University of North Texas
3-8 , 3-5
Louisiana-Monroe
5-6 , 4-3
ULM Tops Mean Green 49-37
11/20/2010 12:00:00 AM | Football
MONROE, La. (11/20/10) - North Texas fell to the University of Louisiana-Monroe 49-37 Saturday afternoon at Malone Stadium.
The Warhawks (5-6, 4-3) racked up 480 yards of offense, while holding the Mean Green (3-8, 3-5) to 325 yards, the first time North Texas was held under 400 yards in the Mike Canales era.
Junior Lance Dunbar went over 100 yards for the second straight game and the 15th of his career, finishing with 134 yards on just 19 carries, an average of just over seven yards per carry.
The Mean Green held the ball for over 10 minutes in the first quarter, but could only come away with six points from two Zach Olen field goals and found themselves trailing 7-6 at the end of the frame after a Je'Ron Hamm 48-yard touchdown reception from Kolton Browning.
North Texas would answer on the next offensive play when Dunbar took the Riley Dodge handoff 83-yards to the end zone. The carry is the longest of his career and put the Mean Green back on top 13-7 only nine seconds into the second quarter.
ULM went on to score the next two touchdowns before true freshman Brelan Chancellor took the ensuing kickoff 91-yards for the score marking the first time a Mean Green player has returned a kickoff for a touchdown since 1998, a span of 143 games.
The following drive saw North Texas force ULM to its first punt of the night before Riley Dodge hooked up with Jamaal Jackson in the end zone for the second time in as many games, this time from 15-yards out to put the Mean Green up 27-21 at halftime.
It was all ULM to open the second half, as they scored the first two touchdowns of the second half to overtake North Texas and then expand their lead to 35-27.
Olen then hit another field goal, this time from 45-yards to narrow the deficit before Luther Ambrose, an All-American sprinter, got loose and made a 53-yard touchdown reception to take the ULM lead to 42-30.
Two plays later, Dodge Hooked up with Darius Carey on a 41-yard score to pull within a score, but that's as close as the Mean Green would get.
Senior linebacker Craig Robertson tied a career high with 14 tackles and Jeremy Phillips had an interception as the North Texas defense scored its eighth takeaway in the last four games.
The Mean Green will return home on Saturday, November 27, to face-off with the Big 12's Kansas State Wildcats for the Fouts Field Finale. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m.
Team Stats
NT 3, ULM 0
NT - Olen, Zach 22 yd field goal 12 plays, 62 yards, TOP 5:24
NT 6, ULM 0
NT - Olen, Zach 23 yd field goal 10 plays, 28 yards, TOP 4:43
NT 6, ULM 7
ULM - Hamm, Je'Ron 48 yd pass from Browning, K (Jabour, Radi kick) 3 plays, 70 yards, TOP 0:58
NT 13, ULM 7
NT - Dunbar, Lance 83 yd run (Olen, Zach kick), 1 plays, 83 yards, TOP 0:19
NT 13, ULM 14
ULM - Goodin, Frank 8 yd run (Jabour, Radi kick), 5 plays, 40 yards, TOP 1:53
NT 13, ULM 21
ULM - Ambrose, Luther 10 yd pass from Browning, K (Jabour, Radi kick) 13 plays, 59 yards, TOP 7:15
NT 20, ULM 21
NT - Chancellor, B. 91 yd kickoff return (Olen, Zach kick)
NT 27, ULM 21
NT - Jackson, Jamaal 15 yd pass from Dodge, Riley (Olen, Zach kick) 9 plays, 74 yards, TOP 2:09
NT 27, ULM 28
ULM - Goodin, Frank 3 yd pass from Browning, K (Jabour, Radi kick) 13 plays, 67 yards, TOP 5:56
NT 27, ULM 35
ULM - Edwards, Jyruss 1 yd run (Jabour, Radi kick), 5 plays, 47 yards, TOP 1:47
NT 30, ULM 35
NT - Olen, Zach 45 yd field goal 8 plays, 45 yards, TOP 4:19
NT 30, ULM 42
ULM - Ambrose, Luther 53 yd pass from Browning, K (Jabour, Radi kick) 3 plays, 71 yards, TOP 1:25
NT 37, ULM 42
NT - Carey, Darius 41 yd pass from Dodge, Riley (Olen, Zach kick) 2 plays, 39 yards, TOP 0:50
NT 37, ULM 49
ULM - Lovett, Rodney 1 yd pass from Browning, K (Jabour, Radi kick) 8 plays, 71 yards, TOP 4:16
