The Jags take the field in Beaumont lead by the cheerleaders and Courtney Smith.

The trip to Beaumont, Texas last year was the first true road game by the Jaguars and they passed that test with flying colors. Yes, they had a road game in Dothan but it was nowhere near a real opponent. No disrespect meant towards Edward Waters, but they were outmatched on the field and the facilities were glorified high school facilities.

While the Jags won the game with a shutout 26-0, it was a hard fought game. The Jags first score was a fumble returned for a touchdown about four minutes into the game. After that, the Jags musted a field goal late in the first quarter by Lawson McGlon and missed one as time expired in the second quarter.

McGlon kicked a field goal with about 10 minutes left in the third quarter. Then Ellis Hill scored a one yard touchdown on a pass from Brennan Sim. McGlon added two more field goals in the fourth quarter to cap off the scoring.

Kendall Houston led the way on the ground with 166 yards on 21 carries for the Jags and averaging 7.9 yards per rush in his first start for the Jags. Houston was promoted to the starting position after Brandon Ross went down with a season ending knee injury. Courtney Smith lead the receivers with 59 yards on 7 receptions.

But Coach Jones expects Lamar will be much improved from year one to year two like the Jags were from year one to year two.

Last year the Jags outgained the Cardinals 376-160 in an extraordinary defensive showing by the South Alabama. However the Jags only converted one of 14 third down attempts. C.J. Bennett went 13-of-16 for 109 yards. They also won the time-of-possession 34:21 to 25:39 and the turn-overs 4-to-1.

“They played us really well last year,” Coach Jones said. “I thought we had a good day offensively, but we didn’t score much. We need to be able to punch the ball in the end zone more and our kids are fully aware of that.”

Defensively, South Alabama recovered four out of five fumbles, held Andre Bevil to 105 yards passing on 15-of-30 passing and a mere 56 yards rushing on 27 carries. They also held the Lamar offenseto 2-of-13 on third down conversions.

But Lamar had lost one of their defensive players to an injury. They have added some big transfers to the offensive line, a new quarterback as well as some guys on the inside of their defense. This will not be the same team that the Jaguars faced last season.

“They are a much-improved ball team,” Coach Jones continued. “They brought in some really good players on their offensive line and shored up some things. They’re trying to run the football more, you can tell they have really spent some time on their running game. They will be a much more balanced team offensively. And defensively they are more athletic, especially inside. They have some defensive tackles who are very good football players”

In their 58-0 win over Texas College, Lamar racked up over 200 yards rushing on 53 attempts. They totalled 320 total yards in the game. When they play in Ladd-Peebles, they will rely on their big offensive linement to open holes in the Jaguar defense for their running game. The Jaguar’s linebackers and safeties will need to play a good game to contain their offensive ground attack.

The Jags cannot afford another turnover laden game like they had against West Alabama.

The kickoff for the rematch against the Cardinals is set for 4pm on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

With less than 36 hours until kickoff of the Jaguars third season of football, the excitement is in the air. Coach Jones is excited, the players are excited and the students and fans are excited.

South Alabama is encouraging everyone in attendance to wear their home Red colors. The USA Athletic Marketing Department will be handing out free red shakers at all gates beginning at 4:30pm. The parking lot will open at noon for tailgaters to start their festivities.

Shuttle service will begin at 2:30pm and will be running continuous from the Bel Air Mall parking lot south of Target and J.C. Penny until 90 minutes after the conclusion of the game. The price of a round-trip ticket is a mere $2.50, so if you don’t have a parking pass and still want to come out to the game this is an excellent deal. The Jaguar Prowl is scheduled for 4:10pm with kickoff scheduled for 6:30pm. After the game there will be a fireworks show.

The Game will be televised locally on UTV44 and nationally on ESPN3.com.

South Alabama will try to extend their winning streak to 18 games when they host fellow in-state foe West Alabama. Last seasons stats for both teams looks like we could see a shoot-out.

West Alabama averaged just over 449 yards per game while the Jags averaged over 439 yards per game. Though USA’s average points per game was 41.3 to UWA’s 29.7.

C.J. Bennett returns as one of nine returning starters, to guide the offense after starting the final three games of the season totaling 1,189 yards and nine touchdowns in his redshirt freshman season. UWA’s will be without Deon Williams who went 223-for-356 for 3,392 yards and 25 touchdowns last season.

Kendall Houston returns to lead the Jaguar rushing attack with transfer Demetre Baker. Houston rushed for 891 yards with five 100+ yard games and 10 touchdowns. He averaged over six yards per carry. UWA returns T-Ray Mitchell who ran for 843 yards and six touchdowns. Gerald Worsham caught 80 passes for 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns as their go-to receiver.

Bryant Lavender, Jereme Jones and Corey Waldon will step up to try to fill in for departed wide receiver Courtney Smith. Lavender caught 16 passes last season for 276 yards and two touchdowns, Jones added 15 catches and two touchdowns and Waldon caught 14 passes for 291 yards. Tight Ends Paul Bennett and Kevin Helms both caught nine passes as well.

The Jags return seven starters on the defensive side of the ball. They held opposing teams to an average of just over 81 yards per game and just over 254 yards per game and a mere 13 points per game. They also average 2.5 turnovers per game and only allowing the opposing team to convert third downs 26% of the time.

Enrique Williams lead the team with 48 tackles while also breaking up three passes. Ken Barefield who also had three pass break-ups with 37 tackles and Jake Johnson who had 31 tackles and four sacks both ranked in the top five on the defense in tackles. Romelle Jones lead the group with six tackles for loss.

UWA returns linebacker Gabe Poe, their top tackler, who recorded 97 tackles, eight for a loss. Poe’s number was 33 more than the next closest defensive player. Deon Lacey added 49 tackles and Bryant McGowan added 46 tackles at linebacker. Defensive back D’Eric Jackson lead the team with three interceptions while returning two for touchdowns.

Their defense allowed 375.7 yards and 22.3 points per game.

Both teams return their punter with USA’s Scott Garber averaging 40.4 yards per kick including 16 punts downed inside the 20. UWA’s Brock Sharp averaged 37.9 yards per kick and should also handle placekicking after going 12-of-19 last year.

As for South Alabama’s placekicking duties, it is expected that Jordan Means will handle the duties after showing improvements. Although South Alabama has two other kickers who have experience  and have competed for that role throughout preseason camp. Means was 4-for-4 last season. It is unknown if Means or Chapuseaux will be handling kickoff duties for the Jags.

Jereme Jones averaged 19.4 yards per punt return last season and will share time with transfer B.J. Scott as the Jags will be without the T.J. Glover as he was deemed ineligible this season. UWA’s Wes Mounger averaged 21.9 yards per kick return and 11.9 yards per punt return is expected handle the same duties again this season.

According to multiple sites including Yahoo! Sports, former Jaguar wide-out Courtney Smith will be making an official visit to the New York Jets on Tuesday.

The Players Association and the Owners have accepted an agreement that will have the NFL season starting on time. Teams can now begin signing their own free-agents and begin negotiating with other free-agents, however they cannot sign unrestricted free-agents until noon ET on Tuesday. Any contract would not take effect until Tuesday, August 2nd however.

Link to article here.

Courtney Smith looks to the sidelines early in the Jaguars game against Lamar University.

South Alabama’s Courtney Smith has proven himself to the Jaguar Nation as a great receiver. He could have stayed at UAB but he believed that USA was the right place for him. He came in and helped the program to back-to-back undefeated seasons, 17-0, with wins over four FCS (AKA Division I-AA) programs. Additionally he has been a great face for the program’s short history, now he continues to represent the program in the Under Armor Senior Bowl.

In the first day of Senior Bowl week, Courtney has already impressed many scouts with his numbers. Online draft coverage by DraftDaddy, TalkNFLDraft, NFAuthority, DraftScout, OptimumScouting, Wes Bunting and Shane P. Hallam have all mentioned that Courtney is “quick and big”, “sleeper”, “real deal”, “built like a tank”, “Massive, completely looks the part” and “looked impressive” when mentioning him.

Additionally, the Sporting News mentions him in the second sentence of their article covering the Senior Bowl weigh-in.

Draft Daddy’s write-up of the South squads practice mentioned that Courtney wasn’t “wide-eyed” and that hey played very well by making several big plays and “impressive run-after-catch ability.” Also according to them, his speed as with all wide receivers and cornerbacks will dictate his draft value. But they also mentioned hs knack for getting open and according to them “looked big-time.” Then they asked the question, “We wonder what [h]is stock would be like were he wearing a helmet from a traditional football factory.” Story here.

We will try to bring you more good stories about Courtney Smith and his Senior Bowl experience. Go Quick6 and Go Jags!

Courtney Smith talking with head coach Joey Jones in the programs first true road game in Beaumont, Texas versus Lamar University.

According to his facebook page, Senior Wide Receiver Courtney Smith has received an invitation to play in the Under Armor Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama on January 29th. When the Senior Bowl was contacted for confirmation, they said, “No, however invitation process is ongoing.” I put lots of stock in Courtney, so I will go with the story that he has received an invitation but the Senior Bowl was waiting for an answer before confirming.

Coach John Turner working with the offensive line in the second half of the Jaguars game against the Georgia State Panthers.

South Alabama fended off a second half rally by Georgia State to hold on to a 39-34 victory at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. It was evident that two weeks of travel had taken their toll on the Jaguars. Coach Jones mentioned that it was Wednesday before the Jags recovered from their trip to California. But South Alabama’s play in the second quarter was enough for the Jags to stay ahead late in the game with field goals.

On the opening drive, the Panthers moved the ball methodically with three first downs in the opening four plays of the game to go from their 40 yard line to the Jaguar 19. They would top off their 10 play 60 yard drive with a 2 yard touchdown pass from Drew Little to Sidney Haynes on 4th down.

The Jags would answer as CJ Bennett would lead the offense on a 9 play 72 yard drive themselves. Kendall Houston would score from nine yards out, however Jordan Means would miss the point after attempt leaving the Jags behind 7-6.

After Georgia State got a first down on a clutch 3rd down completion, they would stumble due to a holding penalty and the Jaguar defense would force them to punt.

With 1:50 left in the first quarter, the Jags took over with great field position on their on 45 yard line. Then on second down, Bennett would find a ton of open green grass and would scamper for 26 yards down to the Panther 25 yard line before tripping up. However the Jags would not be able to move the ball any further. Lawson McGlon would miss the 42 yard attempt to leave the score 7-6 in favor of the Panthers.

The Jags defense would force another punt by the Panthers, however TJ Glover would fumble the punt giving the Panthers an easy chance to score at the Jaguar 14 yard line. Little would hit Jordan Giles to inside the Jaguar one yard line and would score two plays later on a quarterback sneak. With the PAT, the Panthers would go up 14-6 with 11:33 left in the second quarter.

South Alabama would answer right back with a 21 yard completion from Bennett to Courtney Smith on 2nd down to move out to the Jaguar 47 yard line. The first of three straight runs by Kendall Houston would move the ball across mid-field. With 2nd and 8 from the Panther 40, Bennett would find Bryant Lavender for a 40 yard touchdown strike. McGlon’s extra point would once again put the Jags within one at 14-13 with over nine minutes left in the second quarter.

After a 15 yard kickoff return to the Georgia State 30 yard line, Tim Harvey would pick off a deflected pass at the Panther 39 yard line. The Jags would open the possession with a completion from Bennett to Ralph Turner for 24 yards down to the Panther 15 yard line. Three plays later Bennett would connect with tight end Kevin Helms for a nine yard touchdown pass to take the lead. McGlon’s extra point would put the Jags up 20-14 with 6:57 left in the second quarter.

The Jaguar defense would hold the Panther offense to a three and out. South Alabama would not have an opportunity to return the punt as it was kicked out of bounds at the 20 yard line.

South Alabama would put together an impressive drive on the ensuing possession. After an incomplete pass and a five yard false start penalty, the Jaguars were facing 2nd and 15 from their own 15 yard line. Then a rush by TJ Glover would go 14 yards to the Jaguar 29 yard line. Then Kendall Houston would add six more yards for the first down and then some extra. Bennett would run for 13 yards down the left side before stepping out of bounds at the South Alabama 48 yard line. A completed pass from Bennett to Lavender would go for 18 yards to the Panther 34 yard line. Bennett would run for seven more yards followed by a Houston rush for 17 more yards to set up the Jags with a 1st and goal from near the 10 yard line. Back to back rushes would gain four yards from Glover and three more from Houston to give the Jags a 3rd and goal from the 3 yard line.

After a Jaguar time out, Bennett would throw to Jereme Jones on the left side of the endzone where he would make an amazing one-handed catch for the touchdown. McGlon kick would put the Jags up 27-14 with 41 seconds left until halftime.

Georgia State would start at their own 45 yard line after Chapuseaux’s kick would dribble out of bounds on what looked like an onsides kick or a surprise squib kick. A 13 yard completion would put the ball at the Jaguar 42 yard line. On the second play, Tim Harvey would pick off his second pass from Drew Little and would return it 47 yards to the Georgia State 18 yard line with 14 seconds left.

Coach Gregory, coming downstairs in preparation for halftime, had to hurry to the sidelines to call a pass play towards the endzone to try for a touchdown without any timeouts left. Courtney Smith just could not hold onto the ball in the endzone so the Jags decided to kick a 35 yard field goal. Lawson McGlon would make it to extend the Jags lead to 30-14 with 3 seconds left until halftime.

The 3rd quarter would be pretty quiet as both teams combined for three 3 and outs in the first four possessions. But the Jags would get in gear after a Panther punt would only go 27 yards out of bounds at their own 49 yard line. Houston would carry twice to open the possession for 8 and 5 yards respectively and a first down at the Panther 36 yard line. A 7 yard completion from Bennett to Lavender would put the ball at the 29 yard line. A rush for no gain by Glover would be followed by a 22 yard completion from Bennett to Lavender at the Panther 7 yard line with a first and goal.

Houston would then run for four yards down to the three yard line before getting dropped for a loss of three back to the six yard line. Bennett would then be hurried and would step up in the pocket and find Ralph Turner for an apparent touchdown, except an ineligible receiver down field would wipe it off the board. After an incomplete pass, the Jags faced 4th and goal at the 11 yard line. Lawson McGlon would make the 28 yard field goal to extend the Jags lead to 33-14 with 3:52 left in the 3rd quarter.

Chapuseaux’s kickoff would be fielded at the 9 yard line and Albert Lewis would return it 50 yards to the Jaguar 41 before being forced out of bounds. A two yard rush would open the drive for the Panthers before calling a timeout. on 2nd and 8, Andy Dalgleish would sack Drew Little for eight yards back to the USA 47 yard line. The next play would make up for it and much more as Little would connect with Danny Williams for a 47 yard touchdown to cut the lead to 33-21 with 2:11 left in the 3rd quarter.

TJ Glover would return the Panther kickoff 46 yards down to the Georgia State 38 yard line to start the next possession. Houston would power for 13 yards to the Panther 25 yard line and a first down. On 2nd and 10, Houston would rush for nine yards just shy of the first down at the Panther 8 yard line and running out the time in the 3rd quarter.

To open up the 4th quarter, Houston would run for six yards to the Georgia State 2 yard line. An pass intended for Lemontis Gardner would go incomplete in the end zone. CJ Bennett’s quarterback sneak would be fumbled and recovered by the Jags at the 1 yard line to bring up 4th down. With some shouts from the crowd, Coach Jones decided to kick the field goal to extend the Jaguar lead to 36-21 with 13:25 left in the game.

Georgia State would open their drive with a 39 yard completion from Little to Sidney Haynes to get down to the Jaguar 25 yard line. A four yard completion to Danny Williams would set up for a 20 yard completion to Travis Evans for first and goal at the Jaguar 1 yard line. The quarterback sneak would net them a touchdown, but Romelle Jones would stand big in the middle and block the extra point attempt leaving the Jags ahead by nine points at 36-27 with 11:24 left in the game.

A short kickoff would be fielded by Kevin Helms and returned 14 yards to the Jaguar 44 yard line. Three consecutive runs by Houston would go for 7, 7 and 10 yards respectively to net the Jags two first downs. TJ Glover would follow up with a 17 yard rush down to the Panther 15 yard line. Then the Georgia State defense would snuff out any further Houston Rushes, holding him to one yard on two plays. A 3rd and 9 pass attempt would fall incomplete off of Kendall Houston’s fingertips to bring up 4th down. McGlon would make a 31 yard attempt to put the Jags up 39-27 with 7:34 left to play.

A 26 yard kickoff return would put the Panthers at their own 44 yard line to start their next possession. The Jaguar defense would hold strong to begin the possession, but a 10 yard completion would add 15 more yards when Anton Graphenreed would be flagged for a facemask placing the ball at the Jaguar 20 yard line. An eight yard pass would put the Panthers at the Jaguar 11, but a delay of game penalty on 4th and 1 would put them back at the 16 yard line. An 11 yard completion on 4th down would give the Panthers a first down on the 5 yard line. On the next play Kelton Hill would run up the middle for the touchdown, cutting the Jaguar lead down to five points, 39-34 with 3:57 left in the game.

Starting at their own 26 yard line, faced a similar situation as the week earlier. They only needed two first downs to finish out a close game. Houston would run on the first two plays, going for 4 and 2 yards to bring up a 3rd and 4 at the Jaguars 32 yard line. Georgia State would call a timeout with 2:58 left to preserve time and prepare a defense. Bennett would find Courtney Smith for 5 yards and the first down. Houston would then run for 2 yards out to the USA 39 yard line. Another timeout by Georgia State would exhaust their allotment for the second half with 2:15 left in the game.

Houston would drive forward for six yards to bring up a 3rd and 2 from the Jaguar 45 yard line. Coach Jones would let the time run all the way down before calling a timeout with 1:28 left. Houston would find a hole and go for nine more yards and the crucial first down. With no timeouts left for Georgia State the Jags would kneel the ball twice and end the game.

South Alabama would go for 474 total yards, 293 on the ground and another 181 through the air. While Georgia State would gain the most through the air with 234 yard passing and only 46 yards rushing for 280 total yards.

South Alabama was 8 of 14 on third down conversions while Georgia State was 3 of 10. USA did not go for it on 4th down while the Panthers was 2 for 2 on 4th down conversions.

Kendall Houston would carry the ball 31 times for 175 yards and a touchdown. CJ Bennett would run 10 times for 80 yards and TJ Glover would add 35 yards on five carries.

CJ Bennett would play the entire game, going 12-of-24 for 181 yards for three touchdowns and no interceptions. Bryant Lavender would lead the receivers with four catches for 87 yards and a touchdown. Courtney Smith would add four more catches and 52 yards. Three other Jaguars caught passes.

Georgia State’s leading running back was Kelton Hill with three rushes for 25 yards and a touchdown. Travis Evans added 6 carries for 14 yards.

Drew Little would go 20-of-34 for 214 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Danny Williams would catch 5 passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. Sidney Haynes would catch 4 for 50 yards and the other touchdown. Six other receivers caught passes for the Panthers as well.

Lawson McGlon went 4-of-5 kicking field goals. Making kicks of 35, 28, 18 and 31 yards and missing one from 42 yards. Jordan Means would miss one PAT attempt and McGlon would make his three attempts.

Coach Jones remarked after the game, “We got ahead at halftime by playing really well offensively in the first half, and the defense made adjustments and played well after the first drive. We’ve been ahead a lot at halftime and the other team would fold, but this team didn’t fold. They came back out and got rolling on offense, and just played much better in the second half. My hat’s off to the Georgia State team for coming back and making a really good game out of it.”

Georgia State head coach Bill Curry remarked on the South Alabama program after the game. “I’m very much an admirer of coach Jones and the South Alabama program. I have been since the beginning,” explained Curry. “The way they do things, their emphasis on academics, integrity, the way they win, the way they dominated the turnover margin in their games and the way they had dominated the fourth quarter coming into our game. We hope to become a more consistent team and do a better job, so we can match up with them the next time we play, and we will get that done.”

South Alabama will host Henderson State for homecoming on Saturday, November 6 with kickoff scheduled for 4pm.

South Alabama Head Coach Joey Jones talks with Courtney Smith during a stoppage in play against Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas.

South Alabama’s game against UC-Davis really lived up to its billing. It had excitement, adversity, tough play, heart and a little luck. This recipe came out in favor of the Jaguars, 24-21. But most of all it answered some lingering questions that Coach Jones wanted answers to. The Jags were behind against Nicholls State early in the game, but pulled away in the second half. However, the Jags needed some fourth quarter heroics and a little luck to pull out the win in California.

The Jags had to overcome four turnovers, two interceptions thrown by Brennan Sim and two fumbles, one from Sim and another by Bennett late in the game and frankly nearly disastrous, for the win. However, the defense continued to step up and make plays when necessary. Anthony Taylor made two crucial sacks on the final Aggie drive to set up the attempted field goal to send the game into overtime.

Coach Jones wanted to see what his team could do if they were down in the fourth quarter. He wanted to see how his kids would respond having to play a full four quarters of football. Well, he got his answer alright.

“We came through at the end, the defense did a great job,” said head Coach Joey Jones. “We fumbled the ball on the 30, but we sacked them and made them kick a field goal that was fortunately wide right.”

“I have to tell you, UC-Davis is a great, first-class football team,” Jones continued. “We came out to California and beat an extremely good football team tonight. They have great players and are very well-coached team. We had so many setbacks during the game, whether it was penalties or turnovers, but never had the feeling we were out of the game. Our kids kept playing hard. It’s just a great statement for our program. People have been asking me all year long, and I know where we are now; we beat a great I-AA program that won its conference last year, is probably going to win it this year, and beat San Jose State this season. We’re up there. Are we Division I-A yet? No, but we’re probably close.”

The Jags will return to Ladd-Peebles stadium to round out their season with three consecutive home games. The first of which will have Georgia State, in their first season of football, coming to Mobile coached by former University of Alabama head coach Bill Curry on Saturday, October 30th. Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00pm.

Continue for a more detailed breakdown of the game.

South Alabama took the opening kickoff on 26 yard line after Freshman TJ Glover returned the kick 22 yards. Brennan Sim opened the game with a six yard completion to Courtney Smith. Back to back runs by Kendall Houston went for nine and six yards. Then the Jags had to burn their first time out with 13:18 left in the first quarter.

After the time out, Sim connected with Kevin Helms for 13 more yards to the Aggie 40 yard line and a Jaguar first down. Houston rushed for two yards, followed by Santuan McGee’s two yard run for 3rd and 6 at the Aggie 36. Corey Waldon would come us just short of the first down after gaining five yards on a Sim completion. On 4th and 1 from the Aggie 31, Coach Jones opted to go for the first down. Houston would take the handoff and gain a crucial two yards to keep the Jags drive alive.

After an incomplete pass by Sim, he would scramble for four yards to the Aggie 25. Sim’s next pass to Jeremy Jones would go for 8 yards down to the 17. Another complete pass from Sim to TJ Glover would put the Jags at the Davis 10 yard line. Kendall Houston would cap off the drive with a 10 yard touchdown run. A false start on the point after wouldn’t matter to McGlon. The 13 play drive covering 74 yards in six minutes for a touchdown is the Jags longest scoring drive of the season.

UC-Davis would start at their own 7 yard line after an error on the return. The Jags defense would come out strong, forcing a three and out on the first series. The Aggie punt would go 34 yards but Glover would get it all back on the return.

Sim would run for a yard on first down but would find Courtney Smith in the back of the end zone on the next play for a 13 yard touchdown pass. A false start on Kevin Helms on the PAT would back the attempt try to the 8 yard line. McGlon would miss the attempt, however a personal foul on the Aggies would give McGlon another try at the four yard line. This attempt would be good and the Jags would lead the Aggies 14-0 with 6:32 left in the first quarter.

The ensuing UC-Davis possession would start with a 27 yard kickoff return to the 35 yard line. On 3rd and 8 from their own 37, Aggie quarterback Randy Wright would complete a 14 yard strike to just across the midfield stripe. After a three yard rush, Wright would complete another pass for 10 more yards, down to the Jaguar 36. A seven yard rush to would lead to a 26 yard pass from Wright to Sean Creadick down to the three yard line before being forced out of bounds. Then a three yard run by running back Corbin Cutshaw would put the Aggies on the board, 14-7 with 2:49 left in the first quarter.

Glover would return the Aggie kickoff 28 yards to the USA 37 to start their next possession. The drive would begin with a seven yard run by Sim, then a 17 yard pass completion to Courtney Smith would put the Jags at the Davis 39 yard line. But a holding call on center Trey Clark would back the Jags up 10 yard for a 1st and 20 from the 49 yard line. Sim would fumble the ball after a two yard run and the Aggies would recover, ending the Jags drive.

After a short completion and a short run, Wright would connect with Creadick for 19 yards to the Jaguar 31 as time expired in the first quarter. An incomplete pass followed by a rush for no gain would have the Aggies facing 3rd and 10. An 8 yard completion to Josh Reese would spot the ball at the Jaguar 23 facing a 4th and 2. The Sean Kelley field goal attempt would sail wide right and give the Jags the football.

The first play would see Houston rush for five yards. Then Brennan Sim would find Corey Waldon for 19 yards out to the Jaguar 47 yard line. The Jags would cross mid-field with a pass completion to Glover for four yards. Then Glover would rush for three more yards to set up a 3rd and 3 at the Aggie 46. Then Brennan Sim would throw the first interception by a Jaguar quarterback this season at the UC-Davis 38 yard line.

The Jag defense would step up again. Holding the next two run plays to 2 and 1 yard respectively before Logan Bennett would sack Randy Wright for seven yards forcing a punt on 4th and 14 at the Davis 34 yard line.

After back-to-back turnovers by Sim, it was CJ Bennett’s turn to run the offense starting at the Jaguar 36 yard line. Houston would open the series with a two yard rush. Then back to back completions for Bennett, first to Lemontis Gardner for six yard followed by Bryant Lavender for seven to cross mid-field to the Aggie 49. After another two yard run by Houston, Bennett would get sacked for a nine yard loss back to the USA 44. The Jags would have to use their second time out of the half with 6:15 left in the second quarter. After the timeout Bennett would get sacked again, this time for only one yard. Scott Garber’s punt would be downed at the Aggie 10 yard line with 5:25 left until halftime.

Wright’s first pass would go for 12 yards and a first down, but the would only gain one yard in the next three plays before punting it away again.

Glover would fair catch the punt at the USA 45, giving the Jags great field position to start their next drive. Back to back incomplete passes would have the Jaguars facing 3rd and 10. Bennett would find Jereme Jones, but he would come up two yards short. Garber’s punt would go 41 yards to be downed at the Aggie 6 this time.

Randy Wright would go deep for Sean Creadick, but would be intercepted by Jonathan Cameron at the Aggie 41 yard line. Houston would run for four yards to the Davis 37, but back-to-back incomplete passes by Bennett would bring up 4th down. The Jags would then use their final timeout of the half as some indecision occurred as to whether the Jags were going to attempt a long field goal or punt the ball. Garber would come out and punt the ball. Davis would return the punt seven yards to the Davis 15 yard line.

With 1:53 the Aggies went into a hurry-up offense, completing pass after pass. The first two were to Creadick for 22 yard and five yards respectively. Then a completion to Josh Reese for six yard would put the Aggies at their own 49 yard line. A substitution infraction against the Jags would be declined.

Wright would then complete a pass to Creadick again for a loss of one yard. Then the Aggies would find forward gear again with completions of five yards to Tom Hemmingsen, 10 to Creadick and Troy Yudin for 22 yards put the Aggies at the Jaguar 15 yard line. Then quarterback Wright would run for eight yards before going out of bounds at the Jaguar 7 yard line. Wright would cap off the drive with a touchdown pass to Creadick with 15 seconds left until halftime, tying the game at 14. Davis’ drive would cover 84 yards in nine plays using only 1:38 seconds off the clock.

McGlon would kick off to begin the second half. The kickoff was fielded at the 21 yard line then returned 17 to the Davis 38 yard line. The Aggies could only muster one first down going 12 yards in six plays before punting the ball out of bounds at the Jaguar 15 yard line.

Sim would complete his first pass of the second half to Houston for three yards. Then Houston would rush for four more out to the Jaguar 22 yard line. Sim would then complete a five yard pass to Jereme Jones for a first down on 3rd and 3. Houston would then get stopped for a one yard loss on his next rushing attempt. Sim would try to hit Courtney Smith, but the Aggies would get flagged for pass interference giving the Jags another 1st and 10 at their own 41 yard line. Houston would then run for four yards out to the 45 yard line. Sim’s next throw towards Courtney Smith would be complete for 11 yards to the Aggie 44 yard line. However, Sim would throw his second pick of the game at the Davis 34 yard line and stalling another prospective South Alabama drive.

The Jaguar defense stepped up again, forcing a three and out by the Aggie offense. The Davis punt went out of bounds at the South Alabama 29 as they tried to keep the ball out of Glover’s hands.

Sim would return to the game with an incomplete pass on first down. Sim would hit Ralph Turner for five yards on second down but would throw another incomplete pass to bring up 4th down. A false start on Michael Wilson would back the Jags up five extra yards to the Jaguar 29 yard line. Garber’s punt would go 46 yards then fumbled but recovered by the Aggies at their own 21 yard line.

Two consecutive rushes by the Aggies would go for six yards by Josh Reese and 10 yards by Nick Aprile. On the first down play, the Jags would be caught on another substitution infraction as they tried to get player onto and off of the field. On 1st and 5 from the Aggie 42, Cutshaw would run for no gain, but Charlie Higgenbotham would be flagged for a face mask, moving the ball across mid-field to the Jaguar 43. After an incomplete pass, two consecutive Aggie rushes would go for 7 yards and 19 yards respectively putting the Aggies at the Jaguar 17 yard line. Coach Jones would be forced to call a time out with 4:17 left in the third quarter. Coming off of the time out, Randy Wright would complete a strike to Tom Hemmingsen for a 17 yard touchdown to give the Aggies the first lead of the game at 21-14.

TJ Glover would give the offense a spark when he returned the kickoff 43 yards to the mid-field stripe to start their next possession. Trying to spark some life in the offense, South Alabama put Myles Gibbon into the game. Gibbon’s first pass went to Waldon for eight yards to the Davis 42 yard line. Santuan McGee would then rush for 13 yards, but it would come back when Kevin Helms was flagged for a hold. The ten yard penalty would put the Jags back at their own 48 yard line.

Gibbon’s next attempt was incomplete to Waldon again, but UC-Davis would be flagged for pass interference to put the ball at the Davis 37 yard line. Gibbon would be sacked on the next play for a loss of three, but he would make up for it by running for 13 yards and a Jaguar first down at the Aggies 27. Kevin Helms would be flagged for a falst start, backing the Jags up five more yards for a 1st and 15.

Gibbon would hit McGee for nine yards to the Davis 23 yard line. Then McGee would rush for two more yards setting up a 3rd and 4 at the Aggie 21. Coach Jones would call a time out with 37 seconds left in quarter. Houston would get the carry after the time out, but the Aggie defense sniffed it out and dropped him for a one yard loss. Coach Jones sent in Jordan Mean for the field goal attempt, which was good from 39 yards to cut the Aggie lead to four points at 21-17.

Jordan Means kickoff would sail to the one yard line, but Corbin Cutshaw would return it 40 yards to the Aggie 41 as he was forced out of bounds by Means. Cutshaw’s spark would dwindle as the South Alabama defense would step up, with a little help by a false start on 3rd and 1, to force a three and out.

The Aggie punt would go out of bounds at the Jaguar 13 yard line with Bennett returning under center to lead the offense. His first pass would be complete to Lemontis Gardner for 12 yards. This would be followed up with consecutive rushes by Santuan McGee for six and 21 yards respectively. With 1st and 10 at the Davis 48 yard line, Bennett would find Courtney Smith open for 13 yards to the Davis 35 yard line. A run by Bennett would pick up eight more yards to get to the Davis 27 yard line.

The Aggie defense would stiffen on the Jags by stopping McGee for no gain then dropping Houston for a one yard loss. Then on 4th and 3 at the Aggie 28, the Jags rolled the dice and went for it. However Bennett’s pass would fall incomplete turning the ball over on downs.

Nick Aprile would open the Aggie drive with a 17 yard run out to the 45 yard line. After an incomplete pass, Wright would complete his pass to Creadick for nine yards to the USA 46 yard line. Higgenbotham would stop Aprile for no gain bringing up 4th down. After a delay of game penalty the Aggies would punt. TJ Glover would field the punt at the 16 yard line and return it nine yards to the Jaguar 25 yard line.

Starting the drive with 6:55 left in the game, it was gut check time for the Jags. Bennett would open the drive with a completion to Jereme Jones for 14 yards. Then Santaun McGee would rush for 16 more yards to cross mid-field to the Davis 45 yard line. McGee’s next run would be stopped for no gain. Then CJ Bennett would find Courtney Smith open down the sideline for a 45 yard touchdown pass as the Jags retake the lead at 24-21 with 5:29 left in the game.

After an 11 yard return on the kickoff, the Aggies started at their own 15 yard line. Wright would run for seven yards on first down, then he would connect with Aprile for five more and a first down. Wright would then hit Creadick for 11 more yards and another first down at the Davis 43 yard line.

The Jags would then force three consecutive incomplete passes to bring up a 4th and 10 at the Davis 43 yard line. Randy Wright would scamper for the first down, gaining 11 yards to keep the Aggie drive alive at the Jaguar 46 yard line. After an incomplete pass, Wright was sacked for eight yards by Jake Johnson to bring up a 3rd and 18 at the Aggie 46 yard line. South Alabama would call its final time out of the game with just 2:21 remaining.

Wright’s passing attempt would fall incomplete bringing up 4th and 18. The UC-Davis coaches decided that they would trust their defense to get a stop and sent on the punting unit. The 31 yard punt was downed at the Jaguar 23 yard line with 2:06 left in the game.

The Jaguars, needing only a first down or two, send CJ Bennett back into the game. On first down he would run for three yards with the Aggies using a time out to stop the clock with 2:01 left to play. Santuan McGee would run for six more yards on second down, coming up just a half-yard shy of the first down. The Aggies would call their second time out of the half with 1:53 left to play. Then with 3rd and 1 at the USA 32 yard line and going on a hard count, a mix-up between the center, Trey Clark, and Bennett resulted in a fumble that was recovered by the Aggies at the South Alabama 33 yard line with 1:52 left in the game.

On first down the Jaguars Anthony Taylor sacked Wright for a six yard loss back at the USA 39 yard line with the clock still running. Wright would then find Creadick open for a 22 yard gain down to the jaguar 17 yard line, still with the clock running. Then on 1st and 10 at the 17 yard line, the Aggies stop the clock on an incomplete pass. Anthony Taylor would get a huge sack on the quarterback for a loss of eight yards back to the Jaguar 25 yard line. Then a Davis fumble at the 27 was recovered at the 22 by Josh Reese and advanced five yards back to the Jaguar 17 yard line. The Aggies let the clock run down to 3 seconds before using their third and final time out of the game to set up a potential game-tying field goal.

As time ran out Davis’ kicker, Sean Kelley, sailed the 34 yard kick wide right right preserving the win for the Jaguars, 24-21.

On the ground the Jags were led by Santuan McGee on the ground with 53 yards on eight carries. Kendall Houston had 14 carries for 47 yards and a touchdown.

Courtney Smith caught six passes for 105 yard, including the game winning 45 yard touchdown score in the 4th quarter. Jereme Jones added four catches for 35 yards, Corey Waldon had three catches for 32 yards and Gardner and Glover both added two catches for 18 and 11 yards respectively. Five other Jags caught passes as well.

Brennan Sim went 13-for-18 for 116 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. CJ Bennett was 7-for-13 for 105 yard with a touchdown and two sacks. Myles Gibbon completed both passing attempts for 17 yards and a sack.

TJ Glover ended the game with 150 all-purpose yards, 11 receiving, 93 on kick returns and 43 more on punt returns.

Scott Garber punted four times for an average of 40 yards with three kicks being downed inside the 20.

For UC-Davis, Nick Aprile lead their rushers with 44 yards on seven carries. Josh Reese had eight carries for 26 yards. While Sean Creadick had a game high 12 receptions for 147 yards and a touchdown. Tom Himmingsen added three catches for 36 yards and a touchdown.

Coulton Schmidt punted eight times for an average of just over 34 yards per punt with only two of them being downed inside the 20 yard line. Sean Kelley attempted two field goals, missing both from 41 and 34 yards.

The Jags committed four turnovers, two interceptions and two fumbles. UC-Davis threw one interceptions and fumbled twice, losing none. The Jags would run for 131 yards for the game while passing for 238 for a total of 369 offensive yards. The defense would allow 109 yards on the ground and 238 through the air for a total of 347 yards against the Aggies.

South Alabama would be flagged nine times for 65 yards while Davis was flagged only five times for 43 yards.

The Jaguar offensive line lines up against the Lamar defense. They helped Kendall Houston rush for 166 yards, the new single game record for Jaguar running backs, and did not allow a sack in the game.

South Alabama went on the road to Beaumont, Texas to begin their season-defining three game stretch and came home with a big win and a huge statement, 26-0. The Lamar Cardinals had averaged just over 341 yards per game but were held to a season low of 161 yards of total offense as the Jaguar defense came out ready for a big fight.

The Jags were quite conservative with their play calling in the game. After losing your first string running back to a season ending ACL tear, it was good play calling on Coach Gregory and Coach Jones’ part. While the scoreboard did not show what the Jaguar faithful were used to, it was definitely a resounding win.

The defense would score the only touchdown in the first half and the offense would only score one touchdown in the game. The rest of the scoring rested on the foot of Lawson McGlon who was officially 4-for-5 in the game but did make a kick that was nullified by a penalty. So a position that, at the beginning of the season, looked like it could lose a close game turned out to be the one that put the game out of reach.

“We sputtered somewhat on offense when we got the ball into the red zone, but we moved the ball well between the 30s,” said Coach Joey Jones after the game. “We had to settle for four field goals, but when you’re on the road sometimes that happens. I’m really proud of Kendall and the way he came in for Brandon after we lost him last week. He really stepped up and ran like a Division I running back tonight.”

“We know that UC Davis is a very good team. They’ve beaten San Jose State and won their conference last year,” Coach Jones stated on their upcoming opponent. “They’re a very sound team, we are going to have to go out to California and see what we’ve got. But, our kids are real excited about that. We’re trying to take this thing with baby steps, and we’ve taken some big steps already. It’s a great win, but where we stand I don’t know. At the end of the year I think we’ll be able to look back and see where we are as a team. All I know is that we came on the road, and were on the bus for six hours. The kids did a great job being focused, and we played a great ballgame. It’s a big win for our program.”

“You have to play great defense on the road, and we did that tonight,” Coach Jones commented. “I’m real proud of the staff and players. They played lights out tonight. They knew this was their first big challenge, and answered that call.”

The Jaguars did not come out of the game unscathed. Unfortunately Chris Brunson suffered a broken ankle in the first half of the game against Lamar and will be out for the remainder of the season. Brunson was also a backup to Trey Clark, the center, who suffered a sprained ankle but should be okay. Coach Jones will probably try Brian Krauskopf in practice until Clark’s ankle is better and to give him experience in case he is needed in a game situation.

The Jags travel to Davis, California to face the Aggies of UC-Davis in a 4pm (Central, 2pm Pacific) game against their second of three consecutive FCS teams and their second in a row on the road. For a more detailed breakdown of the game, continue below.

The Jaguar defense came out with a vengeance. They held Lamar to 105 yard passing on 15-of-36 attempts and 56 yards on 27 rushing attempts. They only allowed 12 first downs, just one of them on the ground while forcing four fumbles.

The opening drive by the Jags saw Kendall Houston start in place of the injured Brandon Ross. His first three carries went for nine, seven and seven yards respectively. However the drive would stall at the Lamar 43 yard line. A Scott Garber punt would pin the Cardinals back at their own six yard line.

The Cardinals would begin their series with two consecutive rushes by Octavious Logan. Logan would gain three on his first carry but would have Charlie Higgenbotham cause a fumble on the second. The Higgenbotham forced fumble would be recovered by Josh Chestang and returned 11 yards for a touchdown. With the Lawson McGlon PAT, the Jags lead 7-0 with 10:33 left in the first quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, Octavious Logan fielded the kick and fumbled at their own 13 yard line. However Logan would recover his own fumble at the 19 yard line. The drive was only five plays for 12 offensive yards but had three penalties, a facemask on the Jags and a false start and holding on the Cardinals.

On the Jaguars second offensive series, T.J. Glover caught a pass and lost seven yards back the Jaguar eight yard line. Then a run by Glover gained all but one yard back but the Jags would be flagged for holding putting the ball at the Jaguar seven yard line. Kendall Houston would gain about seven yards to give the offense some breathing room. However a dropped pass by Jereme Jones would bring Garber out to punt again.

Lamar would go three and out on their next series. South Alabama’s third drive would bring in C.J. Bennett at quarterback. His first pass would be completed to Courtney Smith for 15 yards. Two big runs by Houston of 11 and 29 yards would put the Jaguar offense on the Lamar 12 yard line. The Jags would stall out on the Lamar five yard line and McGlon would drill a 22 yard field goal to put the Jags up 10-0 with 2:43 left in the first quarter.

Neither team would score in the second quarter, but the Jaguar defense had to turn it up a notch to keep the Cardinals off the board. With 12:42 left until halftime, the Jags would start a drive at their own 38 yard line. A Houston rush and a 15 yard completion from Bennett to Corey Walden would put the Jags at the Lamar 46 however, the Jags could not keep the drive alive and was forced to punt from the Lamar 41. But the long snapper would snap the ball over Garbers head, forcing him to chase after the ball. Once he picked it up, he tried to punt it away still but was blocked and went out of bounds at the Jaguar 36 yard line.

Lamar would lose three yards and face a 3rd down and 13 but would keep the drive alive when Anton Graphenreed was flagged for interference, giving the Cardinals a first down at the Jagaur 18. Another first down would put the Cardinals at the South Alabama seven yard line. But after bending as far as they could without breaking, they started to rebound. A stop for a loss, followed by an incomplete pass and a holding penalty would back the Cards up to the 14 yard line. The Lamar field goal attempt would go wide left leaving the Jags shutout intact.

South Alabama’s offense would take over possession of the ball their own 20 yard line. After a seven yard completion from Sim to Courtney Smith followed by a 13 yard run by Houston to the South Alabama 40 yard line. Then T.J. Glover would scamper for 28 yards to the Lamar 32 yard line. However the drive would come to an abrupt end at the Lamar 19 when Houston fumbles the ball away to the Cardinals.

The ensuing Lamar possession would go three and punt again. But the South Alabama offense would only be able to muster one first down before being forced to punt. Another bad snap by the long snapper would rush Garber to get the kick off would only net about 34 yards.

Lamar’s possession would start at their own 18 yard line with 2:10 until halftime. A pass for a loss of seven yards would be compounded with a five yard personal foul penalty, pushing the Cardinals back tot he six yard line. A three yard loss on a rushing attmept would spot the ball at their own three yard line. A six yard run would give the Cardinal punter more room to work. But the kick, being fielded at the USA 46 would be returned about 25 yards, near the Lamar 29 yard line. However a personal foul would be assessed from the end of the run putting the Jags at the 14 yard line.

But with only nine seconds left until halftime, South Alabama would kick the field goal. The first attempt from 31 yards out was good, however an illegal procedure penalty would back McGlon to the 19 yard line. The second attempt would be missed laving the score 10-0 at halftime.

The second half was a continuation of the first half, hard nosed defense from South Alabama. The defense held the Cardinals to a three and out on their opening possession of the second half. Jereme Jones would return the punt 14 yards to the South Alabama 43 yard line.

Sim would hand off to Kendall Houston on the first two plays for big runs of 22 and 15 yards. Then on first and ten from the Cardinal 20 yard line, T.J. Glover rush would lose four yards. Two consecutive passes by Brennan Sim to Courtney Smith would gain 6 and 3 yards respectively. Coach Jones would send on McGlon, who would make the 32 yard field goal to stretch the Jaguar lead to 13-0 with 10:06 left in the third quarter.

The kick-off bug would hit Michel Chapuseaux again by booting the kick-off out of bounds. Lamar would take the ball at their own 40 yard line. After three first downs on the drive, Lamar was first and ten on the Jaguar 25 when quarterback Andre Bevil would fumble the ball and South Alabama’s Romelle Jones would recover it at the Jaguar 29 yard line.

Three consecutive rushes by Kendall Houston would go for seven, two and nine yards respectively. On the third rush, Lamar would be flagged for a personal foul. So after the 15 yard penalty was enforced, the Jags had the ball on the Cardinal 38 yard line. Sim would find Corey Walden open for 25 yards down to the Lamar 13 yard line. Santuan McGee would take the handoff for 12 yards, coming up just shy of the goal line. But on the next play Sim would connect with Ellis Hill for a one yard touchdown pass. McGlon would add the PAT and the Jags extended their lead further to 20-0 with 4:19 left in the third quarter.

Lamar would start their next drive at their own 29 yard line. The Cardinals completed their first pass for 12 yards and a first down. After an incomplete pass on first down, a Kwabena Asante rush for six yards would all but be nullified by a five yard false start penalty. Another incomplete pass later and the Cardinals were forced to punt.

T.J. Glover would call for a fair catch at the USA 17 yard line. Then a personal foul on the Jaguars would back them up to the nine yard line. Kendall Houston would take the Sim handoff 12 yards to the 21 yard line. Sim’s pass to Ralph Turner was too high but Paul Bennett would be flagged for a personal foul and back the Jaguars up 10 yards to the 11 yard line. Sim would run for three yards and Houston would run for four more before Scott Garber came on to punt the ball out of bounds at the Lamar 24, a punt of 58 yards.

After an incomplete pass by Marcus Jackson, Bevil would be sacked with a forced fumbled by Jake Johnson which Randon Carnathan would recover at the Jaguar 20 yard line with 30 seconds to play in the their quarter. Glover would run for no gain on first down. Then Houston would rush for three yards and Sim would run for four more to bring up fourth down. McGlon would make the 30 yard field goal to make it 23-0 with 13:32 left in the game.

Chapuseaux’s kickoff would be fielded at the 2 and returned 21 yards to the 23 yard line. But on the first down play Asante would run for nine yard but Ken Barefield would force the fumbled which would be recovered by Justin Dunn at the Cardinal 36 yard line. A run by Ralph Turner would lose five yards, then a run by Sim would lose one more yard to set up a 3rd and 16 for the Jags. Sim’s pass to Courtney Smith would go incomplete forcing another USA punt. The Garber punt went 36 yards and a fair catch was made at the Lamar six yard line.

The Cardinals next possession would last five plays and cover 15 yards before punting. With 9:29 left in the game, South Alabama would mount their final drive of the game starting at their own 44 yard line. Houston would rush for one yard, then CJ Bennett would connect with Courtney Smith for 18 yards and a first down at the Lamar 37 yard line. Ellis Hill would lose two but Glover would get those two back on back-to-back rushes. Then Bennett would find Glover open for five more yards to the Lamar 32.

On fourth down and five yards, the Jags went for it being between comfortable field goal range and punting distance and C.J. Bennett came up huge with a 14 yard scamper to pick up the first down at the Lamar 18 yard line. An illegal chop block would penalize the Jaguars 15 yards back to the 33 yard line for first and 25. Bennett would find Jereme Jones open for 11 yards then Lavender Bryant for another five on consecutive passes. Then Bennett would call his own number for five more yards for a fourth down and four at the Lamar 12 yard line. Lawson McGlon would cap off the game with a 29 yard field goal for the final score of 26-0.

Kendall Houston finished the game with 166 yards on 21 carries and T.J. Glover carried the ball eight times for 32 yards. Courtney Smith caught 7 passes for 59 yards and Corey Walden caught two for 40 yards. C.J. Bennett went 13-for-16 for 109 yards with no sacks while Brennan Sim went 6-for-10 for 35 yards and the lone touchdown pass. Scott Garber averaged 41.2 yards per punt, and of his five punts, three were downed inside the 20.

The defense held Kwanbena Asante to 29 yards on 11 rushes while also holding Andre Bevil to 15-of-35 passing for 105 yards.

Defensively, Charlie Higgenbotham lead the team with six tackles and a forced fumble. Ken Barefield was close behind with four, all solo and a forced fumble as well.

Brandon Ross scores a touchdown early in the Jags game against Missouri S&T.

The Jags stay undefeated when another big win at home against Missouri S&T, 45-6. They improve to 5-0 on the season and 12-0 overall in the programs history.

Jordan Means opened up the scoring with a career-long 36 yard field goal on the Jags opening drive, just two and a half minutes into the game. The drive covered 41 yards in six plays but stalled and had to settle for the field goal.

Brennan Sim, the starting quarterback, took the first four snaps, including completing a pass to Courtney Smith for 29 yards. However, on a scramble the lowered his head for a few extra yards but was hit hard and had to leave the game. Myles Gibbon came in on third down but his pass to Courtney Smith was incomplete forcing the field goal attempt.

The Jags held the Miners and forced a punt. On the subsequent South Alabama possession, Sim returned to the field. Sim then completed his first pass attempt to T.J. Glover for 14 yards. Then two snaps later Sim was sacked and fumbled the ball which Missouri S&T recovered at the USA 26 yard line.

On the first play, Missouri S&T ran for one yard but offsetting penalties, holding on MS&T and a horse-collar tackle on USA, nullified the play. Missouri rushed twice for two yards on the first and no gain on the second. Then facing third and eight at the USA 24 a pass reception by Chad Shockley from Steve Watson for 13 yards got the Miners down to the Jaguar 11 yard line. The following play was an 11 yard touchdown reception again by Chad Shockley. However the extra point attempt was blocked, leaving the Miners with a 6-3 lead with 5:15 left in the first quarter.

C.J. Bennett was under center for the next South Alabama possession. The opening play was a run by Ralph Turner for eight yards to the USA 41 yard line, but a holding penalty put the Jags back at the 31 yard line. On first and 12, Bennett’s pass attempt to Lemontis Gardner was incomplete, but the very next play Bennett hit Corey Waldon for a 42 yard gain to the Miners 27 yard line. Brandon Ross followed it up with two rushes, one for 13 and another for 14 to score the answering touchdown. With the Jordan Means extra point the Jags regained the lead 10-6 with 3:10 left in the first quarter.

On the subsequent MS&T possession, after an incomplete pass and a two yard rush, Enrique Williams sacked the quarterback Watson for 14 yards causing a fumble. Randon Carnathan picked up the fumble and returned it eight yards for the touchdown. Means point after was good extending the Jags lead to 17-6 with 1:50 left in the first quarter.

Missouri S&T’s next possession went 25 yards in nine plays covering 6:10 before being forced to punt, which was downed at the Jaguar five yard line.

C.J. Bennett handed off to T.J. Glover for three yards. Then Kendall Houston ran for another ten yards to give the Jags some breathing room. Bennett tried to connect with Ryne Baxter but the ball fell incomplete. Then the following play he hooked up with Corey Waldon for 16 yards. Another incomplete pass before another Kendall Houston rush for 25 yards put the Jags at the Miners 41 yard line.

Following a time out by South Alabama, a rush by Bryant Lavender for 38 yards to the three yard line. Houston then plunged in for the touchdown. The Means PAT made the score 24-6 with 7:28 left in the second quarter.

The Jaguars defense held the Miners to -4 yards in a three and out on their next possession. The punt went 39 yards but Jereme Jones got most of it back on a 20 yard return to the Missouri 39 yard line.

It only took the Jags three plays to score. A six yard run by C.J. Bennett to the 33 yard line. Brandon Ross then rushed for 22 yards to the 11 yard line. However, Ross would need to be helped off the field with an apparent knee injury. Kendall Houston would cap off the drive with an 11 yard rush for the touchdown. With the Means PAT, the Jaguar lead extended to 31-6 with 4:10 left in the second quarter.

Again the Jaguar defense shut down the Miner offense with another three and out punt. The Jaguars started at their own 40 yard line. Bennett’s two passing attempts went incomplete. Then on third and ten Bennett was sacked and fumbled which was recovered by Missouri S&T at the Jaguar 31 yard line.

The first Missouri play was a 15 yard completion to the Jaguar 16 yard line. Following an incomplete pass, Watson completed a pass for a loss of one yard. Then on third and 11, an incomplete pass brought up fourth down. Missouri S&T then faked a field goal but only managed to gain three yards before Justin Dunn made the tackle.

The Jags ran out the final 54 seconds of the first half with two rushes by Ellis Hill for seven and eight yards respectively.

Missouri received the kickoff to begin the second half and started at their own 12 yard line. The Jags defense started the half with big to force a three and out. The Miners punt went 43 yards but Jereme Jones returned it 24 yards to the Miners 34 yard line, but a face mask penalty on Missori put the ball at the Miner 19 yard line.

Gibbon connected with Courtney Smith for 14 yards to the five yard line. Santuan McGee came up a yard short, only gaining four of the needed five yards. But Gibbon would plunge in for the score on the next play. The extra point put the Jaguar lead at 38-6 with 12:28 left in the third quarter.

On a drive that ended the third quarter and began the fourth quarter, the Jags had another scoring opportunity. The Jags drove 54 yards in eight play and getting down to the Miner four yard line before facing a fourth and three at the six yard line. Lawson McGlon attempted a 23 yard field goal but his plant foot slipped causing him to fall but the kick went wide left.

Later in the fourth quarter, Missouri started at their own 12 yard line. After a time out before the Miners third and two, they come up short on a rush and only gained one yard. Then, after a bad snap, the punter picked up the ball and tried to run for the first down but ended up losing five yards.

Santuan McGee would run four consecutive times for three, three, three and seven yards respectively before scoring the final touchdown of the game.

South Alabama gained 202 yards on 33 rushes and 167 yards passing for a total 369 yards. The Jaguar defense only allowed 71 yards on 41 rushes and 83 yards passing for at total of 154 yards.

South Alabama had several players run the ball. Brandon Ross rushed 6 times for 55 yards before leaving with a knee injury. Kendall Houston ran 4 times for 49 yards, Bryant Lavender ran once for 38 yards, Ellis Hill seven times for 29 yards and Santuan McGee six times for 21 yards. While several others also ran the ball for single digit yards.

Six Jags caught passes. Courtney Smith caught three for 73 yards, Corey Waldon caught two for 58 yards, T.J. Glover caught one for 14 yards and Richard Ross caught one for 11. Two others had one reception each.

C.J. Bennett went 5-for-10 for 107 yards. Gibbon was 2-for-4 for 17 yards and Brennan Sim was 2-for-2 for 43 yards.

Enrique Williams finished with a career high eight tackles and a forced fumble. Ben Giles added seven tackled while Justin Dunn added six himself with each of them with two tackles for loss. Tim Harvey and Jake Johnson had five tackles each and Ken Barefield and Alex Page each had four tackles. The defense held the Miners to an average of less than two yards per rush.

Coach Jones commented on the Jaguars performance after the game. “I thought the defense played very well. Obviously, early they made a drive, but as always our coaches on the sideline made adjustments and our kids adjusted to what they were doing. From that point on, they did a really good job. I was real proud of them today.”

Coach Jones commented on Brennan Sim returning to the sidelines after halftime without his shoulderpads. “Brennan got dinged a little bit, and we had to get him out. C.J. came in and played well. It seems like each game that there is a quarterback who steps into the mix and plays well. It’s more of a feel thing that we go with each game. I thought C.J. had a great game today.”

The Jags will go on the road for their next two games. The first is in Beaumont, Texas against Lamar for a 6pm kickoff. However reports are that Brandon Ross will have an MRI on his knee on Monday so the Jags appear to be without their number one running back going into their two game road swing.

Coach Jones commented about the players and the upcoming road games. “They know these upcoming weeks are going to be tough; we have to travel to Texas and California, and come back here and play Georgia State after that. As competitors we’re looking forward to that. They’re excited about getting on the road, going on a six-hour bus trip and playing a very good Lamar football team.”

October is shaping up to be a huge month for South Alabama football with games against Lamar, UC-Davis and Georgia State. The first two being road games. We will soon see much this team has grown and how far they are on their roadmap to Division I-A play.

Go Jags!