Jags Fare Well Statistically In Sun Belt Rankings
Defensive coordinator Kevin Sherrer talks with the defense to make adjustments. The Jags rank second in the Sun Belt in total defense through three games.
Statistically the Jags stack up well in the Sun Belt through three games. They are fourth in scoring offense (31 points per game) behind Troy (44.7), Arkansas State (37.3) and Louisiana-Lafayette (37.9). They are fifth in scoring defense with a 28.3 points per game allowed behind Texas State (9.0 through 2 games), Lousiana-Monroe (21.0), Troy (25.0) and Arkansas State (27.7).
The Jags are fifth in total offense with an average of 404.7 yards per game. They trail behind Troy (547.3), Arkansas State (544.3), Western Kentucky (435.7) and Louisiana-Lafayette (421.3). Behind the Jags are Louisiana-Monroe (387.0), Georgia State (328.7) and Texas State (307.5).
South Alabama ranks in the bottom half of the Rushing offense totals in sixth place with 166.3 yards per game. They trail ASU (295.7), ULL (239.3), Troy (179.7), WKU (177.3) and ULM (171.3). Behind the Jags is Texas State (157.5) and Georgia State (79.3).
The Jags passing offense ranks fifth in the conference with an average of 238.3 yards per game. They rank behind Troy (367.7), WKU (258.3), Georgia State (249.3) and ASU (248.7). Behind the Jags are ULM (215.7), ULL (182.0) and Texas State (150.0 through two games).
The Jags are third in total defense allowing an average of 372.0 yards per game. They trail only Texas State (313.5 through two games) and Louisana-Monroe (330.3). Behind South is Troy (377.7), WKU (405.0), Arkansas State (418.3), ULL (427.0) and Georgia State (470.3).
They rank second in rushing defense with 108.0 yards per game allowed on average. They only trail TexasState (34.0 through two games). Behind the Jags are: Troy (116.7), ULM (138.0), ASU (141.0), ULL (194.0), WKU (200.0) and Georgia State (150.3).
USA ranks sixth in passing defense with 264.0 yards per game allowed. They trail ULM (192.3), WKU (205.0), GSU (220.0), ULL (233.0), and Troy (261.0).
The Jags also ranks second in the conference behind ULM in kickoff returns with an average of 27.4 yards per return. They are third in punt return average with 6.8 yards per return. They rank second in punting with a 37.1 average trailing only Troy who averages 40.7 yards per punt.
South Alabama is tied for first with four interceptions. They tied for second in sacks with 8 only trailing Troy who has 9.
The Jaguars held their final practice of the week prior to three days off for the players. Their open date will let them get some rest heal those normal bumps and bruises that occur throughout the season.
This is a great time for their bye week as South Alabama is preparing for Tennessee on September 28 at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee. But it will also give the coaches a chance to hit the road and do some recruiting after their back-to-back wins against Tulane and Western Kentucky.
The practices this week have been mostly focused on fundamentals but they have started implementing their gameplan for Tennessee to give them a headstart on next week.
Head coach Joey Jones does not know how the off time will impact the team, but did say this to AL.com, “They better come back ready to go because (we’ve got) Tennessee coming up and Troy and on down the line. We’ve got a bunch of good teams to play so we better be ready. And I think they will. We’ll find out Sunday though, so they better be ready. We’re going to get them ready.”
Wednesday’s practice lacked some enthusiasm Jones thought. He ranked it as only an above-average practice. They worked on only fundamentals on special teams. Tackling on defense. Though they do work on fundamentals all through the season, they are placing more emphasis on it and it consumed more of their practice time this week.
Jones said that most of their problems this season has stemmed from some sort of breakdown of fundamentals such as tackling. However, the Jags did a wonderful job tackling when they faced WKU last Saturday. They held their powerful running back in check all game.
Mechell Daniel Named Volleyball Freshman Of The Week
Freshman Mechell Daniel was named Sun Belt Freshman of the Week on Monday, September 16. Photo by Brad Puckett | usajaguars.com
South Alabama Jaguar volleyball player Mechell Daniel was named the Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Week on Monday. She is the second Jaguar to be honored this season as fellow freshman Jessica Lewis was named Freshman of the Week during the first week of the season.
Daniel helped the Jags go 2-1 in the Hampton Inn Bama Bash.
Jones Praises Fans, Jags Return To Practice Field
Head Coach Joey Jones speaks to his team after the conclusion of the Jaguars first practice of 2012 preseason camp.
During Monday’s press conference, head coach Joey Jones had this to say to the fans and students about Saturday’s game against Western Kentucky.
“I want to thank our fans, especially our students (for Saturday’s game),” Jones said. “Our student-section seemed to be as big as it has been in a while. They came out and supported us, and were really loud. Some of our coaches were talking on the sideline about how loud it was. We couldn’t even talk in the huddle during timeouts. It was such an electric feeling, and that’s the kind of environment we want to play in. Our fans created that, and we appreciate that. The game was big, obviously. It was one of those games where you hope you can hang around until the middle of the third quarter, and have a chance to win it in the fourth quarter and that’s exactly what happened. After we tied the game up with the two-point conversion, at that point I knew the game was on. Our kids had a lot of confidence. It’s a tribute to my (coaching) staff and players for what they have done.”
Ladd-Peebles Stadium was the loudest I have ever heard for a South Alabama football game. This is very encouraging, but as fans we cannot rest at that. We need to continue to be loud the whole game and make Mobile one of the most feared places to play in the Sun Belt Conference.
Coach Jones also said that the locker room was as fun as he has been in in a long time. They have been wanting to get a win over a good football team and he was proud of his team for that win.
He also said that the players are looking forward going to Tennessee to play in a 100,000-plus seat stadium. But to prepare for them, they are going to work on pure fundamentals during the bye week. He said, “If you look at every play in the game where we didn’t do well, there’s always a fundamental flaw. We have to learn to get better fundamentally, and this is a week you do that. You certainly start working on Tennessee and putting parts of the game plan in, but we have to come out of the next two days with two great practices from our players. If we do that and approach it that way, we can have a good week next week. But we have to get better fundamentally. We won the ballgame, but there are a lot of things we can get better at fundamentally and we have to continue to work on that.”
Concerning improvements from Tulane to Western Kentucky, Coach Jones pointed at tackling was much improved, especially against a running back that is hard to tackle. They improved their special teams work. Offensively the quarterbacks are making better decisions that are improving the offense. They have better balance.
He also mentioned the offensive line and how hard they have worked. He said, “It’s a position where you don’t get your picture in the paper very much or your name across the Jumbotron very often for making a good block. They just have to do it because they love it and this team. I’m so proud of those guys. They’re doing a really good job.”
Tuesday’s practice saw the Jags do exactly what coach Jones said he was going to do: work on fundamentals. They worked on tackling defensively and on special teams. He said that sometimes offensive players do not get a much tackling in practice so it’s good for them to work on it.
The Jags will practice again on Wednesday then the team will have three days off before returning to game-week preparation on Sunday.
They are not only working on fundamentals though. They are also putting in parts of the gameplan in this week so they will be ahead by Sunday.
The team is pretty healthy, excluding the players who are out for the season. Everyone should be ready to play by the time Tennessee time rolls around.
Non-AQ Top 10 Week Three
|
Non-AQ Top 10
|
|||
|
RK
|
TEAM
|
RECORD
|
PTS
|
|
1
|
Fresno State (3)
|
2-0
|
67
|
|
2
|
Northern
Illinois (3) |
2-0
|
65
|
|
3
|
Utah
State |
2-1
|
52
|
|
4
|
Brigham
Young (1) |
1-1
|
47
|
|
5
|
Boise
State (1) |
2-1
|
39
|
|
6
|
Navy
|
2-0
|
28
|
|
7
|
Ohio
|
2-1
|
28
|
|
8
|
Bowling
Green |
2-1
|
17
|
|
9
|
San
Jose State |
1-1
|
15
|
|
10
|
East
Carolina |
2-1
|
15
|
Others receiving votes: Boise State 17,
Western Kentucky 17, Texas State 12, Rice 9,
Tulsa 9, Arkansas State 5, Kent State 3,
Louisiana 2, Wyoming 1.
Two Jags Named As Sun Belt Players Of The Week
The University of South Alabama Jaguar football team had two student-athletes honored as Sun Belt Player of the Week this week. The Jags defeated Western Kentucky 31-24 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium to open Sun Belt Conference play for both schools.
Tyrell Pearson and Aleem Sunanon were chosen as the SBC Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week by the conference office on Monday. This is both first time honors for both of them in their career.
Pearson, a 5’8″, 150 pound Greenville, South Carolina native, intercepted two passes in the fourth quarter while adding two tackles in his first appearance of the season. Pearson started his heroics in the final three minutes of the game with an interception returned 49 yards to set up the game-winning one-yard touchdown run by Trey Fetner. His second interception came in the end zone to preserve the Jaguar win as the Hilltoppers were facing 4th and 10 from the Jaguar 13-yard line.
Sunanon, a 5’7″ 185 pound redshirt freshman from Orlando, Florida, kicked a career best three field goals along with extra points to score in double-figures for the second consecutive week. He hit on kicks of 42, 43 and 27 in the game. The later attempt tied the game at 24 with over 12 minutes to go in the game.
South Alabama has this weekend off and will return to action when they travel to Knoxville to face the Tennessee Volunteers on Saturday, September 28.
USA vs Tennesse To Air On SEC Network Sept. 28
South Alabama’s next game against Tennessee in Knoxville will air live on the SEC TV network as announced by the Southeastern Conference on Monday. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Kickoff has been set at 11:21am CDT.
This is the second SEC team that the Jaguars have faced, last year they went to Starkville, Mississippi to face the Mississippi State Bulldogs.
South Alabama enters the game with a 2-1 record after wins over Tulane in New Orleans and against Western Kentucky in their Sun Belt Conference opener.
The Jags first two home games were broadcast on ESPN3 and the conference match-ups against Troy on October 5 and Louisiana-Monroe on November 23 are scheduled to air live on Comcast Sports South (CSS) as part of the Sun Belt Network package. The Jags game against Navy on November 16 is scheduled to air on CBS Sports Network as well.
In the Mobile area, you will be able to tune into the game on WJTC UTV-44, the same channel that airs the Joey Jones Show on Saturday mornings at 10:30am.
Jags Hit Practice Field On Sunday After Big Win
The South Alabama football team was back on the practice field on Sunday to begin preparation for their next opponent. Though, they will have extra time to prepare for them since they will have this weekend off.
The Jags hit the practice field in shorts and helmets as they began to prepare for their trip to Knoxville to face the Tennessee Volunteers on September 28. They will somewhat keep a normal schedule with Monday off then practices on Tuesday and Wednesday for practices in full pads but they will take Thursday, Friday and Saturday off before returning to normal game-week preparation again on Sunday.
The bye week could not come at a better time. After a loss in their first game of the season on a field goal as time expired followed by back-to-back emotional come from behind wins, their emotions are spent. But they also have the normal bumps and bruises that would normally occur through the third game of the season. Those with bumps and bruises didn’t practice on Sunday, they just ran.
One of those is Freshman safety Roman Buchanan who left the game early in the third quarter after he was injured making a tackle. At first, it was feared from the stands that he may have hit his head while making the tackle, but it was actually a chest contusion but he will be ready to return to the field by the time the team travels to Knoxville.
Tennessee is 2-1 on the season after opening season wins over Austin Peay 45-0 and Western Kentucky 52-20 helped by seven Hilltopper turnovers. Tennessee is in the midst of a two-game road trip that saw them travel to Eugene, Oregon where they lost 59-14 while giving up 666 total yards to the Ducks while gaining 312 yards themselves. This weekend they travel to Gainesville, Florida to face the Florida Gators in their SEC opener.
“Watching the film, the first thing that stood out was just how hard our players played,” head coach Joey Jones told AL.com. “They played with great effort. The next thing that stood out was, we talked to them before the game that this was like being in a heavyweight fight; they’re a heavyweight team and they’re going to hit you in the mouth and they’re going to hit you in the gut and you’ve got to turn around and hit them in the mouth and hit them in the gut.”
“That’s kind of the approach we took and the I think the longer that that game went that we hung in there – we were down 21-10 at halftime and we score a field goal to make it 21-13 and score again and go for two and tie it up – at that point our kids knew we were in the game. You saw a different look about them. So I’m thinking the whole time that if we can make some plays down the stretch we’re going to win the ball game, and we did.”
Jags Win Over WKU Quickly Outranks Tulane As Biggest In History
Coach Chase Smith works with the Jaguar offensive line during the first half of the Jaguars 31-24 win over Western Kentucky.
The win on Saturday against Western Kentucky definitely overshadows last week’s win over Tulane. Last week’s game was a footnote, but this win over Western Kentucky is a headline in the Sun Belt conference. Other conference teams will sit up and pay attention. This turns the attitude of ‘that spunky first-year program’ to ‘don’t overlook those Jaguars.’
But last weeks’ win is what prepared this team for this weeks win. So to downplay it is naive on anyone’s part. But if you have to pick just one victory to date, it would definitely be the Western Kentucky game.
For a program that is only playing in it’s fifth season of football, this team has gone from nothing to what was put on the field in record time. No other schools has gone from nothing to a full FBS program in a shorter time period.
Last season was a disappointment when purely looking at the win-loss record. It’s very difficult to try to tell people that, though we were on the losing side of the points, that we were in the game and within one score in several games. Coach Jones knew it was going to be a tough season, but he also had the vision that it would help the team on the other side. We are starting to see them reaping those benefits.
Last season they played 12 of their 13 games against FBS schools. Then when they began the season with a loss against Southern Utah it seemed that the Jags might be on the way to another tough season after letting a win slip away. But now they have found their foundation and are building upon what they do best.
They may not have the most talented players at every position, but their scheming, teamwork and effort is second to none. The defense has shown over the last two games that they will make adjustments and make the offense do something else.
The South Alabama defense stymied the potent Petrino offense in the second half and held them to only three points.
Importantly, the fans got into the game. The South Alabama fans are learning too. They have only recently been introduced to the stadium experience with the beginning of the Jaguars program. Many have a tendancy to sit there and watch the game more like they are at home watching it on the television, rather than in the stadium. But in the second half of the game, they came to life and the players fed off that energy.
Chants of “USA! USA! USA!” routinely rained down from the stands. Rally towels waved on third down plays, which is normally the Western Kentucky mainstay. Then the Jaguars forced turnovers when they needed them most.
The players will get a chance to enjoy and let this win soak in. But the coaches will quickly remind them that they still have a long season ahead of them and they will be playing some very good teams down the stretch. It was their off week that the Jaguars made some huge strides towards the rest of the season. If that happens, look for the Jags to win some more games this season.
It’s all up to the players on the team. They will have to remind each other that they have to play their assignments, prepare diligently for each game most importantly stay focused. If they can, they will have a chance to potentially grab the attention of the entire college football landscape with a win in what will certainly be another underdog role against Tennessee in two weeks.
This has already been an exciting season. Let hope that the next nine games are as good as the last two. But the team will have to take them one at a time because they cannot afford to look ahead in any of the remaining games.
South Alabama Come From Behind To Defeat Western Kentucky 31-24
The Jaguars rally at mid field after they enter the field to just prior to kickoff against Western Kentucky on Saturday, September 14, 2013.
The University of South Alabama football team fought back from an 11-point deficit at halftime to tie the game in the fourth quarter and then get the winning touchdown in the last two minutes of the game to defeat conference foe Western Kentucky 31-24. The Jags improve to 2-1 on the season and 1-0 in the conference while Western Kentucky falls to 1-2 on the season and 0-1 in Sun Belt play.
Senior cornerback Tyrell Pearson was key to helping the Jaguars defeat the Hilltoppers. He had not seen any playing time in the previous 11 quarters of play until the fourth quarter of the game against Western Kentucky. But he made two key plays in the final stanza to help propel the Jags to the win.
With less than three minutes left in the game, Doughty’s pass is picked off by Pearson with only green turf between him and the endzone to set up the Jaguars go-ahead touchdown. Then with Western Kentucky facing 4th and 10 at the Jaguar 13 needing a touchdown with :05 left in the game, Pearson would pick off Doughty’s pass in the endzone to seal the victory.
The Hilltoppers opened the game with a 5 play, 79 yard drive spanning 2:40 to quickly go ahead 7-0. However the Jaguars would respond with their own drive. Highlighted with passes by Ross Metheny to Jereme Jones for 18 yards, Wes Saxton for 7 yards, Danny Woodson Jr for 9 yards to get down to the Hilltopper 37 yard line. Then Metheny would run for 13 yards before hitting Shavarez Smith for 15 yards for a 1st and Goal at the WKU 9 yard line. Facing 4th and goal inside the 1 yard line and after a time out, Metheny would lean on his offensive line and get the touchdown to cap off the 10 play, 75 yard drive spanning 4:14 to tie the game at seven.
The Hilltoppers would put together another scoring drive of 15 plays, 73 yards taking 7:34 off of the clock to take a 14-7 lead over the Jaguars.
The Jags next possession would begin with :32 left in the first quarter at their own 28 yard line. A rush by Jay Jones for four yards would end the first quarter. Starting the second quarter, Metheny would find Saxton for a 37 yards pass to get down to the ‘topper 31 yard line. The Jags would only be able to get to the 25 yard line before behind held to a 42 yard Aleem Sunanon field goal to cut the Hilltopper lead to 14-10. The drive was 6 plays, 47 yards and took 1:36 off the clock.
The Jaguar defense stiffened and opened the WKU possession with a 12 yard sack of Brandon Doughty by Romelle Jones to put them 2nd and 22 at their own 27 yard line. On 4th and 16, WKU would boom a 52 yard punt and T.J. Glover would lose two yards on the return to be downed at the Jaguar 13 yard line.
After getting a first down on a Trey Fetner run around the right side of the line out to the Jaguar 27 yard line, Metheny would be sacked for a 13 yard loss back to the 14 yard line. The Jags would not be able to get a first down and Scott Garber’s punt would go 42 yards and the returner would lose a yard on the return to the WKU 42. A holding penalty would back them up to the 32 yard line with 9:10 left before halftime.
The Hilltoppers would put together a 6 play, 68 yard drive over 3:23 to score a touchdown on a 20 yard pass for Western Kentucky to take a 21-10 lead with 5:47 left in the second quarter.
The ensuing USA possession would start at their own 25 yard line but on the first play they Metheny would connect with Saxton again for 23 yards out to the 48 yard line. Facing 4th and 1 at the WKU 43, Coach Jones would call a time out after lining up for a punt. After the time out, the snap in the punt formation would go to Trey Fetner and he would roll out to the right and try to connect with Jereme Jones, but the ball would fall incomplete to turn the ball over on downs with 3:20 left before halftime.
The Jags received the ball to begin the second half. Glover would return it from the two yard line out to the 27 before being hit and fumbling the ball forward where Desmond LaVelle would recover it for the Jaguars at the 39 yard line. Brandon Bridge would enter the game at quarterback and after back-to-back incompletions, he would find Corey Waldon for a 15 yard first down into Western Kentucky territory at the 46 yard line. He would take a seven yard sack but would connect with Saxton for a 24 yard gain to the ‘topper 29 yard line. After another seven yard loss by Bridge, Dinham would gain 10 yards on a rush to set up Sunanon’s 43 yard field goal that he would put through the uprights. The USA drive went 35 yards over nine plays spanning 3:25 to cut the Hilltopper lead to 21-13 with 11:35 left in the 3rd quarter.
South Alabama’s defense would force a punt on the next WKU possession, only allowing one first down and 24 total yards.
Starting at their own 11 yard line with 8:59 left in the 3rd quarter they would begin a critical drive, both for the team and for the fans in the stands. Brandon Bridge would pull the ball down and run for 23 yards out to the Jaguar 38 on 3rd and 6 for a fresh set of downs and getting the Jaguar offense in gear. Jay Jones would rush for five yards, then Bridge would find Bryant Lavender for six yards out to the Jaguar 49 yard line. After an eight yard sack, Bridge would load up and connect with Jereme Jones for 25 yards and a first down at the WKU 34 yard line.
Facing 3rd down and 4 at the WKU 28, Coach Jones would call his second time out of the half with 5:04 left in the 3rd quarter. Bridge would connect with Jereme Jones again for seven yards and another key first down. on 3rd and 8, Bridge would scramble for 15 yards and slide down at the 4 yard line. Jay Jones would punch it in with 3:23 left in the game to cut the Jaguars deficit to two points. Coach Jones would immediately call for a two-point conversion to try to tie the game. They would use some trickeration with a snap to the running back, a lateral to Jake Howton who would throw to a wide open Ross Metheny in the end zone to tie the game at 21.
Western Kentucky would begin at their own 28 after the kickoff. A few plays later, facing 2nd and 10 at the Jaguar 15 yard line, Romelle Jones and Clifton Crews would combine for a 12 yard sack on Doughty back at the Jaguar 27 yard line to end the 3rd quarter, a quarter in which the Jags held a time of possession advantage of 9:01 to 5:59.
Doughty’s 4th down pass would fall incomplete and they would have to settle for a 44 yard Garrett Schwettman field goal to take a 24-21 lead with 14:47 left in the game.
The ensuing kickoff would go out of bounds at the Jaguar 8 yard line, the penalty would place the ball at the 35 yard line. The Jags would have to call their second time out of the half prior to the first down play after the kickoff as the play clock was running down. On the first down play, Bridge would scramble for a 26 yard gain to the Western Kentucky 39 yard line before getting out of bounds. Jay Jones would then rush for 12 yards to the WKU 27. Bridge’s pass on 3rd and 3 at the WKU 20 intended for Saxton would fall incomplete but Sunanon would drill a 37 yard field goal to tie the game at 24-24 with 12:28 left in the game.
On the ensuing WKU possession, Anthony Wales would return the kickoff 30 yards out to the WKU 45 yard line to begin the drive. A few plays later, facing 4th and 2, Bobby Petrino would decide to go for the first down, but the Jaguar defense would hold as the pass would fall incomplete giving South Alabama the ball at the Jaguar 47 yard line with 10:25 left in the game.
Ross Metheny would return to the game and would connect with Shavarez Smith for a leaping catch for a 50 yard gain at the Western Kentucky 3 yard line. Kendall Houston appeared to score the go-ahead touchdown, but after review, they placed the ball at the one foot line for 3rd and goal. Metheny would be unable to punch it in and Coach Jones decided to kick what seemed like an easy three points. However, Sunanon’s 17 yard kick from the right hashmarks would stay right of the goalpost leaving the game tied at 24-24.
Western Kentucky would take over at their own 20 yard line and drive down to the Jaguar 46 before Doughty’s 3rd down pass was intercepted by Alex Page at the WKU 42 yard line with 4:24 left in the game.
Looking like the Jaguars were going to be able to drive down and set up a game-winning score while milking the clock, Western Kentucky would force a fumble by the sure-handed Jereme Jones to give them the ball at their own 17 yard line with 2:59 left in the game.
On 3rd and 10, Doughty would connect with Norris for 29 yards and a first down at the WKU 46 yard line. But on the very next play, Tyrell Pearson would make a break on the throw and intercept it at midfield for what looked like a pick-six touchdown. However, he would be flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct for celebration at the 1 yard line, negating the touchdown. The 15 yard penalty would back it up to the 16 yard line with 2:12 left in the game.
Jay Jones would open the possession with a two yard rush to the WKU 14 and forcing Petrino to use one of his time outs with 2:02 left. Metheny would rush for 12 yards and a first down at the two yard line before getting out of bounds and stopping the clock. Kendall Houston would only manage a one yard gain to around the 1 yard line forcing Petrino to use another time out with 1:46 left in the game. Trey Fetner would finally put the ball in the end zone to give the Jaguars a 31-24 lead with 1:38 left in the game.
The Hilltoppers would field the kickoff at their 13 and return it 21 yards to their own 34 yard line. Montell Garner would be flagged for pass interference spotting the ball at the 43 yard line with an automatic first down. Andrews would rush for 15 yards to the Jaguar 42 yard line. Another pass interference would be called, this time on Maleki Harris to place the ball at the 41 yard line. The Hilltoppers would get down the Jaguar 13 yard line with a 1st and 10 and time continuing to run. Alex Page would put pressure on Doughty to force and incomplete pass. After another incomplete pass, the Jags would call a time out on 3rd and 10 to set their defense and get a quick breather.
After the time out, Pat Moore would put the pressure on Doughty to for another incomplete pass bring up 4th and 10 at the 13 with :05 left in the game. Bobby Petrino would use his final time out to set up his last chance. This time Doughty would be pressured again and Tyrell Pearson would intercept it in the end zone to seal the Jaguar victor, 31-24.
South Alabama was outgained by Western Kentucky in total yards 427 – 414, passing yards 282 – 270 and rushing yards 145 – 144. WKU had 26 first downs to the Jaguars 18. The Hilltoppers ran 74 offensive plays, while the Jags ran 66. WKU converted 9-of-17 third downs while South Alabama converted 5-of-13.
Jay Jones led the Jags with 49 yards rushing on 11 carries. Bridge added 42 on six carries. Dinham and Metheny both added 22 yards.
Ross Metheny went 11-of15 for 193 yards and was sacked once. Bridge wen 5-of-11 for 77 yards and had two sacks. Fetner went 0-of-1.
Receiving, Wes Saxton had 91 yards on four receptions. Shavarez Smith had 72 yards on three catches. Jereme Jones added 68 yards on four receptions. Woodson, Waldon, Lavender and Dinham all also had catches in the game as well.
Qudarius Ford led the defense with 12 tackles. Enrique Williams was right behind him with 11 and combined with another Jaguar for a tackle for loss. Clifton Crews had six tackles and a half of a sack. Romelle Jones added four stops including 1.5 sacks.
“The game was as exciting as it gets. I can’t take any more of those kind of games,” Jag head coach Joey Jones joked after the game. “That’s three in a row that have come down to the last play. But I’ll take the win.”
“I’m so excited for our guys, they fought through until the end,” he continued. “Last year we weren’t making plays at the end of the game, this year we are.”
Metheny stated after the game, “I think we executed at a higher level tonight, offensively. Going in tonight I think we had a better game plan and to be able to respond to adversity the way we did. We just executed at a high level tonight. We can see what we can do offensively when we do that.”
“That’s a tough loss, we had our opportunities to win the game,” said Western Kentucky head coach Bobby Petrino. “Starting right at the end of the first half, we have control of the game and a chance on a two-minute drive to go score, and we don’t take advantage of the opportunity. They (South Alabama) made some plays in the second half. We had our chances at the end, we dropped a couple of touchdown passes and threw an interception, so we just didn’t get it done. I thought we would come down here and perform well, so I’m pretty disappointed in our performance but you have to take your hat off to South Alabama. They played well.”
“I want to commend coach Petrino and his team. Western Kentucky is a great football team. We knew that coming in,” Jones stated. “They have a first-class organization, they do things right. For us to come out on the winning side against those guys is definitely the biggest win we’ve had since I’ve been here at South Alabama. You saw how big and physical they were, and our guys stood up to the challenge.”
South Alabama will have an off week before returning to action in Knoxville, Tennessee on September 28 when they face the University of Tennessee at Neyland Stadium.
Gameday: South Alabama vs Western Kentucky
The Jags return home to host conference foe Western Kentucky today at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30pm.
Both teams come into the game with a 1-1 record. The Jags lost in their season opener against Southern Utah then bounced back against Tulane in the Superdome in New Orleans last week.
Western Kentucky won their season opener against Kentucky then travel led to Knoxville and fell 52-20. They initially went up 3-0 over the Vols, but 31 unanswered points put the Vols on top for good.
This is the first game between the two schools and the last in the foreseeable future as WKU will join Conference USA next summer.
Fans are encouraged to wear RED for the game and the first 10,000 fans will get red Jaguar rally towels. Gates open at 4:30pm.
The Jaguar Prowl is scheduled for 4:20pm at the south side of the stadium in front of the National Alumni tent. The team will walk from the east side of the stadium to the West player entrance at Gate 3W.
Parking is limited at the Stadium and is not available for single-game tickets. Private parking options are available near the stadium, but it is not controlled nor managed by South Alabama or Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The Wave will run from Bel Air Mall in the south parking lot near Target and JC Penny to the Stadium beginning at 2:30pm and will run until 90 minutes after the game is over. A round trip costs $2.50.
We need fans to be LOUD and we need STUDENTS to fill the stadium. View my challenge to Jaguar Nation earlier this week for more.