After taking on the top-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide, the task at hand appears a bit easier for Florida State in Week 2 as Louisiana-Monroe comes to Tallahassee on Saturday.
The Warhawks went just 4-8 last season, but were competitive last week with a good Memphis team. Louisiana-Monroe hasn’t had a winning season since 2012, but has had some significant upsets in its history, beating the likes of Alabama, Arkansas and Wake Forest. Head coach Matt Viator is in his second year with the program and hopes to make Louisiana-Monroe a force to be reckoned with in the Sun Belt.
On Louisiana-Monroe
Record: 0-1
Offensive Ranks: 68th in yards per game (425), 41st in passing yards per game (279), 76th in rushing yards per game (146), 76th in points per game (29).
Defensive Ranks: 81st in yards per game allowed (416), 21st in passing yards per game allowed (97), 118th in rushing yards per game allowed (319), 100th in points per game allowed (37).
Last Game: Lost to Memphis, 37-29.
On Offense
Quarterbacks Garrett Smith and Caleb Evans each played for Louisiana-Monroe in the opener against Memphis and both played reasonably well. Both are competent passers, but Smith is the better runner of the two. Senior Derrick Gore and freshman Kayin White share the duties in the backfield while the Warhawks return their top three receivers from a year ago, led by R.J. Turner. Marcus Green is also a dynamic player who brings versatility to the offense.
On the offensive line, left guard Frank Sutton is the only senior for a front that plays three sophomores and one freshman. Last year, the Warhawks only allowed 19 sacks, but managed just 4.2 yards per carry on the ground. Last week, Louisiana-Monroe gave up two sacks and averaged just three yards per carry as a team.
On Defense
On defense, linebacker David Griffith is the best player the Warhawks have. He recorded 78 tackles, 12 for loss and four sacks — all team-highs — last season, but tallied just two stops in the opener against Memphis. Last season’s second-leading sack man and defensive end Caleb Tucker and defensive tackle Tyler Johnson man a decent front line for the Warhawks. Johnson had the only sack for Louisiana-Monroe in the opener.
Juwan Offray is the veteran of the secondary for Louisiana-Monroe. That unit looked impressive in Week 1 as talented Memphis quarterback Riley Ferguson was held to less than 100 yards passing on 25 attempts. Safety Collin Turner had the only interception for the Warhawks in the loss.
Special Teams
The kicking game doesn’t appear that it will be a strong suit for either team on Saturday. As a team last season, Louisiana-Monroe averaged just about 21 yards per kickoff return and 8.2 yards per punt return. The Warhawks didn’t return either a punt or a kickoff for a touchdown last season, but gave up one in each category. Memphis’ Tony Pollard returned a kickoff 99 yards for a score in last week’s loss.
New punter Harrison Heim averaged just better than 37 yards per boot last week for the Warhawks. Kicker Craig Ford was 9-for-13 on field goals last season, but did not miss from inside of 40 yards. He has yet to attempt a field goal this season.
Summary
After a 4-8 season in 2016, Louisiana-Monroe shouldn’t be able to give Florida State much resistance on Saturday. It is worth nothing however, that the Warhawks outgained Memphis in the opener and kept the game closer than some would have guessed. Louisiana-Monroe did score 15 points in the game’s final 5:21 with the contest already well in doubt.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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