Jaguars Vs Trojans By The Numbers
How do the Jags and Trojans stack up as they enter the game this weekend? Let’s dissect the numbers.
The Jags enter the game with a 2-2 record coming off a 31-24 loss at Tennessee. Troy enters the game with a 2-3 record. They opened the season with wins over UAB and Savannah State, but have lost three in a row against Arkansas State, Mississippi State and Duke all on the road.
Troy is second in the Sun Belt in scoring offense with an average of 34.4 points per game with South Alabama in fourth with an average of 29.2 points per game average. Edge: Troy.
South Alabama has the edge in scoring defense as they rank third in the conference allowing an average of 29.0 points per game. Troy ranks seventh in the conference, just ahead of Georgia State, allowing an average of 35.0 points per game. Edge: South Alabama.
Troy ranks first in the conference in total offense with an average of 468.0 yards per game. South Alabama is fifth in the conference with an average of 401.5 yards per game. Edge: Troy.
South Alabama ranks third in the conference in total defense allowing an average of 399.5 yards per game. Troy ranks sixth in the conference allowing an average of 439.6 yards per game. Edge: South Alabama.
South Alabama ranks fifth in rushing offense with 158.5 yards per game. Troy is right behind South Alabama in sixth place with an average of 147.2 yards per game rushing. Edge: South Alabama. Edge: South Alabama.
Troy ranks first in the conference in passing offense with an average of 320.8 yards per game. South Alabama ranks fourth in the conference in passing offense with an average of 243.0 yards per game. Edge: Troy.
South Alabama ranks second in the conference in rushing defense by allowing an average of 150.5 yards per game. Troy is right behind the Jags in third place allowing an average of 155.0 yards per game. Edge: South Alabama.
South Alabama ranks third in the conference in pass defense by allowing an average of 249.0 yards per game passing. Troy is next to last in seventh place allowing an average of 284.6 yards per game passing. Edge: South Alabama.
Troy comes in first in the conference in pass efficiency with a rating of 154.7. South Alabama is ranked seventh in the conference with a ranting of 115.7. Edge: Troy.
South Alabama ranks first in the conference in interceptions with 7 through four games while Troy ranks seventh with two through five games. Edge: South Alabama.
South Alabama ranks third in the conference in pass defense efficiency with a rating of 122.3. Troy ranks last in the conference with a pass defense efficiency of 157.5. Edge: South Alabama.
Special teams is where games can be won or lost. Lets see how these two teams stack up there.
South Alabama ranks second in the conference in kickoff returns with an average of 24.1 yards per return. Troy ranks last in the conference with an average of 16.2 yards per return. Edge: South Alabama.
South Alabama ranks fifth in the conference in punt returns with an average of 5.7 yards per return. Troy ranks seventh in the conference with an average return of 4.8 yards. Edge: South Alabama.
Troy ranks second in the conference in punting with an average of 39.3 yards per punt. South Alabama ranks fifth in the conference with an average punt of 36.7 yards. Edge: Troy.
South Alabama and Troy are neck-in-neck on kickoff coverage. They both average 37.5 yards per return. Hoever, Troy had nine touchbacks. Edge: Troy.
Troy barely edges out South Alabama in field goals. Troy ranks third by going 4-of-6 for a field goal percentage of 66.7%. South Alabama is 6-of-10 for a field goal percentage of 60.0%. Edge: Troy.
South Alabama is in a five way tie for first place in PAT kicking with a perfect 13-for-13. Troy is in sixth place with a 95.7 percent rating on PAT kicking by making 22-of-23. Edge: Push (while the Jags have not missed one, Troy had kicked 23 PAT’s).
Troy is tied with three other teams for first in the conference in sacks with 10 through five games. South Alabama is tied for fourth with three other schools with nine sacks through four games. Edge: South Alabama (slightly higher sacks per game average).
South Alabama and Troy are tied with WKU for sacks allowed. Both schools have allowed seven sacks though Troy has done it over five games while the Jags have done that through four games. Edge: Troy (due to a lower average per game).
Troy ranks first in the conference in first downs with an average of 24.4 per game. South Alabama ranks sixth in the conference with 20.2 first downs per game. Edge: Troy.
South Alabama’s defense ranks fourth in the conference with an average of 21.0 first downs per game allowed. Troy is close behind with an average of 21.2 first downs per game allowed putting them fifth. Edge: South Alabama.
Troy ranks fourth in the conference in 3rd down conversions with a conversion percentage of 42.7%. South Alabama ranks sixth in the conference with a 3rd down conversion percentage of 39.0%. Edge: Troy.
Troy’s defense ranks fifth in the conference by allowing the opponents to convert 39.4% of their third down attempts. South Alabama is right behind them in sixth place allowing 42.4% of their opponents 3rd down conversions to be successful. Edge: Troy.
Troy is first in the conference in 4th down conversions going 6-of-8 for a 75% mark. South Alabama has converted 2-of-6 for 33.3% and good for fifth in the conference. Edge: Troy.
South Alabama has allowed 2-of-5 fourth down conversions for a tie for fifth place in the conference with a 40% conversion rate. Troy is tied for last with Georgia State by allowing 2-of-4 4th down conversions for a 50% conversion rate. Edge: South Alabama.
South Alabama ranks fifth in the conference in penalties with an average penalty yardage of 50.2 per game. Troy is last in the conference with an average of 62.8 yards per game. Edge: South Alabama.
South Alabama is even in turnover margin with a +0 good enough for fourth place in the conference. Troy ranks sixth in the conference with a -10 margin for the season. Edge: South Alabama.
Final tally: South Alabama 14 – Troy 12. So as you can tell, it’s a close match between the two and should be a very exciting game to watch.
Kickoff in Troy is slated for 12-noon with radio coverage on 105.5FM WNSP and www.wnsp.com. Comcast Sports South (CSS) and ESPN3 will also carry the game on TV.