Texas A&M Aggies Week 3 Opponent Preview: Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks
The Texas A&M Aggies will round out their three-game non-conference slate to begin the 2023 season at Kyle Field against the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks Saturday at 3 p.m. CT on SEC Network.
The Aggies opened as 31-point favorites against Louisiana-Monroe with the total set at 54.5. The Warhawks had tough sledding last year, going 4-8 overall and 3-5 in the Sun Belt Conference. Their only wins in 2022 came against Nicholls State, Louisiana, Texas State and Georgia State.
Despite being gutted in the offseason, the Warhawks have started out 2-0 with 17-13 and 24-14 wins against Army and Lamar.
Last season's starting quarterback Chandler Rogers transferred to North Texas and the Warhawks' leading rusher, Malik Jackson, transferred to Jacksonville State to join former Louisiana-Monroe offense coordinator and Gamecocks head coach Rich Rodriguez.
The Warhawks also lost their best offensive lineman Victor Cutler Jr. to the transfer portal, as the West Monroe, Louisiana, native transferred to Ohio State.
None of Louisiana-Monroe's four quarterbacks — transfers Fort Scott Community College's Jiya Wright, Louisiana's Hunter Herring and South Alabama's Brian Garcia and class of 2023 three-star Blake Murphy — had thrown a pass at the Division I level prior to this season.
Both Wright and Herring played against Army, but the latter took the reins against Lamar but it wasn't pretty. Against the Cardinals, Herring was 12-for-21 for 99 yards.
Head coach Terry Bowden, a running back himself at West Virginia in the late 1970s, has shown commitment to the ground game through the first two weeks of the season.
Louisiana-Monroe running back Hunter Smith has powered the offense the first two weeks. After redshirting the 2021 season and playing in three games in 2022, Smith has made the most of his first opportunities in his career, rushing for over 100 yards against both Army and Lamar.
The Warhawks also picked up Ole Miss running back Isaiah Woullard in the transfer portal and he appears to be a hit. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry against Army and eclipsed the century mark against Lamar, scoring a touchdown as well.
Texas A&M is 4-0 all-time against Louisiana-Monroe, which has struggled against Power Five opponents, going 4-53 against them since 2000. The Warhawks are currently on a 14-game losing streak against Power Five teams, losing those contests by an average of 36.4 points per game.
Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks
2023 Record: 2-0
Head coach: Terry Bowden
Offensive Leaders:
Passing: QB Hunter Herring
2023 stats: 16-for-30, 121 yards, one touchdown
Rushing: RB Hunter Smith
2023 stats: 20 carries, 204 rushing yards, two touchdowns
Receiving: WR Tyrone Howell
2023 stats: 13 catches, 132 receiving yards, one touchdown
Defensive Leaders:
Tackles: DL Adin Huntington, 19
Interceptions: OLB Ja'Terious Evans, LB Austin Goffney, LB Max Harris, SAF AJ Watts, 1
Sacks: DL James Smith, 2.5
