Call it the Curse of Charlie Weatherbie

In 2009, the highest grossing movie was the big fat turd Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, which somehow out-cashed Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by $100,000,000. Give credit to Michael Bay; he gives the people the shit people want. But perhaps there was more to Transformers monetary success than satisfying the public’s sic urge for more peeks at Meghan Fox’s sculpted abdomen. Maybe the full moon was somehow fuller in 2009. Possibly, more of us were drinking water from Camp LeJune. Whatever the case, it was the last year the Warhawks secured a football victory of Arkansas State.

Bear in mind, the rivalry between ULM and Arkansas State isn’t an ever-so-often thing. This game is played every damn year. The last thirteen times the Warhawks have lined up against the Red Wolves, the Warhawks have slinked back into the locker room defeated. The curse spares no one. Todd Berry endured it most, followed by Matt “Darth” Viator and finally Terry Bowden. The last Warhawks coach to outfox the Red Wolves was Charlie Weatherbie, whose heroic feat was rewarded by his unceremonious release at season’s end. How do you fire not renew the contract of the guy who defeated Alabama?

Today, Weatherbie is the Director of the Coaches-Central Florida for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He no longer manipulates Xs and Os, but the ghostly specter of his unceremonious dismissal serves as the black maestro for the dark symphony of gridiron vengeance. THIRTEEN YEARS OF HUMILIATING DEFEAT! Is the fourteenth time the charm for ULM?

The Warhawks’ Curse Extends Beyond Arkansas State

All the gods who govern the gridiron have it in for ULM, especially this season when the Warhawks’ have been on the receiving end of some colon-squeezing losses. After starting the season with a satisfying 17-13 win over Army (plus a preordained victory over Lamar), ULM has lost five straight, including a one-point loss to Appalachian State on a last moment field goal, a one-point lost to Texas State after a 4th quarter collapse, and 10-point loss to Georgia Southern after orchestrating an epic comeback, only to endure an outcome-deciding pick 6 late in the fourth quarter.

Curses! So many curses!

Where is the breakdown? The Warhawks rank 121st nationally in total defense, and blowout losses to Texas A&M and South Alabama haven’t mended that statistic. The defense surrenders a lot of passing yards (so does Arkansas State) and a ton of rushing yards (also, so does Arkansas State). It doesn’t pressure the QB enough, and it gives up a big pile of points (32.7, 116th nationally).

Where the Warhawks may be most cursed is its offense – ranked last in the Sun Belt and befuddled by consistency issues at quarterback. Senior signal caller Jiya Wright has shown some abilities, but his six interceptions have been hard to swallow – Coach Bowden replace Wright in mid-game with freshman Blake Murphy, who responded with a 320 yard, 1 TD effort in a losing cause to Georgia Southern. Bowden may be compelled to stick with the freshman, because the Warhawks are scoring a dismal 19 points per contest under Wright.

Red Wolves Are Spitting Cock Feathers

Meanwhile, Arkansas State is rehabbing from a frustrating 27-17 loss to the Chanticleers, a game beset by what Coach Butch Jones described as dubious penalties. Freshman quarterback Jaylen Raynor (305 yards, two touchdowns) threw a pair of picks in the game that were just as damaging as the yellow flags that took back two touchdowns – both picks resulted in Chants crossing the goal line.

The interceptions can be chalked up to classic freshman inexperience, and Raynor will find the Warhawks’ secondary more agreeable. However, what Red Wolves fans should be look forward to is another excellent game from wide receiver Corey Rucker, who set a program record against the Warhawks in 2020 by compiling 9 receptions for 310 yards and 4 touchdowns (thanks for the memory, Jeff Reed).

This Might Come Down to the Run Game

Combined, senior running back Isaiah Woullard and sophomore running back Hunter Smith have 660 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns between them. At 63rd in the nation, the Warhawks run game isn’t bad. For the Red Wolves, sophomore Ja’Quez Cross is providing most of the hard yards (394, 6.5 ypc) with Raynor and bruiser Zak Wallace providing assorted bursts of lightning and thunder.

While it will be up to the Red Wolves linebackers to put a stop on Woullard and Smith, the Warhawks may not have good answers for Cross and Raynor – especially of the later begins widening gaps with his passing.

Final Analysis

Coach Butch Jones often preaches that he must teach his Red Wolves “how to win.” Arkansas State is slowly getting to that point, but Warhawks coach Terry Bowden is certainly in the instruction phase of this regard. The Warhawks have moxie, and they have some talent. The Warhawks do not yet know how to close escrow. The Red Wolves are a step ahead, and will use that knowledge to extend that extraordinary win streak to its 14th year.

Photo Credit: Meeee