# 2023 Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks football team

The 2023 Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks football team represented the University of Louisiana at Monroe as a member of the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by third-year head coach Terry Bowden, Louisiana–Monroe played their home games at Malone Stadium in Monroe, Louisiana. The Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks football team drew an average home attendance of 14,296 in 2023.

## Preseason
### Media poll

In the Sun Belt preseason coaches' poll, the Warhawks were picked to finish in last place in the West division.
Media poll (West division) :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Troy | 92 (10) |
| 2 | South Alabama | 85 (4) |
| 3 | Louisiana | 64 |
| 4 | Southern Miss | 62 |
| 5 | Texas State | 36 |
| 6 | Arkansas State | 33 |
| 7 | ULM | 20 |
Wide receiver Tyrone Howell was named to the second team.

## Schedule

The football schedule was announced February 24, 2023.
| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 6:00 p.m. | Army* | Malone StadiumMonroe, LA | NFLN | W 17–13 | 18,914 |
| September 9 | 7:00 p.m. | Lamar* | Malone StadiumMonroe, LA | ESPN+ | W 24–14 | 13,154 |
| September 16 | 3:00 p.m. | at Texas A&M* | Kyle FieldCollege Station, TX | SECN | L 3–47 | 102,733 |
| September 30 | 7:00 p.m. | Appalachian State | Malone StadiumMonroe, LA | ESPN+ | L 40–41 | 19,919 |
| October 7 | 6:00 p.m. | South Alabama | Malone StadiumMonroe, LA | ESPN+ | L 7–55 | 12,099 |
| October 14 | 6:00 p.m. | at Texas State | Bobcat StadiumSan Marcos, TX | ESPN+ | L 20–21 | 27,537 |
| October 21 | 1:00 p.m. | at Georgia Southern | Paulson StadiumStatesboro, GA | ESPN+ | L 28–38 | 21,068 |
| October 28 | 4:00 p.m. | Arkansas State | Malone StadiumMonroe, LA | ESPN+ | L 24–34 | 14,006 |
| November 4 | 3:00 p.m. | at Southern Miss | M. M. Roberts StadiumHattiesburg, MS | ESPN+ | L 7–24 | 20,193 |
| November 11 | 1:00 p.m. | Troy | Malone StadiumMonroe, LA | ESPN+ | L 14–45 | 7,683 |
| November 18 | 11:00 a.m. | at No. 13 Ole Miss* | Vaught-Hemingway StadiumOxford, MS | SECN | L 3–35 | 60,752 |
| November 25 | 2:00 p.m. | at Louisiana | Cajun FieldLafayette, LA (Battle on the Bayou) | ESPN+ | L 21–52 | 13,892 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll and CFP Rankings released prior to gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Game summaries
### Army

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Black Knights | 0 | 10 | 0 | 3 | 13 |
| Warhawks | 0 | 3 | 0 | 14 | 17 |
at Malone Stadium, Monroe, Louisiana
* Date: September 2, 2023
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Temperature: 97 °F (36 °C) • Wind: NE 9 mph • Weather: Sunny
* Game attendance: 18,914
* Referee: Wayne Winkler
* TV announcers (NFLN): Doug Sherman (play-by-play) & Tyoka Jackson (analyst)
| Statistics | ARMY | ULM |
| First downs | 13 | 16 |
| 3rd down efficiency | 6–15 | 4–15 |
| 4th down efficiency | 0–0 | 1–1 |
| Plays–yards | 62–279 | 63–298 |
| Rushes–yards | 50–172 | 32–207 |
| Passing yards | 107 | 91 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 6–12–2 | 15–31–2 |
| Penalties–yards | 3–35 | 5–35 |
| Turnovers | 5 | 2 |
| Time of possession | 33:38 | 26:22 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Army | Passing | Bryson Daily | 5/11, 121 yards, 2 INT |
| Army | Rushing | Bryson Daily | 23 carries, 63 yards |
| Army | Receiving | Liam Fortner | 1 reception, 53 yards |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Passing | Jiya Wright | 11/22, 69 yards, 2 INT |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Rushing | Hunter Smith | 7 carries, 103 yards, TD |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Receiving | Tyrone Howell | 9 receptions, 67 yards, TD |

### Lamar

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Cardinals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 14 |
| Warhawks | 7 | 14 | 0 | 3 | 24 |
at Malone Stadium, Monroe, Louisiana
* Date: September 9, 2023
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 86 °F (30 °C) • Wind: N 8 mph
* Game attendance: 13,154
* Referee: Bruce Austin
* TV: ESPN+
Game information :
First Quarter
(0:43) ULM – Hunter Smith 27-yard run, Derek McCormick kick (Drive: 9 plays, 60 yards, 2:42; Louisiana–Monroe 7–0)
Second Quarter
(5:36) ULM – Tristan Driggers 0-yard punt return, Derek McCormick kick (Drive: Louisiana–Monroe 14–0)
(2:17) ULM – Thad Franklin Jr. 1-yard run, Derek McCormick kick (Drive: 6 plays, 63 yards, 2:34; Louisiana–Monroe 21–0)
Third Quarter
None
Fourth Quarter
(12:37) LAM – Major Bowden 19-yard pass from Robert Coleman, Chris Esqueda kick (Drive: 12 plays, 72 yards, 6:12; Louisiana–Monroe 21–7)
(8:16) LAM – Izaha Jones 47-yard run, Chris Esqueda kick (Drive: 4 plays, 63 yards, 2:06; Louisiana–Monroe 21–14)
(3:35) ULM – Derek McCormick 30-yard field goal (Drive: 9 plays, 59 yards, 4:33; Louisiana–Monroe 24–14)
Win Probability
Line
Over/Under :
| Statistics | LAM | ULM |
| First downs | 17 | 19 |
| Total yards | 311 | 384 |
| Rushing yards | 121 | 285 |
| Passing yards | 190 | 99 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 33:58 | 26:02 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Lamar | Passing | Robert Coleman | 19/25, 190 yards, TD, INT |
| Lamar | Rushing | Izaha Jones | 1 carry, 47 yards, TD |
| Lamar | Receiving | Kyndon Fuselier | 5 receptions, 59 yards |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Passing | Hunter Herring | 12/21, 99 yards |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Rushing | Isaiah Woullard | 14 carries, 113 yards |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Receiving | Tyrone Howell | 4 receptions, 65 yards |

### at Texas A&M

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Louisiana-Monroe | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Texas A&M | 10 | 17 | 10 | 10 | 47 |
at Kyle Field, College Station, Texas
* Date: Saturday, September 16, 2023
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Sunny, 76 °F (24 °C)
* Game attendance: 93,090
* Referee: Steve Marlowe
* TV announcers (SECN): Dave Neal, Derek Mason, and Taylor Davis
* Box score, Recap
| Statistics | ULM | TXAM |
| First downs | 8 | 28 |
| Total yards | 82–433 | 54–451 |
| Rushing yards | 31–127 | 33–158 |
| Passing yards | 95 | 399 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 6–17–0 | 32–40–0 |
| Time of possession | 25:31 | 34:29 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Passing | Jiya Wright | 6/15, 95 yards |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Rushing | Jiya Wright | 5 carries, 34 yards |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Receiving | Dariyan Wiley | 3 receptions, 52 yards |
| Texas A&M | Passing | Conner Weigman | 25/29, 337 yards, TD |
| Texas A&M | Rushing | Rueben Owens | 8 carries, 51 yards, TD |
| Texas A&M | Receiving | Ainias Smith | 7 receptions, 127 yards |

### Appalachian State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mountaineers | 14 | 14 | 7 | 6 | 41 |
| Warhawks | 14 | 14 | 12 | 3 | 43 |
at Malone Stadium, Monroe, Louisiana
* Date: September 30, 2023
* Game time: 7:00 p.m. CDT
* TV: ESPN+
Game information :
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Win Probability
Line
Over/Under :
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Turnovers
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Appalachian State | Passing |
| Appalachian State | Rushing |
| Appalachian State | Receiving |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Passing |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Rushing |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Receiving |

### South Alabama

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jaguars | 14 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 55 |
| Warhawks | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
at Malone Stadium, Monroe, Louisiana
* Date: October 7, 2023
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: Clear • Temperature: 70 °F (21 °C) • Wind: N 12 mph
* Game attendance: 12,099
* Referee: Scott Broadway
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Chris Harris (play-by-play) and Tag Rome (analyst)
Game information :
First Quarter
(10:57) USA – Kentrel Bullock 5-yard run, Diego Guajardo kick (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:03; South Alabama 7–0)
(6:29) USA – Brandon Crum 3-yard pass from Carter Bradley, Diego Guajardo kick (Drive: 8 plays, 45 yards, 3:44; South Alabama 14–0)
Second Quarter
(13:55) USA – Diego Guajardo 37-yard field goal (Drive: 15 plays, 38 yards, 6:29; South Alabama 17–0)
(9:57) USA – Caullin Lacy 44-yard pass from Carter Bradley, Diego Guajardo kick (Drive: 2 plays, 46 yards, 0:38; South Alabama 24–0)
(1:23) USA – Marco Lee Jr. 10-yard run, Diego Guajardo kick (Drive: 7 plays, 76 yards, 3:32; South Alabama 31–0)
(0:00) ULM – Tyrone Howell 14-yard pass from Jiya Wright, Derek McCormick kick (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 1:23; South Alabama 31–7)
Third Quarter
(4:46) USA – La'Damian Webb 1-yard run, Diego Guajardo kick (Drive: 8 plays, 58 yards, 2:51; South Alabama 38–7)
(1:23) USA – Kentrel Bullock 30-yard pass from Carter Bradley, Diego Guajardo kick (Drive: 6 plays, 68 yards, 2:10; South Alabama 45–7)
Fourth Quarter
(10:33) USA – Diego Guajardo 46-yard field goal (Drive: 7 plays, 31 yards, 3:11; South Alabama 48–7)
(1:20) USA – Jeremiah Webb 3-yard pass from Gio Lopez, Diego Guajardo kick (Drive: 13 plays, 80 yards, 5:56; South Alabama 55–7)
Win Probability
Line
Over/Under :
| Statistics | USA | ULM |
| First downs | 32 | 13 |
| Total yards | 589 | 250 |
| Rushing yards | 14 | 5 |
| Passing yards | 18 | 6 |
| Passing: Comp–Att–Int | 27–39–0 | 13–28–2 |
| Time of possession | 36:30 | 23:30 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| South Alabama | Passing | Carter Bradley | 20/29, 303 yards, 3 TD |
| South Alabama | Rushing | La'Damian Webb | 19 carries, 100 yards, TD |
| South Alabama | Receiving | Caullin Lacy | 7 receptions, 156 yards, TD |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Passing | Jiya Wright | 13/28, 112 yards, TD, 2 INT |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Rushing | Jiya Wright | 13 carries, 53 yards |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Receiving | Tyrone Howell | 4 receptions, 41 yards |

### at Texas State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Warhawks | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 | 20 |
| Bobcats | 3 | 6 | 0 | 12 | 21 |
at Bobcat Stadium, San Marcos, Texas
* Date: October 14
* Game time: 6:00 p.m.
* Game weather: Sunny, 77 °F (25 °C)
* Game attendance: 27,537
* Referee: Wayne Winkler
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Brant Freeman, Keith Moreland, and Koral Riggs
* Box score, Recap
Statistics
| Statistics | ULM | TXST |
| First downs | 14 | 29 |
| Total yards | 285 | 452 |
| Rushing yards | 135 | 230 |
| Passing yards | 150 | 222 |
| Turnovers | 0 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 22:42 | 37:18 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Passing | Jiya Wright | 14/22, 150 yards, TD |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Rushing | Isaiah Woullard | 14 rushes, 55 yards |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Receiving | Nolan Quinlan | 3 receptions, 52 yards |
| Texas State | Passing | T. J. Finley | 24/46, 222 yards, 2 TD, INT |
| Texas State | Rushing | Donerio Davenport | 15 rushes, 94 yards |
| Texas State | Receiving | Joey Hobert | 10 receptions, 110 yards, 2 TD |

### at Southern Miss

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Warhawks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Golden Eagles | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at M. M. Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, MS
* Date: Saturday, November 4, 2023
* Game time: 3:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: -
* Game attendance: 20,193
* Referee: -
* TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD
* Statistics
* First downs
* Total yards
* Rushing yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: Comp–Att–Int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Passing |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Rushing |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Receiving |
| Southern Miss | Passing |
| Southern Miss | Rushing |
| Southern Miss | Receiving |

### at No. 13 Ole Miss

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Warhawks | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| No. 13 Rebels | 7 | 0 | 21 | 7 | 35 |
at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS
* Date: Saturday, November 18, 2023
* Game time: 11:00 a.m. CST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 58 °F (14 °C)
* Game attendance: 60,752
* Referee: Matt Loeffler
* TV announcers (SECN): Taylor Zarzour (play-by-play), Matt Stinchcomb (analyst), Alyssa Lang (sideline)
* Pregame line: Ole Miss –36.5 • O/U: 61
| Statistics | Louisiana–Monroe | Ole Miss |
| First downs | 19 | 27 |
| Total yards | 258 | 498 |
| Passing yards | 66 | 371 |
| Rushes/yards | 46/192 | 37/127 |
| Penalties/yards | 7/65 | 8/81 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 0 |
| Time of possession | 34:04 | 25:56 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Passing | Jiya Wright | 7/19, 56 yards, 1 INT |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Rushing | Hunter Smith | 17 carries, 74 yards |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Receiving | Tyrone Howell | 3 receptions, 34 yards |
| Ole Miss | Passing | Jaxson Dart | 24/31, 310 yards, 3 TD |
| Ole Miss | Rushing | Quinshon Judkins | 18 carries, 65 yards |
| Ole Miss | Receiving | Dayton Wade | 7 receptions, 108 yards, 1 TD |

### at Louisiana

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| LA –12.5 | 53.5 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Warhawks | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Ragin' Cajuns | 7 | 24 | 14 | 7 | 52 |
at Cajun Field, Lafayette, Louisiana
* Date: November 25, 2023
* Game time: 2:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NE 7 MPH
* Game attendance: 13,892
* Referee: Marshall Lewis
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Dan McDonald (play-by-play) and Eric Mouton (analyst)
Game information :
First Quarter
(9:36) LA – Chandler Fields 5-yard rush (Kenneth Almendares kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 50 yards, 4:16; Louisiana 7–0)
(1:45) ULM – Jiya Wright 2-yard rush (Braxton Guillbeau kick) (Drive: 14 plays, 77 yards, 7:44; Tied 7–7)
Second Quarter
(14:41) LA – Zylan Perry 3-yard rush (Kenneth Almendares kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 58 yards, 2:04; Louisiana 14–7)
(9:41) LA – Kenneth Almendares 24-yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 47 yards, 2:43; Louisiana 17–7)
(8:25) ULM – Dylan Howell 24-yard fumble returned (Braxton Guillbeau kick) (Drive: 1 play, -2 yards, 0:08; Louisiana 17–14)
(2:51) LA – Jacob Kibodi 3-yard rush (Kenneth Almendares kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 86 yards, 5:24; Louisiana 24–14)
(0:32) LA – Neal Johnson 24-yard pass from Chandler Fields (Kenneth Almendares kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 50 yards, 1:59; Louisiana 31–14)
Third Quarter
(13:20) LA – Neal Johnson 28-yard pass from Chandler Fields (Kenneth Almendares kick) (Drive: 4 plays, 49 yards, 1:37; Louisiana 38–14)
(4:06) LA – Elijah Davis 10-yard rush (Kenneth Almendares kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 85 yards, 3:08; Louisiana 45–14)
Fourth Quarter
(7:14) ULM – Alred Luke 16-yard pass from Blake Murphy (Braxton Guillbeau kick) (Drive: 13 plays, 51 yards, 4:53; Louisiana 45–21)
(0:37) LA – Elijah Davis 2-yard rush (Alan Guerrieri kick) (Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 6:37; Louisiana 52–21)
Win Probability
Line
LA –12.5
Over/Under
53.5 :
| Statistics | ULM | ULL |
| First downs | 16 | 29 |
| Total yards | 239 | 476 |
| Rushing yards | 153 | 230 |
| Passing yards | 86 | 246 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 1 |
| Time of possession | 30:20 | 29:40 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Passing | Jiya Wright | 6/10, 66 yards, 1 INT |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Rushing | Bennett Galloway | 16 carries, 87 yards |
| Louisiana–Monroe | Receiving | Tyrone Howell | 2 receptions, 40 yards |
| Louisiana | Passing | Chandler Fields | 18/20, 246 yards, 2 TD |
| Louisiana | Rushing | Elijah Davis | 14 carries, 109 yards, 2 TD |
| Louisiana | Receiving | Neal Johnson | 3 receptions, 67 yards, 2 TD |