2006 Week 3

The #25 ranked Crimson Tide of Alabama rolled into Bryant-Denny Stadium expecting an easy win against the Warhawks of ULM. What they got was much more than they bargained for. Although the Warhawks turned the ball over 4 times on 3 interceptions and 1 fumble, they were able to keep it close all the way through to the tune of a 21-20 final score in favor of the Tide. It was an uphill battle for Jamie Banner and ULM as star tailback Calvin Dawson went out of the game late in the 1st quarter with a sprained wrist. He will be back next week for practice. Backup Erroll Hogan played admirably, but the talent of the Tide was too much and it showed in the run game with Bama finishing with 214 yards on 39 carries to ULM's 32 rushes for 42 yards. Kinsmon Lancaster who had basically played flawlessly through the first 2 games threw 3 interceptions to only 1 touchdown, with 2 of the interceptions coming inside the Red Zone. Joe Merritt had an excellent day as he played the go to guy for Lancaster finishing the game with 9 catches for 213 and 1 touchdown. The defense stood tall all day as the forced Alabama to punt 6 times and forced 2 turnovers. Despite this all they had no answer for Kenneth Darby who piled up 224 yards on 30 carries and one score. Coach Jamie Banner had this to say after the final whistle, "I am proud of my guys for stepping up and giving it there all from whistle to whistle. We know we don't have much depth and every player we put out there brought it on every play. We hung with a quality Alabama football team who many think can win one of the toughest conferences in the nation in the SEC. I'll take that hard fought loss over an easy win anyday."