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Thank you.

Hey, it's great to have you with us for week nine of Game Notes here.

The week nine of the college football season.

I'm.

Welcome to game notes.

Plenty to talk about here on this Saturday by the way.

Happy Halloween.

If you're out on the streets tonight with the little ones, everybody be safe out there in between watching some football games.

And we have some games to talk about.

LSU and the Raging Cajuns both taking this final weekend of October off.

We do have some important games being played in the Southland Conference and in the Swac, and a major game being played in the Sun Belt Conference, and we'll get to that.

But we're going to start in that conference and take you behind the curtain and into the locker room for what it feels like to get that first win of the season, courtesy of the Warhawks from you.

Monroe.

And the people down in this holy thing that matters to us and our love for each other.

It's always going to be a battle.

But when you stay in the fight against all odds, this action, this right here can be the turning point of this program.

And every single one that you came here to do what?

To turn it around.

I couldn't be more proud of of you and his staff.

Every single man, woman on this staff, every single day.

You are in this moment and I love you, I appreciate you.

All I wanted to do is walk in here and see you like this.

It's all I want to do.

Well, it had to have been a feel good, confident week for the Warhawks this week in Monroe.

After that emotional win one week ago at Troy that saw Ulm scored 18 points in the span of 2.5 minutes to end the game.

That got them win number one on the season.

You could hear it in head coach Bryant Vincent's voice, seeing his players after finally witnessing their work pay off.

But it certainly wasn't a week to just sit back and soak it in.

Now the work begins to start a positive streak and try to go get win number two on the season.

Vincent addressed that this week with the Golden Eagles from Southern Miss in town for this afternoon's game.

You know this team has you know got up every single day and practiced you know at a high level and played extremely hard and things just hadn't bounced our ways at times.

And just the resilience and the perseverance of this team and this group.

It was a great moment, you know, to be able to go in the locker room and see them, the excitement and that look on her eye, that was the first time this year, you know we've been able to do that.

And that's got to be something that, you know, creates that desire and that hunger to bring that back.

All we need, like I said, and and I tell our kids, is we just need a fighters chance.

That means if there's one second left and we can knock you out with one swing, then that's all we need.

We need a fighters chance and our kids prove that and 1%.

So, you know, as we all know.

So you're saying there's a chance?

Well, there's a chance.

And when you do it together, you know that was the best sideline.

That was the best energy.

I remember when they scored, when Troy scored and made it 14 to 3.

The positivity and the gathering is on the sideline and everybody's going to go.

We're we're in it.

We're in it.

Let's go let's go let's get a score.

Defensive play lights out.

You know the entire game.

And there was never any blink.

There was never, you know, offense versus defense or any of that losing recipe wasn't there.

And that's what helped give us a chance there at the end to win the football game.

We had multiple people step up and make big plays.

And, that's how it begins.

You know, that's how it gets started.

So, you know, great moment.

But now, you know, we've got to be able to move forward.

And we understand the recipe.

And moving forward starts with Southern Miss in this series with the Golden Eagles has belonged to USM.

Go back two years ago though to find the last Warhawk victory.

So not all that far in the past for the Golden Eagles.

They only have one conference win on the season, but it was a huge win.

It was last week's win over Louisiana in Hattiesburg that just might have been the elimination shot for the Cajuns to winning the Sun Belt Western Division.

So two teams riding high after big wins one week ago will square off this afternoon at 230 up in Monroe.

And if you can't be in that number, you can see it all on ESPN plus.

Well, the excitement this week in state football certainly resides on the I 20 corridor up north, and that's where we find one of the hottest teams in the state, the Bulldogs from Louisiana Tech.

Back in July, they were officially welcome to the Sun Belt Conference and promptly picked to finish fourth in the Sun Belt Western Division.

The dogs have spent the first month in conference play, proving that was nothing more than a guess.

A win over non-conference opponents Army to start this month catapulted the Bulldogs to three straight conference wins, and the last two have come without surrendering one single point.

Now they have a chance for a fourth straight conference win in a monster matchup in mobile, which would lock up the solo outright lead in the division with four games to play.

You know, as we started this month of October, you know, we challenged our team.

We talked a lot about, you know, really this is an October of opportunity for our football team.

We had five football games in this month, which is nearly half of our season.

And so we're really proud of how they've handled this month, how they've played, you know, being able to get a win Saturday.

You know, the way we played, you know, I was really proud of how the guys played with great energy, played with physicality and toughness.

And so we've got to continue to prepare the way we've prepared and and then, you know, execute the way that we've executed in these last couple of games.

And so just you know defensively you know your second shutout in a row I think the first time the program has done that since 1959, had two shutouts in a row is pretty remarkable.

I mean -13 yards rushing completely stoned the run in the game Saturday.

Six sacks, I think 13 and interception.

I think we held them to 2042 on fourth downs.

And and they missed the field goal attempt that they, they they tried.

And so I think just played the physical style of football on defense was swarming around you know.

And they we did that really well of course I mean you know we were definitely fired up I mean because it but I think since I played football only I've ever shut out, you know, back to back up on this like on the defense.

But I mean, it it does it does feel great.

You know being able to put on a performance like that, you know, and being able to come in and you know, obviously it's a lot easier to go over it.

You know you put on a performance.

You know, just looking at film and just watching certain plays.

But yeah, for sure, I think it really just motivates us that our prep is working out for us.

You know, we have long, very long practices and very hard working practices.

So, you know, just saying to our prep and saying consistency, what we do just shows what the outcomes have been.

Yeah, I mean there's an awareness.

There's also, you know, there's also the awareness of last week when you look around the conference and you saw the results of the games and the teams that won and just how, you know, level this league is the parity in this league.

You saw it on display last week.

And so, you know, for us again it is an opportunity to get better.

And I think as a defense it's exciting.

It's an exciting matchup.

I feel like you know with the confidence that we got going into this game, I mean we've been able to we've been able to perform against the run a a good bit of the year.

And I feel like, you know, there's another opportunity just another week to, you know, go in and look, look over film.

Look what they do.

Well, so what do they do?

Well, well, this game is just one of the best rushing offenses and scoring offenses in the entire Sunbelt.

For South Alabama, facing one of the best rushing and overall defenses in Louisiana Tech.

No tricks or costumes needed for this treat.

It is set up to be a tremendous clash with so much on the line for both teams, with conference standing implications.

Kickoff A set for 2:00 from the campus of South Alabama with time for trick or treating afterwards, so enjoy all the action on ESPN plus.

Well, for more on what is the hot spot on Louisiana and football down the I-20 corridor.

Louisiana Tech gets a win.

You on, Monroe gets a win.

And we've got an Emmy winner.

And the Emmy winner is joining us now.

And that's our good friend Aaron Dietrich, sports director at no TV in Monroe.

Let's talk football in a second.

Aaron, congratulations.

I know it was a big weekend for football, but for you personally, I saw the post that you made the celebration well earned and congratulations.

How exciting was that?

Thank you.

You know, you take 14 swings at it and finally you connect a couple times.

So two out of 14 is not bad.

But you know, it's not all about the honors and awards, but it is certainly nice to be recognized.

And that is music to the ears of fans.

Not that I wanted to Emmys, but the fact that got Ulm and Louisiana Tech winning in the same weekend.

That doesn't happen very often, especially when you look at the fact that Ulm hadn't won a game and I think 392 games, I think it was, yeah, it was it was the game against Arkansas State one year ago at home.

So let's start with the Warhawks, because I really was one of the lead stories in the fact that they got their first win of the year.

And when you and I last talked three weeks ago, you were talking about the frustration that the program has had and they've had their moments.

For those who didn't watch your show, didn't watch my show, or weren't caught up, this was a team that through three quarters in this game against Troy, the defending Western Division champs, by the way, they couldn't find any offense.

And then all of a sudden Ulm scores what, 18 points in the last 2.5 minutes.

How did this develop and where did the team find this to get those points and get that win?

Well I think a lot of people in Troy are asking, how did this happen?

How did we lose this game?

So I don't know if you saw it or not.

ESPN analytics they had it at point 1%, less than 1%, and it was unbelievable how it happened.

The things turned around and down by 11 points.

Come storming back and figure out a way to win a ball game like that.

You had to feel good for Coach Vincent in that staff, just considering everything they've gone through, the fact that they had lost 14 straight ball games, and somehow they figured out a way to win a game on the road.

And he's bounced quarterbacks.

He's become a little more consistent.

Nick Trujillo has certainly been the go to guy.

Made some huge receptions for him down the stretch.

So maybe to your point there, finding some balance on both sides of the ball.

Finally to get some consistency.

Yeah he's been pretty pleased with the performance by our man.

He wasn't spectacular at all versus Troy except for the last 3.5 minutes of that game.

They're putting the Carlisle kid in there.

The Houston transfer.

He's got the he's got the running dimension of it.

The biggest problem though for him has been the victory.

The fact that they have not established a solid ball carrier, a solid running game at all.

They have a plethora of backs.

They continue to try a couple different ones.

Brian Vincent mentioned this week the fact that we need to limit this to maybe 2 to 3 running backs and let one of them get into a rhythm and establish some sort of rushing attack, because right now, I think Carlisle is still the leading rusher, sitting around 230 yards for the season.

And we're talking about the backup quarterback leading the team in rushing at this point in the season.

That's just not going to get the job done.

All right, let's head back down.

Down the interstate, if you will.

The Louisiana Tech again.

Three weeks ago, we were getting ready for Louisiana Tech debut in the Sun Belt Conference.

Since then, Aaron, they've won the Governor's Cup, which means they beat Louisiana and Ulm.

Then they go and win homecoming.

They're three zero on the West for the team that was picked fourth.

They haven't allowed a point in eight quarters.

Sonny companies a guy with the reputation of offense.

Where did this defense come from?

The defense has been phenomenal.

I think everybody got a glimpse of it against LSU.

They had their issues against Baylor, but man, they got some kids flying around over there and they got a lot of local products on that side making big plays for them.

This is an incredible storyline when you're talking about the first year in the Sun Belt Conference.

People didn't know how competitive they would be, maybe middle of the pack, maybe bottom of the pack.

And right now they're looking good in that West Division with a three zero mark.

I go back to that non-conference game against Army and how big of a win that was for him to win 21 to 19.

They pulled it off, but Army made a late charge.

They recovered the onside kick.

Tech wins that ball game.

You follow that up of course with the wind versus the Cajuns which was massive.

Then Ulm and then of course last week.

Old Dominion's offense is horrible.

So you knew that monarchs weren't going to be able to do a lot of things against that defense from Louisiana Tech, and that was certainly the case.

So Louisiana Tech is really starting to put it together.

Victory.

And you look at the Sonny Cumbie story, it's pretty remarkable the fact that a lot of people wanted to run him off last year.

They stuck with him and look at him right now, they're one game away from being bo eligible.

And along the lines of those math, I don't want to put the cart too far ahead of the horse here, Aaron.

But you've beaten Louisiana, who was picked second in the West.

You beat you all, Monroe.

We know where they are and you win one out of the East.

But when you look at the way it's played out in the West, huge game.

Cannot talk about how big a game it is against South Alabama.

But you get that win and you get yourself past Arkansas State.

They're not only going to be bowl eligible, they might be playing in the Sun Belt Championship representing the West before we even through the end of November.

Well Victor, don't worry.

There's a lot of other fans around here getting that car, the head of the horse, because they're excited, they're fired up.

And this is the most unbelievable part.

There's actually conversations about a College Football Playoff berth.

As crazy as that sounds, they think, well, what happens if Louisiana Tech runs the table and gets the opportunity to host a James Madison here for the conference championship?

There's a lot of football to be played before that.

But man, pretty cool story.

Probably the feel good story certainly up here in North Louisiana.

Well, last weekend was the second of three off weeks for the Grambling Tigers, but I'm not sure it was filled with sunshine and sodas.

Not after giving up over 60 points and a 30 point loss on the road the week prior.

Remember against Alabama A&M, what was a two point game when the Tiger offense had the ball became a double digit deficit for Grambling before the offense touched the ball again?

No.

Mickey Joseph and his Tigers had some deep soul searching to do before leaving the month of October in the rearview mirror, and that's exactly what they did with their extra time, so they can look right to write this ship moving into November.

Well, we took last week on the hill up and do some soul searching.

The, you know, the sea Holly debacle went on Saturday against Alabama A&M.

I'm not going to say we had to totally figure it out, but we have we have a grip on it.

You know what we need to do.

So this would be challenge the team that challenged the coaches to, find a game plan, something that the kids can actually can make them look at this loss and say, you know what, Coach Mickey is going to take the blame, but I gotta hold myself a column.

And this week, this past week, we made them feel like, why did you do this?

Why do you not understand what he's saying?

So we made them feel it.

So we made them do something that they're not used to doing.

We made them talk because what they used to know, just texting, they.

We made them talk with it and express themselves about about certain things.

And we also had talks with the coaches about the coaches.

You got to get this coach better.

You know, like I told you, it all starts to me.

I have to get better head coaching situations like that.

We also want these kids to understand that then the competitor is going to be part of your life.

You have to compete.

When you take that Albert off, you don't do something different.

You don't do something different.

We don't try to not, not need them to death on Friday and try to give him some time at the hotel and see if they're just to relax a little bit.

Not because usually when we go on the road with bam, bam, bam, bam with the bad day.

This, this crew, this crew, they like it.

They do it because we ask them to do it.

But this week they did really vocal about what we get to the hotel because we need some downtime and I understand that.

But as a coach, I had to do a better job of understanding that because I'm looking at as a player.

On, I got off oh, when I got off the plane, these kids are getting off a six, seven hour bus ride.

They have to have downtime.

So I had to understand that.

And and so we'll change a few things up with the schedule.

And we'll change two things up with the game plan to make sure the game plan checks them well.

We'll see if the travel adjustments helped.

Last night when the team arrived in Houston for today's game against Texas, Southern tissue is already feeling good facing teams from Louisiana this season after beating southern last week on a walk off field goal for their first win of the season.

By the way, Grambling will try to put an end to that momentum when they square off tonight at 730 and you can see the game on Swac TV mentioning southern.

For their part, the Jaguars spent the week studying the what might have been moments from that week ago in Houston.

That was the difference between winning and losing a good effort early, a lull that saw a deficit, then a really good surge to tie the game, only to see a special teams mistake lead to a short field.

And ultimately that loss on a 46 yard field goal as the clock ran out for head coach Marshall Faulk.

It was a game that showed the growth in his program, but also more growth needed as they now wake up in Florida this morning for a matchup with Famu.

There's just seems to learn not just for the kids, but us as coaches, you know, in building this program back up.

You know, I'm gonna say a month ago that game would have got away from us real early and we found a way to, you know, to to get momentum going back our way.

To tie the ball game up and have an opportunity to to win a game.

To give out, you know, to to to make a defensive stop and get the ball back.

But, they made the necessary plays as as you goes.

Listen, man, it's that they, they can put up points.

They can score.

They're they're electric.

And we have our work cut out for us.

Just looking at the historical aspect of this thing, you know, this this thing goes back for for years and years and years in terms of southern Famu and and I think, you know, this game in terms of where the two programs are right now, in terms of the blue bloods and black college football, you know, both programs are trying to get back to that place where they once were.

And I think, you know, for us.

I'm not sure about southern, and I know that they're working towards that.

But I know for us, we're definitely, heading in the right direction, which you may it may not be indicative of that on the on the win loss column.

But, you know, within this program, we do know and see the improvements that have taken place with that.

You know, we're looking forward to the opportunity for southern to come on here in here.

I'm sure the crowd and you know, the atmosphere will be great because we hear that the the jukebox is coming.

So we're looking forward to a great atmosphere.

For black college football and a whole as a whole this, this upcoming weekend.

Come on, coach, you think the Human Jukebox is going to sit this one out and you know you've earned respect when a coach mentions the band as the reason, the atmosphere is going to be electric for to A and M has owned this series as of late.

Since 2019, the orange and green have really dominated this matchup, something southern wants to try and change.

They will kick it off at 2:00 central time this afternoon from Tallahassee, and you can catch the game and the halftime performances on the HBCU go app.

Well, we talked earlier about the first win of the season for Ulm.

We were one completed pass as the clock hit zeroes away from talking about a second team.

With its first win, the demons from Northwestern State fought all afternoon with Nicholls one week ago, but a pass into the end zone to win it on the final play was intercepted.

It was the second loss in as many weeks of less than seven points for the demons, and the seventh overall under head coach Blaine McCorkle.

Certainly the disappointment was there, but as a building block, the team is focused on the process that got them that close.

Now it's time to take the next step.

It's a little bit different to is this is the first time we've played somebody close back to back.

You know, in the previous years, whenever we would kind of muster up some strength and energy and fight somebody really close as we kind of went back through it the next week, we didn't play well at all.

Well, two weeks ago we played McNeese to a field goal game.

The next week, we're right there again.

So we're showing some consistency, of being able to play well.

Yeah.

I thought the team played well enough to win.

We just need a few a play here or there and we win the game.

So kind of stressed that in his meeting.

Just come back to work every day with the same mindset, the same positive attitude.

And he's seen us improve throughout the whole season.

So, that's encouraging to hear.

But also at the same time, all of us as players and coaches want us want to win.

And so, it doesn't matter how close we are, we just have to win.

So yeah, just come back to work every day with the same positive attitude.

Guys are working to do that.

You know, the kind of the story of the game the other day was that the field goal team, you know a week ago it's turnovers we corrected that.

Didn't have one in the game until the last play.

And you're filling one of the endzone.

That's going to happen.

You scratch that one.

But you leave four points out there with a you know, a low line drive tip field goal.

That's three.

And then a muffs snap on the extra point.

Well that's four points.

And it was a four point loss.

So we got to quit inventing new ways to to let it slip away and put the whole thing together.

That's one thing we really talked about in our team meeting this morning was just attention to detail, because everything truly affects winning.

The team is in San Antonio for the first time in five years, getting set to take on and Carnet ward.

And they arrive with quarterback.

Zach will be coming off the best passing game in his career 340 yards one week ago against the Colonels.

It's an early afternoon kick for these two.

1:00 and you can watch it on ESPN plus.

So the way we came back was really that part I was pleased with.

I just didn't like the way the end of the third and the fourth quarter went, when I thought we lost our composure at times from that standpoint.

And, you know, it's just not who we are.

We never been that way.

And, you know, it falls on me to make sure that we we take care of that.

We did.

We addressed some guys didn't finish the game that, they kind of lost their focus.

And their focus is to play football.

So, that's a good learning experience for us.

Well, our message is the same all the time.

It never changes.

Just keep playing them.

You just you just play.

You ever play ball?

Go play ball and get an opportunity to play.

Go do what you been coaching doing and go play and then all deviate from that.

Don't look at the scoreboard, look at it.

We had the one against Monroe.

We returned to our touchdown and it had to pick six right off the bat.

That's 14 point swing right.

Well don't look at the scoreboard because it doesn't matter.

None of that matters.

What matters is what you're doing that next play.

They have an opportunity to play.

They have an opportunity to practice.

They have an opportunity to be together as a team, you know, each and every week.

And we got another one this week.

Take advantage of it.

Cherish because it won't last forever.

And when it's done, they won't call you back and say try again one more time.

It's done.

It's over with.

So, we're going to take advantage of that.

That's what we're going to do.

That's our preparation this week.

And how are we going to handle it?

And we're going to approach it the same way we have all year long defensively.

You know, I was telling the staff I think we've got 32 tackle losses this year.

They got 47 right now at this time which is a big number.

They create a lot of havoc up front.

Area three four down.

A lot of pressure packages, especially inside.

You see a lot of run through and stuff like that.

When you're watching film on them and doing things that they do.

So they're going to create some issues offensively.

They always have.

They've always they've game plan wise for them has really been a chore.

Yeah.

The Lions need to avoid another dip in that up and down roller coaster season.

Because in the third quarter against Stephen F Austin, they saw the Lumberjacks take a four point lead and turned it into a 25 point lead.

Game was over.

They are back in Texas this time in commerce to face that East Texas A&M team.

That is tougher as coach mentioned than the record indicates.

Kick off a memorial Stadium is 3:00 this afternoon.

It will be televised on ESPN plus.

Well, for the first time in over a month, the Cowboys from McNeese are waking up in their own bed.

Set the playoff football game.

Yeah, it's been a minute since they've been at home, but the Cowboys are back home to host Nicholls for a Halloween homecoming matchup.

And the treat they really want to receive early game consistency, especially on offense, something head coach Matt Vita has desperately been looking for.

Only the game.

You know, I challenged our guys last week.

I thought we went out to be at our best to win, and we obviously were not offensively just know just hit and miss and more miss than hit.

So was not very good at all.

So you know we're trying you know I don't know.

We keep pressing and pressing and pressing.

But even the other day.

You know, I made a quarterback change after the, what, four series.

So we went three and out and was talking to the to the team and keep talking to the team to, we lead the Southland Conference in third quarter points.

Pretty good stretch.

The problem is, as we scored more points in the third quarter than we have in the first two combined, 20 more points than the first two quarters combined.

And that's a problem.

And you know, how do we get going faster?

How do we get going.

And and that's all it was for me.

So if you want to look at it as more than that, and who's going to be the guy and who's going to be blah, blah blah.

We just thought that in the LSU game, Brady gave us a little bit of a spark, you know?

And my thoughts were and my feelings were going into the game.

This has been going back since the Tulsa game.

So we got off to a slow start in Rio Grande, got off to a slow start against East Texas.

Got off to a slow start obviously against LSU, against Northwestern State.

This team is really talented on offense.

And you know we can't you know we can't wait till the third quarter.

Are we going to be it's going to be out of hand and stuff.

So that was it.

If you think the only problems that we're having on offense as a quarterback, you obviously are not watching the game.

I mean we got you know, we dropped balls.

We missed holes, we missed blocks.

I mean it's it's a it's a whole it's a group thing for sure.

Well plenty to work on.

And they'll try it this afternoon against the Colonels from Nicholls, who are fresh off of one of their better offensive showings in a while, scoring 31 to beat Northwestern State on the road last week.

They should feel good heading into this matchup.

Nicholls has won five straight in the series.

Can they make it even half dozen and ruin homecoming in the process?

We'll find out when they team up at 2:00, and you can see all of the action from Lake Charles on ESPN plus.

And with that, the slate is said it is time now for some football and some Halloween fun tonight.

Be careful out there if you're hitting the streets.

Thanks for joining us here for Game Notes, and we look forward to seeing you right back here Monday night.

We'll be wrap it all up on postgame notes.

Until then, I'm sick.

Have a great weekend and we'll see you Monday night back here on LP be.

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