ULM head coach Bryant Vincent didn’t mince words when looking back on the season‑opening loss at Mississippi State. “We saw a lot of situational football, and after studying the film, the first two drives had illegal procedure penalties, and then another penalty stalled us in the red zone,” Vincent said.



Missed opportunities defined the Warhawks’ opener, but attention now shifts to a significant matchup against fellow Group of Six program UAB. The Blazers also dropped their first game, yet records and early‑season form won’t shape the storyline. This one is personal.

The backstory traces to 2022, when longtime UAB head coach Bill Clark stepped down unexpectedly. Vincent, then the offensive coordinator, was elevated to interim head coach and guided the Blazers to a 7–6 finish, including a 4–4 mark in Conference USA and a victory over Miami (OH) in the HomeTown Lenders Bahamas Bowl. He had earned the right to have the interim tag dropped.

Instead, former athletic director Mark Ingram made the surprising decision to hire ex‑NFL quarterback Trent Dilfer. Dilfer went 9–21 over two and a half seasons, a stretch that included a 32–6 loss to Vincent’s ULM team in 2024. Vincent, meanwhile, moved on to New Mexico as offensive coordinator, where the Lobos finished in the top half of the Mountain West in both rushing and total offense.

“This shit is personal,” Vincent said on his weekly radio show.

With the history established, the Warhawks now aim to secure just their second non‑conference road win since 2018 when they travel to Birmingham on Saturday afternoon.

ULM (0–1) will need a strong performance from both the offensive line and the defense. Warhawk running backs averaged only 3.5 yards per carry in the opener, and the ground game produced just five first downs. Offensive line anchor AJ Vinson will be counted on to steady a unit still learning to play together.

Defensively, the 762 yards surrendered at Mississippi State were the most in program history at the FBS level—417 through the air and 345 on the ground. Missed tackles and poor pursuit angles allowed the Bulldogs to average 9.6 yards per play.

Kickoff for the ESPN+ televised game is set for 2:30.