red-shirt freshman receiver Alred Luke, a former walk-on from Warren Easton, caught a third-and-6 pass from Rogers and bolted 68 yards to the Nicholls 2.

One play later, running back Andrew Henry burrowed into the end zone for a game-tying touchdown with 11:10 left in the second quarter. The scoring drive took four plays and covered 74 yards.

The ULM defense delivered another uplifting play when Driggers intercepted Granier with 3:45 left in the first half. ULM picked up an additional 15 yards on a Nicholls facemask and took over at the Colonels’ 18.

Three plays later, Malik Jackson skipped through the Nicholls defense and dove into the end zone for an 8-yard TD run and ULM led 14-7 with 2:53 to go before the break.

A couple of key plays occurred inside the final two minutes that further boosted ULM’s odds for success.

First, cornerback Car’lin Vigers stuffed receiver Al’Dontre Davis for a 4-yard loss on a completed pass. Forced to punt with 1:33 left in the half, Nicholls punter Kyle Dupre shanked a 14-yard punt out of bounds to set up ULM at the Colonels 40.

Seven plays later, Rogers found tight end Zach Rasmussen for a 4-yard touchdown that gave ULM a 21-7 lead 15 seconds before the break.

The second half had a much more palatable start for the home team. After a three-and-out by Nicholls against ULM defenders, the Warhawks took command with an aggressive eight-play, 87-yard drive to the end zone.

Rogers was 3-for-3 passing for 48 yards and rushed twice for 13 yards on the march, capped by his 18-yard touchdown toss to Frett. ULM led 28-7 with 9:45 remaining in the third quarter.

Rogers stamped an exclamation point on his night with a 9-yard touchdown run to finish off a seven-play, 85-yard drive with 11:21 to go in the game. A 46-yard completion to Fred Lloyd during the series positioned ULM to score.

“I feel very confident,” Rogers said, “because I know the coaches believe in me and the coaches trust me.”

Something special: Under pressure by the Warhawks, Nicholls punter Kyle Dupre shanked a 14-yard punt with 1:33 left in the first half, allowing ULM to start pivotal drive at the Colonels’ 40. The Warhawks scored a touchdown and led 21-7 at halftime.

Enemy lines: Granier completed 26-of-42 passes for 231 yards and one touchdown with one interception. Franklin caught five passes for 41 yards and the score.

Nicholls netted 75 yards on 23 rushes, led by Julien Gums with 35 yards on nine carries.

Good play: Red-shirt freshman receiver Alred Luke snared a third-and-6 pass from Rogers and raced 68 yards to the Nicholls 2. The explosive play came with 11:15 left in the second quarter when ULM’s offense was struggling and the Warhawks trailing 7-0.

Up next: ULM visits top-ranked Alabama on Sept. 17. The Crimson Tide edged Texas, 20-19, on Saturday. Kickoff is 3 p.m.

Tail feathers: Two-time All-Southland Conference standout Bobby Craighead served as ULM’s honorary captain for the game. Craighead accounted for 3,055 career all-purpose yards and 18 touchdowns as a running back and tight end from 1980-83. … Driggers, a transfer linebacker from Kilgore College, has two interceptions through two games. … ULM improved to 35-10 in home openers at Malone Stadium. The Warhawks are 8-2 in their last 10 home debuts. … In the fourth quarter, redshirt freshman Braxton Guilbeau delivered a 43-yard punt on his first career attempt.