While Idaho took shelter from actual lightning last weekend at Florida, its Saturday opponent, Louisiana-Monroe struck its week one opposition with it.
In their 17-10 upset victory over Wake Forest, the Warhawks donned camouflage jerseys — most likely pleasing their hometown neighbors, the Duck Dynasty family, whose Willie Robertson made an appearance at the game.
The camouflage, however, wasn’t used to hide. ULM’s defense tallied seven sacks and held Wake Forest to 94 total yards.
Idaho’s game against Florida was cancelled due to weather last Saturday, but Idaho linebacker coach Eric Brown said players turned it into a positive. He said the team is ready for its first Sun Belt game against ULM, which takes place 4 p.m. Saturday in Monroe, Louisiana.
“I don’t look at it as a disadvantage for us,” Brown said of the Florida trip.
“We’ve been talking about how our energy has been built up and we didn’t get to unleash it as much in that first game. The guys will be fired up and we’ll
be ready.”
The Vandal offense will have its work cut out for them.
Louisiana-Monroe returns nine defensive starters from last season, with six playing on the defensive line or linebacker. The veteran pass rush could be problematic for an Idaho offensive line that surrendered the most sacks in the country last year.
Not playing the game last week could work in the Vandals favor. Idaho coach Paul Petrino said ULM will have to use video from last year to scout the Vandals. He added that having two quarterbacks with different skill sets will make them harder to prepare for.
“It was good that we have their tape,” Petrino said. “You get to see the things they’re doing and we got to find a way to stop them.”
The Warhawks run a fast pace spread offense, but not the prototypical pass-first attack. Petrino said they’re a run first team, especially with the loss of their record setting quarterback.
“They had a really good starting quarterback that played for them for four years,” he said. “I’m glad he’s no longer there. They got a new quarterback, it was his first game, so they are a little bit more simpler than they have been.”
Replacing Kolton Browning, who was the 2012 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year, is Pete Thomas. Louisiana-Monroe is his third school in five years.
The 6-foot-5-inch senior originally signed with Colorado State out of high school. After two years, he transferred to North Carolina State, where he spent two seasons before transferring to ULM. In his Warhawks debut, Thomas completed 23 of 41 passes for 189 yards.
Brown said the defensive game plan is to put pressure on the quarterback and force turnovers. The Warhawks up-tempo offense will wear out a defense, but the scheme isn’t complicated, he said.
“This is a game defensively that we should go in and think we got a great chance to win,” Brown said. “Our focus has been get aligned, get the call and then execute, and we’ll be fine.”
The weather forecast in Monroe calls for thunder and lightning storms this weekend. Even if lightning strikes and the game is called due to weather, it will need to be rescheduled.
“It’s a conference game, so this game cannot get cancelled,” Brown said. “No matter what we’re getting this game in. So if it’s postponed or whatever it is, we are going to play Monroe.”
Korbin McDonald can be reached at [email protected]