This Coach Has Guts

I like University of Louisiana-Monroe’s Todd Berry and I have never met the coach. The guy has spunk and guts.

Berry and his Warhawk football team have received much love from the college football world since ULM knocked off then No. 8 Arkansas in its season opener. College fans paid more attention to the Warhawks when they lost the next week to Auburn in overtime and then fell short last week in a nationally televised Friday night game against Baylor.

Berry’s team features a wide-open spread offense. The coach is not afraid to take major risks on fourth down plays. In the old days, the term “Riverboat Gambler” would apply to such a coach.

But maybe Berry’s greatest risk came last season when he strolled through the tailgate crowd before a home game.

For my international readers and some United States’ ones, you must realize LSU (Louisiana State) is the kingpin of state universities in Louisiana. LSU has a huge fan base and the remaining schools basically pick up the crumbs. It isn’t unusual to see a vehicle on another Louisiana campus proclaiming love for LSU.

Berry understands this. Every coach and athletic department in Louisiana not associated with LSU understands it.

But last year, Berry challenged this big brother-little brother mentality. According to an article from SB Nation, Berry confronted several fans who were showing their allegiance to LSU while at an ULM tailgate. Berry told one fan, which featured a purple-and-gold LSU tailgating tent, “LSU’s playing four hours south.” I say, you tell them, coach.

Berry said in the article that he believed this LSU allegiance showed disrespect to his ULM players. And I agree.

I think LSU Coach Les Miles should challenge Berry to a dual on the football field. And big brother should even travel to Monroe and ULM for the game.

What do you think? Should a fan attend a game at one school while proclaiming obvious love for another school?

Friday Night College Football

Normally, I am not a big fan of the Friday night ESPN college football game.

I always figured Friday night was for high school football. Plus, the Friday night college matchup is usually two teams desperate for national TV exposure.

Well, this week is different and I hope to tune into the action.

The game features early season media darling, University of Louisiana-Monroe (ULM), and Big 12 conference Baylor—a media darling last season because of Robert Griffin III (RG3).

ULM shocked the college football world in week No. 2 with an overtime win over then No. 8 ranked Arkansas. The Warhawks played overtime again last week but Auburn won on a field goal.

Baylor has entered the post-RG3-era with two straight victories. The Bears will be leery of an ULM team that battled two Southeastern Conference squads (SEC) toe-to-toe.

One interesting aspect of the game is the location. Baylor will come to Monroe to play the Warhawks. It’s rare for a Bowl Champion Series (BCS) team to go on the road to oppose a non-BCS school. It’s the biggest named opponent ULM has hosted since Minnesota several years ago.

Will the ULM fans fill the stadium (30,427) for the game? They should. This is a big game and their team is off to an interesting start. ULM fans have been criticized in the past for not showing up, but this week they have little excuse unless they are going to a high school game.

This game should be fun whether you’re in the stands or watching it on your television. Both teams can score points. The question is what defense will play winning football and limit the other team?

A Stunner

It’s safe to say Arkansas will no longer schedule the University of Louisiana-Monroe in football.

Teams like big-boy Arkansas schedule little-boy ULM with a few unwritten rules in play. The big boys gladly provide the little boys with a fat check in the assumption that the little boys will lie down, take their sound defeat and go home.

Well, ULM didn’t follow the script last Saturday as the Warhawks upended the Razorbacks in overtime 34-31.

It was the biggest win in ULM football history. Arkansas came into the game ranked No. 8 in the country and by Sunday fell out of the ratings completely. The Warhawks won for the first time in 10 tries against Arkansas. The ULM general website featured the victory as its top story Sunday

Usually, upset-mind teams lead most of the game and hold on at the end. However, ULM staged an impressive comeback in the second half. Equally impressive was how the Warhawks won the contest in overtime. After Arkansas tallied a field goal on its possession, ULM was faced with a 4-and-1 on its possession within field goal distance. ULM went for the win and quarterback Kolton Browning made a nifty, 13-yard run for the touchdown.

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for ULM. I attended the Monroe school and worked in athletic media relations in the early 80s when it was called Northeast Louisiana University and the team nickname was the Indians.

I’m sure Saturday’s win was highly celebrated on the campus. But it’s time for the football team to get back to work. In the next three weeks, ULM travels to Auburn, hosts Baylor and goes to Tulane.

Now, how about my hankering for a Johnny’s Pizza in Monroe?