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Miles: No. 10 LSU has been 'warned' about ULM

Crystal LoGiudice / Reuters

For a second straight week, LSU coach Les Miles is looking for the right message to keep his 10th-ranked Tigers sharp against a heavy underdog.

That's a somewhat easier task this week, thanks to the recent history of Louisiana-Monroe.

ULM, which plays in the Sun Belt Conference, has demonstrated that it'll knock off teams from power conferences from time to time.

The Warhawks beat Alabama in 2007, tripped up Arkansas in 2012 and nearly did the same to Auburn in overtime that season. They beat Wake Forest last season and again this season. They're also 2-0 now as coach Todd Berry, who led the Warhawks to their first bowl two seasons ago, looks to make his fifth season at ULM his best yet.

''Todd Berry is doing a great job there. They are athletic. They are very capable,'' Miles said as he made note of ULM's recent success against major-conference teams. ''We are so warned and we recognize and respect that opponent.''

Oddmakers have listed LSU (2-0) as a more than four-touchdown favorite. LSU won 56-0 last weekend against Sam Houston State, widely regarded as one of the better teams in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision.

After seeing that kind of dominance from LSU, Berry is on one hand eager to see how his team handles a game in Death Valley, but also keenly aware of the challenge that looms.

''I am encouraged by what has happened and where we are at, and now we need to continue to move forward against a team this week that is just tremendously talented in LSU. They are big. They are powerful. They are physical. They have great speed at the skill positions,'' Berry said. ''I think their athletic budget is 10 times greater than ours. They have five-star guys; we have two-star guys. You look at all the stuff that's out there and say 32-point underdogs - all that doesn't sound good, but our guys have been in environments like this before, and we will show up and we'll play.''

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