The ‘Cats look to hold down the lakefront once again, this time against a first-time opponent
For the fifth time, we look at Northwestern Football’s 2025 opponents. This time it’s the third and final non-conference foe, Louisiana-Monroe. The ‘Cats will host the Warhawks for their fourth home game in a row before heading back on the road.
The Basics
Returning Production: 64% overall (64% offense, 64% defense); 32nd in FBS
2024 Record: 5-7 (3-5 Sun Belt)
Head Coach: Bryant Vincent (second season)
The Stats
2025 SP+ Overall: 116th
2025 SP+ Offense: 128th
2025 SP+ Defense: 100th
2025 SP+ Special Teams: 95th
2024 Capsule
Louisiana-Monroe was projected to be a bottom team in all of college football headed into the 2024 season. The way the season started was the complete opposite. The Warhawks started 5-1 with their only loss being to SEC powerhouse Texas. After that, however, the season got away from them as the Warhawks went on to lose their next six games to close out 5-7. The hot start was a positive for this program, but the inability to sustain the success ultimately took them out of the running for its first Sun Belt championship and second ever Bowl Game appearance.
Offensive Overview
UL-Monroe in 2024 was a run-first team. The Warhawks rushed for over 2,000 yards combined while passing yards just reached over the 1,600 yard mark total. The star behind the rushing offense, Ahmad Hardy, is no longer with the Warhawks after taking his talents to the SEC with Missouri. Last season’s leading receiver, Jake Godfrey, returns but he only tallied 265 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Aidan Armenta led the charge through the air in 2024, throwing for just under 1,300 yards, but he threw more interceptions than touchdowns.
Newly joining UL-Monroe is receiver Nic Trujillo. Trujillo tallied just over 300 receiving yards for New Mexico in 2024. The Warhawks also landed wide receiver Quentin Murphy, who was originally committed to play at Arkansas before entering the spring portal and going to Monroe. The biggest get for this offense however was running back Antonio Martin Jr. from Southeast Louisiana. Last season, Martin Jr. rushed for 1,228 yards and 11 touchdowns on over five yards-per-carry. He will likely see a tremendous role in this Warhawks offense if last season is any indication of how coach Bryant Vincent likes to use his running backs.
Defensive Overview
Defensively, UL-Monroe lost its top player, Wydett Williams Jr., to Ole Miss. He led the team with three interceptions and 100 total tackles. Fourth-leading tackler Carl Fauntroy is one of the top defensive player returning for this Warhawks team to go along with his lone interception. The highlight on this defense though is keeping Billy Pullen after he sacked opposing quarterbacks six times. Pair him with returners Kevontay Wells and Tristan Shorter (each had three sacks), and this pass rush doesn’t look too shabby whatsoever. The best transfer portal acquisition on this side of the ball for UL-Monroe is former Chattanooga Moc, D’Arco Perkins-McAllister. He had three picks and 36 total tackles last season. Derek Omoregie also joins the fray after a three sack, 40 tackle season at Southern Connecticut State. Overall, the defense is alright, especially considering the conference the Warhawks are in combined with their lack of true success. The pass rush will be something to look out for though.