MONROE — Louisiana-Monroe faced Louisiana Tech in football for the first time in 26 years.
Fans of these northeast Louisiana schools flocked to FMOL Health | St. Francis Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 17. Both of these teams, now Sun Belt Conference foes, came out of the gates swinging and were scoreless going into halftime.
'I believe in these kids': ULM football stays positive despite skid
Among ULM's blemishes, however, came at the start of the second half as Aidan Armenta was intercepted on the first offensive play by La. Tech's Taeden Rogers. The Warhawks committed 11 penalties for 120 yards against the Bulldogs, including three personal fouls during the first half. Armenta was intercepted once again later in the game as La. Tech defeated ULM 24-0.
ULM (0-6, 0-2 Sun Belt) hasn't defeated La. Tech (4-2, 2-0) since 1987 when the Warhawks were Northeast Louisiana. The Warhawks have now dropped 14 consecutive games dating back to Oct. 4, 2025. ULM coach Bryant Vincent saw "tremendous improvement" from the defense as it totaled three sacks and five tackles for loss.
Kevontay Wells led the Warhawks with eight tackles and had a pass breakup while Marcus Ross added seven tackles and a sack. ULM's offense was unable to sustain any drives and was held back because of penalties.
"Anytime we got a positive play, it looked like we had a 15-yard penalty to pull us back," Vincent said postgame. "Can't do that in any game, much less a rivalry game like this one. Defensively, we did enough, in my opinion, to win the game. More than enough. But we've got to be able to play as a team in all three phases. That didn't happen (Saturday)."
While Austin Carlisle entered the game in the final minutes, Vincent didn't think about making a quarterback change. ULM's ground game was stifled by La. Tech with 66 rushing yards on 22 carries. Armenta led the Warhawks in rushing with 20 yards.
"When you can't establish any kind of run game, it makes it really tough on a quarterback," Vincent said. "He's resilient. He's the same guy every day. We've got to make plays behind him, and we've got to be able to establish the run."
Electricity filled the air between ULM and Louisiana Tech even before kickoff. Both programs honored the late coach Pat Collins and his family with the Pat Collins Patio pregame — Neville coach and athletics director Mike Collins was also an honorary captain of the game. Bulldogs fans held up a large white banner at various points of the game; the Warhawk students also came out in droves to support this renewed rivalry.
"It was exactly what we thought it would be," Vincent said of the atmosphere. "The fans were in it. Our crowd was in it. So was theirs. It was that environment that you want to be in and that you expect in this rivalry."
"I thought it was an unbelievable atmosphere," La. Tech coach Sonny Cumbie added. "I really appreciate all of our fans that made the trip. When we took the field, you definitely could hear them, and you could feel them. That was exciting to see. I know that our players appreciate the support that our crowds give them about every game."
ULM will remain positive despite not winning a game in over a year. The Warhawks face Troy (3-3, 1-1) next Saturday to begin the second half of their 2026 season.
"It's horrible, but these kids care, and they're lifting each other up," Vincent said on ULM's losing streak. "We've got to get on the road for a 6 ½-hour bus ride to go to Troy. That's the focus, because this (La. Tech game is) behind us now. We've got to look at offensively we can sustain drives and execute third downs and continue to make this growth on defense and give us a chance to win a game."
This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Miscues proved costly for UL-Monroe football in loss to Louisiana Tech