Louisiana-Monroe eager for new era with winning coach
MONROE, La. (AP) - It sounds like new Louisiana-Monroe coach Matt Viator has convinced his players that their 11 losses last season and last-place forecast in the Sun Belt Conference preseason poll will have no bearing on what really happens in 2016.
"I feel like we're going to have a winning season this year. I really do," insisted ULM receiver Ajalen Holley when asked about the preseason coaches' poll. "Nobody wants to be last at anything, but all it does to us is give us a chip to say like, 'All right, we're going to show you we're more than you think.'"
Time will tell if ULM hired the right guy, but the philosophy was clear. Rather than go with a young, upcoming assistant from a high-profile program, they went with a long-time Louisiana coach who worked his way up through high school football and the NCAA's second-tier Football Championship Subdivision, winning at every stop. Last season, Viator coached McNeese State to a perfect regular season before the Cowboys fell in the second round of FCS playoffs.
Now Viator, who turns 53 in September, has his first job in the top-tier Football Bowl Subdivision.
"Winning is winning. It's hard everywhere," ULM defensive back Tre Hunter said. "I wouldn't say winning is based on talent or the program. It's based on the system, how things are run and the jelling between coaching staff and players."
When asked about the fact that Viator came from the FCS level, ULM players are quick to point out how McNeese was tied in the final minute of a 2014 game at Nebraska before the Cornhuskers won on a last-minute touchdown.
"If McNeese is playing with Nebraska, then I feel like he's going to come here and do the same thing; we'll be playing with the top teams," Holley said. "You believe in what he's doing because you know that he's won where he was."
VIATOR'S APPROACH: Viator said he believes coaches must adapt to the strengths of their roster, so he has overhauled the offensive and defensive schemes while opening competition for nearly every starting job. But another key part of his philosophy is that it's not enough to be effective at communicating expectations clearly. He said he also spent a lot of time listening to veteran players, hoping they'd become better leaders when they knew they'd have a say in things. Coaching, Viator said, is fundamentally "about relationships and about trying to get young men to buy into what you're doing and do it with the maximum amount of effort."
SMITH'S POTENTIAL: One of ULM's seven returning starters on offense last season is quarterback Garrett Smith, who last season showed flashes of what he could do when he was healthy. He passed for 2,033 yards and 17 TDs and 11 interceptions in 10 games. He also proved he could scramble well, finishing with 250 net yards and two TDs rushing.
SEASON OPENER: Technically, Viator will have to wait until Week 2 to really feel like he's graduated to the FBS level. The Warhawks open the season hosting FCS team Southern on Sept. 3, which at least gives ULM an opportunity for a confidence-building result.
KEY GAMES: The Warhawks travel to Oklahoma on Sept. 10, open Sun Belt play at Georgia Southern on Sept. 17 and then complete a difficult three-game stretch at Auburn on Sat. Oct. 1. They visit preseason conference favorite Appalachian State on Nov. 19 and host rival Louisiana-Lafayette to close the regular season Dec. 3.
PREDICTION: Just climbing back to .500 won't be easy for a ULM squad that has a lot of new players on defense and needs luck on the injury front to preserve depth, but Viator has been around football long enough to know a team's record from the previous season isn't always a great indicator of what's to come. "Look at the turnarounds that happened here recently just in the Sun Belt," Viator said. "So you're never really, I don't think, as far behind as what you think you are - and you're definitely not as far ahead."
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