SPORTS

ULM limps to Texas A&M re-seeking confidence

Tabby Soignier
tsoignier@thenewsstar.com

ULM will play its final out of conference game this week when it travels to Texas A&M for an 11 a.m. kickoff Saturday.

It will wrap up a three-SEC stadium tour for the Warhawks who already played LSU (lost 31-0) and Kentucky (lost 48-13) earlier this season, so don't expect the trip to College Station to be considered a daunting task for the Sun Belt team.

If anything, it is ready for another game after losing last week to another team from the Lone Star State when Texas State beat ULM 22-18 after blowing a 13-0 halftime lead.

"We respond to it," junior nose guard Gerrand Johnson said. "No one pays a higher price for success than ULM does. It starts with fourth quarters (the grueling conditioning during the offseason) and spring and then into camp.

"We recognize it's time to go 1-0, but we cannot dwell on one win or one loss. Life goes on and, sure, losing to Texas State sucks. It sucks bad, but Texas A&M is up and it's time to put our big boy pads on and get ready for them."

Although the teams may be lopsided when it comes to conferences or facilities or even the amount of stars their players received as high school recruits, one thing is the same.

ULM and Texas A&M are suffering a three-game losing streak and it's the first of its kind for both teams this season. The Warhawks had one loss to LSU in Week 3 before bouncing back with a win over Troy to move to 2-0 in the Sun Belt. That may seem like a lifetime ago, though, as ULM dropped all three of its games in October, starting with Arkansas State, then Kentucky and the latest, Texas State.

"I think our team is frustrated," Berry said. "They'll tell you I am a really, really sore loser. I'm not good at it. Quite honestly, I don't want our team to be good at it either. When I got here (at ULM in Dec. 2009), early on that was one of the most frustrating things about it. I want it to hurt. If it don't hurt, you don't get better."

ULM never suffered a three-game losing streak in Berry's first season in 2010, but the Warhawks had two different ones in 2011 starting with TCU, Iowa and Arkansas State and later against Sun Belt teams North Texas, Western Kentucky and UL-Lafayette.

ULM has never lost more than three straight games under Berry with the third and final one coming last season with losses to Baylor, Tulane and Western Kentucky.

"We have to get back on track," sophomore receiver Ajalen Holley said. "The leaders need to come out this week, and lately they haven't been out on the offensive side of the ball.

"When the play is presented, we need to make it. Right now as an offense, we are down but the leaders need to come back and bring the offense to where it could be at this point in time."

Meanwhile, Texas A&M is coming off its first open date of the season after losing to Mississippi State (48-31) and Ole Miss (35-20) — both of who appeared in the Top 4 of the inaugural College Football Playoff rankings — and the Aggies' most recent loss came at the hands of Alabama 59-0.

It marked the first time the Aggies were shutout since 2003 when No. 1 Oklahoma beat Texas A&M 77-0 under then-coach Dennis Franchione, who is now coaching Texas State and led last week's second-half comeback at ULM.

"There's no question when you have a loss, there's a little bit of doubt," Berry said. "We're a few plays from talking a lot differently right now — just a few plays.

"Guys have to respond. What we have to do right now is respond. It's another opportunity. It's going to be a huge challenge, and we're looking forward to it. Their care level is high — their care level for having success but also their care level for each other."

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