http://www.athlonsports.com/columns/5-bu...gs-101-120
102. UL Monroe
ULM exceeded expectations in Todd Berry’s first season. The goal now is to contend for a league title.
Youth was ULM’s biggest foe last season, but it could be a benefit this year. “A player’s biggest jump comes from his first year to his second, so we’re expecting a large growth rate for these young players this season,” Berry says.
Highs and lows were too far apart for ULM last season. The Warhawks nearly swept the Sun Belt co-champions, beating Troy (28–14) and falling in double-overtime to FIU (42–35), but they lost the season finale to rival UL Lafayette (23–22) with bowl eligibility on the line.
“It left some bad tastes in our mouth,” Berry says. “This is a league of parity, so the teams that rise up are the ones that adjust well week to week. Hopefully, we learned that last year.”
Speaking of frustrating misses, ULM has routinely fallen short of breaking through by a narrow margin. The Warhawks have missed either bowl-eligibility or a winning record by one win in four of the last six seasons. To finally break through, ULM must sustain a run in Sun Belt play or pull a non-conference upset. The latter will be especially difficult with road games against Florida State, TCU and Iowa in the first month of the season.