Preview: South Alabama Opens Home Slate Against Southeastern Louisiana
Kickoff: Saturday, September 9, 4pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, Alabama
TV/Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
Thunderjags on X (formerly known as Twitter): @USAThunderjags
#5 Jersey: James Miller
South Alabama (0-1) opens their home schedule against Southeastern Louisiana (0-1) at Hancock Whitney Stadium Saturday afternoon.
The last two games by the Jags, the “reverse bookends” if you will, were both played in New Orleans. That would be the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl to end the 2022 season and the 2023 season opener versus Tulane last week. They have both been humbling and glaring blemishes on what head coach Kane Wommack’s short resume as a head coach.
In his sophomore coaching season, he led the Jags to a 10-2 regular season and a bowl game. Western Kentucky found the most glaring weaknesses in the Jaguar defense and took full advantage of it to the tune of a 44-23 win over the Jags.
The similar issues plagued the team on Saturday: Secondary issues and doing your job. Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt had two touchdowns of 47 yards and a third that went for 48 yards. He was 14-of-15 passing for 294 yards against a defense that returned most of its starters from last season.
But it’s not time to pull the fire alarm on the season just yet. Not one game into the 2023 season.
You have to take the game and the match-up into full consideration as well. It was a top 25 game on the road. Tulane returned some very good players on both lines, and it showed. The Jaguar offensive line, despite its experience, couldn’t maintain their blocks to protect quarterback Carter Bradley from the big Green Wave defensive front.
Meanwhile the Jags defensive front had problems getting pressure on Pratt as the picked apart the secondary like a surgeon.
Coach Wommack has talked about facing adversity during the game and responding to that adversity many times. That’s exactly what happened on Saturday. On the second play from scrimmage, the normally sure-handed La’Damian Webb fumbled the ball away to Tulane, which put the Jags behind early.
But the team responded.
Down 10-0, the Jags cut the lead to a field goal early in the second quarter. Then after back-to-back scoring drives that ended with 47-yard touchdown passes, the Jags responded again. A field goal late in the first half and a touchdown about midway through the second quarter had the Jags within seven points.
Coach Wommack said during his weekly radio show that you don’t get chances like [facing a top 25 team] back, now they have to live with the consequences.
He identified problems in the secondary and offensive line that need to be correctly quickly.
The offensive line played fundamentally inconsistent in the game. However, coach Wommack said that they did well identifying defensive schemes, but they just didn’t execute with consistency.
He also said the secondary got caught looking into the backfield to make a big play and the opposite happened.
But the bottom line is that the coaches and players both believe it can and will be corrected.
Southeastern Louisiana
Next up are the Lions. SLU is coached by Frank Scelfo and he’s been named the Southland Coach of the Year twice since being named head coach in January 2018. He is 34-24 (25-13 in conference play). He led the Lions to the Southland Conference championship last year, their first since 2014, and to their third trip to the second round of the NCAA FCS playoffs during his tenure.
If the Scelfo name seems familiar, you’re right. His nephew, Joseph Scelfo, was a starting center for the Jags before transferring to NC State as a Grad Transfer in 2016.
The Lions know how to win, they finished 9-4 in 2022 and reached the second round of the FCS playoffs.
They have a whopping 17 players named to the preseason All-Conference team entering the 2023 season.
Offense
In 2022, under offensive coordinator Greg Stevens, the Lions averaged 35.3 points and 439.8 yards per game.
Helping the Lions out last season was former South Alabama quarterback Cephus Johnson. He finished his collegiate career with the Lions last season and was signed to the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad.
Stevens is known for coaching quarterbacks. In 2021 he helped Cole Kelley to Southland Conference Player of the Year, Louisiana Offensive Player of the Year, Walter Payton Award runner up and consensus All-American honors as the threw for 5,124 yards and 44 touchdowns with a completion percentage of 73.6%. But he also ran for 491 yards and 16 touchdowns as well.
SLU only managed 208 yards of total offense (125 passing, 83 rushing) against Mississippi State in their season opening 48-7 loss last weekend.
Starting quarterback Eli Sawyer was 11-of-19 for 85 yards in the first half before giving way to Zachary Clement. Clement went 5-of-9 for 40 yards with a touchdown in relief. Sawyer and Clement were named to the first- and second-team all-conference preseason teams respectively.
Harlan Dixon led the Lions with 51 yards rushing on eight carries. Rodeo Graham Jr ran for 23 yards on five carries. In all, eight players are credited with carries for the Lions, those that were not quarterbacks did not have any negative yardage against the Bulldogs.
Dixon also topped the stat sheet for the Lions with a team-high four catches for 42 yards. Darius Lewis added three catches for 25 yards.
Defense
Defensive Coordinator Bill D’Ottavio is in his third season with the Lions and his second season calling plays. In 2021 he coached safeties. Then in 2022, his first as the Lions DC, this squad finished 10th in FCS in turnovers forced (24), 5th in interceptions (16), and 11th in defensive touchdowns (3).
Previous to joining SLU, he was the defensive coordinator at Samford for 13 seasons, where he coached four NFL draft picks.
Defensive back Ian Goodly led the Lions with 15 total stops, eight solo, against the Bulldogs. Linebacker Herman Christophe collected 10 stops, 1 solo. Anthony Britton Jr., also a linebacker, finished with nine total stops, two solo, with a forced fumble.
The only player to record a sack was defensive back Khamron Ford, which was one of his two stops for the game.
Special Teams
Austin Dunlap had seven punts for an average of 46.3 yards per kick. His long was 56 yards, four of his kicks were 50+ yards and four were downed inside the opponents 20. He is in his senior year and has played in all five seasons as a Lion with a career average of 42.5 yards per punt with only two blocked, both in his freshman season in 2019.
Riley Callaghan (So) earned Stats Perform Freshman All-America and All-Southland Conference honors as a freshman is the teams placekicker. He went 15-of-18 (with a long of 47 yards) and was 42-of-44 on PATs. He did not attempt any field goals last week.
South Alabama
The Jaguar offense may not have played up to their potential in the first game, but they did show some of what they did well last season. La’Damian Webb wasn’t given much room to run, and was also kept out of the game for a while, but he found creases and eeked out positive yardage. He finished with 40 yards on nine carries.
Kentrel Bullock had 12 carries for 37 yards in his Jaguar debut. Braylon McReynolds only had two carries for nine yards before he left the game with an injury.
Carter Bradley was 23-of-30 for 190 yards, with a touchdown but he was also sacked five times and had two interceptions when he tried to force the ball out.
Jamaal Pritchett led the Jags with 63 yards receiving on five catches. Caullin Lacy led the team with seven receptions for 60 yards. Bullock added 19 yards on three catches out of the backfield. Devin Voisin was held to only one catch for a 7-yard touchdown.
As we mentioned above, we the offensive line struggle to protect Bradley, especially on obvious passing downs. Bradley trying to force the ball out, this led to a pair of interceptions.
There were a few key opportunities where the Jags faced 3rd and short and procedural penalties killed their opportunities. What would have likely been easy first downs by running the ball. Instead, two of them turned into quarterback sacks instead.
Defense
The Jaguar defense held strong against the run for most of the game. Quarterback Michael Pratt was just edged out by Makhi Hughes as the team’s leading rusher (41 to 39), and that was due to the Green Wave’s late success running the ball.
As mentioned earlier, the Jags secondary gave up two touchdown passes of 47 yards and one other for 48 yards.
The defensive front held the Green Wave to a mere 36 yards rushing in the first half. It wasn’t until later in the third quarter that Tulane started finding more success running the ball.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo went 1-of-2 in field goal attempts. His attempt from 53 yards out in the first quarter came up short. But he nailed a 36-yarder in the second quarter. In doing so, he broke the tie he had with former Jaguar placekicker Aleem Sunanon for the all-time scoring record. Guajardo now tops that list with 244 career points.
Jack Martin only saw the field once for a 45-yard punt.
Keys to the Game
Establish the Run
The Jags need to establish the run early against the Lions. They have a defense that loves to cause havoc and force turnovers. Last season the Lion defense forced 16 interceptions alone.
An old adage in football says, and I paraphrase “when you throw the ball, there are three outcomes and two of them are bad.” While that statement may still be true, it hasn’t stopped offenses from throwing the ball at a high frequency. But when your opponent has forced 16 interceptions the previous season, you may look to keep the ball on the ground a bit more if you can find success.
Webb has shown he can get it done. Bullock has shown, in one game so far, that he will be a good addition to the backfield.
However, it looks like the Jags will be without Braylon McReynolds for SLU so everyone moves up a spot on the depth chart. But with Marco Lee, Jonathon Carter (R-Fr), and a trio of true freshmen, the Jags look okay depth and talent wise at the position.
Tighten up the Secondary
Getting torched by three explosive touchdown passes in one game will definitely light a fire under you. But then if you go back and see how inconsistent they have played over the last two games (spanning the bowl game last season) and you know these guys are going to put in the work to get better.
You are only guaranteed a limited number of games in a season. You have to make your opportunities count. One has already passed. Now they have 11 more chances during this regular season to show what they can do.
This group needs to go out and show they can get it done on Saturday during game situations.
They need to get their eye discipline back and to simply do their job and trust their teammates to do their job as well.
Pass Protection
The offensive line had a tough assignment against Tulane. But they have to shake that off and get back to executing the fundamentals at a high level. The quarterback needs time to go through his progression and the receivers need to have time to run their routes.
Giving Bradley a little more time in the pocket will allow him to stretch the field vertically, making the defense have to cover and respect more of the field. Last Saturday against Tulane, the defense had effectively shorted the field that they needed to defend and the Jag offense struggled because of it.
Injuries
Jalen Jordan went out early in the game with a foot injury. Coaches think he could be ready to play against SLU, however they will know more later in the week. At this time, they are projecting him as Questionable.
Braylon McReynolds left the game with a shoulder injury after a kickoff return. Coach Wommack said he was “very questionable” for Saturday. They will also know more about the extent of his injury later in the week but we likely will not see him against the Lions at a minimum.
Yam Banks was forced out of the game in the second half after forcing a fumble. They put him in the concussion protocol. While they believe he will be cleared to play by Saturday, if he did suffer a concussion, it’s not a guarantee he will be able to suit up on Saturday.
Prediction
South Alabama opened as a 10-point favorite and the consensus is that the Jags are a 9.5-point favorite if you can find a line anywhere. Looking up and down their roster, their size and skillset are on par with what you see across the Sun Belt.
Southeastern Louisiana is no pushover.
The Jags have won eight consecutive games against FCS teams, but not without some close calls. In 2021, the Jags defeated Alcorn State 28-21. In 2016 the Jags needed two stops in overtime to earn a 41-40 win over Nicholls. The Jags lost to Southern Utah 22-21 to start the 2013 season.
I think they keep the win streak alive. But I think some of the fans who don’t read this site (or any site for that matter) will not be satisfied with the win because SLU is an FCS school.
I think the Jags cover the spread in the friendly confines of the ‘cock, but don’t look for it to be a blow out as the uninformed will expect. I think it’ll be something more modest like 30-13. Even if they are able to have their way with the Lions, I don’t think they will put too much on display for Oklahoma State to watch and prepare for when the Jags go to Stillwater in week 3.
Go Jags!
Jags Fall On The Road At #24 Tulane, 37-17
The 2023 football season did not start as well as the Jaguars had hoped.
Tulane defended their #24 ranking as quarterback Michael Pratt took advantage of the Jaguar secondary for the tune of 294 yards and four touchdowns while completing 14 of 15 pass attempts on the way to a 37-17 over the Jags at Yulman Stadium Saturday night.
The Jaguars woes in the secondary is too similar to the Jags appearance in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl in December when Western Kentucky’s Austin Reed lit up the Jags for 497 yards and four touchdowns in a 44-23 win in the Caesar’s Superdome.
The Jags secondary had receivers running wide open and giving up explosive plays. Pratt connected with Jha’Quan Jackson and Lawrence Keys for 47-yard touchdowns.
South Alabama’s woes started early when the normally sure-handed La’Damian Webb fumbled on the second play of the game giving the Green Wave a short field. It only took them four places to get into the end zone for the first points of the game.
After Diego Guajardo came up short on a 53-yard field goal attempt, the Green Wave answered with a 29-yard field goal.
The Jags got on the scoreboard early in the second quarter when quarterback Carter Bradley ran to the right and dove for the pylon. After being called out of bound short of the end zone, the officials reviewed the play and overturned the call on the field for a touchdown.
Tulane only needed three plays to respond. After a four-yard run, Patt connected with Dontae Fleming for 39 yards, but a facemask penalty gave 15 yards back. But Pratt connected with Jackson for the 47-yard score for a 17-7 advantage.
After a punt, the Green Wave would strike again quickly. A six-yard run set up Pratt to connect with Keys for another 47-yard touchdown and a 24-7 lead.
Bradley threw his first interception at the Tulane 27 but the Jags defense got the ball right back with Khalil Jacobs strip sacked Pratt and Ke’Shun Brown recovered it at the 13. Unfortunately, the offense had to settle for a 36 yard field goal for a 24-10 halftime score.
Tulane got the opening kick of the second half and a few plays into the quarter Yam Banks forced a fumble that Ricky Fletcher recovered at the Jags 47. But that was also the end of Banks’ night as he went into the concussion protocol and never returned.
The Jags strung together a 12 play, 53 yard drive that was capped off by Bradley’s 7-yard touchdown pass to Devin Voisin. However, that would be the Jags last points of the game.
Tulane would close out the game with 13-unanswered points. The Green Wave capped off the scoring with a 48-yard touchdown pass from Pratt to Jackson and a pair of field goals.
Stats
The Jags rushed for 75 yards on 32 attempts. They threw for 190 yards for 265 yards of total offense.
Tulane rushed for 142 yards on 38 carries and threw for 294 yards for 436 yards of total offense.
Carter Bradley was 23-of-30 for 190 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Pratt finished 14-of-15 for 294 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions.
La’Damian Webb led the Jags ground attack with 40 yards on nine carries. Kentrel Bullock added 37 yards on 12 carries, and Braylon McReynolds had 9 yards on two carries.
Makhi Hughes ran for 41 yards on 8 carries to lead the Green Wave. Pratt ran for 39 yards on 11 carries, leading the Tulane rushing attack for most of the game.
Jamaal Pritchett caught five passes for 63 yards. Caullin Lacy added seven catches for 60 yards. Devin Voisin was the only receiver with a score, his only catch for the game.
Jha’Quan Jackson caught three passes in the game for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Lawrence Keys added four catches for 96 yards and a touchdown. Chris Brazzell also had four catches for 53 yards and a touchdown.
James Miller and Jamie Sheriff led the team with seven stops each. Khalil Jacobs was the only Jag to record a sack.
Sheriff, Jacobs and Yam Banks all forced one fumble each.
Yam Banks, Jalen Jordan and Braylon McReynolds all left the game with injuries not to return. Their status for next week will need to be monitored for next week.
Quotes
“I’m very disappointed in just the lack of execution of the things we say we wanted to do to win,” said head coach Kane Wommack. “The first thing, you’ve got to take care of the football. We turned the ball over five times. That’s not winning football, that’s not the way we have won here in the past. We said defensively we wanted to limit explosive plays, and we’ve got a very experienced secondary that put their eyes in the wrong place. Whether they were trying to make too many plays up front or the intermediate game. Credit them, they had a good plan, but it’s a hard pill to swallow when you just don’t execute.”
“Two of the issues were things we have worked tirelessly to get corrected,” Wommack said. “And they did not. It’s unfortunate, but we’re going to have to show our guys again how truly disciplined they have to be on the back end.”
Speaking about the Western Kentucky film, Jaden Voisin said, “We’ve got to find those holes on film and patch them up. People are going to attack us based on that (Western Kentucky) film. We’ve got to clean some things up in that area.”
Next Game
South Alabama opens their home schedule with Southeastern Louisiana at Hancock Whitney Stadium. The game will kick off at 4pm on Saturday, September 9th. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and the Jaguar Radio Network.
Preview: South Alabama Opens Season At #24 Tulane
Kickoff: Saturday, September 2 7:00 PM
Venue: Yulman Stadium – New Orleans, LA
TV/Streaming: ESPNU
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
#5 Jersey: Devin Voisin
Thunderjags on X (Formerly Twitter): @USAThunderjags
Preface
The Thunderjags family have been going through a lot over the last few months and our coverage leading up to the season has been basically non-existent unfortunately. It’s been a struggle to get back into gear. We have and continue to be a partnership, but while my family life has calmed down a little bit lately and I am eager to get back to some normalcy, my partner is still going through his own family issues. However you send support, I would humbly ask you to keep my partner, his family (and also my family) in your thoughts, prayers, or however you support people in your personal belief system. Speaking for both Thunderjags, we appreciate it!
Now, on with the preview!
The Season Is Here
South Alabama will open their 2023 campaign with a top 25 matchup versus the Tulane Green Wave in New Orleans at Yulman Stadium.
Tulane was the darling of bowl season finishing with a 12-2 record, which included a win over UCF in the AAC championship game. That win vaulted Tulane into a New Years Day 6 bowl game as the top ranked team with the best record in the Group of Five conference. The Green Wave then defeated the top 10 ranked USC Trojans 46-45 in the Cotton Bowl.
South Alabama finished their 2022 campaign with a 10-3 record. Marking their best FBS season in program history with five straight wins to close out the regular season. However, their streak would come to an end in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl with a 23-44 loss and remain winless in three bowl game appearances over the program’s short history.
Between these two programs, there are lofty expectations for 2023.
But past performance does not guarantee future results, especially not in college football.
Tulane
Tulane finished 2022 ranked 9th in the nation in the AP poll. But you only have to look back to 2021 and the Green Wave’s 2-10 record to understand how preseason rankings don’t necessarily indicate how a new team and a new season will perform. But eighth-year head coach Willie Fritz hopes to maintain the standard set forth by the 2022 team.
Offense
The Green Wave returns three-year starter Michael Pratt who threw for 3,009 yards and 27 touchdowns last season. However, they have to replace running back Tyjae Spears, who was the Cotton Bowl MVP, that rushed for 1,581 yards and 19 touchdowns last season.
Coach Fritz has not said who will be replacing Spears, but that he had five good running backs and they will be testing them out over the first few games.
The likely starters on the offensive line are all senior or redshirt-seniors that have quite a bit of experience under their respective belts. They also weigh an average of 308lb.
At receiver they have a somewhat untested group of potential starters. A senior transfer from Notre Dame who only saw five snaps in the season opening game in 2021. His usage has trended down from 2019 when he played in 12 games with three starts until sitting out the remainder of the 2021 season.
Defense
The Tulane defense lines up in a base 4-2-5 package, similar to the Jags. The defensive line is experienced and deep but their likely starting linebackers seem to be less experienced.
The secondary is comprised of all upper classmen but the likely starters are mostly transfers into the program at one time or another.
Special Teams
Punter Casey Glover (R-Sr) returns from a season where he averaged over 41 yards per attempt with 20 fair catches, 20 downed inside the 20, 9 punts of 50+ yards and 0 blocks. His longest recorded punt was 65 yards. Glover is also the kickoff specialist and played in all 14 games last season with 45 touchbacks and only one kick out of bounds.
Also returning is placekicker Valentino Ambrosio (R-Sr). He transferred in from Rutgers last season. For the Green Wave he played in eight games going 10-of-11 with a long of 47 yards.
Ethan Hadak (R-Jr) played in 34 games over three seasons for the Green Wave, including all 13 last Fall.
South Alabama
The Jaguars enter the third season under the direction of head coach Kane Wommack with an unprecedented set of expectations. Despite the expectations from what some may consider a season where the Jags overachieved, the players and coaches, when they allow themselves to look back, they see both an amazing season with some undertones of slight underachievement.
They lost to UCLA on a last second field goal and lost to their rival Troy 6-10 in a defensive slug match. But many took the loss to Western Kentucky personal, include coach Wommack.
The Jags felt like they could have easily been in the Conference Championship game and could have been the Group of Five representative in the New Years Day 6 bowl games.
Offense
Coach Wommack and offensive coordinator Major Applewhite return nine starters on an offense that put up an average of over 31 points per game last season. Receiver Jalen Wayne was drafted by the Cleveland Browns but leaves a very talented and experienced pair of receivers for quarterback Carter Bradley to target.
Speaking of Carter Bradley (Sr) he set school records in passing yards (3,326), completions (276), and touchdowns (28) in his first season at USA. He ranked in the top 50 nationally in 11 different categories. He has been named to at least five different watch lists this season including: Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, the Manning Award, the Davey O’Brien Award, The Wuerffel Trophy, and the Maxwell Award Watch Lists.
Veteran Desmond Trotter will back up Carter and freshman Gio Lopez is listed as 3rd string, seemingly beating out redshirt-freshman Bishop Davenport, a Utah State transfer.
La’Damian Webb (R-Sr) returns after setting the regular season rushing yard mark with 1,015 yards in his first regular season with the program. He saw action in 12 games, missing only one with an injury but was held to minimal carries in two others due to injury. He ran for 152 yards and three touchdowns against Arkansas State and then for 247 yards and four touchdowns (both school records) against Georgia Southern in a game where he willed his team to victory. He ranked in the top 50 in seven categories nationally including 13th in rushing touchdowns and 10th in total touchdowns.
Webb is backed up by Braylon McReynolds (So) who played in 11 games as a true freshman with 326 yards on 59 carries. He was able to show his speed and explosiveness only a few times last season, but look for him to get more opportunities this season.
The staff added Kentrell Bullock (Jr), an Ole Miss transfer, and he will also factor into the rotation with McReynolds.
Marco Lee (Sr) returns after his first season with the Jags where he had 67 carries for 247 yards and four touchdowns, including a pair of touchdowns against UCLA. He will be the bruiser back they can send in for those tough goal line and short yardage situations.
Replacing Wayne as the starter in week one is Jamaal Pritchett (So). He saw action in eight games last fall but only has two catches to his resume. On the other side is Devin Voisin (R-Jr) who played in all 13 games. He was named an honorable mention All-SBC team and All-Conference by Phil Steele. He had 64 catches for 867 yards and five touchdowns on the season, including a season-high 11 catches and 153 yards in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl against Western Kentucky.
Caullin Lacy (Jr) started all 13 games last season in the slot with a team-high 65 catches for 816 yards and six touchdowns with a career high 12 catches for 133 yards against Louisiana-Monroe. He also serves as the primary punt returner with 21 returns for 189 yards and a touchdown return against Louisiana Tech.
What may be one of the more underrated positions of strength on the offense is at tight end. The Jags return five seasoned and talented players in Lincoln Sefcik (Sr), DJ Thomas-Jones (Sr), Brandon Crum (Sr), Jacob Hopper (Jr), and Todd Justice (R-Jr). While they haven’t been featured pass receivers over the last few seasons, they are excellent possession receivers and tend to come through when the ball is thrown their way and a catch is needed.
Sefcik and Thomas-Jones will likely split starting duties again this season.
But what allows the offense to do what it does, the offensive line returns all but one starter from last year. James Jackson is gone since his eligibility was exhausted. But Josh McCulloch (Sr), Dontae Lucas (Sr), Reggie Smith (Sr), and Adrein Strickland (So) all return. Reggie Smith will move over to center and James Robinson (R-Jr) will start at left guard. Robinson transferred in from Tennessee and saw action in eight games last year as a backup guard and also on special teams.
Defense
The defense returns their own fair share of starters from last year while returning some talented players from injury too.
Jamie Sheriff (R-Sr), Wy’Kevious Thomas (R-Jr), and Charles Coleman (Sr) all return as starters on the defensive line. Brock Higdon (R-Jr), Jamall Hickbottom (Sr), and Carlos Johnson (Jr), Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge (R-So), and Maurice Strong Jr. (Sr) all return with game experience from last season. Unfortunately it seems that Ed Smith (So) will miss this game and possibly the season with an injury in the last practice of fall camp.
James Miller (Sr), Trey Kiser (Sr), and Quentin Wilfawn (R-Jr) all return as starters at linebacker. Ke’Shun Brown (R-Jr) also has starting experience and returns to bolster the group as a reserve along with Khalil Jacobs (So) and LaMondre Brooks (So) are both listed on the two-deep with game experience from last season.
The coaching staff added Gavin Forsha (Jr) from Kansas State, Taylor Milton (Jr) from Texas A&M, Emauri Sibley (So) from JuCo ranks, and Eli Webb (So) from Belhaven to add some additional depth at linebacker.
Ricky Fletcher (So) and Marquise Robinson (Jr) return as starting corners with Reggie Neely (Jr) and Dallas Gamble (R-Jr) both return with game experience as reserves.
Keith Gallmon (R-Sr) returns at free safety after missing all of 2022 with an injury. He is backed up by Rickey Hyatt (R-Jr). Jaden Voisin (R-Jr) or Jalen Jordan (Jr) are listed as the starter at Rover. Yam Banks (Jr) is back to start at Husky after leading the team with six interceptions last season.
The coaching staff added a long list of players in the offseason to add quality depth in the secondary. Reggie Neely (Jr Juco), Eli Ntsasa (Jr community college), Cameron Rutledge (Jr Division II transfer), Wesley Miller (R-Fr Mississippi State), Jordon Buchanan (R-Fr Purdue), Jamarrien Burt (R-Fr Oklahoma), Brian Dillart (R-So West Georgia), and Mike Harris (R-Jr Baylor) all transferred.
Coach Wommack also hired former Southern Miss head coach Jay Hopson, who previously served two years as Director of High School Relations at Mississippi State to coach the cornerbacks along with defensive coordinator Corey Batoon, who coaches the safeties, but calls plays from the press box during games.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo (Sr) will handle placekicking duties, his fourth season as the starter. Desmond Trotter or Jack Martin are listed as serving as the holder. Jacob Meeks (Sr) will return to serve as kickoff specialist. With Jack Brooks deciding to depart the team, Jack Martin (Sr) who transferred from Alabama but didn’t see any action in 2022, is listed along with true freshman Aleksi Pulkkinen from Helsinki Finland as the punter.
Travis Drosos (Jr) will handle the long snapping duties with Anthony Zaccaro (Jr) backing him up.
Caullin Lacy will handle punt returns and Braylon McReynolds and Caullin Lacy will line up for kickoff returns.
Keys to the Game
Consistency
More often than not, the team that executes more consistently in the first game of the season tends to win the game.
Over the last two seasons with Coach Wommack and his staff, they have been pretty consistent in the early games of the season. In 2021 they defeated Southern Miss, now a fellow conference member, in the season opener. Then in 2022 they handled FCS Nicholls as expected, but they also went to Central Michigan and defeated the Jim McElwain coached Chippewas with consistent execution.
Quarterback Pressure
South Alabama was picked apart by a very talented and experienced quarterback at Western Kentucky. It really exposed and exploited the secondary as the weak point of the Jaguars defense.
Tulane is returning a three-year starter at quarterback who completed 62% of his passes last season for 2,684 yards while also rushing for 494 yards. They may not set off alarm bells, but Pratt has shown that he a player.
He is regarded enough to be named to the Maxwell Award Watch List in 2022 and again for this season.
Tulane will definitely test all aspects of the Jaguar defense. If the Jags defensive front can’t get pressure on Pratt and the Jag secondary struggles against the pass, it could be another long game in New Orleans.
Running Backs
The edited mantra for the Jags last season was “Run the Dang ball.” It was such a thing that strength and conditioning coach Matt Shadeed was, I believe, the first one to have a shirt made to wear at practice with….a version….of the saying prominently displayed on it.
And La’Damian Webb sure did his part!
This may be the deepest and most talented group of running backs, from top to bottom, that have all suited up for the Jags in one season. They may only be three listed on the two-deep chart, but there are five running backs who could easily be put in to start.
Last season the Jags averaged just over 155 yards per game rushing. They have a good opportunity with the talent they have to improve on that this season.
Meanwhile Tulane averaged just under 205 yards rushing per game. Their leading rusher, Tyjae Spears, is gone this season which leaves their top returning rusher as quarterback Michael Pratt.
Coach Fitz and his staff will undoubtedly find someone who fill Spears’ cleats.
The Jags defense held opponents to just over 92 yards rushing per game last season. So this could be a very interesting matchup on the field Saturday night.
Prediction
South Alabama is a 6.5 point underdog to Tulane in New Orleans.
The first game of a new season is often a tricky one. It can set the tone for the entire season to come. You find out quickly where you need to improve and likely where your strengths lie.
This couldn’t be truer than this season opener.
Two teams who exceeded expectations last season who now have higher expectations for this season. But we also have two teams that couldn’t be more opposite once the final whistle sounded last season.
Tulane held off a top 10 ranked USC, while the Jaguars suffered their worst loss of the season in their bowl game. Coach Wommack, his staff and the players all looked back at what the season could have been. A one-point loss on the road at UCLA on a field goal as time expired, a four-point loss at home against Troy in their lowest offensive output of the season, but then the 21-point loss to Western Kentucky in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
South Alabama still has the bitter taste of defeat fresh in their mouth. But they are also going back to the same city where that bitterness originated.
I can’t help but think that’s some extra motivation.
While I may be looking at this through my red, white and blue glasses, I think the Jags not only cover the spread, but they win outright 38-34.
South Alabama Falls To Western Kentucky In New Orleans Bowl
South Alabama (10-3) was simply unprepared for Western Kentucky’s (9-5) passing attack led by Austin Reed. Reed threw for a New Orleans Bowl record 497 yards to lead the Hilltoppers to a 44-23 win over the Jags.
The Hilltoppers used tempo during the season, but they dialed up the tempo and caught the Jags unprepared for the additional speed of play. The defense struggled to get the plays in and the defense struggled to get lined up before the snap.
Yam Banks was caught in coverage against a wide receiver early in the game which resulted in a score.
Reed was 36-of-55 in the game with four touchdowns and one interception. Malachi Corley led the Hilltoppers with 11 catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns. Dalvin Smith led the Hilltoppers with 145 receiving yards on six catches with a touchdown. Jaylen Hall added another 138 yards on nine catches and a touchdown.
Markese Stepp led the Hilltoppers with 63 rushing yards on seven attempts. Davion Ervin-Poindexter led the rushers with nine carries but only gained 33 yards.
Carter Bradley was 36-of-53 for 360 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions in the loss.
Devin Voisin led the Jags with 11 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown. Caullin Lacy added seven catches for 57 yards. DJ Thomas-Jones had four catches for 45 yards and a touchdown. La’Damian Webb caught four passes for 29 yards and a touchdown.
Webb also led the Jags rushing attack with 48 yards on 12 carries. Braylon McReynolds added 15 yards on four carries.
CJ Thompson led the Jags defense with seven total stops, six solo. Trey Kiser, CJ Rias, and Jalen Jordan all had one tackle for loss in the game. The Jags couldn’t get to Reed for any sacks in the game.
Yam Banks had a highlight reel worthy interception to save a touchdown. It was a leaping one-handed catch in the end zone to turn away the Hilltoppers on one drive.
Overall, the Jags defense was just seemingly overwhelmed. They allowed a single game record 677 yards of total offense and 522 passing yards.
Meanwhile the Jags rolled up 421 yards of total offense, 377 yards through the air and only gained a net of 44 yards rushing after sack yardage was applied.
The Hilltoppers averaged 9.3 yards per passing attempt and 8.3 yards per snap against the Jags.
In the end, it wasn’t the ending to the season that the players and staff wanted or were hoping for. But on a positive note, the Jags still set a new program record for wins in a season as an FBS program. Coming into the bowl game, the two losses were by a combined 5 points.
On another positive note, the Jags got several additional practices in when many teams didn’t have the same opportunity. Hopefully those additional practices will help the Jags going into spring practice in just a few short months.
The 2022 South Alabama Jaguars set the bar high for future teams and the returning players will have a chip on their shoulder for 2023.
Go Jags, J’s Up!
Preview: R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl – South Alabama vs Western Kentucky
Kickoff: Wednesday, December 21, 8:00pm
Venue: Caesars Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
TV/Streaming: ESPN
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
Thunderjags Twitter: @USAThunderjags
South Alabama’s march towards the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl is quickly reaching its end. The Jags will tee it off against the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at 8pm on Wednesday, December 21st in the Big Easy.
Jaguar fans have been eager to earn a bowl invite since their last trip in 2016.
Six years is a long time to wait for another shot to win the schools first bowl game. While the Jags were favored to be bowl eligible in preseason prognostications, few outside of Jag Nation thought they would be rolling into the post season with a 10-2 record. Much less only losing their two games by a combined 5 points.
While playing in a bowl game is a huge accomplishment for the team, the extra practices leading up to the bowl game is huge in and of itself. It’s additional reps for the young players and keeps momentum going to bridge the football season into spring football.
Head coach Kane Wommack said in his press conference leading up to game week that the team has gone back to a fall camp practice schedule. They were doing fundamental drills that haven’t been run since August due to time. But they are still doing preparation for Western Kentucky at certain times throughout those practices. Once they got to game week, then they started their usual game-week preparation.
Western Kentucky
The Hilltoppers are no stranger to South Alabama. They were fellow members in the Sun Belt Conference from 1982 until their departure in 2014. The Jags and Hilltoppers had a particularly strong rivalry in men’s basketball over the years.
The one and only time the Jags and Hilltoppers met on the gridiron, the Jags won 31-24 back in the 2013 season.
Now the Hilltoppers come in representing Conference USA with an 8-5 record on the season. They were allowed to schedule a 13th regular season game by the NCAA as compensation for traveling to play at Hawaii. Some of their noteworthy games on the season: 33-30 loss at Indiana, 73-0 win over Florida International, 31-28 loss to CUSA Champ UTSA, and a 32-31 win over Florida Atlantic in overtime in the regular season finale.
Offense
Western Kentucky is the #2 ranked passing offense team in the nation, behind only Washington and ahead of #3 Tennessee and #4 Georgia Southern. Their rushing offense ranks 72nd in the nation. They rank 10th in total offense in the nation.
On the season Western Kentucky averaged 35.8 points (18th nationally), 483.5 total yards (9th nationally), 339.2 passing yards (2nd nationally), 144.3 rushing yards (72nd nationally), and 28:52 time of possession per game (92nd nationally).
They converted 72-of-175 (41%) of their 3rd down attempts (T46th nationally) and 15-of-37 (41%) of their 4th down attempts (105th nationally).
They possessed the ball in their opponents red zone 53 times, scoring on 44 of those possessions (83%) with 34 of them being touchdowns (64%) (71st nationally).
Austin Reed went 353-of-548 (64.4%) for 4,249 yards, 36 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions at quarterback. Two other players saw some playing time but neither one had any significant numbers for the season. Reed actually put his name in the transfer portal, but has since removed it to stay at WKU.
In total, WKU had seven receivers who had over 100 yards receiving on the season, four of them with over 500 yards on the season, and also seven receivers who caught touchdowns. Malachi Corley led the team with 1,181 yards on 90 catches with 9 touchdowns. Daewood Davis added 872 yards on 63 catches with 7 touchdowns in 12 games played. Jaylen Hall had 731 yards on 59 catches with 5 touchdowns. Michael Mathison added 580 yards on 49 catches with 3 touchdowns.
Kye Robichaux and Davion Ervin-Poindexter were the top two running backs on the season. Robichaux, a sophomore, rushed for 496 yards on 73 carries with three touchdowns in only eight games played, he suffered an injury against North Texas and saw action in only one other game the rest of the season. Robichaux is listed 3rd on the depth chart at running back. Ervin-Poindexter rushed for 492 yards on 107 carries with 3 touchdowns as well. Quarterback Reed has logged 199 yards on 87 attempts with eight touchdowns.
Defense
The Hilltopper defense is allowing an average of 23.5 points (44th nationally), 380.8 total yards (69th nationally), 225.2 passing yards (70th nationally), 155.6 rushing yards (75th nationally), and 31:08 time of possession per game this season.
Opponents are converting 68-of-194 (35%) of their 3rd down attempts (39th nationally) and 14-of-28 (50%) of their 4th down attempts on the season (T62nd nationally).
Opponents have scored on 36-of-41 (88%) of their trips into the red zone. With 24 (59%) of them result in touchdowns (98th nationally).
JaQues Evans leads the team with 100 total stops, 60 of them solo. Evens also leads the team with 11 tackles for loss, and sacks with 7.5, two fumble recoveries, and a blocked kick. Derrick Smith is next with 90 total stops, 56 solo with six tackles for loss and three sacks and an interception. Kahlef Hailassie has 65 total stops, 44 of them solo, 8 tackles for loss (2nd on team), three sacks, 2 interceptions and a fumble recovery.
Kaleb Oliver and Upton Stout are the team co-leaders with three interceptions each. .
Special Teams
Brayden Narveson converted all 59 of his extra point attempts on the season. He also went 15-of-21 on field goal attempts with a long of 51 yards.
Cory Munson has handled all but one punt on the season. Munson is averaging 61.1 yards per punt with 34 touchbacks and 3 kicked out of bounds. Narveson punted once on the season for 65 yards and a touchback.
Transfer Portal
Most of WKU’s student athletes entering the transfer portal are on the defensive side of the ball. Edge rusher and leading tackler JaQues Evans entered the transfer portal on 12/14. He joined fellow edge rusher Dante Walker who joined on 12/12. Safety Arthur Brathwaite entered on 12/7.
Offensive tackle Luke Slusher and wide receiver Joshua Simon both entered the portal on 12/6.
On 12/5 Wide receiver Barry Wagner, safety Talique Allen, quarterbck Darius Ocean, and offensive tackle Rusty Staats all entered the portal.
12/1 starting kicker Brayden Narveson entered his name into the transfer portal.
South Alabama
As has been already mentioned, this is the Jags first bowl appearance since 2016 and only the 3rd bowl appearance in program history.
Head coach Kane Wommack only needed two seasons to get the Jags into a bowl game and to record their best record as a FBS program. The New Orleans Bowl gives them the opportunity to add one more to their win column and to notch the programs first bowl win.
Offense
The Jags are averaging 31.9 points (T41st nationally), 423.8 total yards (40th nationally), 259.2 passing yards (42nd nationally), 164.6 (57th nationally) rushing yards, and 32:24 time of possession (18th nationally) per game this season.
They are converting 77-of-179 (43%, 35th nationally) of their 3rd down attempts, and 17-of-26 (65.4%, T21st nationally) of their 4th down attempts.
Of the Jags 49 trips into the red zone, they’ve scored on 41 of them (83.7%) and scored touchdowns on 30 (61.2%) of those trips. Those numbers rank them at T68 nationally in red zone offense.
Quarterback Carter Bradley, who came to South Alabama from Toledo, has gone 240-of-374 (64.2%) for 2,983 yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions during the regular season. Desmond Trotter appeared in four games going 14-of-18 for 127 yards.
South Alabama had a trio of receivers with over 50 receptions and 700-yards receiving on the season. Jalen Wayne led the trio with 793 yards and 9 touchdowns on 56 catches. Caullin Lacy led the trio with 58 catches for 759 yards and six touchdowns. Devin Voisin, who came on later in the season, caught 53 passes for 718 yards and four touchdowns.
Behind the three-headed beast of receivers, the next closest is Braylon McReynolds with 188 yards on 17 catches with a touchdown.
La’Damian Webb led the Jags backfield with 1,015 yards on 197 carries with 13 touchdowns. He missed one game due to an injury.
McReynolds finished his true freshman regular season with 311 yards on 55 carries as the second leading rusher. Marco Lee rushed for 247 yards and four touchdowns on 67 carries. Omni Wells rushed for 234 yards on 55 carries.
Defense
The Jags are allowing an average of 19.4 points (T14th nationally), 302.6 total yards (11th nationally), 215.0 passing yards (51st nationally), 87.6 rushing yards (4th nationally), and 27:11 time of possession per game.
Opponents converted 49-of-164 (29.9%, 11th nationally) of their 3rd down attempts, and 15-of-26 (57.7%, T105th nationally) of their 4th down attempts.
Opponents have possessed the ball in the red zone 35 times during the regular season and scored on 28 of those trips (80%), with only 17 being touchdowns (48.6%) those numbers lands them at T36th nationally.
Jaden Voisin finished the regular season with 76 total stops, 42 of them solo, to lead the team. He added 6 tackles for loss, two interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Trey Kiser had 71 total stops, 53 solo, with four sacks and a forced fumble on the season. Kiser and CJ Rias are team co-leaders with 10 tackles for loss each. Jamie Sheriff leads the team with six sacks.
Yam Banks leads the team with 5 interceptions on the season while also leading with 10 pass breakups and five quarterback hurries.
Special Teams
Jack Brooks has 53 punts on the season with an average of 42.8 yards per kick with 16 kicks downed inside the 20, 11 fair catches, 10 punts of 50+ yards and only 3 touchbacks.
Diego Guajardo finished the season 17-of-18 on field goals with a long of 49 yards, and 44-of-45 on extra point attempts.
Transfer Portal
Only two Jaguars who have entered the portal have been Anterrious Gray, who left the team to enter his name into the portal during the season, and reserve quarterback Eli Gainey.
Keys to the Game
Pass Defense
Western Kentucky is a very prolific passing offense led by the most prolific quarterback the Jags will have faced all season. In addition, the Jags have had their share of injuries in the back end of the defense. Keith Gallmon Jr was lost in preseason camp, Marvin Martin was lost during the season with very serious hit in practice, Quentin Wilfawn was lost during the season due to a shoulder injury.
It seems the Jags have been particularly susceptible to inside slants. But when they are able to shut down their opponents rushing attack and are able to get pressure on the quarterback with their defensive front, they have been able to drop a linebacker and take away that play.
The Hilltoppers rank above Georgia Southern (4th ranks passing offense nationally), which the Jags were able to defeat in Statesboro. The Jags held them to almost 50 yards below their season average and only allowed seven points in the second half.
Turnovers
Turnovers as a “key to the game” is pretty obvious. It’s always a key to the game.
An interesting college football stat is that, if your team averages a turnover margin of +1 per game, you should expect them to win 8 or 9 games if all other things are equal (but they never are).
However teams often have more turnovers in bowl games, possibly due to the time between their final regular season game and the bowl game. Call it rust, or just a long layoff, but teams often suffer from the “turnover bug” in postseason play.
It’s a no-brainer that if you get more turnovers than you give away, your chance of winning is higher.
The Jags offense has been very good all season protecting the ball. They’ve had 10 fumbles all season but lost only 4 of them to their opponents. Bradley has thrown 10 interceptions but he threw half of them in the final four games of the season, three in the last two while he was nursing an injured non-throwing shoulder.
Run The D*mn Ball
RTDB has become a mantra for the Jags. It was mentioned that Director of Football Athletic Performance, Matt Shadeed, printed “RTDB” on a sheet of paper and taped it to his shirt for a practice and that was when they adopted it as their mantra. Now they have actually printed shirts that have been worn by coaches in practices.
La’Damian Webb has shouldered the workload in a few games and basically willed the team to a win. The offensive line opened a crease and Webb would explode through them to grind out first down and melt the clock. That has helped him to be only the second 1,000 yard rusher in Jaguar history.
He scored the final three touchdowns against Georgia Southern in the Jags come-from-behind win and ate clock while doing it. He even did that after having the flu during the week leading up to the game.
A strong run game will minimize opponent’s possessions and shorten the game. Braylon McReynolds showed he can fill in for Webb in the final two games of the season when Webb was hampered by a foot injury. Marco Lee and Omni Wells also had a huge game filling in for Webb and McReynolds when they both missed a game early in the season.
Prediction
South Alabama opened at a 7.5-point favorite but the spread has shrunk to only a 4.5 point favorite for the Jags.
Coach Wommack and his staff are great and preparing for games as well as master motivators. I expect the Jags to come out fast. The team, especially the seniors, will be highly motivated to earn the first bowl win in program history. Excluding players who have transferred from other programs, there’s no one on the team who have been to a bowl game before.
I think the Jags win but I think it will be a close, hard-fought game where they don’t cover the spread. I wouldn’t be surprised if we see the Jags having to mount a game winning drive late in the game.
Go Jags!
South Alabama Rallies Late To Defeat Old Dominion 27-20, Earns Tenth Win Of Season
South Alabama (10-2, 7-1 SBC) held Old Dominion (3-9, 2-6 SBC) scoreless after halftime for a comeback win over the Monarchs to secure the programs first 10-win season as a FBS program. The win also kept the Jags hopes alive for a berth in the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game.
A banged-up Carter Bradley found Jalen Wayne for a 30-yard touchdown with 4:50 left in the 3rd quarter to tie the game.
Then in the 4th quarter the Jags pieced together a 15-play, 69-yard drive in 6:57 to take the lead for the first and only time of the game. Carter Bradley opened the drive with a gutsy 18-yard run with a thrilling hurdle over a Monarch defender. On 3rd and goal at the 2-yard line, Bradley connected with DJ Thomas-Jones for the touchdown to complete the comeback.
The Monarch had one last chance to tie the game. They opened their possession with a 15-yard pass from Wolff to Ahmarian Granger and two plays later what looked like a big sack for a 6-yard loss was negated by a facemask penalty for 15 yards. Five plays later it looked like Old Dominion had a 25-yard touchdown pass but a penalty for a chop block moved them back to the Jaguars 40-yard line. Then on 4th & 13, Jamie Sheriff sacked Wolff for a 10-yard loss and a turnover on downs.
The Jags haven’t won many, if any, coin tosses at home this season. They won the toss and elected to defer their choice to the second half. The Monarchs took the opening kickoff and only needed five plays to find the end zone and put the Jags in the hole 7-0. On the second snap Hayden Wolff connected with Blake Watson for a 36-yard gain. Three plays later and Wolff connected with Javon Harvey for a 26-yard touchdown.
South Alabama answered back with a 15-play, 75-yard drive to tie the game. Carter Bradley finished the drive off with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Caullin Lacy.
Old Dominion came right back to retake the lead though. Watson opened the drive with a 35-yard run. But Wolff threw three consecutive incomplete passes at the South Alabama 16-yard line and settled for a 33-yard field goal to go up 10-7 late in the first quarter.
Again, the Jags answered. After driving down to the ODU 24, Carter Bradley’s left non-throwing shoulder was driven into the turf hard and he had to go out of the game to get checked by the training staff. Desmond Trotter came in and reeled off a 14-yard run. On 3rd & 5, Bradley threw for Lincoln Sefcik but he couldn’t bring in the ball. Diego Guajardo converted the 23-yard field goal to bring the teams even at 10-each.
Watson opened the next ODU possession with another big run and finished it with a 6-yard touchdown reception on a shovel pass to put the Monarchs back ahead 17-10.
South Alabama drove down to the Monarchs 28 yard line but couldn’t convert on 3rd & 5. Diego Guajardo nailed a 46-yard field goal to cut lead to 17-13 late in the second quarter.
But Old Dominion wouldn’t quit. They drove down to the USA 2-yard line but the Jags defense set their cleats in the turf and refused to allow the Monarchs in the end zone. Wolff kept the ball and gained a yard. Watson was dropped for a loss and no gain to bring up 4th down. ODU head coach Ricky Rayne rushed on the kicking team and converted an 18-yard field goal as time expired for a 20-13 lead at halftime.
Stats
South Alabama had been out-gained on total yards for the whole game until the Jags go-ahead drive. The Jags out-gained the Monarchs 398-381 in total yards and 208-96 rushing, but was out-gained by ODU 285-190 passing.
The Jags converted 9-of-17 on 3rd down, and all three of their 4th down attempts in the game. ODU converted 7-of-15 on 3rd down and one of their two 4th down attempts.
South Alabama had a 35:08 to 24:52 advantage in time of possession and were only flagged five times for 40 yards.
Carter Bradley was 17-of-29 for 190 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Caullin Lacy caught six passes for 53 yards and a touchdown. Jalen Wayne caught only 3 of his 9 targets for 63 yards and a touchdown. Devin Voisin caught three passes for 36 yards before having to leave the game with a shoulder injury.
La’Damian Webb didn’t start the game but came in and ran for 74 yards on 18 carries. Webb finished the regular season with 1,015 yards rushing.
Braylon McReynolds carried the ball 10 times for 56 yards. Omni Wells added 40 yards on nine carries. Bradley got 22 yards on five carries.
Old Dominion’s Hayden Wolff finished 21-of-36 for 285 yards and two touchdowns.
Blake Watson ran for 110 yards on 18 carries as the only ball-carrier other than Wolff with carries, and the only one who finished with positive yardage.
Watson also led the team receiving with 88 yards on 6 catches with a touchdown. Granger had 5 catches for 71 yards.
Next
South Alabama would have hosted the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game at Hancock Whitney Stadium on Saturday, December 3rd, however Troy defeated Arkansas State to win the SBC West Division due to the head-to-head tie-breaker against the Jags.
South Alabama will have to wait until Sunday, December 4th at 11am for the Bowl Selection Show to find out who and where they will be spending bowl season.
Preview: South Alabama Hosts Old Dominion On Senior Day, Regular Season Finale
Kickoff: Saturday, November 26, 11:00am
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, Alabama
TV/Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
Thunderjags Twitter: @USAThunderjags
#5 Jersey: A.J. DeShazor
South Alabama’s (9-2, 6-1 SBC) win over Southern Miss (5-6, 3-4 SBC) wasn’t the stellar performance by the Jags. Fans will be quick to say that any win is a good win. But coaches will be quick to point out lots of things that need attention before the next game.
But both can be true, and this is one of those instances.
The Jags win was a good win. They showed great resilience in the face of adversity. Overcoming turnovers and a poorly executed fake punt in route to a 27-20 win on the road was exactly what a good team does. Head coach Kane Wommack’s process-oriented approach and neutral mindset philosophy has proven to be effective in changing the culture in the program.
The win sets a new record for wins in a season as a FBS program. The previous record was set just the week before. Now they have an opportunity to move that bar one notch higher with a 10th regular season win on the line this Saturday against Old Dominion.
Being Senior Day, it’s a great time to reflect on this group of seniors. Many of them have seen this program at it’s lowest (2-10 in 2019) and, even if the season ended prior to the game versus Old Dominion, they have seen the best FBS season for this same program. But they have one final chance to play in Hancock Whitney Stadium and earn a 10 win season. They’ll also have an opportunity to record the first-ever bowl win, they just have to wait to find out the details on when and where.
They also still have an outside shot to play in the Sun Belt Conference Championship game. They just have to win against Old Dominion and they need Arkansas State to upset Troy in Jonesboro, Arkansas.
Two of the seniors on the team are the last players to play under South Alabama’s first football coach and architect for the program, Joey Jones. Jalen Wayne and this weeks #5 jersey honoree, A.J. DeShazor.
Old Dominion (3-8, 2-5 SBC)
The Monarchs have had quite an interesting season first season in the Sun Belt. They opened the year with a 20-17 win over Virginia Tech. Then dropped games to East Carolina (39-21) and Virginia (16-14). They earned their second win against Arkansas State (29-26). They dropped their next game 38-24 against Liberty before knocking off the top team in the Sun Belt Conference, and gave them their only loss of the season so far, with a 49-21 win at Coastal Carolina.
They come to Mobile on a five-game losing skid after defeating the Chanticleers and looking to go into the offseason on a high note.
Offense
The offense is averaging 19.5 points, 335.9 total yards, 243.7 passing yards, 92.2 rushing yards, and 24:17 time of possession per game.
They are converting only 40-of-144 (27.8%) of their 3rd down attempts, and 7-of-20 (35%) of their 4th down attempts. Of their 24 trips into opponents red zone, they have scored points 19 times with 13 of them being touchdowns.
In total, they have thrown seven interceptions and lost 11 fumbles.
Hayden Wolff is 213-of-376 (56.7%) for 2,623 yards, 16 touchdowns and 6 interceptions.
Ali Jennings III is the leading receiver with 54 catches for 959 yards and nine touchdowns in only nine games played before being lost for the season to injury. Javon Harvey has 28 catches for 523 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games played. Blake Watson has 31 catches for 226 yards and a touchdown in 10 games played. Bly Jordan adds 22 catches for 225 yards in 10 games. Four other receivers have recorded over 100 yards on the season. One of those, Zach Kuntz, had 144 yards receiving on just 12 catches with two touchdowns in only five games before his season ended due to injury.
Blake Watson has 806 yards rushing on 140 attempts with five touchdowns in 10 games played. Keshawn Wicks has 125 yards on 32 attempts and a touchdown as the only other player with over 100 yards rushing on the season.
Complicating things is that the offensive line has been beat up this season too.
Defense
The Monarchs defense found itself bruised and beaten after last weeks game against Appalachian State. Linebackers Jason Henderson entered last weeks game just 28 tackles short of breaking the FBS record for tackles in a season. If he is able to go this week, he would need to record 26 tackles in order to get the record.
The defense is allowing an average of 26.6 points, 446.6 total yards, 249.2 passing yards, 197.5 rushing yards, and 35:43 time of possession per game.
Opponents are converting 68-of-170 (40%) of their 3rd down attempts and 13-of-22 (59.1%) of their 4th down attempts.
Of the 44 times opponents have been in the Monarch red zone, they have scored 32 times but only 19 have been touchdowns.
The defense has collected 11 interceptions and recovered 7 fumbles.
Unsurprisingly, Henderson is the leading tackler with 168 total stops, 52 of them solo. The next closest is R’Tarrium Johnson with 80 total tops, 48 solo. Henderson also leads the team with 10 tackles for loss. Ryan Henry and Denzel Lowry are tied leading the team with four sacks each.
Tre Hawkins III leads the team with just two interceptions. Nine other players have one interception each.
Special Teams
Ethan Sanchez is 8-of-11 on the season as placekicker. His long for the season is a 44-yarder. He’s missed one of this three attempts from 40-49 yards and two of his five attempted from 20-29 yards.
Ethan Duane is averaging 43.1 yards per punt. His longest punt of the season is a 59 yarder. He has 26 punts downed inside the 20, 20 have been fair caught, 13 kicks have gone over 50 yards and only three have been touchbacks.
South Alabama (9-2, 6-1 SBC)
Offense
The Jags are averaging 32.4 points, 426.1 total yards, 265.5 passing yards, 160.6 rushing yards, and 32:09 time of possession per game. They are converting 68-of-162 (42%) of their 3rd down attempts and 14-of-23 (60.9%) of their 4th down attempts.
They scoring on 38 of their 46 trips into the red zone with 28 of them being touchdowns.
They have only lost 4 fumbles on the season with only 9 interceptions as well.
Carter Bradley is 223-of-345 for 2,793 yards, 22 touchdowns and nine interceptions on the season. Desmond Trotter in only his third game appearance on the season is 14-of-18 for 127 yards with no interceptions or touchdowns.
Jalen Wayne continues to lead the receiving corps with 730 yards on 53 catches with eight touchdowns. Caullin Lacy has 706 yards on 52 catches with five touchdowns. Devin Voisin has 682 yards on 50 catches with four touchdowns. A pair of running backs and a pair of tight ends round out the receiving corps with over 100 yards on the season, all of them have one touchdown each.
La’Damian Webb, after missing his second game of the season, still leads the team with 941 yards on 179 carries with 13 touchdowns. He just needs 59 yards to hit the 1,000-yard mark for the season.
Braylon McReynolds, on his first start, had his first 100-yard rushing game against Southern Miss. He has 255 yards on 45 carries in nine games played. Marco Lee has 239 yards on 64 carries with four touchdowns, but the bruiser has converted a number of 3rd downs for the season. Omni Wells has 194 yards on 46 carries.
Defense
The defense is allowing an average of 19.4 points, 295.5 total yards, 208.6 passing yards, 86.8 rushing yards, and 27:24 time of possession for the season. Opponents are converting just 42-of-149 (28.2%) 3rd down attempts and 14-of-24 (58.3%) of 4th down attempts.
The stingy defense has only allowed 25 scores out of 32 trips into the red zone with only 16 being a touchdown.
Sun Belt Conference defensive player of the week Jaden Voisin had 17 total stops, 11 solo, with 1.5 tackles for loss and an interception last week against Southern Miss. Those tackles jumped him into the top stop for the team with 68 for the season, 37 solo, with 5.5 tackles for loss. Trey Kiser stayed in second place with 65 total stops, 48 solo, with 10 tackles for loss and a pair of sacks. James Miller dropped from the top spot to 3rd with 61 total stops, 35 solo, with 6.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
Yam Banks leads the team with five interceptions, but almost added one more against the Golden Eagles. Jaden Voisin moves into a tie with Ke’Shun Brown with two interceptions each.
Kiser and CJ Rias continue to pace the team with 10 tackles for loss each. Jamie Sheriff leads the team with 5 sacks.
Special Teams
Diego Gajardo had another perfect week for the Jags. He is now 15-of-16 for the season. He added a season-long 49-yarder just before halftime to give the Jags the lead going into the locker room.
Jack Brooks is averaging 42.4 yards per punt for the season with a long of 58. He has 8 kicks of 50+ yards, 16 downed inside the 20, 11 fair catches and only two touchbacks.
As coach Wommack highlighted in his weekly radio show, kickoff specialist Jacob Meeks has 25 touchbacks on the season. This is not an insignificant team stat. When you can consistently force touchbacks on kickoffs, the opponents are consistently having to drive the length of the field for touchdowns while preventing momentum-stealing kickoff returns.
Keys to the Game
Continue Limiting Penalties
The Jags entered the game last week ranked #1 in the nation in total penalties, total penalty yards, and penalty yards per game. Those are not categories you want to be a national leader in.
However, after two games with 13 and 11 penalties, the Jags were only flagged five times against Southern Miss. They avoided any post-play unsportsmanlike penalties. They only had one offensive penalty, a false start. But defensively they were flagged three times: one for defensive holding, one for pass interference, and once for targeting.
The targeting wasn’t egregious, the runner dipped his head while Rickey Hyatt Jr was leading with his head. He immediately knew he messed up as he immediately grabbed his head after the flag was thrown. The Jags were already without Jalen Jordan due to a targeting flag in the second half against Texas State.
It would be great for the team to limit penalties for a second-consecutive game.
Balanced Offensive Attack
In the three wins by Old Dominion they have successfully made their opponent primarily one-dimensional by limiting their opponents rushing attack.
Virginia Tech saw the most success on the ground with 136 rushing yards, but the Monarchs were at their peak health-wise. Arkansas State rushed for 112 yards. Coastal Carolina rushed for only 90 yards while the Monarchs had their way with 323 yards on the ground against the Chanticleers.
According to coach Wommack’s radio show, they believe that he will be able to play on Saturday. However, if last week is any indication, Braylon McReynolds would be ready to step into the starting role if needed. But Marco Lee and Omni Wells both rushed for nearly 100 yards each when both Webb and McReynolds were unavailable earlier in the season.
Don’t Look Ahead
With the Jags bowl eligible and eager to win their first bowl game, they can’t look ahead to an unknown opponent just because they are playing a 3-8 team. The Sun Belt has proven that from top to bottom, any team can win on any given week.
Just ask Coastal Carolina.
Though they are the lone top-25 ranked team from the Sun Belt, they would have most certainly been ranked higher than their current 23rd place. They are in the running for a new years 6 bowl game. If they are the highest ranked group of 5 champion, they get an automatic berth in a new years 6 bowl game.
Prediction
Depending on the site you look at the Jags are either a 16.5-point favorite or a 15.5-point favorite on others.
The Monarchs have had lots of attrition due to injury. They’ve lost two key pass catchers on the season. Their top tackler’s status is currently unknown for the season finale this week.
They have played well against their biggest opponents, power five opponent Virginia Tech and top Sun Belt team Coastal Carolina. They would like to add another win against one of the upper-level teams in the conference.
I think the Jags will thwart their attempt in the friendly confines of Hancock Whitney Stadium on Senior Day though. I also think they cover the 15.5 point spread due to the injury status of the Monarchs as well.
Go Jags!
South Alabama Downs Southern Miss 27-20 To Earn Ninth Win
South Alabama (9-2, 6-1 SBC) scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter and recovered an onside kick attempt by Southern Miss (5-6, 3-4 SBC) to preserve the win. The Jags finish their road season 5-1, their only loss a 32-31 walk-off loss at UCLA. It also runs the Jags record against USM to 3-0 all-time as well.
The Jags scored their second touchdown in the fourth quarter with 1:53 left to seal the game. Southern Miss kicked a field goal with :13 left in the game to set up the onside kick attempt needing two scores. The onside kick went to Devin Voisin who got his body in front of it but didn’t cleanly field it. The ball was underneath him as he turned around looking for it. Two USM players dove for it but also didn’t cover it and actually knocked it into Voisin’s chest to cover.
It looked like South Alabama was going to start the game fast again. Braylon McReynolds took the handoff on the second snap 64 yards. But the offense stalled and settled for a short Diego Guajardo field goal for the first points of the game.
After forcing a three-and-out defensively and a 16-yard punt return, the Jags looked to ready for another drive for points. However, Carter Bradley didn’t see a defender hiding behind a referee in the middle of the field and threw it right to him for an interception. Southern Miss drove the short field and Frank Gore Jr ran in untouched off left tackle to give the Eagles the lead 7-3.
After a failed fake punt, the Jags gave Southern Miss the ball at the Jags 36. But the defense held strong at the 5-yard line and forced a field goal giving Southern Miss a 10-3 lead about midway through the second quarter.
The Jags answered back quickly with two big plays for 29 yards each by Braylon McReynolds and Devin Voisin. Bradley found Jalen Wayne crossing in the back of the end zone and hit him in stride to tie the game at 10-each.
Desmond Trotter came in for the final possession of the half after Bradley went to the locker room early to get some treatment on his left shoulder. Trotter led the Jags on a quick drive to set up Guajardo for a 49-yard field goal to end the first half with a 13-10 lead.
After trading punts back and forth in the 3rd quarter, Southern Miss scored on a broken play to regain the lead. Quarterback Trey Lowe and Frank Gore Jr both moved left looking to the sideline, but the center snapped the ball behind Gore. Gore picked up the ball and threw it deep to an open receiver in the end zone for a 29-yard touchdown with 1:09 left in the quarter.
Stats
South Alabama dominated Southern Miss in yardages. The Jags had 411 total yards of offense to 298, they threw for 257 yards to USM’s 196, and rushed for 154 to 102.
The Jags were 5-of-13 on 3rd down attempts and converted 2-of-4 attempts on 4th down.
Southern Miss had a 31:14 to 28:46 time of possession edge.
Carter Bradley went 15-of-22 for 238 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions. Desmond Trotter went 2-of-4 for 19 yards on one possession at the end of the first half.
Devin Voisin led the Jags receiver corps with 6 catches for 97 yards and a touchdown. Jalen Wayne caught 4 passes for 33 yards and a touchdown. Braylon McReynolds added 3 catches for 66 yards. Caullin Lacy caught one pass, a touch pass sweep, for 33 yards and a touchdown.
True freshman Braylon McReynolds carried the ball 15 times for 100 yards, his first 100-yard game as a Jaguar. Marco Lee added 25 yards on six carries and was key converted some short first downs.
Trey Lowe was 18-of-33 for 167 yards and an interception. Frank Gore Jr completed his only pass attempt for a 29-yard touchdown.
Jason Brownlee led all receivers with 7 catches for 109 yards and a touchdown. Latreal Jones caught three for 26 yards.
Next
A few Jaguar players were banged up in the game but none were kept from returning. Carter Bradley injured his shoulder on the touchdown pass to Jalen Wayne. Wayne, on the same play, rolled and hit the wall with his knee. After wincing in some pain, he eventually jogged off slightly favoring the right knee he hit.
A few defensive secondary players were banged up too.
La’Damian Webb traveled with the team and came out to warm but, but quickly changed back into his street clothes.
Hopefully all those guys will be good to go by next Saturday.
South Alabama returns home for their regular season finale against Old Dominion. The Jags and the Monarchs will kick off at 11am on Saturday, November 26 at Hancock Whitney Stadium as South Alabama goes for their first 10-win season as a FBS program.
Preview: South Alabama Goes For Ninth Win Of The Season At Southern Miss
Kickoff: Saturday, November 19, 2:30pm
Venue: M. M. Roberts Stadium, Hattiesburg, Mississippi
TV/Streaming: ESPNU
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
Thunderjags Twitter: @USAThunderjags
#5 Jersey: Jamie Sheriff
South Alabama is in new, uncharted territory for the football program.
After the win over Georgia Southern two weeks ago, every new win they notch they break the previous record for wins they themselves set just the week prior. In 2014 and 2016 the program achieved six wins and earned bowl berths. But both times they came up on the losing end in the bowl game and finished with six wins and seven loses. In 2013 the program earned finished 6-6 and were not invited to go bowling.
This season, the second under head coach Kane Wommack, the program has smashed that glass ceiling.
They guaranteed themselves a winning regular season record when they defeated Georgia Southern for the program record seventh win of the season. Just one week later, this past Saturday, they guaranteed themselves an overall winning season by setting the bar one rung higher with eight regular season wins.
This Saturday they travel to Hattiesburg, Mississippi with an opportunity to set that bar one rung higher with a ninth regular-season victory with a win over Southern Miss.
In order to earn win number eight, the script from the previous two wins had to be flipped. It wasn’t the La’Damian Webb show this time. It wasn’t even a dominant rushing attack that gave the Jags the win.
The Jags offense took to the air to topple Texas State.
Carter Bradley tied a single-game record with a career-high four touchdown passes as he threw for 274 yards in the 38-21 win. It wasn’t Jalen Wayne who stepped up big for the Jags, he was kept as mostly a non-factor with only three catches for 27 yards in the game. Neither was it Caullin Lacy, though he did catch three passes for 58 yards and a touchdown.
Devin Voisin was the one who . He caught six passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns, both career highs.
The diversity that the Jags have shown throughout the season as they have navigated their schedule and sit here with eight wins is a testament to all the hard work that has been put into this program. When a good Texas State defense limited the rushing attack and then neutralized Wayne and kept Lacy mostly at bay, it was Devin Voisin who stepped up and made the plays that mattered.
South Alabama remains tied atop the Sun Belt Conference West Division standings. Troy holds the tiebreaker for winning the head-to-head meeting between the two. In order for the Jags to overtake them they need to win both of their remaining games against Southern Miss and Old Dominion. They also need either Louisiana-Monroe or Arkansas State to pull an upset on Troy in the final two weeks of play.
But the Jags can only control what’s in their path.
In their path this week is Southern Miss.
Southern Miss (5-5, 3-3 SBC)
The Golden Eagles have been an up and down team this season. They began the year two-consecutive losses. A 29-27 4OT loss at home to Liberty and a 30-7 loss at Miami (FL).
The Golden Eagles got back to .500 with a 64-10 win over Northwestern State and upset a strong Tulane team (who are currently 8-2 and ranked #21 in the latest AP Poll).
They then lost a 27-10 decision in Troy before three consecutive wins over Sun Belt foes Arkansas State (20-19), Texas State (20-14), and Louisiana-Lafayette (39-24).
The Golden Eagles are riding a two-game losing streak coming into this matchup with a 42-14 home loss to another up-and-down team in Georgia State and a 26-23 loss to Eastern Division Champs Coastal Carolina in Conway, South Carolina.
Offense
Southern Miss is averaging 25.1 points, 324.6 total yards, 213.2 passing yards, 111.4 rushing yards, and 28:40 time of possession per game. They are converting 51-of-144 (35.4%) on 3rd down and 10-of-16 (62.5%) on 4th down.
They have scored 22 times out of their 29 trips into their opponents red zone, with only 12 of them being touchdowns.
Head coach Will Hall has been playing musical quarterbacks with at least four different quarterbacks seeing playing time with at least two running backs throwing passes as well.
Freshman Zach Wilcke is the team’s leading quarterback statistically. He’s played in eight games and is 100-for-175 (57.1%) for 1,151 yards, eight touchdowns and nine interceptions on the season. Trey Lowe, a redshirt junior, is 27-of-54 for 458 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in four games played. Sophomore Jake Lange is 11-of-21 for 110 yards, with an interception and no touchdowns.
Jason Brownlee, a senior, leads the receiving corps with 44 catches for 687 yards with six touchdowns. Freshman Tiaquelin Mims has 23 catches for 361 yards and two touchdowns in six games played. Junior Jakarius Caston adds 22 catches for 272 yards with three touchdowns in seven games played. Sophomore running back Frank Gore Jr. has 16 catches for 177 yards. Cole Cavallo, a redshirt junior tight end, is next with 15 catches for 145 yards and a touchdown. Then 15 other players have caught passes, none with double-digit receptions nor over 87 yards receiving.
Frank Gore Jr. leads the team rushing with 788 yards on 163 carries with five touchdowns. Janari Dean has 134 yards on 48 carries and three touchdowns in eight games played. Out of 13 runners with carries, none have netted over 69 yards rushing with only four of them logging game time in all 10 games.
Defense
The Golden Eagle defense is allowing an averaging of 24.5 points, 377.0 total yards, 236.2 passing yards, 140.8 rushing yards, and 31:20 time of possession per game.
Opponents are converting 55-of-152 (36.2%) on 3rd down and 3-of-18 (16.7%) on 4th down attempts for the season.
When teams get into the red zone, they have scored 27 times out of the 31 trips with 19 of them being touchdowns.
Malik Shorts leads the team with 74 total stops, 43 of them solo, with a team co-leading three interceptions. Averie Habas and Dominic Quewon co-lead the team with 9.5 sacks each, Quewon leads the team with 8.5 sacks a full five sacks more than the next defender. Jay Stanley is the other co-leader with three interceptions while adding five pass breakups, three forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
Special Teams
Briggs Bourgeois is 13-of-14 placekicking this season with a long of 53 yards. He’s also 27-of-28 on extra points.
Mason Hunt is averaging 42.8 yards per punt with a long of 59 yards, 15 kicks of 50+ yards, 23 downed inside the 20, 22 fair catches, and only eight touchbacks.
South Alabama (8-2, 5-1 SBC)
Offense
The Jags offense is averaging 32.9 points, 427.6 total yards, 266.3 passing yards, 161.3 rushing yards, and 32:29 time of possession per game. They are converting 63-of-148 (42.6%) on 3rd down and 12-of-19 (63.2%) on 4th down for the season. They converted all six 4th down attempts against Texas State.
Out of 43 trips into the red zone, the Jags have scored 36 times with 27 of them being touchdowns.
Carter Bradley’s numbers are now 208-of-323 (64.4%) for 2,555 yards, 19 touchdowns, and seven interceptions for the season.
The top three receivers stay bunched up with very similar numbers. Jalen Wayne has 49 catches for 697 yards and 7 touchdowns. Caullin Lacy has 51 catches for 673 yards and 4 touchdowns. Devin Voisin has 44 catches for 585 yards and three touchdowns.
La’Damian Webb has 941 yards on 179 carries with 13 touchdowns for the season. Marco Lee adds 214 yards on 58 carries with four touchdowns. Omni Wells has 180 yards on 41 carries and Braylon McReynolds has 155 yards on 30 carries.
Defense
The Jags allow an average of 19.3 points, 295.2 total yards, 209.9 passing yards, 85.3 rushing yards, and 27:01 time of possession per game through ten games this season. They are allowing opponents to convert a mere 36-of-134 (26.9%) on 3rd down and 12-of-21 (57.1%) on 4th down attempts.
Opponents have had the ball in the red zone 29 times this season and came away with points on 22 of those trips with only 15 of them being touchdowns.
James Miller (58 total stops, 35 solo) continues to hold onto a narrow lead over Trey Kiser (57 total stops, 43 solo) in tackles. Kiser is the team co-lead with CJ Rias in tackles for loss with nine each. Jamie Sheriff holds onto the team lead in sacks with 5, but Rias is right behind him with four on the season. Yam Banks leads the team with five interceptions. Ke’Shun Brown has two, including a game-sealing pick-six against Texas State.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo saw his first missed field goal of the season. He is now 13-of-14 on the season with a long of 48. He’s only missed one of his 39 extra point attempts on the season as well.
Jack Brooks is averaging 42.2 yards per punt on 49 punts this season. He has a long of 58 yards with 16 kicks downed inside the 20, 10 fair caught, 7 kicks of 50+ yards, and only two touchbacks.
Keys to the Game
Quick Start
When the Jags jump out with a quick start to the game, they have performed exceptionally well this season. Last week was no exception with a 41-yard touchdown pass on the fourth play of the game. The defense also got onto the early jump bandwagon when James Miller sacked quarterback Layne Hatcher on the first defensive play.
They worked up a 17-0 lead at halftime, which they needed as the Jags went score for score against the Bobcats in the second half to win by that margin, 38-21.
If the Bobcats had discovered Josh Berry’s running ability earlier in the game we may have been talking about a much closer game on the scoreboard.
That fast start was the difference and has been a big help in most games this season.
Adjusting To Whichever USM Team Shows Up
There’s no way around it, Southern Miss has been a bit of Jekyll and Hyde this year. Just look at their win over Tulane and contrast it will their whipping they suffered at the hands of Georgia State.
Head coach Will Hall has played four or five different quarterbacks on the year. Frank Gore Jr. has more passing attempts than all of South Alabama’s quarterbacks not named Carter Bradley.
Only 5 receivers out of the 20 receivers on the squad with a reception on the season have played all 10 games.
Additionally, only 5 players out of the 15 players on the team with a rushing attempt on the season have played in all 10 games this season as well.
Despite all of this coach Hall has his team one win away from bowl eligibility with an even mark overall on the season and in conference play.
While the Jaguar defense has made some great adjustments this season (hello second half against Georgia Southern), they have also shown they aren’t flawless (hello second half against Texas State).
But throughout it all the defense has remained elite.
This team has lived the mantra of LEO, Love Each Other, every step of the way. When the defense had it’s struggles, the offense kept scoring. When the offense couldn’t close out the game, the defense stepped in.
Stay Healthy (and leaning on more than one running back)
This keeps cropping up in my list as it stays in my mind as one of the top three keys to Jaguar victories. If they stay healthy, there’s not many teams on the schedule that can beat them.
I was concerned about the spike in La’Damian Webb’s usage over the previous two weeks just from a wear and tear angle. The coaches don’t seem too concerned about the injury that had them keep him out of the remainder of the game last week. But I feel it underscores the urgency of developing a clear #2 back that can pick up where Webb leaves off with little dropoff.
We saw a flash of potential against Louisiana-Monroe when Marco Lee and Omni Wells rushed for 93 and 85 yards respectively after Webb left the game on the first drive with an injury. But we have not seen that kind of rushing productivity out of the pair since. We haven’t seen it from Braylon McReynolds either, though he missed a few games with injuries himself.
The closest we have seen has been 57 yards from Marco Lee last week against Texas State, then McReynolds with 42 against Georgia Southern before that.
I have no doubt that coach Wommack, offensive coordinator Major Applewhite, and the rest of the staff have detailed plans to work into the overall gameplan if Webb is limited or additional injuries occur. But, on the outside looking in, boy would I like to have see more in the stat logs and in game play in case that was to happen.
Prediction
Which Southern Miss team do you get on Saturday will be key. The Jags hold a 2-0 advantage over Southern Miss. They completed a home-and-home series last season before the Golden Eagles flew the coup from Conference USA to the Sun Belt.
Coach Will Hall is leaving no stone unturned in his quest to turn the USM program around. He’s making progress too.
But Hall’s progress is nowhere near the progress that coach Wommack has made.
South Alabama is favored by 7.5 points according to handicapping websites. I think the Jags win and also cover the spread.
Preview: South Alabama Returns Home To Host Texas State
Kickoff: Saturday, November 12, 4:00pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, Alabama
TV/Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
Thunderjags Twitter: @USAThunderjags
#5 Jersey: Brandon Crum
South Alabama (7-2, 4-1 SBC) returns home after back-to-back road contests. It’ll be the first home game since the loss to rival Troy in the ‘Battle for the Belt.’ The road trip began with a 31-3 thumping of an ailing Arkansas State team. It wrapped up last week with a major gut-check of a game against Georgia Southern where the Jags came from behind to win 38-31.
It gave the Jags their first win in Statesboro, Georgia.
Against Georgia Southern, the Jags fell behind by two scores before the halfway mark of the first quarter. Carter Bradley’s first pass attempt was tipped, intercepted, and returned for a touchdown less than a minute into the game. Then a 50+ yard touchdown run on Georgia State’s first offensive possession.
In all they allowed 21 points in the first quarter but only allowed 10 points the rest of the way and only seven points in the second half.
The Jags trailed 31-17 around midway through the third quarter but from there it became the La’Damian Webb show. Webb would score all three of the Jaguars touchdowns down the stretch. He finished with 247 yards rushing with four touchdowns on 35 carries. He set single game records for yards and attempts and tied a record for touchdowns in a game.
It also marked his second-consecutive Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week honor.
Louisiana-Lafayette had Troy 17-0 at halftime, however the Trojans managed to fight their way back and score the game winning touchdown with five seconds left. The Trojans continue to hold onto the Sun Belt Conference West lead over the Jags due to the head-to-head tiebreaker.
While the Jags may not control their destiny in the Sun Belt Conference West division race, they control what happens in the next game.
That next game is Texas State.
Texas State (3-6, 1-4 SBC)
Bobcat head coach Jake Spavital is in his fourth season at the helm. He is 12-33 overall and 8-21 in conference play. The Bobcats upset the Jags in overtime last season 33-31. The Bobcats scored a game-tying touchdown with :17 left in regulation to force overtime.
In overtime both teams scored touchdowns in the first overtime. Texas State missed a field goal and forced a fumble in the second overtime. Both teams failed to convert their two-point conversions in the third overtime. Then in the fourth overtime the Bobcats convert first, but Jake Bentley’s pass attempted fell incomplete for the loss. The Bobcats would finish the season 4-8 overall and 3-5 in conference play.
Offense
This is the third season that Spavital is calling the plays on offense.
On the season the Bobcats are averaging 22.6 points, 330.7 total yards, 242.3 passing yards, 88.3 rushing yards, and 30:37 time of possession per game.
They are converting 52-of-138 (37.7%) of their 3rd down attempts and have converted 4-of-16 (25%) of their 4th down attempts on the season. While they are scoring well when they get into the red zone, they are only coming away with touchdowns 2/3rds of the time. Of their 27 trips, they’ve scored 24 times with 16 being touchdowns.
Quarterback Layne Hatcher’s name should be familiar. He transferred to Texas State after spending the previous three seasons at Arkansas State. In 32 career games and 16 starts the threw for 7,427 yards and 65 touchdowns. He is currently 4th all time in Arkansas State history in career passing yards, 3rd in career passing touchdowns, and 4th in completion percentage (61.6%).
So far this season Hatcher is 215-of-337 (63.8%) for 2,181 yards and 18 touchdowns with 8 interceptions.
The Bobcats top receiver is Ashtyn Hawkins with 56 catches for 587 yards and 7 touchdowns. The next closest receiver in receptions is Julian Ortega-Jones with 28 catches for 266 yards and a touchdown in eight games played. The next closest receiver is yardage is Marcell Barbee with 21 catches for 299 yards and a touchdown in eight games played. Only four other receivers have caught double-digit passes on the season. But a total of 18 players have caught passes on the season.
Lincoln Pare, another name that may be familiar, also transferred to San Marcos from Arkansas State. He leads the rushing attack with 458 yards on 120 carries with three touchdowns. Calvin Hill adds 333 yards on 76 carries with a touchdown in seven games played. Jahmyl Jeter has 108 yards on 35 carries and a touchdown in eight games.
Defense
Jake Spavital’s brother Zac, is the defensive coordinator for the Bobcats. He has helped the Bobcats to ranking among the nations top 50 teams in forcing turnovers in 2020. They were a top 25 pass defense in 2019 when they allowed an average of 199.3 passing yards per game that season.
This season the Bobcats are allowing an average of 24.9 points, 358.9 total yards, 239.7 passing yards, and 119.2 rushing yards per game.
Opponents are converting 48-of-132 (36.4%) of their 3rd down attempts and 9-of-19 (47.4%) of their 4th down attempts on the season. While opponents have been in the red zone 30 times on the season, they have scored points in 24 of those trips and 18 of those scores were touchdowns.
London Harris leads the team with 64 total stops, 30 of them solo, with two tackles for loss, a sack, and a forced fumble. Levi Bell leads the team with 10.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, and six quarterback hurries from the defensive line. Jordan Revels had 55 total tackles, 21 solo, 9 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, 7 quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery from his outside linebacker position. Defensive lineman Nelson Mbanasor has 8 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. Bell and Mbanasor are co-leaders in sacks.
Kordell Rodgers leads the team with 4 interceptions of the teams 10 total interceptions.
Special Teams
Seth Keller is the team’s primary placekicker. He is 9-of-11 with a long of 41 yards and has converted all 23 extra point attempts. Mason Shipley made his only kick attempt on the season from 54 yards.
Seamus O’Kelly is averaging 41.9 yards per punt with a long of 68 yards, 8 kicks of 50+ yards, 28 fair catches, nine downed inside the 20.
South Alabama (7-2, 4-1 SBC)
The Jags locked in the programs first-ever winning season since transitioning to the FBS ranks. But head coach Kane Wommack does not want to just get back to a bowl game. Anytime the subject is mentioned he tells people that he wants it to be an expectation that South Alabama is going to a bowl game year after year.
As players continue to build upon coach Wommack’s process-oriented approach, the results are showing up on the field.
And in the win-loss column too.
Offense
After the big offensive day against Georgia Southern, the Jags are now averaging 32.3 points, 432.9 total yards, 265.4 passing yards, 167.4 rushing yards, and 32:22 time of possession per game.
They are converting 58-of-131 (44.3%) of their 3rd down attempts and 6-of-13 (46.2%) of their 4th down attempts.
Across their 30 trips into the opponents red zone, the Jags have scored points 34 times, with 26 of them being touchdowns.
La’Damian Webb is closing in on a 1,000-yard season. He has 896 yards on 163 carries with 13 touchdowns on the season. He is averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
Omni Wells is next in the Jaguars stable of running backs with 175 yards on 39 carries. Marco Lee has 157 yards on 44 carries with four touchdowns. Braylon McReynolds has 150 yards on 28 carries.
Carter Bradley is 188-of-289 (65.1%) for 2,281 yards, 15 touchdowns and 7 interceptions on the season.
Jalen Wayne leads the receiver trio with 670 yards on 46 catches with 7 touchdowns. Caullin Lacy leads the trio with 48 catches for 615 yards and three touchdowns. Devin Voisin, who has emerged as a clutch receiver, has 467 yards on 38 catches with a touchdown.
Defense
The Jags SwarmD defense has picked up where they left off last season with impressive national defensive rankings.
The rushing defense ranks 5th, 6th national in 3rd down conversion percentage defense, tied 18th in scoring defense, 12th nationally in red zone defense, T-19th in turnover margin, and 19th in time of possession.
On the season the Jags defense is allowing on average 19.1 points, 302.4 total yards, 217.3 passing yards, and 85.1 rushing yards per game.
Opponents are converting 33-of-119 (27.7%) of their 3rd down attempts and 10-of-18 (56.6%) of their 4th down attempts. Also, of opponents 26 trips into the red zone, they came away with points on 19 of those trips and only 12 of them were touchdowns.
James Miller continues to lead the defense with 51 total stops, 28 solo, 4.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and two quarterback hurries. Trey Kiser is second with 47 total stops, 33 solo, with six tackles for loss and two sacks with a fumble recovery.
CJ Rias and Jamie Sheriff co-lead the team with four sacks each. Though Rias leads the team with eight tackles for loss.
Yam Banks leads the team and is tied for the national lead with five interceptions on the season.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo remains perfect on the season by making his 12th field goal attempt of the season against Georgia Southern. Guajardo has only missed one of his 34 extra point attempts on the season.
Jack Brooks is averaging 42.1 yards per kick with a season long of 58 yards and 14 kicks downed inside the 20.
Keys to the Game
Establish the Run
I can hear you now, “but they’ve been running the ball great the last two weeks, why is it key for this game?”
Well, despite their record, the Texas State defense is a very strong unit. Are they a Troy caliber defense? I don’t think so. But they have enough talent on that side of the ball to give me some concern because it stacks up a little bit like Troy.
Troy was able to just smother us defensively. None of our running backs could find room to run, their defensive speed closed any hole, and La’Damian Webb wasn’t at full health either.
However, over the last two weeks, we’ve established that either Webb is back at full strength or very close to it. We’ll need him, the rest of the running back corps, and the offensive line to play up to the task at hand.
Play Disciplined
Last week was another game with 13 penalties for 118 yards assessed on the Jags. As a team that prides itself on being very physical, it also comes with penalties. However, the number of unsportsmanlike penalties needs to be reduced. Plus you just cannot commit some of those penalties in certain situations.
Dontae Lucas being ejected for an unsportsmanlike penalty is completely avoidable. He is suspended for this game against Texas State. Actions have consequences. Thankfully the penalty didn’t seem to hurt the team against Georgia Southern. The offense was able to continue their domination against the Eagles with Kent Foster in as his replacement. That also goes a long way to show how much this staff has been able to turn around this offensive line in only their second season.
The worst penalties for the Jags have been offensive penalties that get them off schedule. When you dig yourself into a 1st & 15 or 1st & 20 situation, those have often been drive killers.
Staying Healthy
Like all teams, the Jags have had their share of injuries and have managed to continue to play at a high level. Coach Wommack and his staff have done a good job with player rotations and preparations. When a player has been forced out of a game, the “next man up” has been well prepared and has not had a significant drop-off in terms of play.
With three weeks left in the regular season, and still the hope for a spot in the conference championship game, health down the stretch will be key.
Seeing many key starters still playing at the end of the Arkansas State game was a little disconcerting. But at the end of the game, you could see Carter Bradley limping as he was jogging towards the locker room. The 2021 season was hampered down the stretch by an injury to starting quarterback Jake Bentley.
With La’Damian Webb’s workload the last two weeks, and dealing with flu-like symptoms last week, I hope they manage his workload in practice accordingly. He has had 68 carries and 409 yards rushing over that stretch. That is 41.7% of his carries and 45.6% of his rushing yardage for the season over the last two games alone.
Thankfully Braylon McReynolds is on track to clear the concussion protocol for the game on Saturday to hopefully give some additional help in the backfield.
Prediction
The Bobcats rallied and got us in overtime last year in San Marcos, TX. Actually, San Marcos is another place we’ve never won at on the road. But that will have to wait until next year to be settled. Conversely, the Jags have never lost to Texas State in Mobile either (two wins at Ladd-Peebles Stadium and one at Hancock Whitney Stadium).
The Jags are a solid 16.5-point favorite to win according to the different handicapping websites. Combine that with South Alabama’s strong play at home and Texas State’s poor play on the road and I understand why the line is set where it is.
I say the Jags win but I don’t think they cover the 16.5. I think the Bobcat defense will do just enough to keep the Jags under that line.
Go Jags!