Louisiana Monroe knew they were losing Caleb Evans, one of the best quarterbacks in Sun Belt history, to graduation after last season. They didn't know they were losing offensive coordinator Matt Kubik, whose February departure for the same position at Southern Miss was another blow to a program desperate for continuity.
Head coach Matt Viator, who's seen 15 assistants leave since his hiring in December 2015, needs another Matt Kubik…but on defense. While there are offensive concerns after Kubik and Evans' departures, along with several other key contributors, guys like Josh Johnson, Jonathan Hodoh, and Josh Pederson will ensure a manageable drop-off even with questions at quarterback and across the offensive line.
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Defensively, they can't have a drop-off because they can't get much lower after ranking among the nation's worst in most areas, including 110th or worse in three of Football Outsiders' defensive-line categories: line yards (113th), standard-down line yards (122nd) and opportunity rate (124th).
The Warhawks, ranked 112th in the HERO Sports Preseason College Football Rankings, have 11 wins over the last two years, tied for the third-most over a two-year period in program history, but are looking for the next step. They better approach eligibility before Halloween with App State, Arkansas, and Louisiana (and two other road games) on the schedule over the final five weeks.
| Date | Opponent | Prediction |
|---|---|---|
| Sept. 5 | vs. Cal Poly | Win (1-0) |
| Sept. 19 | vs. Texas State | Win (2-0) |
| Sept. 26 | at Georgia | Loss (2-1) |
| Oct. 3 | vs. Georgia Southern | Win (3-1) |
| Oct. 10 | at Liberty | Loss (3-2) |
| Oct. 17 | at Troy | Loss (3-3) |
| Oct. 22 | at South Alabama | Win (4-3) |
| Oct. 31 | vs. App State | Loss (4-4) |
| Nov. 7 | at Georgia State | Loss (4-5) |
| Nov. 14 | at Arkansas State | Loss (4-6) |
| Nov. 21 | at Arkansas | Loss (4-7) |
| Nov. 28 | vs. Louisiana | Loss (4-8) |
