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Louisiana-Monroe looks to play David and Goliath vs. No. 10 LSU

Steve Mitchell / USA TODAY Sports

If the No. 10 Tigers want to stay in the top 10, they can't afford a loss, let alone a close game against the Warhawks. 

Although this one seems like it should be a blowout on paper, Louisiana-Monroe has a history of taking down league giants. ULM, which plays out of the Sun Belt Conference, has demonstrated on a number of occasions that it will knock off power conference schools here and there.

The Warhawks beat Alabama in 2007, tripped up Arkansas in 2012 while nearly doing the same to powerhouse Auburn in overtime. Last season they beat Wake Forest and did it again this season. No regardless of what you might think, LSU head coach Les Miles knows that ULM coach Todd Berry is doing things right, leading the school to its first bowl two seasons ago.

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

LSU is listed by FOX Sports as a two-touchdown favorite, especially after the Tigers' 56-0 romp of Sam Houston last week. But there's two things to keep an eye on.

The Warhawks through two weeks are ranked No. 9 in opponent rushing yards, allowing an average 57.5. LSU is ranked No. 81, allowing 159. ULM also has 10 sacks through two games after accumulating 16 all of last season. Another aspect of this is the Tigers' willingness to play their young guns.

Of their 11 touchdowns, nine have been scored by freshmen and sophomores with the other two coming from senior running back Kenny Hilliard.

All said, LSU will have its hands full in front of a team that isn't going to roll over. ULM's Berry knows what everyone is saying about this game and he wants to make it clear that his squad is prepared as ever to play David and Goliath one more time.

"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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