A lot has changed for the ULM Warhawks since early Saturday evening on Oct. 24.

With about three minutes left in the game, the visiting Warhawks were trailing 14-3 at Troy. If something didn't happen quickly, it was going to be 15 consecutive losses for ULM.

Only something did happen ... man, did it ever.

The Warhawks somehow scored 18 points in the final 2:34 of that game to beat Troy 21-14 and two weeks later, ULM won 19-17 at Arkansas State.

So suddenly the team that almost always seems to play better than against state rival UL is the owner of loads of confidence when the Ragin' Cajuns take on the Warhawks at 8 p.m. Thursday in Monroe on ESPN2.

"You've got to be a pro about getting your body back because it is a quick five-day turnaround," UL redshirt junior tight end Caden Jensen said. "Like the coaches have said, it's a great opportunity because we're blessed to have the opportunity to get two wins in five days ... that's very big momentum-wise."

Indeed, of those 14 straight losses, the only two in single digits was a 30-27 overtime loss at UL in last year's finale and a 26-20 loss at UAB earlier this season.

While the Warhawks (2-7, 2-3) are peaking, UL coach Michael Desormeaux is still waiting for his team's best effort.

"For us, I don't think we've played as good as we can play this year," he said. "Is that a bad thing? 
I don't know. I don't care. To me, it's a good thing right now because it's something to chase. 
And so for us, that's where our focus is."

The Cajuns (6-2, 3-2) are hoping they can build on Saturday's gutsy 28-26 home win over South Alabama. The good news about that win was the offensive line led the way to 312 yards rushing. The bad news is that means it was an extra physical game just five days before this road game at ULM.

Jensen said he expects the Cajuns to play as physically as they did against South Alabama.

"Most definitely, you can still do it," he said. "Most definitely. 
Yes, sir. That's been the that's been the expectation.

Redshirt senior defensive tackle Maurion Eleam agrees.

"I think when you sign up to play football, I think you taking ownership in the physicality part," he said. "I kind of like it actually. It kind of reminds me of old-school football."

With that said, Jensen said ULM's defensive front looks better on film than South Alabama, so 300 yards rushing might be tougher to attain.

"They're better players, in my opinion," Jensen said. "And so not the South is bad players at all, but these guys are physical and they play hard. They've got a chip on their shoulder most definitely, and it's against us."

UL's offensive backfield also lost another running back for the season with Anthony Reagan out with a knee injury. That means that pivotal rushing attack will be carried by redshirt freshman JJ Garner, redshirt sophomore Steven Blanco and quarterback Lunch Winfield.

In particular, Winfield took on an extra burden with 19 carries for 97 yards in beating the Jaguars. So how realistic is it for the redshirt junior to pull off that kind of a performance again this weekend?

"If anybody can do it, it's him," Desormeaux exclaimed. "I know I'd put my money on him if I was a betting man."

While some are focusing on the things that went wrong in the passing game in UL's last two games, Desormeaux sees it differently.

"Is it pretty all the time? Heck, no," he said. "Are we going to make mistakes? 
Yes. And we got to clean that up and that's as much on me as it is on him. I coach the guy every day. 
So some of those critical errors, I've got to help him get to a situation where it's not happening."

The response is part of what Desormeaux notices. After the ensuing kickoff, Winfield ran it four times for 36 yards and a touchdown and completed a 41-yard pass to Jensen - the exact target of the errant pick-six attempt.

"But damn, if the next drive, he's not going to go down there and hit a big throw down the field and then score a touchdown," Desormeaux added. "You take any bad with all of that, because when you've got that guy under center, your whole team, they know they've got a chance every week. And they believe in that guy every week."

The belief in Garner is staring to get to that level as well. The redshirt freshman has now rushed for a touchdown in six straight games and added a 100-yard kickoff return in Saturday's win.

Garner ran for 136 yards on just 10 carries, highlighted by a 65-yard touchdown run.

"That's the most fun part about coaching ... not the talent level, it's just like the kid has made so much progress in the last year - just in everything, in every aspect of everything that he's doing," Desormeaux said. "When he started really doing things the right way and he started to really, his focus has changed and like all these things have change, sometimes like that's the carrot that says, 'All right, man,'" 

ULM running quarterback Austin Carlisle is also coming off a big game with 111 yards on 19 carries in the win over Arkansas State, while passing quarterback Aiden Armenta was 11-of-15 passing for 90 yards.

"Coach (Bryant) Vincent has always run it so well and runs it so much and runs it with like good design that you have to you have to play the run first," Desormeaux said. "
So in the throw game, it's hard to get pressure on them. .. because you're always playing the run."

For the Cajuns' defense, it about limiting the big plays that plagued UL again last week against South Alabama.

"We take pride in stopping to run and eliminating big plays." Eleam said. "Southern Miss, we kind of overlooked them and they came out ready to play and they ran it right down our throat. So fixing it over the bye week, then coming into this week, we tried our best, going back to our fundamentals on our gaps and tackling real well."

On the defensive side, ULM limited Arkansas State 315 yards and intercepted quarterback Trey Owens twice. It's a vast improvement over earlier this season.


"They run a lot of line games," Desormeaux said of ULM's defense. "Their fits weren't as fast early in the year. Truthfully, the run stunts were not very tight. 
They weren't very clean. The ball was hitting where it's not supposed to hit. So now the safety is out of the fit and you got these gashes. 
Their run games look really good right now."

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