With its SEC debut on the horizon, Texas football will host Louisiana-Monroe in its nonconference finale at 7 p.m. this Saturday. This game will be televised on ESPN+ and SEC Network+.

Texas (3-0), coming off its 56-7 win over UTSA, overtook Georgia for the top spot in the Associated Press poll on Sunday and moved up to No. 2 in the US LBM Coaches poll and received 10 first-place votes.

Meanwhile, ULM (2-0) has already matched its win total from the 2023 season. Here are five things to know about the Warhawks:

1. Louisiana-Monroe is rested

The Warhawks opened this season with wins at home over Jackson State and Alabama-Birmingham. Then ULM got some time to prepare for its trip to Austin. The Warhawks had a bye last week.

Will it matter? Last season, the Warhawks were beaten by Appalachian State following their fourth-week bye.

2. New coach Bryant Vincent leads ULM

The Warhawks are off to a solid start under new coach Bryant Vincent, who was the offensive coordinator at New Mexico last year. This is his first full-time head coaching job on the collegiate level; he served as UAB's interim coach during the 2022 season, when the Blazers went 7-6 and beat Miami (Ohio) in the Bahamas Bowl.

Vincent has been an offensive coordinator at UAB, South Alabama and New Mexico, so how is ULM's offense looking so far? After averaging 17.3 points per game last season, the Warhawks have scored 62 points so far this fall. Former Oklahoma quarterback General Booty has completed 63.3% of his passes while freshman Ahmad Hardy is averaging 4.9 yards per rush.

Booty and Hardy are two of the 73 newcomers that ULM added to its roster this offseason.

3. ULM has lost to five SEC teams in the last three years

Louisiana-Monroe played two SEC teams in 2023 and didn't get close to upsetting either Texas A&M or Ole Miss.

In a 47-3 loss at A&M, ULM gave up nearly 400 passing yards. Ole Miss later threw for 371 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-3 rout of the Warhawks. Those were two of ULM's 10 losses in 2023. Between 2021-22, ULM was also beaten by Alabama, Kentucky and LSU by a combined score of 135-31.

4. Texas, ULM played two years ago in Austin

Texas and Louisiana-Monroe have played twice before. The Longhorns recorded a 59-20 win in 2009, and UT opened its 2022 season with a 52-10 win at Royal-Memorial Stadium. Texas was a member of the Big 12 during both of those contests.

Even though just two years have passed since the last meeting, not too many Longhorns will have that much familiarity with this weekend's guests. Running back Jaydon Blue is the only player on the UT roster who rushed for positive yardage in that 2022 game, and he gained just 3 yards on three carries. Tight end Gunnar Helm, who had one 7-yard catch, is the only leftover Longhorn who caught a pass in the 42-point win. Edge rusher Barryn Sorrell did record 1½ sacks in that game, though.

In the 2009 meeting in Austin, Colt McCoy (317 passing yards), Marquise Goodwin (39 receiving yards) and Alex Okafor (four tackles) all got into the box score for Texas. McCoy, Goodwin and Okafor will be among the 12 UT athletes who will be honored during Saturday's game for their introduction into the Texas Hall of Honor.

5. What is a Warhawk?

So far this season, Texas has faced Rams, Wolverines and Roadrunners. Now here come the Warhawks.

What is a Warhawk, you ask? According to the student newspaper at ULM, the Warhawks were "a squadron of fighter pilots in World War II." ULM's athletic teams were once called the "Indians," but that nickname was changed in 2006. After a poll was taken by students, faculty and alumni, the ULM president picked Warhawks over Bayou Gators and Bayou Hawks.

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This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: ULM Warhawks visiting Austin for Texas' nonconference football finale