Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks Offensive Players To Watch vs. Texas A&M

The Texas A&M Aggies struggled to stop the run last year, which is why a pair of transfer running backs are Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks players to watch.

The Texas A&M Aggies' defense certainly has something to prove after allowing 41 points and 451 yards to the Miami Hurricanes' offense last week.

The Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks' offense was ranked 103rd and 112th in scoring and total offense, respectively, in 2022, and they'll have an uphill climb as the victor of their quarterback battle will throw his first-ever Division I pass.

Warhawks head coach Terry Bowden and offensive coordinator Matt Kubik will look to find wrinkles on how to beat defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin. Here are three players Bowden might want to lean on if it wants to pull off the upset at Kyle Field Saturday. 

RB Hunter Smith

Running back Hunter Smith is finally getting an opportunity, and he is making the most of it.

Smith redshirted the 2021 season and played in three games last year, but now he is the Warhawks' feature back. He leads Louisiana-Monroe in rushing with 204 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.

His production is evenly distributed between Louisiana-Monroe's first two games, rushing for 103 and 101 yards against Army and Lamar, respectively. Smith is the fourth Warhawks running back since 2000 to rush for over 100 yards in each of the first two games, joining Calvin Dawson in 2007, Centarius Donald in 2014 and Josh Johnson in 2019.

Dawson is the only one to rush for over 100 yards in each of the first three games, as he had a miraculous run to begin the season in which he surpassed the century mark in nine of the first 10 games. He sat the program's single-season rushing record in 2007 with 1,414 yards.

RB Isaiah Woullard

Woullard rounds out the two-headed monster in the Warhawks' backfield.

He didn't have too many opportunities at Ole Miss because freshman phenom Quinshon Judkins stepped in and stole the show. Woullard notched 13 yards on nine carries in 2022 for the Rebels.

However, he arrived to Monroe, Louisiana, with an opportunity at a fresh start, as he provides a nice complement to Smith — both of whom rushed for over 100 yards against Lamar last week.

In all but two losses last year, Aggies opponents had multiple running backs garner at least 10 carries each. Against Appalachian State, Alabama and Auburn, there were three separate players who had at least 10 rushing attempts.

Woullard's usage will give Smith a rest, give a different look to the Aggies' defense and allow Louisiana-Monroe to keep their offense on the field for longer.

By controlling the time of possession in a game in which the Warhawks are outmatched, they shorten the amount of game lock Texas A&M's offense will have to operate.

WR Tyrone Howell

The Warhawks will be committed to running the football due to the shaky quarterback play in the early going.

Wide receiver Tyrone Howell has been a staple of consistency despite a relatively inconsistent showing from the quarterbacks here early on.

Against Army, Howell had nine catches for 67 yards and a touchdown and followed that up with a four-catch, 65-yard performance against Lamar.

Howell led the Warhawks with 50 catches, 852 yards and six touchdowns last season en route to Second Team All-Sun Belt Conference Honors.

The transfer from Kansas State will be playing his sixth season of college football in 2023 and provides a one-on-one matchup issue at 6-3, 205 pounds.

Quarterback Hunter Herring appears to have taken a grip on the starting quarterback job for the Warhawks and he'll be targeting Howell a lot in an uphill battle against the Aggies, who have something to prove defensively.