Jags Host 10th Ranked Oklahoma State Friday Night
South Alabama will host their first-ever top-10 ranked opponent when they kick off against Oklahoma State on Friday, September 8 at 7:00 pm.
Last season the Jaguars hosted their first ranked opponent at Ladd-Peebles Stadium and they also collected their first win against a ranked opponent. Under a year later and the Jags will once again make history by hosting a top-10 team in Mobile in Oklahoma State.
Head coach Mike Gundy, mullet and all because he’s a man, will lead the Cowboys to Mobile for a non-conference game against the Jaguars.
Gundy has built up the Cowboys into a perenial power since taking over in 2005, with a record of 105-50. Known for their high-power offense, OSU jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the first quarter in their season opener against Tulsa before cruising to a 59-24 win. The inexperienced but athletic Cowboy defense allowed 4.4 yards per play in the win.
Though the Jags dropped their opener to the Ole Miss Rebels 47-27, the Jaguar offense averaged 5.5 yards per play and outgained the Rebels 170-102 on the ground. The difference was the third quarter when the USA secondary gave up three scores on big plays, two long touchdown passes and runs and a kickoff return.
The Cowboy offense is one of the most diverse and explosive offenses in college football. Justice Hill rushed for 132 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries against Tulsa with two other running backs, J.D.King and La’Darren Brown, adding 95 and 92 yards respectively, each with a touchdown. Both King and Brown both had runs of 71 yards or more as they rolled up 332 yards rushing on 37 carries.
Quarterback Mason Rudolph threw for 303 yards on 20-of-24 passing. He favorite target was James Washington who caught six passes for 145 yards and two touchdowns of 40- and 77-yards. He also found Tyron Johnson, an LSU transfer, for a 44 yard touchdown as well.
The Jaguar defense was one of the biggest turnarounds in college football last season. Their pass defense finished in the top 10 last season with an average of 174.6 yards per game. However, this secondary is less experienced than the squad last season with graduation and Jalen Thompson being ruled ineligible this season and now the injury to Neiko Robinson. Senior Safety Jeremy Reaves, an All-Sun Belt Conference pick last season is capable of making game-changing plays. He led the team with eight tackles, six solo, two tackles for loss and a pass breakup against the Rebels.
But the Jaguar defensive line, who was in shambles last season due to an unbelievable number of injuries, is healthy and deep with experienced players. They held the Rebels to only 102 yards rushing. It was also the Jaguar defense who forced the only turnover of the game last week that led to the Jags first touchdown of the game. They may need a few more of those this week.
Starting quarterback Cole Garvin went 19-of-31 for 204 yards and a touchdown against the Rebels. But it was the legs of the Jaguars running attack that really made a statement. After fielding the kickoff and stepping out of bounds at the 2-yard line, Xavier Johnson along with Deonta Moore and Tra Minter helped power the Jags on a 19-play drive covering 95 yards and taking 9:39 off the clock. Though they didn’t punch it in the endzone, it was a statement drive that got the attention of the Rebels.
Some key things the Jags much improve upon:
- They were only 1-of-10 on third-down conversions. It’s vital that they convert and keep drives going against the Cowboys.
- The secondary cannot let the Cowboy receivers to have their way. Rudolph, who hasn’t thrown an interception in his last 147 passing attempts, will capitalize on those opportunities. The USA defensive line will need to get more pressure on the quarterback to help those players in the secondary and make Rudolph get rid of the ball quicker than he wants. But don’t overlook those Cowboy running backs either.
- Jags gotta tackle! Every Saturday you will hear someone complain about poor tackling and that they have to ‘wrap him up’. Well, the Jags had their occasional problems tackling too. Again, the Cowboys can make you pay if you fail to wrap them up when you have the opportunity.
The Cowboys are a 28-point favorite for good reason. They have one, if not the, best quarterback and receiver tandum in the nation with additional players all over the field to compliment them. The Jags were 28-point underdogs last season when they defeated Mississippi State on the road to open the season. But the Cowboys are more talented across the board than the Bulldogs were.
It’s going to take the Jags hitting on all cylinders, and some lucky bounces, to beat the Cowboys. Can they do it? We’ll find out starting at 7pm at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The game can be heard locally on 96.1 and 99.5 The Jag in the Mobile area as well as a host of other stations across Alabama, worldwide on iHeartRadio, and it can be viewed nationally on ESPN2.
Jags Fall To Rebels 47-27
Cole Garvin leads the Jaguar offense against Ole Miss in Oxford, Mississippi September 2, 2017.
After a delay getting back from Oxford, I have finally had an opportunity to cover the Ole Miss game.
This game was a tale of two halves.
The first half was a plucky Jaguar team that bent but wouldn’t break. Though Ole Miss dominated the first quarter by gaining 136 yards and scoring on both of their first two drives. Shea Patterson finished off their first drive with a 5-yard touchdown pass to DaMarkus Lodge at the 11-minute mark of the first quarter. A 19-yard field goal extended the Rebel lead to 10-0 with 6:37 left in the opening quarter.
South Alabama’s Xavier Johnson stepped out of bounds at the 2-yard line on the ensuing kickoff, which led the Jaguars to march 95-yards over the course of 19 plays to get on the board. Though the Jags were unable to put the ball in the endzone, Gavin Patterson put 3 points on the board.
On the next possession, the Jags forced a fumble with Zach Befort recovering it at the Rebel 40 yard line. Three plays later, Cole Garvin found Jamirus Way for a 30-yard touchdown to tie the game with 5:09 left in the half.
The Rebels drove into the zed zone just before halftime, but Tobias Moss broke up the third-down pass which led Ole Miss to settle for a 29-yard field goal to take a 13-10 lead into the locker room.
Then the third quarter happened.
Ole Miss opened the second half with possession of the ball. One play after opening kickoff, Shea Patterson connected with A.J. Brown on a post pattern near midfield for a 71-yard touchdown. Safety Nigel Lawrence had an opportunity to tackle him but was unable to bring him down. After a missed extra point, the Rebel lead was 19-10 at the 14:27 mark of the 3rd quarter.
The Jags offense was only able to gain 6-yards on their ensuing possession. Then Patterson and Brown teamed up again. Patterson was pressured and forced to roll to his right towards the sideline, then threw up a throw that was part desperation, part hopeful pass toward Brown, who was able to break in front of Jaguar defenders and pluck the ball out of the air. Brown was then able to break some tackles and sprint down the right sideline for a 76-yard touchdown to make it a 26-10 Rebel lead.
Jaguar defensive coordinator mentioned the two touchdown passes in his post-game remarks. “If you look at the game, probably those two big plays in the passing game were the difference in the game. We took away some of their early reads, but when he scrambled, we didn’t do a good enough job of getting off the field. That’s really what the game came down to.”
Some big runs by Johnson and Tra Minter highlighted the Jags drive down to the Ole Miss 4-yard line. Unable to punch the ball in the end zone, the Jags settled for a 20 yard field goal to trim the lead to 26-13.
But that margin was short lived.
Corliss Waitman’s kickoff sailed short of the end zone and Jaylon Jones fielded the ball and returned it 97 yards for the Rebels third score of the quarter to make it 33-13.
The next Ole Miss drive would see Patterson find Lodge for gains of 12, 7 and 14 yards with the last yielding a touchdown to put the Rebels ahead 40-13.
Ole Miss would score their final points early in the fourth quarter powered by more Patterson throws to make it 47-13.
The Jags would add two touchdowns mostly led by the Jaguars running game behind Deonta Moore, Tra Minter and Denzel Foster to make the final score a bit more respectable 47-27.
Ole Miss out-gained the Jags 531 to 374 yards of total offense. The Rebels Shea Patterson went 28-of-35 for 429 yards and four touchdowns. Cole Patterson went 19-of-31 for 204 yards and a touchdown. USA outgained the Rebels on the ground 170 to 102 yards while averaging 4.6 yards per rush while the Rebels averaged 3.5 yards per rush.
The lone turnover of the game went the Jaguars way in the first half.
What did we learn from the game?
Ole Miss is every bit an SEC team. The offensive line protected their quarterback well on passing plays and allowed Patterson to pick apart the Jags secondary. The Rebel receiver corps speed proved too much for the Jags as well. A.J. Brown set a new single-game record with 233 yards receiving.
USA answered some questions at skill positions. Johnson, Minter, Foster, and Moore all had success on the ground against the Ole Miss defense. Garvin spread the ball around to 10 different Jaguars players.
The Jaguar secondary has some work to do. With more pass-heavy opponents on the schedule all season long, they will continue to test the secondary all season long. Probably no one as adept at slinging the ball around is coming to Ladd-Peebles Stadium on Friday in Oklahoma State, which gives the coaches and players a short week to make adjustments.
South Alabama will host the Oklahoma State Cowboys on Friday, September 8 with kickoff scheduled for 7pm at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Jags Open 2017 Season At Ole Miss
The South Alabama Jaguars went to Starkville, Mississippi last year and came away with the programs biggest win to date. They overcame losing several starters for the season before the season even started and an SEC team on the road.
This year it’s a different team and different circumstances. The Jags will only have one player out when the Jags take the field in Oxford, Mississippi.
What a difference a year will make.
Gone is second-round draft pick Gerald Everett as well as a host of playmakers like Josh Magee, Dami Ayoola, Roman Buchanan, Kalen Jackson, Devon Earl, Randy Allen, Quinton Dent, Kevin Kutchera just to name a few.
However, among the returners are Xavier Johnson, Jeremy Reaves, Jimmie Gipson III, Finesse Middleton, Quinton Lane, Neiko Robinson just to name a few again. Johnson is within striking distance of a number of Jaguar records such as the all-time rushing leader. Then due to all the injuries on the defensive line giving lots of playing time to younger players, the Jags are three deep across the defensive line.
After offseason shoulder surgery, last years starter Dallas Davis was beat out by Cole Garvin as the starting quarterback for week 1. Being the starter is not new to Garvin, he led the Jags to the 42-24 upset of #19 San Diego State when Dallas Davis was injured.
Ole Miss has had a tumultuous offseason, to say the least.
NCAA investigations, lawsuits, the abrupt resignation of their head coach Hugh Freeze for off-field conduct, and two new coordinators. No matter what’s happening around them, they have speed and talent. The Rebels are led by interim head coach Matt Luke but will miss two of their top tight ends due to injury as well as a backup defensive end along with a starting cornerback and linebacker who are suspended for shoplifting.
What does South Alabama need to do to win?
They need to stay healthy. The Jags were just devestated by injuries last season. The defensive line was patched together and a veritable MASH unit. The straw that broke the defense’s back was when Kalen Jackson went down with an injury late in the season opening up the middle of the field. Even Everett played injured.
Strong defensive line play. The defensive line is the deepest coach Jones has ever had, being three-deep across the defensive front. If the defensive line can stay fresh, pressure the quarterback, and keep contain the Jags have an excellent shot at bottling up the Rebel offense.
Establish the run game. The run game will take pressure off Garvin and the fairly young receiver corps and keep the Rebels from pinning their ears back and going after Cole and making the offense one-dimensional. Last season the Jaguar offense relied too much on the big play on offense. Being able to establish the run and hit on short and intermediate passing routes will greatly increase the odds of hitting a big play to put an exclamation point on a statement.
Stay composed. Last season the Jags were down 17-0 in Starkville, but they were never out of the game. They outscoring the Bulldogs 21-3 in the second half, including a 9-play 99-yard drive to get within one score early in the fourth quarter.
South Alabama and Ole Miss will kickoff at 6:30pm in Oxford, MS on Saturday, September 2. The game can be heard on local radio and world-wide on the iHeartRadio platform. They can be seen nationally on ESPNU.
Jaguar Softball Begins Season This Evening
The University of South Alabama Jaguar Softball team beings their 2017 campaign this evening at Jaguar Field with first pitch scheduled for 5pm.
Starting on Friday, the Jaguars will be hosting the Sand Dollar Classic with games against Central Arkansas, Houston Baptist, Jacksonville State and Alabama State. The Sand Dollar Classic is the first of three tournaments being hosted this month by the Jags https://pharmaciegenerique.fr/viagra-generique/.
Also be the first game with the new scoreboard at Jaguar Field, so get your tickets now and cheer the Jags on to victory!
Go Jags!
South Alabama Signs Small, But Talented 2017 Class
South Alabama completed their signing day with a social at Buffalo Wild Wings near the campus and the coaches all had smiles for good reason. Though small, this could be one of their best recruiting classes yet.
The common thread between all the signees was speed, talent, agility, and a true love for the Red, White and Blue.
Another commonality between most of the signees was the proximity to Mobile. Local schools such as Murphy, Davidson, McGill-Toolen, Fairhope, and Spanish Fort were represented by the end of the day to make this one of the most local-heavy classes since joining FBS football.
Two years ago it was huge news that Jalen Thompson stayed hope to play for USA rather than other Power-5 schools including SEC schools who were recruiting him. Now the Jags have done it again with Jalen Tolbert, a 6’3″ 185-pound wide receiver from McGill-Toolen, who turned down offers from Michigan State and Vanderbilt to play for USA as well.
Then Davyn Flenord, a 6’3″ 185-pound wide receiver out of Central Clay County who turned down scholarship offers from Toledo, Troy, UMass and Jacksonville State to play at USA as well.
But there are also examples of players like Cephus Johnson, a 6’4″ 200-pound quarterback from Davidson, who seemingly never waivered from South Alabama during the whole recruiting process.
Since the signing class will only be 11 players due to the blue-shirts from last season, this class will not rank high when compared to other Sun Belt schools. However the quality of player, and notably of character, could make this a real turning point in South Alabama’s future.
However, with everything, we can only speculate until they suit up and play on the field over the next 4-5 years.
Here is a brief summary on the players signed as released by USA Football:
- AJ DeShazor, 6′ 185-pound safety from Lake Gibson HS, Lakeland, Florida. A four-year starter and letterwinner in HS, received three stars from Rivals.com, Scout.com, ESPN.com, and 247Sports.com.
- Davyn Flenord, 6’3 185-pound wide receiver from Central Clay County HS, Lineville, Alabama. Earned three stars and is rated among the top 60 recruits in Alabama by 247Sports.com. Was selected second-team All-State by the ASWA as a senior.
- Kendric Haynes, 6′ 225-pound linebacker from Murphy HS, Mobile, Alabama. Selected All-State three times during his prep career. He finished with 412 total tackles and earned three stars from Rivals.com, Scout.com, ESPN.com and 247Sports.com.
- Cephus Johnson, 6’4″ 205-pound quarterback from Davidson HS, Mobile, Alabama. Rated a two star prospect by Rivals.com, Scout.com, and 247Sports.com and was chosen second-team All-Regions and honorable mention All-State as a Senior.
- Kenard King, 6′ 170-pound safety from Auburndale HS, Auburndale, Florida. Was credited with 82 total tackles, four interceptions, and four passes defended as a senior. Was rated three stars by 247Sports.com
- Gus Nave, 5’11” 175-pound cornerback from Kemper County HS, DeKalb, Mississippi. Ranked among the top 60 prospects in the state of Mississippi by 247Sports.com after helping lead KCHS win the state 3A title during his senior season.
- Zeke Powell, a 6’5″ 290-pound offensive lineman from Georgiana HS, Georgiana, Alabama. Rated a two star prospect by 247Sports and was named first-team All-State by the Alabama Sportswriters Association as a senior.
- Devin Rockette, a 5’10” 175-pound cornerback from Oxford HS, Oxford, Mississippi. He was rated a three star prospect by Rivals, Scout, ESPN and 247Sports.com. He earned a first-team all-state and all-regions honors his senior season.
- Malik Stanley, a 6’3″ 215-pound wide receiver from Coffeyville (Kansas) Community College. He was a first-team all-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference selection as a sophomore where he had 58 catches for 712 yards and six touchdowns.
- Jalen Tolbert, a 6’3″ 185-pound wide receiver from McGill-Toolen HS, Mobile, Alabama. He was named honorable mention all-region by the Mobile Press-Register/AL.com after his senior season where he had 37 catches for 696 yards and nine touchdowns.
- Finally last but not least, Tywun Walters, a 5’11” 215-pound running back from Northwest Mississippi Community College, who signed in December and is enrolled at USA. He ran for 1,000 yards and a team-leading 12 touchdowns to help his team to a 9-3 record and a #6 ranking in the final NJCAA poll.
Arizona Bowl Ticket Information (Buy Tickets Through USA Ticket Office!)
South Alabama will face off against the Air Force Academy Falcons on Friday, December 30th at 3:30 MST (4:30pm CST) in the 2016 Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl.
PLEASE order your tickets through the South Alabama Ticket office. This can and will impact future bowl invites for the Jaguars. Seeing that fans will buy tickets and travel to attend games, bowl committees will be more comfortable selecting South Alabama to their bowl game because their fans travel and support their team.
This cannot be stressed enough. Purchase Tickets From The South Alabama Ticket Office!
Tickets will go on sale today, Monday, December 5th at 10AM to football season ticket holders and Jaguar Athletic Fund members either online via an exclusive email link send at 10AM or via calling 251.461.1USA.
Tickets will go on sale to the general public on Wednesday, December 7th at 10AM over the phone at the same number above and online via jaguarathleticfund.com/footballtix
All seating will be assigned based on JAF priority points.
Ticket Pricing:
South Alabama has been allotted tickets within Section(s) 19-23 and 25-29 of Arizona Stadium. Prices range from $25-$65. Seating chart below.
Travel Packages are currently being put together which will include airfare, ground transportation, hotel and game ticket with additional events may become available as well. Finalized travel packages should be released soon and will be emailed and posted on online.
Jags Defeat NMSU 35-28 And Earn Second Bowl Birth
Xavier Johnson, a junior, rushed 21 times for 154 yards and three touchdowns to have 250 all-purpose yards. | Photo Credit: Bobby McDuffie from the 2015 season usajaguars.com
The Jaguars now get to play the waiting game.
With the 35-28 win over New Mexico State, the Jags are assured a bowl birth, unlike three seasons ago when the Jags were bowl eligible and on the outside looking in for a bowl (which they wouldn’t get). This season they are assured they are getting a bowl as bowl tie-ins are chaotic to say the least.
As of writing this, ESPN projects the Jags to play Air Force in the Arizona Bowl on December 30. However, that is only speculation at this point. Until the bowl match-ups are announced, the Jags could be going just about anywhere.
Everyone should be proud of what South Alabama has accomplished by earning this bowl birth. They overcame numerous injuries (10 starters among others) to get here. No other has gone to two bowl games in their first four FBS seasons.
Now, for the game itself.
South Alabama found themselves trailing New Mexico State in the fourth quarter but were not going to fall short of bowl eligibility for a second consecutive season.
A run of 21 unanswered points started with Dallas Davis connecting with senior Josh Magee for a 76 yard, game-tying touchdown. But if you ask head coach Joey Jones or quarterback Dallas Davis, the play of the game may have come on the next Jaguar possession. Davis dropped back to pass and had the pocket collapsing around him. Davis found an opening sprinted for it, then Magee made a key block on the outside which allowed Davis to get the first down and extend the drive.
The Jaguars opened the scoring on their second possession when, on the second play, Davis handed off to Xavier Johnson and he found an opening and took the ball 51 yards down the right sideline for a touchdown.
The Aggies would answer in the second quarter after a quarterback change. Conner Cramer would find an opening and scamper 50 yards, then on the next play he would give it to running back Larry Rose who took it 30 yards to the end zone and just like that it was a tie game all over again.
The Aggies were close in on another score after Rose ran for 51 yards but was tripped up at the 7 yard line by Neiko Robinson on the biggest play of the first half. Two plays later Neiko would force a fumble at the Jaguar 6 yard line which Quinton Dent recovered and allow the Jags to run the time out in the half after trying to make an attempt at a couple big plays to get some points on the board before halftime.
The Aggies began the second half with the ball but Devon Earl picked off Cramer at the Jaguar 26 and returned it 23 yards to the 49, but an Aggie penalty placed the ball at the Aggie 34. Then a heavy dose of Xavier and Dami with Magee completion and a Davis first down run, would put the Jags on top 14-7.
The Aggies would tie it up and take the lead early in the fourth quarter. On the ensuing kickoff a trio of offsetting unsportsmanlike penalties were called then Davis found Magee for the tying touchdown.
After forcing a three and out, the Jags demonstrated their ground game dominance with another steady dose of Xavier and Dami but a key run by Davis for 29 yards on 2nd and 18 kept the drive alive and eventually into the end zone to retake the lead.
On the next Jaguar possession, Davis to Gerald Everett got the possession started with a 24 yard hookup, then it would be capped off by Xavier finding a hole in the middle of the Aggie defense, getting tripped, recovering and taking it to the house for a 35-21 lead with 2:28 left in the game.
The Aggies would add one more score to make in interesting but the Jags hands team handled the onsides kick perfectly to seal the game.
The Jags ended the game with 521 yards of total offense, 282 on the ground and 239 through the air. The Aggies finished with 463 total yards, 353 of it through the air.
Xavier Johnson finished with 154 yards rushing on 21 attempts and three touchdowns. Dallas Davis added 82 yards on 11 carries and Dami Ayoola had 64 on 14 carries with a touchdown.
Davis was 16-of-28 passing with two interceptions and a touchdown. Magee had 135 yards on four catches and a touchdown. Everett caught six passes for 69 yards. Kevin Kutchera caught three for 21 yards and Grant Powell, Mseiah Francis and Xavier all caught one pass each.
Of Brandon McKee’s four punts, three of them were downed inside the 20.
For the Aggies, Larry Rose III was their leading rusher with 170 yards and two touchdowns while Conner Cramer added 110 yards and a touchdown.
Cramer went 7-of-15 for a 95 yards, a touchdown and an interception while Tyler Rogers, who started the game, finished 4-of-10 for 15 yards and an interception. Jonathan Boone was the top Aggie receiver with two catches for 47 yards and a touchdown.
See you at the bowl game!
Also apologies for missing reviews on the last couple of games but life got busy and this is currently one of my several side-gigs.
Go Jags!
Jags Stunned By Warhawks; Look To Get Healthy With Bye Week
South Alabama was shocked by Louisiana-Monroe.
A team that entered the game 2-6 on the season who was outscored 110-27 in the previous two games and was searching for answers after losing their starting quarterback and falling back on a redshirt freshman and a true freshman.
The Warhawks started freshman Caleb Evans at quarterback and he continually found receivers open over the middle. The Jags defense clearly missed Kalen Jackson in the middle of the defense. Missing six defensive linemen for the season, another clearly slowed from a recent injury, your top tackler is playing through injury, starting left guard out of the season, and also missing one of your top cover corners and it’s a recipe for trouble. But the nagging injuries do not stop there: Dallas Davis with turf toe, Xavier fighting through injury on top of all the other injuries that accumulate through the course of a season.
And trouble is exactly what the Jags ran into in Monroe.
On the positive side, the offense gained 516 yards, 209 of it on the ground. Having coach Vincent on the sideline definitely has helped spark the offense but 12 penalties for 83 yards is enough swing a close game the other way.
Head coach Joey Jones was clearly beyond unhappy after the game. Unhappy is not a good way to describe it. His post-game interview was blunt and honest. He felt the team did not come to play Saturday afternoon and that they had a lot to work on going into an open week.
The biggest question right now is who is going to step up and fill Kalen’s shoes. His ability to defend the middle of the field and provide run support was a huge part of the Jaguar defense.
Even with that, the Jags stepped up late in the game with a 6 play, 80 yard drive in 1:08 to tie the game up with :50 left in the game. The Warhawks took possession and got to the Jaguar 39 yard line before Evans was picked off by Jeremy Reaves at the USA 31 and returned to the ULM 33 with only five seconds left in the game.
Gavin Patterson’s season long is 40 yards and is 1-of-4 from 40-49 yards. With a 50 yard attempt to win the game, but his kick was blocked which sent the game into overtime.
In overtime, the defense had a 3rd and 1 at the 16 but an offsides penalty gave the Warhawks an automatic first down and they went on to score a touchdown.
The Jags opened their overtime possession with an three yard run by Xavier Johnson then back-to-back incompletions led to a 4th & 7, which turned into a 4th & 12 after a false start. Then the Warhawks sent a blitz up the middle that the offense couldn’t pick up and Dallas Davis was sacked to end the game 42-35.
The Jags best chance at getting bowl eligible is to get wins against Idaho and New Mexico State. The Presbyterian game currently cannot be counted towards bowl eligibility since they already have one win over a FCS school on their resume this season. There will be an appeal to the NCAA, but with all things NCAA related there’s no certainty as to what their response will be.
But that’s looking ahead, the only thing the Jags can control at this time is getting healed up as much as they can for Presbyterian on November 19. They have to stay focused on one game at a time and handle business.
These are all winnable games, but harder to fight two opponents at once: the team your playing and the injury bug. Let’s hope this is the END of the injuries and we can start actually play like a team rather than a MASH unit.
Jags Pick Up First Conference Win; Preview of ULM
Forth quarter heroics propelled the Jaguars to a 13-10 win over Georgia State on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
The game was a tale of two defenses. Each defense caused problems for the opposing offenses as neither team really ran the ball well nor did they throw the ball particularly well.
That is until the Jaguars started playing with urgency in the fourth quarter. The Jaguars took possession of the ball at their own 8 yard line with 11:03 on the clock. The drive began with a 15 yard pass completion to Gerald Everett then the Jaguars started a “death march. Six consecutive rushes that moved the ball from the USA 23 to the Panther 24 before the first negative play of the drive. And it was nearly disastrous as quarterback Dallas Davis was in the shotgun, but the center’s snap was as if he was under center.
After getting behind the down and distance, back-to-back incompletions gave head coach Joey Jones a very interesting choice to make: attempt a field goal and close within 4 points or go for it on 4th and 11 to keep the drive alive.
Jones opted to go for broke and it paid off. Davis’ pass to Everett was caught about five yards short of the first down marker, but Everett turned and accelerated upfield, broke tackles and willed a first down on a 14 yard gain.
The drive ended with three more runs for a game-tying touchdown.
Brandon McKee, who earned Sun Belt Conference honors for his play, pinned the Panthers at their own 9 yard line with 1:28 left in the game. After a flag for roughing the quarterback, Finesse Middleton came up with an 11 yard sack with :51 left and the Jags used their final time out to force a punt.
Then for the third time in the game, Brandon Wright shanked a punt. The kick sailed out of bounds at the 31 yards, a mere 18 yards.
With only :44 on the clock, no time outs and after already missing field goal in the game the Jags had the ball in a 10-10 tie.
After two runs, the Jags were flagged for a false start. Then Xavier Johnson took the ball and came up short of the first down. With the clock running, the offense came to the line of scrimmage and spiked the ball with :06 left. Gavin Patterson came onto the field for a 30 yard attempt. After Panther head coach Trent Miles called both of his remaining time outs, Patterson drilled the kick to take a 13-10 lead with just two seconds left.
The sky kick to the sideline hit off a Panther’s hands and out of bounds. After an official review, they put one second on the clock but the Jaguars prevent defense and three man rush were enough to knock down the ball short of the end zone and give the Jaguars their first conference win.
South Alabama gained only 306 yards, 182 of it through the air. The Panthers gained 240 yards with 127 of them on the ground. Xavier Johnson led the Jags with 83 yards rushing while Everett was the leading receiver with four catches for 49 yards.
But the game MVP and deserved the SBC Special Teams Player of the Week honor was McKee who downed all four of his punts inside the 20. Corliss Waitman punted once for 53 yards and also downed his inside the 20.
Now the Jaguars look to build on their first conference win with a trip to Louisiana-Monroe, who is 2-6 on the season and hoping to keep their bowl chances alive under rookie head coach Matt Viator.
The Warhawks offense has suffered since losing their multi-dimensional quarterback for the season two weeks ago as they have been outscored 110-27 by New Mexico and Arkansas State.
Playing two young quarterbacks, a redshirt freshman and a true freshman, the Warhawks are trying to something that works.
USA did not have any serious injuries for what seemed like the first time all season against the Panthers. The Jags unprecedented list of injured began when they lost all three starting defensive linemen in summer camp, then lost during the season and then lost their leading tackler Kalen Jackson for the season against Troy. Couple that with turf toe injury to your starting quarterback, an undisclosed injury to Josh Magee, a couple injuries to Xavier Johnson that led him to miss playing time and losing the starting left guard and it’s amazing to think that they have wins over Mississippi State and then 19th ranked San Diego State under their belt this season already.
If the Jaguars can get their running game established early and the swarm defense can cause their normal distractions then the Jaguars should have a great opportunity to get back above .500 and one game closer to bowl eligibility.
Oh and let’s stay healthy too. That’s probably the biggest key.
Troy Takes The Battle of the Belt 28-21
The rivalry belt will spend the next year in Troy, Alabama after the Trojans scored 18 unanswered points to win 28-21 with a strong contingent of Trojan fans there to view the game. Jags fall to 3-4 overall and 0-4 in Sun Belt Conference play while Troy improves to 6-1 overall and 4-0 in conference play.
The game started with a flurry but would later be overshadowed by the terrible officiating. The level of officiating would make anyone angry and would draw endless ire if it occurred in a Power 5 conference.
The first play from scrimmage it looked like the Trojans has scored a 79 yard touchdown, but running back Chunn stepped out of bounds near midfield. Then a pass was caught in the middle of the field and he was surrounded by the Jaguars swarm defense and stripped of the ball.
The Jags would capitalize with Xavier Johnson scoring on a short touchdown run.
The Jaguar defense forced a punt deep in Trojan territory, but the snap was low and the Jags pounced. Again another Xavier Johnson short touchdown run put the Jags up 14-0 early in the game.
Troy’s first big play of the game came on an 80 yard touchdown pass from quarterback Brandon Silvers to Tevaris McCormick to half the leave 14-7.
On one of the more dubious moments of officiating in the game, the play was called dead at the snap, Johnson was running out to the right flat and slowing down after the whistle, but a Trojan player kept going full speed, lowered his head and blindsided Xavier. No flag was thrown, but after head coach Joey Jones went to the numbers of the opposite side of the field pleading and checking on his player, the referees reviewed the play for targeting. They determined it was not targeting, Xavier left the game with an injury and never returned.
USA would score only once more after he left as the Jaguar rushing attack went anemic. Actually the Jags were outscored after Johnson and starting left guard Curtis Williams, who left with a knee injury in the first quarter, by a score of 21-7.
In the fourth quarter, in a tie game, the Jags had an opporunity after Randy Allen recovered a fumble late in the game, but the Jaguar offense couldn’t get anything going and went 3 and out.
Troy then drove 80 yards in 5 plays and only used :53 seconds to take a 28-21 lead.
Dallas Davis was sacked on the first play forcing the Jags to use their second time out with 1:06 left. After an incomplete pass, the Jags had some confusion on offense and burned their final time out with 1:00 left in the game.
Dallas Davis, facing 3rd and 18 at their own 13, was flushed out of the pocket and with the secondary playing deep coverage, he was able to scramble for 17 yards and a first down after a review due to a bad spot from the officiating crew.
Dami Ayoola rushed for 10 yards and another first down before Davis was sacked again in the pocket. After way too much time ran off the clock, Davis found Kutchera for a 35 yard completion but as he was trying to fight his way toward the end zone the ball came loose and was recovered by the Trojans with no time left on the clock.
Depsite leaving the game so early, Xavier was the Jags leading rusher with 58 yards on only six carries. Tyreis Thomas added 41 on 10 carries and Ayoola with 34 on 8 carries.
Davis was 11-of-20 for 195 yards and a touchdown, but was sacked 6 times.
Kutchera led the receiving corps with 92 yards on three receptions. Tyrone Williams hauled in 4 catches for 50 yards while Gerald Everett finished with 3 catches for 49 yards and the lone receiving touchdown.
Brandon McKee had seven punts for an average of 49.3 yards per kick, including a 74 yard lone as he pinned the opponent inside the 20 three times. Corliss Waitman kicked twice with an average of 42 yards per kick.
Jordan Chunn led the Trojans with 143 yards rushing on 23 carries for 143 yards and two touchdowns. Silvers finished 28-of-42 for 395 yards and a touchdown.
Tevaris McCormick led all receivers with 127 yards on four catches and the lone passing touchdown. Emanual Thomas was next with 74 yards on 7 catches and John Johnson who has 72 yards on six catches.
Overall Troy outgained USA 585 to 340. Rushing, the Trojans had 190 to USA’s 145. Passing the Trojans had 395 yards to Davis’ 195.
Time of possession was pretty much equal as Troy possessed it for 30:56 in the game.
Jags will have a couple extra days before they host Georgia State on October 29 for homecoming.