Alabama Football: UL-Monroe offensive preview

Alabama football will host Louisiana-Monroe of the Sun Belt this Saturday afternoon. The Warhawks finished last season 4-8 with a 2-6 conference record under Terry Bowden.

UL-Monroe was a bad offensive team in 2021, ranking 110th nationally with an average of 20.9 points per game. These scoring issues were not simply a byproduct of turnovers or red zone efficiency. In fact, the Warhawks were in the top half of the country, committing only 1.3 turnovers per game. Instead, they just struggled to consistently move the ball. UL-Monroe finished 113th in the nation in yards per game (328.5), and 122nd in yards per play (4.6).

The ULM offense was equally bad in both phases of the game, ranking 100th in passing yardage (194.0 YPG) and 94th in rushing yardage (134.5 YPG).

So far this season, UL-Monroe has remained on par with their 2021 production, posting 341.5 yards and 22.5 points per game. They put up 10 points in a loss to Texas before scoring 35 in a win over FCS Nicholls State. Against the Longhorns, they threw for 167 yards and ran for 92 on 2.2 yards per carry. ULM fared much better against Nicholls State, recording 257 yards through the air and 167 yards on the ground for a 4.3 YPC average.

Alabama Football facing a mobile quarterback

The Warhawk offense is led by quarterback Chandler Rogers, a dual-threat in his second season as a starter. As a freshman in 2021, he completed just under 63 percent of his passes for 1,311 yards and nine touchdowns, with only three interceptions. He also added 367 yards rushing and a score. He has been even more effective this season, completing nearly 80 percent of his passes for 361 yards, two touchdowns and a pick while running for 63 yards and a touchdown. He will provide a good challenge for the Alabama defense, which faces a lot of talented, dual-threat quarterbacks in conference play this season.

Junior running backs Malik Jackson and Andrew Henry return after having solid seasons last year. Henry led the team with 485 yards and four touchdowns, while Jackson wasn’t far behind with 451 yards and three scores. Both are capable pass-catching threats out of the backfield.

The top receivers for ULM are Boogie Knight, Will Derrick, Zach Jackson, and Jevin Frett. Knight led the team last season with 45 catches for 488 yards and three scores, with Derrick and Jackson each contributing over 300 yards. Frett caught only 12 balls in 2021, but they went for a team-high 18 yards per catch. This season, he has easily been Chandler Rogers’ top target, hauling in ten passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. The senior deep threat could test the Alabama corners, who have shown some vulnerability.

Alabama football shouldn’t have troubles with the UL-Monroe offense, but this is a good chance for the defense to shore up some minor deficiencies before conference play.