South Alabama Earns First-Ever Bowl Victory; Dominates Eastern Michigan 59-10 To Win 68 Ventures Bowl
South Alabama entered the 68 Ventures Bowl with a chip on their shoulder and only one goal in mind: Win.
And win they did.
The game was never in doubt as they dominated Eastern Michigan in every phase of the game, but most importantly on the scoreboard by a score of 59-10. This set a new program record for the most points scored in an FBS game for the Jags.
With the win the Jags earn their first win in a bowl game and are now 1-3 all time in bowls. They also finish with a winning record (7-6) in consecutive seasons for the first time as a member of FBS.
The Jags entered the game without their top receiver, Caullin Lacy, without their top running back La’Damian Webb, and their starting quarterback Carter Bradley. Bradley attempted to recover from a nagging knee injury to be ready for the game, but he was unable to go in the end.
Unexpectedly they were without Dontae Lucas, who was injured in pregame warmups. But they also did not have James Miller due to an injury in one of the final practices.
Without Bradley, head coach Kane Wommack and offensive coordinator Major Applewhite went with a rotation between the official starter senior Desmond Trotter and freshman Gio Lopez. But it was Lopez who earned the Bowl MVP as he threw for 192 yards and three touchdowns while adding 88 yards rushing and a touchdown.
“It was fun just rotating, seeing Dez ball out,” Lopez said after the game. “I was feeding off his energy. So that was fun. It meant a lot to be out there with everybody. … It was awesome.”
“It means a lot, man,” Trotter said. “And to be able to do it with the guys I came in with, it makes it even more special. And just doing it here at the University of South Alabama, in our city, and our stadium, it means a lot to the city and to the team. I’m just glad we were able to come out with the win.”
“A lot of work goes into a moment like this,” coach Wommack said. “It goes way beyond just our players this season. There were young men who came here over a decade ago to build something special. They ran on hills on what is now Hancock Whitney Stadium. They came here with nothing, knowing that they were going to build a foundation for us to walk upon. At some point, you have a group of young men who take ownership and actualize those dreams, and that’s what exactly these guys up here with me and those guys celebrating in the locker room have done. … We’ve had a great past, great moments in our present and certainly our best days are ahead of us and that’s really exciting. This is a great moment to build upon and that’s exactly what we’re doing. We’re continuing to lay the foundation of a great program that years from now will come back and remember those moments. Because they’re truly special, and we’re excited to be here.”
Jamaal Pritchett, who was selected the offensive MVP, caught eight passes for 127 yards and a pair of touchdowns. DJ Thomas-Jones also caught a pair of touchdowns among his three catches for 23 yards in the game.
Defensive end Jamie Sheriff was named the defensive MVP in his final game as a Jaguar. He earned it with four tackles, two TFLs, and two quarterback hurries. He was an even bigger force in the game than the stat sheet indicates.
“To come from where we came from, a losing program, to where we are now is truly incredible,” Sheriff said. “It’s something that me and (Trotter), we’ve worked hard for. We’ve been for a long time and we want to set the standard for the future. We want to have a legacy behind it and start a new tradition here.”
South Alabama scored in each of their first three possessions. The first possession ended with a 46-yard field goal by Diego Guajardo. But the next two possessions ended in the end zone. Trotter connected with Jeremiah Webb for 49 yards to set up a 3-yard touchdown pass to DJ Thomas Jones. The following possession was capped off when Lopez connected with Pritchett for a 4-yard touchdown pass to put the Jags up 17-0.
After Eastern Michigan had gone three-and-out on each of their first two possessions, their defense set them up for their first score of the game. Linebacker Joe Sparacio stepped back and timed a perfect jump to intercept a pass by Trotter to give the Eagles the ball in Jaguar territory. Though they were unable to move the ball, Kenyon Bowyer split the uprights from 49 yards out to make it a 17-3 game at the 14:50 mark of the second quarter.
USA answered with three more scores before halftime.
Kentrel Bullock scampered in from 17 yards out for the first one. Marquise Robinson’s interception set up Lopez to connect with Thomas-Jones for a 20-yard touchdown pass. Then an interception by Jalen Jordan set up Lopez to connect with Pritchett for a 41-yard touchdown pass. It was ruled down at the 1 yard line before being overturned and ruled a touchdown upon review to go up 38-3 late in the second quarter.
The Jaguar defense forced the Eagles to punt but the Jags were unable to sustain their drive. The EMU returner muffed the punt which the Jags jumped on at the 11 yard line with :06 left until halftime. However Diego Guajardo pushed the 29 yard field goal attempt wide left to end the half.
The Jags first possession of the second half was capped off by Trotter running in a touchdown from three yards out for a 45-3 advantage. Lopez added a 27-yard touchdown run at the 7:50 mark of the third quarter to put the Jags up 52-3.
Freshman PJ Martin finished off the Jaguar scoring with a 6-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter for a 59-3 lead.
With almost all of the Jaguar defensive starters out of the game, the Eagles were able to pad their offensive stats and score a touchdown with only :58 left in the game. Cam’Ron McCoy, a freshman, ran it in from 10 yards out for the final score of 59-10.
Team Statistics
| Stat | South Alabama | Eastern Michigan |
| Total Offensive Yards | 627 | 150 |
| Passing Yards | 307 | 73 |
| Rushing Yards | 320 | 77 |
| 3rd Down Conversions | 4-of-9 | 6-of-17 |
| 4th Down Conversions | 0-of-1 | 0-of-3 |
South Alabama
Lopez finished 14-of-19 for 192 yards and three touchdowns. Trotter was 9-of-17 for 115 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Lopez also finished as the Jags leading rusher with 88 yards on 7 carries with a touchdown. Braylon McReynolds had 71 yards on 13 carries. Kentrel Bullock finished with 68 yards on 6 carries with a touchdown. Freshman PJ Martin had 3 carries for 47 yards and a touchdown. Trotter has 27 yards on 5 carries with a touchdown. Tanner McGee had two carries for 21 yards as well.
Jamaal Pritchett picked up where Lacy left off. He had 127 yards on 8 catches with two touchdowns. Javon Ivory had 51 yards on 4 catches. Jeremiah Webb has 49 yards on just one catch. McReynolds had 40 yards on three catches.
Jaden Voisin led the Jag defense with 5 total stops, 2 solo. Sheriff, Dallas Gamble, Wesley Miller, and Blayne Myrick each had four stops.
Sheriff led the way with 2 TFLs. Myrick, Yam Banks, Quentin Wilfawn, Khalil Jacobs, Marquise Robinson, and Christopher Wallace Jr each had a TFL in the game.
Robinson and Jalen Jordan had interceptions in the game. Robinson had 3 pass break ups.
Eastern Michigan
Ike Udengwu started the game and did not complete any of his three passing attempts before being pulled from the game. Cam’Ron McCoy went 12-of27 for 73 yards and two interceptions.
McCoy was also the leading rusher for the Eastern Michigan with 73 yards on 13 attempts with the only touchdown for the Eagles. Dontae McMillan had 8 yards on 5 carries. Jaylon Jackson added 2 yards on 11 carries. Udengwu has -2 yards and Max Reese had -4 yards.
Terry Lockett finished with 29 yards on two catches. Joseph Walker had 3 catches for 22 yards. Jaylon Jackson had 13 yards on 2 catches.
Final Thoughts
Despite losing their three top offensive players from the regular season in Webb, Lacy and Bradley, the Jaguars showed that their success wasn’t just because of the play of their two best offensive players.
Trotter stepped in as the starter for the bowl game and showed poise and maturity. He could have left over the last couple of seasons but decided to stay.
Gio Lopez showed what the Jags have to look forward to at the quarterback position. He will enter spring practice as QB1 by default with the departure of Bradley, Trotter, and Tanner McGee.
Braylon McReynolds returned from his broken collarbone and started the final regular season game and the bowl game in place of La’Damian Webb. Webb rushed for over 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons for the Jags. McReynolds showed he has what it takes to be starting running back.
Pritchett stepped into the WR1 role after Lacy hit the transfer portal. He showed that he is capable of similar performances.
The Jaguar defense came to play. The defensive line and linebackers set up camp in the Eastern Michigan backfield. Quentin Wilfawn, Jamie Sheriff, and Khalil Jacobs were all over the quarterback and really any player holding the ball it the backfield.
South Alabama will have to reload in their defensive front with the graduation of several Jaguar players. But their early signing class on the defensive line and linebacker consist of a talented group of players whose names you will hear soon and often.
Preview 68 Ventures Bowl: Eastern Michigan vs South Alabama
Kickoff: Saturday, December 23, 6:00pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, AL
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: Khalil Jacobs
The 2023 postseason is here and it’s full of firsts for South Alabama.
USA is playing in a bowl game in back-to-back seasons for the first time. They’re playing for their first bowl win, and their first back-to-back winning seasons. They are playing in the hometown bowl game, the 68 Ventures Bowl, for the first time. But they are also facing Eastern Michigan for the first time in program history.
That’s a lot firsts.
The 68 Ventures Bowl went out on a limb and chose the Jags to play at home. They are banking on JagNation to show up for a bowl game when their college football watching is limited. While Saturday, December 23rd has a few games scheduled throughout the day, the 68 Ventures Bowl and the Las Vegas Bowl (Northwestern vs Utah on ABC) are the only two games scheduled during the evening time slot.
It’s very important for South Alabama fans to buy tickets and show up to show their support for both the program and for the bowl game itself. If you cannot go, it’s just as important to tune in to watch the game and to post on social media about the game throughout it.
In the previous three bowl games the Jags have been invited to the Jags just haven’t broken through and got their first win. Yet.
A win will be a huge accomplishment for the program. It’ll get the monkey off their back for bowl losses. But it will secure their first winning season in consecutive seasons.
Now for the final “first” in this game, let’s take a look at Eastern Michigan. (Or skip down to the TL;DR section)
Eastern Michigan (6-6, 4-4 MAC)
The Eagles earned bowl eligibility in their season finale with a 24-11 win at Buffalo. It was their only road win for the season. They were 5-1 at home and 1-5 on the road.
The Eagles are +3 on turnover differential this season. They’ve given the ball away 15 times (10 INTs, 5 fumbles lost) while the defense has taken the ball away 18 times (11 fumble recoveries, 7 INTs).
Offense
| Stat | Average per Game |
| Points | 20.33 |
| Rushing Yards | 115.0 |
| Passing Yards | 158.58 |
| Total Offense | 273.6 |
| Time of Possession | 29:02 |
| Penalty Yards | 60.83 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 57-of-163 (34.97%) |
| 4th Downs | 10-of-16 (62.5%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 32-of-37 (86.5%) |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 22-of-37 (59.5%) |
| Penalties – Yards | 76-730 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 12-5 |
| Passing Attempts-Completions-TD-Interceptions | 328-185-10-10 (56.4% completion rate) |
Austin Smith was the leading passer for the Eagles going 171-of-298 for 1,775 yards, nine touchdowns, and seven interceptions. However Smith entered the transfer portal.
Junior Ike Udengwu III is 13-of-28 (46.63%) for 100 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns. Freshman Cam’Ron McCoy only attempted one pass this year.
Tanner Knue leads the team with 479 yards on 50 catches with three touchdowns. JB Mitchell III has 398 yards on 35 catches with a touchdown. Hamze El-Zayat has 370 yards on 25 catches with two touchdowns. Jaylon Jackson has 221 yards on 22 catches with two touchdowns.
Samson Evans leads the Eagles running back corps with 635 yards on 142 carries with 12 touchdowns. Jaylon Jackson has 574 yards on 125 carries with two touchdowns. Austin Smith had 134 yards on 101 carries with two touchdowns.
Defense
| Stat | Average Allowed per Game |
| Points | 24.0 |
| Rushing Yards | 177.8 |
| Passing Yards | 205.17 |
| Total Offense | 382.9 |
| Time of Possession | 30:55 |
| Penalty Yards | 57.0 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs Allowed | 64-of-163 (39.26%) |
| 4th Downs Allowed | 12-of-33 (36.36%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Defense | 40-of-52 (76.9%) |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 27-of-52 (51.9%) |
| Penalties-Yards | 77-684 |
| Fumbles-Recovered | 19-11 |
| Passing Attempts-Completions-TD-Interceptions | 351-205-13-7 (58.4% completion rate) |
Linebacker Chase Kline leads the defense with 143 total stops, 48 solo, with 5 TFLs, 2 sacks, and 10 quarterback hurries. Fellow linebacker Joe Sparacio has 131 total stops, 57 solo, with 6.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks and 5 quarterback hurries. Then third on the tackles list is defensive back Quentavius Scandrett with 56 total tackles, 30 solo, and two interceptions.
Mikah Coleman leads the team with 4.5 sacks but entered his name into the transfer portal in the offseason. Peyton Price is second on the team with 4 sacks and Justin Jefferson is third with 3.5 sacks.
Three players lead the team with 6.5 TFLs each, Mikah Coleman, Justin Jefferson, and Joe Sparacio.
Special Teams
Mitchell Tomasek averages 45.31 yards per punt with 24 downed inside the 20, 17 fair catches, 17 punts of 50+ yards with a long of 72 yards.
Jesus Gomez was 11-of-15 on the season with a long of 55 yards. Kenyon Bowyer attempted one kick and was successful in converting it from 25 yards.
South Alabama (6-6, 4-4 SBC)
The 2023 may not have played out the way they were hoping after a 10-3 record last season. But they’ve had several bright spots during the season. They went to Oklahoma State and completely whipped the Cowboys in their home stadium in Stillwater 33-7. They scored 55 points in back-to-back conference games against Louisiana-Monroe and Southern Miss. When they needed to win two of their final three games to get bowl eligible, they stepped up. They shut out Marshall 28-0 to get their sixth win with a game to go in the season.
The story of the 2023 season was inconsistency. Games came in batches of two. Whenever they won two games, they lost two games. Plus the whole season was book-ended with a season-opening loss at Tulane and a season-ending loss at Texas State.
Let’s delve into the Jaguars stats for the season.
The Jags are even in turnover differential this season. They have given the ball away 19 times on the season (10 INTs, 9 fumbles lost) while the defense has taken the ball away from their opponents 19 times as well (11 INTs, 8 fumble recoveries).
Offense
| Stat | Average per Game |
| Points | 30.92 |
| Rushing Yards | 160.0 |
| Passing Yards | 264.92 |
| Total Offense | 424.9 |
| Time of Possession | 30:30 |
| Penalty Yards | 57.25 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 71-of-165 (43.03%) |
| 4th Downs | 17-of-26 (65.38%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 39-of-43 (90.69%) |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 33-of-43 (76.74%) |
| Penalties – Yards | 80-687 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 18-9 |
| Passing Attempts-Completions- TD-Interceptions | 392-268-24-10 (68.36% Completion Rate) |
Carter Bradley started 11 games this season and threw for 221-of-326 (67.79%) for 2,660 yards, 19 touchdowns with 7 interceptions. Bradley has 83.16% of the passing attempt, 83.67% of the passing yards, and 79.16% of the touchdowns thrown on the season.
True freshman Gio Lopez appeared in four games, with on start against Try when Bradley was out with a knee injury. He went 27-of-42 (64.29%) for 283 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
Trotter went 20-of-24 (83.33%) for 236 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. Trotter was 18-of-21 for 220 yards and four touchdowns in the season finale against Texas State when Bradley had to leave after aggravating his knee.
Caullin Lacy by and far led the Jaguar receiving corps with 91 catches for 1,316 yards and seven touchdowns. However, Lacy opted for the transfer portal after the season.
Jamaal Pritchett is the top returning receiver with 49 catches for 756 yards and six touchdowns. DJ Thomas-Jones has 24 catches for 212 yards and three touchdowns. Javon Ivory has 16 catches for 183 yards with a touchdown.
La’Damian Webb also by and far led the Jags rushing attack with 1,007 yards on 186 carries with 16 touchdowns. He missed the season finale against Texas State with turf toe. Webb will also miss the 68 Ventures Bowl as he continues to heal the turf toe and prepare to enter the NFL draft.
Kentrel Bullock is the leading returning rusher with 380 yards on 77 carries with three touchdowns. He also missed the season finale with an injury. Marco Lee has 220 yards on 53 carries and two touchdowns. Braylon McReynolds, who left the season opener with a broken collarbone, has 161 yards on 33 carries and will be the starter for the 68 Ventures Bowl.
Defense
| Stat | Average Allowed per Game |
| Points | 21.92 |
| Rushing Yards | 116.8 |
| Passing Yards | 209.67 |
| Total Offense | 326.4 |
| Time of Possession | 29:29 |
| Penalty Yards | 46.17 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs Allowed | 54-of-160 (33.75%) |
| 4th Downs Allowed | 8-of-18 (44.44%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Defense | 23-of-30 (76.66%) |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 14-of-30 (46.66%) |
| Penalties-Yards | 69-554 |
| Fumbles-Recovered | 14-8 |
| Passing Attempts-Completions-TD-Interceptions | 323-195-19-11 (60.37% completion rate) |
Quentin Wilfawn leads the team with 81 total stops, 46 solo, with a team-leading 6.5 sacks and a team leading 15 tackles for loss with six quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and a pass breakup. Trey Kiser is next in line with 68 total stops, 29 solo, with 9.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks. James Miller has 67 total stops, 26 solo, and four TFLs.
Jaden Voisin has 66 total stops, 29 solo, two TFLs, and a team-leading four interceptions. Marquise Robinson adds two interceptions while Yam Banks, Khalil Jacobs, Jalen Jordan, Maurice Strong Jr, and Wesley Miller each have one interception each.
Special Teams
Jack Martin averaged 40.05 yards per punt with 21 fair catches, 12 down inside the 20, four punts of 50+ yards with a long of 54 yards.
Diego Guajardo was 13-of-18 on the season with a long of 51 yards. He was perfect inside 40 yards. He was 5-of-7 from 4-49 yards and was 1-of-4 from 50+ yards.
Injuries/Transfer Portal
The new landscape of college football with the transfer portal and Name, Image, and Likeness has affected both teams coming into the 68 Ventures Bowl.
Eastern Michigan was hit pretty hard.
The Eagles have seen their starting quarterback, Austin Smith, enter the transfer portal. But he wasn’t the only one. Tight ends Andreas Paaske (4 catches, 39 yards) committed to the University of Arkansas, and CJ Horton. Offensive lineman Zach Conti committed to Southern Miss. Most recently wide receiver Javon Swinton entered the portal on Monday, December 18.
Defensive end Micah Coleman (38 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 6.5 TFLs, and 8 quarterback hurries) committed to Cincinnati while defensive tackle Alex Merritt (27 tackles, 4.5 TFLs) entered his name into the portal but does not currently show up in the portal.
Starting running back Samson Evans may not play due to injury. He has reportedly made the trip with the team, but he is not a guaranteed play as of the time of this writing. Evans ran for 127 yards and a touchdown against Buffalo to help the Eagle get bowl-eligible.
South Alabama wasn’t immune either.
Caullin Lacy, the Jags First Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection, 5th nationally wide receiver nationally, and the Jags leading receiver, entered his name into the portal and has committed to Louisville.
Defensive lineman Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge decided to enter the portal in order to play somewhere closer to home. Linebacker Gavin Forsha, a transfer from Kansas State, initially entered his name into the portal but has reportedly decided to withdraw it shortly afterwards.
Offensive lineman Dontae Lucas has reportedly decided to enter the portal after playing in the bowl game. Lucas transferred from Florida State in 2022 and started 11 of 13 games at left guard. He has started 11 of 12 games this season after moving to right guard.
La’Damian Webb will not play in the game either. He missed the regular season finale against Texas State due to turf toe. He continues to treat his injury and will focus on getting ready for the NFL draft since his collegiate eligibility has been exhausted.
Carter Bradley has been going through some drills to get ready for the game. However his knee injury needs rest so Desmond Trotter and Gio Lopez have been getting lots of practice reps in case Bradley is unable to play. Bradley had to miss the Troy game after being knocked out near the end of the Louisiana-Lafayette game. He also exited the Texas State game early with the same injury with Trotter nearly leading a comeback that fell just short.
Keys to the Game
Who Steps Up
With two key pieces to the Jaguar offense this season missing from the lineup, who will be the next man up to fill their production?
Caullin Lacy had a consistent presence all season long. He had explosive plays down field, but he also served as a key possession receiver when the Jags needed to move the chains. Jamaal Pritchett came on as the season unfolded. He was able to occasionally flash his speed down the stretch, especially when team began to focus their attention on Lacy. This leads the way for freshman Anthony Eager and redshirt-junior Jeremiah Webb to step in.
Eager is listed as the starter in place of Lacy on the depth chart released earlier this week. Eager does not have any stats for this season. Behind him they have listed Jeremiah Webb, he has one catch for 3 yards recorded this season.
In place of La’Damian Webb, Braylon McReynolds is listed as the starter. He started in the Texas State game when Webb missed due to the same injury that’s keeping him out of this game. McReynolds hasn’t missed a step since coming back from his broken collarbone suffered in season opener. Kentrel Bullock is also making his return to the lineup after missing a couple of games due to injury himself. They make a good one-two punch in the backfield.
Capitalizing on Opportunities
Eastern Michigan’s offense takes a methodical approach. They don’t necessarily make a lot of big plays, but they will eat clock, shorten the game, and will keep moving the ball down the field. When the Jags possess the ball, they really need to take advantage and put points on the board. Because if the Eagles can play their style of game, the Jags opportunities will be limited.
However EMU has their own question marks leading into the game with injuries and the transfer portal. The Jaguar defense will need to be ready for anything. With a few weeks to scheme for a bowl game and their question marks, they may dial up some offensive changes and trick plays to catch the Jags on their heels.
Playing Fundamentally Sound
What you’ll often see in bowl games is some lapses in fundamentals. It can be attributed to a couple of things. The long layoff between games and, especially now with the transfer portal and opt-outs, limited depth.
Losing players to the portal or even to opt-outs for some (thankfully not something USA has experienced) can limit depth at positions that may already be razor thin after a long, grueling regular season schedule and the injuries suffered therein.
Coaches can be apprehensive to let their team get too physical during bowl practice due to the fear of losing key player leading up to the game.
These and other factors converge and can lead to a lack of fundamentals in a bowl game. Poor tackling, issues with ball security, and others have already shown themselves again this bowl season. The team with the strongest fundamentals in the game will definitely have an easier path to victory.
Prediction
South Alabama is a 16.5 point favorite according to handicapper websites. It’s the second-largest spread this bowl season (Oregon is a 17.5 favorite over Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl).
Comparing the stats between the two teams, it seems logical that the Jags are a big favorite. If you add in the transfer portal and injuries, it further bolsters the spread.
EMU have lost their starting quarterback, best pass rusher, and their best interior offensive and defensive linemen to the portal. Additionally their top running back may miss the game with an injury.
Without Webb, the Jags will be starting Braylon McReynolds and running back. Kentrel Bullock is back healthy and will rotate in for playing time as well. Even without Webb, the Jags should be able to move the ball well on the ground against the Eagles rushing defense.
If Bradley is unable to play, either Trotter or Lopez will get the start or could also come in and play if Bradley is unable to finish the game. Lopez could play without burning his redshirt even though he’s already appeared in three games this season thanks to a rules change over the last couple of years.
Even if Bradley is healthy and ready to go, head coach Kane Wommack said that they plan on using multiple quarterbacks in the game. I would expect to see all three in the game at some point.
I feel that the Jags get the win at home, even if they are designated the away team.
Do they cover the spread? I think the Jags are more talented and are more hungry for the win. As long as they don’t get in their own heads, I think they win and cover the spread.
TL;DR (“Too long; didn’t read” for those wondering)
I think we’ve over analyzed this game by this point if you’ve read this entire article.
South Alabama is the better team in this match-up. They would have been the better team in the regular season and, even after the transfer portal subtractions, the Jags remain the better team. If the South Alabama plays up to their capabilities, they will get their first bowl win. Even if they don’t play up to their capability, they should win.
In my Lee Corso moment, I turn and grab Southpaw’s headgear and put it on. I say “South Alabama big in this one. Go Jags. South in your Mouth!” as the credits roll and the camera goes into the next scheduled program.
Go Jags!
Preview: South Alabama Hosts Marshall For Senior Day With Bowl Eligibility Implications
Kickoff: Saturday, November 18, 4:00pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, AL
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: Jamie Sheriff
South Alabama (5-5, 3-3 Sun Belt Conference) will look to give their departing seniors one last win at Hancock Whitney Stadium on Saturday when they host Marshall (5-5, 2-4 SBC). If they accomplish the task, they will be the first senior class to earn back-to-back bowl berths in program history.
Both teams enter needing just one win to earn bowl eligibility.
Marshall snapped a five-game losing streak last week behind redshirt freshman Cole Pennington’s first career start. They started the season 4-0 with wins over Albany (21-17), East Carolina (31-13), Virginia Tech (24-17) and Old Dominion (41-35).
Then they hit the rough patch in their season. They lost to @ NC State (41-48), @ Georgia State (24-41), vs James Madison (9-20), @ Coastal Carolina (6-34), and @ App State (9-31).
Marshall head coach Charles Huff is in his third season at the helm. He went 7-6 in his first season with a loss in the New Orleans Bowl against Louisiana-Lafayette. The Herd was still in Conference USA at the time.
Last season Huff lead the Herd to a 9-4 and a 5-3 conference record in their first year in the Sun Belt. They made waves in with a 26-21 win at then #8 Notre Dame and finished the season with a 28-14 win over UConn in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
Prior to Marshall, Huff was an assistant coach at Alabama for two years.
The Jags were able to break their two-game losing streak themselves with the return of Carter Bradley behind center, an offensive line that were determined to set the line of scrimmage, and a stingy defense.
With two games left for both teams to earn bowl eligibility, both squads would like to go ahead and get that done this week.
Marshall (5-5, 2-4 SBC)
Marshall has a -11 turnover margin on the season. They’ve given the ball away a total of 23 times, 14 interceptions and have lost 9 out of 18 total fumbles. Meanwhile the defense has taken the ball away 12 times, they have 10 interceptions and have recovered 2 out of 9 fumbles.
Offense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 24.4 (83rd) |
| Total Offense | 359.9 (85th) |
| Passing Offense | 230.9 (T-59th) |
| Rushing Offense | 129.0 (97th) |
| Time of Possession | 29:13 |
| Penalty Yards | 55.8 |
Cam Fancher is the leader passer on the team going 186-of-287 (64.8%) for 1,948 yards with eight touchdowns to 11 interceptions on the season. Redshirt freshman Cole Pennington is 27-of-43 (62.8%) for 278 yards with no touchdowns to three interceptions in two game appearances. Pennington made his first career start last week in Marshall’s 38-33 win over Georgia Southern.
The Herd has many receivers involved in their passing game. Five receivers have 20 or more catches on the season and 10 receivers in all have 100+ receiving yards. Caleb Coombs leads the team in catches with 33 catches and receiving touchdowns with two, for 287 yards. DeMarcus Harris leads the receiving corps with 362 yards on 21 catches with a touchdown. In all, eight receivers have touchdowns receptions on the team.
Jaden Harrison has 238 yards on 19 catches with a touchdown. Darryle Simmons has 226 yards on 22 catches.
Rasheen Ali leads the team with 932 yards rushing on 173 carries with 14 touchdowns in nine games played. Ali is tied for 7th in the nation in rushing touchdowns, one TD behind Webb. Ethan Payne has 183 yards on 50 carries. Fancher is third on the team in rushing with 173 yards on 102 carries with two touchdowns in the nine games he’s played in.
| Season Stat | |
| 3rd Downs | 40-of-130 (31%) |
| 4th Downs | 6-of-21 (29%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 26-of-34 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 17-of-34 |
| Penalties-Yards | 61-558 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 18-9 |
Defense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 28.9 (T-94th) |
| Total Offense | 381.5 (72nd) |
| Passing Offense | 216.3 (50th) |
| Rushing Offense | 165.2 (94th) |
| Time of Possession | 30:47 |
| Penalty Yards | 62.5 |
JJ Roberts leads the team with 73 total stops, 39 solo, with two interceptions, a forced fumble, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry in nine games played. Eli Neal has 64 total stops, 20 solo, with 6.5 Tackles for Loss, 2 sacks, an interceptions and three quarterback hurries.
Owen Porter leads the team with 13 sacks, is tied for the team lead with 5 sacks, with 50 total stops, 20 solo, 11 quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and two pass breakups.
Elijah Alston is second on the team with 9.5 TFLs, 4 sacks, 15 quarterback hurries, two pass breakups, and an interception with an 85 yard return for a TD.
Sam Burton co-leads the team with 5 sacks, he has 5.5 TFLs and 8 quarterback hurries.
| Season Stat | |
| 3rd Downs | 44-of-143 (31%) |
| 4th Downs | 9-of-21 (43%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 29-of-37 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 15-of-37 |
| Penalties-Yards | 68-625 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 9-2 |
Special Teams
Rece Verhoff is 10-of-13 (76.9%) placekicking with a long of 44 with one kick blocked. Kameron Lake is 1-of-2 with a long of 20.
John McConnell is averaging 43 yards per punt, a long of 74 yards, with 16 fair catches, 13 downed inside the 20, 5 kicks of 50+ yards, and one touchback.
South Alabama (5-5, 3-3 SBC)
The Jags continue to have a turnover margin of -2 on the season. They have turned the ball over a total of 16 times, nine interceptions and seven fumbles lost. The defense has taken the ball away from opponents 14 times, seven interceptions and seven fumbles. The Jags gave the ball away once to Arkansas State last week, but took the ball away once as well.
Offense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 29.9 (T-49th) |
| Total Offense | 423.0 (40th) |
| Passing Offense | 258.4 (42nd) |
| Rushing Offense | 164.6 |
| Time of Possession | 29:50 |
| Penalty Yards | 59.70 |
Carter Bradley’s is 186-of-279 (66.7%) for 2,301 yards and 15 touchdowns to 7 interceptions in nine games played. Gio Lopez, with one start but four game appearances, is 27-of-42 (64.3%) for 283 yards with 1 touchdown to 2 interceptions on the season.
Caullin Lacy leads the team with 71 catches, 1,096 yards, and six touchdowns. Lacy ranks 4th in the nation in receiving yards after a 50-yard game last week. Jamaal Pritchett has 650 yards on 44 catches with 5 touchdowns. Lincoln Sefcik has 165 yards on 17 catches with a touchdown. DJ Thomas-Jones has 156 yards on 15 catches.
La’Damian Webb leads the team with 890 yards rushing on 162 carries with 15 touchdowns and an average of 5.5 yards per carry. Webb is 31st in the nation in rushing yards and tied for 2nd in the nation in rushing touchdowns. Kentrel Bullock, despite missing last week in the concussion protocol, has 380 yards on 76 carries with three touchdowns and a 5 yard per carry average. Marco Lee Jr has 186 yards on 41 carries with two touchdowns and a 4.5 yards per carry average.
| Season Stat | |
| 3rd Downs | 57-of-133 (42.9%) (29th) |
| 4th Downs | 12-of-20 (58.8%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 32-of-34 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 26-of-32 |
| Penalties-Yards | 69-597 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 12-7 |
Defense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 21.1 (37th) |
| Total Offense | 323.7 (25th) |
| Passing Offense | 198.9 (31nd) |
| Rushing Offense | 124.8 (35th) |
| Time of Possession | 30:09 |
| Penalty Yards | 46.7 |
Quentin Wilfawn’s tear over the last three weeks continues to have him pace the defense with 71 total stops, 40 solo, with a team leading 13.5 TFLs and also a team leading 5.5 sacks. He also has 5 quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, and a pass breakup.
James Miller has 61 total stops, 23 solo, with 4 TFLs, a quarterback hurry and a fumble recovery.
Trey Kiser has 60 total stops, 26 solo, with 8.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, two pass breakups and a quarterback hurry.
Jamie Sheriff is third on the team with 6 TFLs and is tied for second on the team with 3 sacks. He leads the team with 7 quarterback hurries with a forced fumble.
Jaden Voisin leads the team with 3 interceptions to go with his 6 pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Ricky Fletcher leads the defense with 11 pass breakups.
| Season Stat | |
| 3rd Downs | 45-of-1330 (33.83%) (43rd) |
| 4th Downs | 7-of-15 (46.67%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 19-of-26 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 11-of-26 |
| Penalties-Yards | 55-467 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 11-7 |
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo is 10-of-14 (71.4%) placekicking with a long of 46 yards.
Jack Martin is averaging 39.06 yards per punt with a long of 53 yards, 16 fair catches, 10 downed inside the 20 and two kicks of 50+ yards.
Injuries
Carter Bradley returned and played the entire game. At times it looked like he may have been favoring his left knee, but he moved around in the pocket well and even ran a few times. There was a strong northern wind during most of the game which affected his deep passes a bit. Some sailed long on him when the wind was at his back.
Overall Bradley looked good in his return.
Braylon McReynolds returned to the lineup for the first time since his injury suffered against Tulane in the season opener. The coaching staff said they were limiting how much playing time he got in the game. His first time touching the ball he gained 10 yards, so it’s safe to say he is ready to go. The coaching staff will evaluate him throughout the week and may “significantly” increase it workload this Saturday.
McReynolds return came at the perfect time. Kentrel Bullock missed the game after being unable to clear the concussion protocol prior to the game against Arkansas State. Each player and each concussion is different so the timetables to return are completely different each time. Hopefully Bullock will completely recover in time for the game.
Lincoln Sefcik will miss the remainder of the season due to breaking unspecified team rules, not due to injury.
Keys to the Game
Turnovers
Marshall averages 2.3 turnovers a game this season. Last week they gave the ball away twice to Georgia Southern, an INT and a fumble, yet still won the game. Over the five game losing streak they had a total of 14, or nearly three per game.
The Jags defense has not generated as many turnovers this season as they have over the last two seasons. I’m sure the team will look at this game as an opportunity to improve on the turnover margin with some takeaways
Meanwhile the Jaguar offense wants to protect the ball more. Webb had a very uncharacteristic fumble last week against the Red Wolves. It looked as though he was slipping on the turf as the defender knocked the ball loose. Bradley has cut down his interceptions after what looked like he was trying to force the ball downfield into bad coverage.
Turnover margin in a game is one of those key stats teams want to win as it increases their likelihood to win.
Offensive Line
The guys up front did a great job against the Arkansas defense. They limited the Red Wolves to only two sacks and led the way for La’Damian Webb to rush for 163 yards.
That kind of play is exactly what the team needed to help defeat the Red Wolves.
Marshall’s rushing defense is 94th in the nation, so if the offensive line can set the line of scrimmage the Jaguar backfield could have a field day running the ball.
But it all starts up front.
Stadium Presence
South Alabama still has a fan problem. Despite on-campus students not having far to go to view the game, they just didn’t turn out very well against Arkansas State.
It was the Jaguar Marching Band along with the Honor Band that provided most of the crowd noise in the game. They did a very good job of it too!
Everyone in the stadium last week could take a lesson from them.
The stadium was rocking for the Southern Miss game. We need that each and every week at Hancock Whitney Stadium. We need to “Rock the ‘cock” every home game. Whoever programs the in-game music really needs get off their personal playlist and look for some music to energize the crowd. The “Stand up and Shout” on 3rd down needs to go away for the foreboding chimes of “Hell’s Bells.” We need to settle on one good sing-along song to play early in the fourth quarter.
Give Thunderjags a crack at the in-game musical choices!
Senior Recognition
A strong group of seniors will be honored before the game on Saturday. They are in no particular order: Jamie Sheriff, Jamall Hickbottom, Maurice Strong Jr, Carter Bradley, Desmond Trotter, Tanner McGee, La’Damian Webb, Marco Lee Jr, Reggie Smith, Josh McCulloch, Brandon Crum, Jacob Hopper, Lincoln Sefcik, Ke’Shun Brown, Trey Kiser, James Miller, Quentin Wilfawn, Keith Gallmon, Jalen Jordan, Jacob Meeks and Diego Guajardo.
Many of those names you’ve heard mentioned on this site, while watching on television or streaming, or on the radio broadcast. Thank you for what you have done as a Jaguar and for being outstanding ambassadors of the team and the school. We wish you the best in whatever comes next in your journey.
Prediction
The Jags are another double-digit favorite this week with a 10.5 point favorite to win. Every time the Jags have been favored this season I have cringed a bit just because of the uncertainty and the inconsistency.
But I think South Alabama will be ready for Marshall. If the Jag defense can pick up where they left off last week, they should hold Marshall in check like they did Arkansas State no matter who starts at quarterback.
Though the Jaguar offense did just enough to win, we’d like to see them do a bit more.
The weather was a factor last week though. A strong northerly wind with mist doesn’t make for the best playing conditions, particularly throwing the ball. The weather on Saturday looks good, so hopefully that means lots of fireworks and light display for South Alabama.
I think the Jags win and they squeak out a cover while they’re at it.
Go Jags!
Preview: South Alabama Looks To Start Late-Season Run Against Arkansas State
Kickoff: Saturday, November 11, 4:00pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, AL
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: Quentin Wilfawn
South Alabama finds itself in the midst of another two-game skid this season. The Jags (4-5, 2-3 SBC) return home after another stinging loss to Troy in their bitter rivalry game, the “Battle for the Belt”, for the sixth consecutive time.
The Arkansas State Red Wolves (5-4, 3-2 SBC) come into Mobile riding a two-game winning streak (ULM 34-24 and Louisiana-Lafayette 37-17).
In the 11 previous match-ups between the two teams, the Jags have a 5-6 record against Arkansas State. The Jags hold a 3-2 edge when playing the Red Wolves in Mobile and have also won the previous four meetings between the two, including a 31-3 win last season in Jonesboro.
Red Wolves head coach Butch Jones is in his third season at the helm in Jonesboro and has them on the verge of being bowl-eligible for the first time since 2019. Since taking over the Red Wolves they have improved their record every season. They have gone from 2-10, to 3-9, and now are 5-4 with three games to go.
The Jags hope to finish the season strong, needing at least two wins in order to gain bowl eligibility.
Interestingly the Jags and Red Wolves, like their win-loss record, have the same opponents just in a different order to finish out the season. USA will host Marshall then travel to Texas State while ASU hosts Texas State and travels to Marshall over the next two weeks.
But before that, we have the game on Saturday. If the Jags win, they are one game closer to bowl eligibility. If the Red Wolves win, they are bowl eligible.
Arkansas State (5-4, 3-2 SBC)
The Red Wolves have a -2 turnover margin. They have turned the ball over to opponents only nine times, six interceptions and three fumbles. Their defense has taken the ball away seven times, four by interception and three recovered fumbles.
Offense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 24.56 |
| Total Offense | 379.1 |
| Passing Offense | 226.22 |
| Rushing Offense | 152.9 |
| Time of Possession | 27:19 |
| Penalty Yards | 61.44 |
| Season Stat | |
| 3rd Downs | 44-of-120 (36.67%) |
| 4th Downs | 4-of-12 (33.3%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 25-of-30 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 16-of-15 |
| Penalties-Yards | 55-553 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 4-3 |
Jaylen Raynor is 102-of-172 (59.3%) for 1,648 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions in 7 games played. Jaxon Dailey is 17-of-33 (51.5%) for 137 yards in 4 games played. J.T. Shrout is 24-of-51 (47.1%) for 227 yards and two interceptions in two games played.
Courtney Jackson leads the Red Wolves with 480 yards on 25 catches with six touchdowns. Corey Rucker has 443 yards on 22 catches. Jeff Foreman has 367 yards on 17 catches with three touchdowns.
Ja’Quez Cross leads the team rushing with 470 yards on 83 carries with three touchdowns. Zak Wallace is next with 435 yards on 103 carries with four touchdowns. Jaylen Raynor is next on the team with 324 yards on 84 carries with five touchdowns in only seven games played.
Defense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 31.89 |
| Total Offense | 441.1 |
| Passing Offense | 268.33 |
| Rushing Offense | 172.8 |
| Time of Possession | 32:41 |
| Penalty Yards | 59.11 |
| Season Stat | |
| 3rd Downs | 52-of-130 (40.0%) |
| 4th Downs | 12-of-16 (75.0%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 34-of-38 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 22-of-34 |
| Penalties-Yards | 59-532 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 5-3 |
Javante Mackey leads the Red Wolves with 69 total stops, 44 solo, with 5 TFLs and two sacks. Charles Willekes has 62 total stops, 22 solo, with 5 TFLs and a sack.
Melique Straker adds 59 total stops, 29 solo, with two TFLs and an interception.
Keyron Crawford leads the team with 9.5 TFL’s and also 4.5 sacks. Thurman Geathers has 9 TFL’s and 3 sacks with 10 quarterback hurries under his belt.
Eddie Smith leads the team with two interceptions.
Special Teams
Dominic Zvada is 13-of-17 (76.47%) with a season long of 53 yards.
William Przystup is averaging 44.19 yards per punt with a long of 59 yards. He has 13 downed inside the 20, 13 kicks of 50+ yards, 8 fair catches and 5 touchbacks.
South Alabama (4-5, 2-3 SBC)
The Jags also have a -2 turnover ratio coming into the game against the Red Wolves. They have turned the ball over a total of 15 times, nine interceptions and six fumbles lost. The defense has taken the ball away from opponents 13 times, six interceptions and seven fumbles.
Offense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 30.89 |
| Total Offense | 431.8 |
| Passing Offense | 271.0 |
| Rushing Offense | 160.8 |
| Time of Possession | 29:30 |
| Penalty Yards | 58.44 |
| Season Stat | |
| 3rd Downs | 52-of-118 (44.1%) (T-29th) |
| 4th Downs | 10-of-17 (58.8%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 30-of-32 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 24-of-30 |
| Penalties-Yards | 61-526 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 10-6 |
Carter Bradley is 167-of-254 (65.75%) on the season with 2,156 yards, 13 touchdowns and 7 interceptions through eight games (did not play against Troy). Gio Lopez is 27-of-42 (64.29%) for 283 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in four appearances, including the start last week against Troy.
Caullin Lacy became the first receiver in FBS football to eclipse the 1,000 yard receiving mark last week. He has 64 catches for 1,046 yards (2nd) with six touchdowns (T-33rd). Jamaal Pritchett has 41 catches for 600 yards and three touchdowns. Lincoln Sefcik has 17 catches for 165 yards and a touchdown. DJ Thomas-Jones has 14 catches for 150 yards. Kentrel Bullock has 14 catches for 111 yards and a touchdown.
La’Damian Webb set a new single-season rushing touchdown record against Troy with his 14th score of the season and ranks 2nd nationally. He has 727 yards (40th) on 134 carries for the season. Bullock has 380 yards on 76 carries with three touchdowns. Marco Lee Jr has 186 yards on 40 carries with two touchdowns.
Defense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 21.89 (40th) |
| Total Offense | 326.1 (26th) |
| Passing Offense | 200.33 (32nd) |
| Rushing Offense | 125.8 (37th) |
| Time of Possession | 30:29 |
| Penalty Yards | 50.22 |
| Season Stat | |
| 3rd Downs | 43-of-120 (35.83%) (43rd) |
| 4th Downs | 6-of-12 (50%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 18-of-24 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 11-of-18 |
| Penalties-Yards | 52-452 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 10-7 |
Quentin Wilfawn leads the defense with 61 total stops, 33 solo with a team leading 10.5 tackles for loss and a tie for team leading three sacks. James Miller has 57 total stops, 21 solo, with 2.5 TFLs. Trey Kiser has 55 total stops, 23 solo, with 8 TFLs and 2.5 sacks. Jaden Voisin adds 51 total stops, 20 solo, with ½ TFL, six pass breakups and a team-leading 2 interceptions.
Brock Higdon shares the sack lead with Wilfawn at 3 each.
Maurice Strong Jr., Yam Banks, Wesley Miller, Marquise Robinson each have an interception.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo is 10-of-14 on the season (71.4%), his long on the season is 46 yards and has missed both attempts from 50+ yards.
Jack Martin is averaging 39.86 yards per punt with a long of 53 yards. He has 15 fair catches, 10 downed inside the 20, and two kick of 50+ yards.
Injuries
The status of Carter Bradley will not be known until game time on Saturday. The coaches said that he made a lot of progress last week but they held him out because there were concerns about his mobility and his ability to protect himself in the game.
Meanwhile the coaches also said that Lopez and Desmond Trotter will split reps with the first and second-string offenses this week while Bradley continues to rehab and try to work out his injured left knee.
Is this some gamesmanship to make the Red Wolves prepare for up to three quarterbacks? Absolutely! Will it work? We’ll see on Saturday.
Gio Lopez has hit the threshold for the number of games he can play without burning his redshirt. So it’s safe to say that, if he goes into the game, it is because the coaching staff believes that he gives the team the best shot at winning.
Braylon McReynolds is getting closer to returning to action. He is likely not going to play this week, but he could see action before the end of the regular season. He has been working out with the team in non-contact gear.
Keys to the Game
Consistency
This has been an issue for this team all season, overall consistency. The Jags get a brush with it but it only seems to last about two games. They have the high-performing games like against Southeastern Louisiana and Oklahoma State, then ULM and Southern Miss. But then they have the low games like against Central Michigan and James Madison, then Louisiana-Lafayette and Troy.
But even in the losses, they had sparks where they played well but just couldn’t maintain it or found it too late.
That’s something that South Alabama has struggled with since transitioning into FBS. Though they have improved some over the last couple of seasons but clearly aren’t where they want to be. Hopefully after the success they tasted last season and how this season has gone so far, it will help them in working towards that collective goal: Consistency.
Offensive Line
Speaking of inconsistency, the offensive line has had its share of inconsistent play.
Over the last two games though, the ULL and Troy have both been able to dominate the line of scrimmage and pressure the quarterback and disrupt the Jags running game. It didn’t help that the Jags started true freshman Gio Lopez against the Trojans last week. While Lopez did show a lot of poise and potential, the Trojans were able to get pressure on him and didn’t allow him to try to stretch the field with some throws down the field.
However, last season the Jags offensive line led the way for La’Damian Webb to run for 163 yards and three touchdowns against the Red Wolves. Against a defense that allows an average 172.8 rushing yards per game, there’s an opportunity for USA to repeat that performance and earn their fifth win of the season and their fifth consecutive win in the series.
Stadium Presence
In the home game losses, the stadium feel has just been dead. Walking into the stadium for the Louisiana-Lafayette game it just felt like extremely low energy and I immediately had red flags go up. That was the next game after an extremely high-energy crowd for the Tuesday night Southern Miss game.
The two games could not have been any more polar opposites.
The closer I got to the stadium on that Tuesday evening, the air felt like it could just start crackling at any moment with the sheer energy that was present. During pre-game festivities, team entrances, and throughout the game the crowd was feeding and the team was eating.
While the program is still quite new, it’s time that the students and spectators made their presence felt more on gameday. It’s time to turn Hancock Whitney Stadium, aka ‘The Cock’, into the Jungle.
“Do you know where you are? You’re in the Jungle baby. You’re gonna die….watch it bring you to your…knees”
Prediction
I’ve written this out too many times this season already, but it really depends on which Jaguar team gets off that bus at the stadium on Saturday. But if you look above at my keys to the game, I believe it will also be determined by the stadium atmosphere.
Under head coach Kane Wommack, the Jags have not had a .500 or sub-.500 record at home. They currently are 2-2 with two home games remaining on their schedule.
Arkansas State has some momentum on their side with a stunning win over the Ragin’ Cajuns (who put a decent whipping on the Jags just two weeks ago. The Red Wolves seem to have found their quarterback of the future in freshman Jaylen Raynor. Raynor, a dual threat quarterback, has risen up the team rushing ranks. He’s sitting at third on the team in rushing yards and leads the pack with 5 rushing touchdowns. Also with a 3.25-to-1 touchdown to interception ratio, he is making pretty good decisions throwing the ball.
Dual-threat quarterbacks have plagued the Jags this season. But can the defense put enough pressure on him to force bad decisions while keeping contain?
I feel the Jags are coming into this game with a mission and with focus.
As an 11.5 point favorite, I feel that’s a bit high considering. But what do I know. Sometimes I feel that I might as well employ a magic 8-ball this year, but I’ll keep at it. I feel good about the Jags winning, but I don’t think they cover. Go ahead, prove me wrong. (Just don’t do it by losing, okay)
Go Jags!
Jags Fall 28-10 in Battle For The Belt
South Alabama got a glimpse of their future quarterback, but dropped their sixth-consecutive Battle for the Belt to Troy 28-10. The loss puts the Jags under .500 on the season at 4-5 (2-3 in Sun Belt play) while the Trojans improve to 7-2 (4-1 SBC) and take a 9 games to 3 lead over the Jags in the series.
Carter Bradley went down on the final play against Louisiana-Lafayette on a rather pointless two-point conversion try. Though Bradley was coy in the Monday press conference, he didn’t suit up and true freshman Gio Lopez got the start in Troy. With a short-turnaround from Saturday to a Thursday night game, Bradley was unable to recover and be ready to play.
Though Lopez played well, it was obvious that the playbook was simplified for him. Also the Jaguar offensive line had problems protecting him as the game wore on.
After trading punts Quentin Wilfawn forced a fumble which Jamall Hickbottom recovered at the Troy 44 yard line. La’Damian Webb scored a few plays later on a 2 yard run to put the Jags up 7-0 at the 10:13 mark of the first quarter.
The second quarter was all Trojans.
After a missed 50 yard field goal attempt by Diego Guajardo on the left hashmark that just didn’t move right, the Trojans capitalized. On the fourth play of the drive, Gunnar Watson threw deep for Chris Lewis and he hauled it in one-handed for a 47 yard touchdown to tie the game.
After starting at their own 4 yard line, the Trojans put together a 12-play, 96 yard drive capped off by a 26 yard touchdown pass to Lewis again for a 14-7 lead over the Jags.
South Alabama started the fourth quarter facing a 4th and 2 at the Troy 43 yard line. Lopez rolls to his right and is able to get the ball away despite being completely smothered by the Trojan defense. Caullin Lacy caught the pass for 5 yards and a first down. On the next play, Lopez scrambled out of two tackles and threw it down field on a heave that Jamaal Pritchett hauled in going out of bounds at the 3 yard line.
Unfortunately the Jags cannot put it in the end zone. After a false start, Lopez ran for 7 yards to the 1 yard line. On 3rd & goal at the 1, Webb ran to the left and ran into a gaggle of players, he backpedaled and was eventually brought down for a 10 yard loss. The Jags settled for a 29 yard field goal to narrow their deficit to 14-10 at the 11:47 mark of the fourth quarter.
The Trojans just bled the clock.
The Trojans couldn’t punch the ball in on three attempts from the 1 yard line. On 4th down, Kimani Vidal ran right and was tackled at the goal line. The play was ruled a touchdown without a review despite how it looked like he may have been kept out of the end zone.
With the Jags down 21-10 with 3:12 left in the game they had Lopez throwing the ball. After a pair of incompletions, Lopez tried to get the ball Javon Ivory but the throw was a little high and behind him and went off his fingertips and was intercepted.
The South Alabama defense had the Trojans 4th and 7 at the 29, Watson threw the ball up to Lewis and he came down with his third touchdown of the game to put the bow on the Jaguar loss.
“I think, when you look at the game, obviously missed execution is really the thing that they did a better job than we did,” head coach Kane Wommack said. “Situationally, we can’t let them bleed us for two massive drives at very critical moments in the game. Didn’t get off the field some on third down defensively at critical moments and obviously didn’t finish well enough in the red zone.”
Stats
The Jags were out-gained by the Trojans 400-252 in total yards, 271-155 in passing yards, and 129-97 in rushing yards for the game.
While the Trojans were only 5-of-14 on 3rd down, the Jags were 0-for-10 on 3rd down.
Also the Jags lost the time of possession game 24:22 to 34:38.
Lopez finished 17-of-27 for 155 yard with an interception.
Caullin Lacy extended his streak of consecutive games with a catch to 34. He had nine catches for 89 yards, with 77 yards after catch. Pritchett caught six for 59 yards.
La’Damian Webb had 53 yards rushing on 15 carries with a touchdown, his 14th of the season and setting a new single-season record for rushing touchdowns. Lopez ran for 39 yards on nine carries. Kentrel Bullock has 2 carries for 5 yards before leaving the game in the first half with a rib contusion.
Quentin Wilfawn led the defense with 11 total stops, 6 solo, with a sack, two TFLs and a forced fumble. Jaden Voisin and Trey Kiser were next with 9 stops each. Kiser had two TFLs.
Gunnar Watson finished 19-of-27 for 271 yards with three touchdowns.
Chris Lewis had four catches for 120 yards with three touchdowns. Deshon Staudemire had six catches for 81 yards.
Kimani Vidal rushed for 125 yards on 24 carries with a touchdown. The other Trojan backs combined for 15 carries and 4 yards.
Irshaad Davis had 11 stops, 2 solo, for the Trojans. Jordan Stringer had 10 stops, 2 solo. Reddy Steward came away with the only interception of the game.
Was playing Gio the best call? We will never really know. Would Desmond Trotter have given us a better chance to win? Again we’ll never know. The coaches believed Lopez was our best shot to win and that’s what we have to go on. But he did make some big plays in the game.
With three games left and needing at least two wins to get bowl eligible, the Jags need to heal up quickly. Kentrel Bullock left the game and didn’t return. Jaden Voisin also left the game and didn’t return. Voisin is a leader in the Jaguar secondary while Bullock is a good #2 to Webb.
Next
Arkansas State comes to Mobile on Saturday, November 11 for a 4pm kick to start a two-game home stand, a game the Jags really need to win. Let’s hope the home crowd provides more energy in the stadium than it did against the Cajuns.
South Alabama Dominates Southern Miss 55-3
It was a record setting night for the South Alabama Jaguars.
The Jaguar offense recorded a new program record 647 total yards of offense as well as a record setting seven rushing touchdowns. La’Damian Webb tied his program record with four rushing touchdowns.
Southern Miss (1-6, 0-4 SBC) didn’t cross the 50 yard line until the 3rd quarter and finally surpassed 100 yards of total offense with under 6 minutes left in the game.
The Jags scored touchdowns of their first four possessions; the first three were La’Damian Webb before Kentrel Bullock added one for himself. The fifth possession was field goal. With an attempt to put points on the scoreboard with just one second on the clock, Diego Guajardo’s 41 yard attempt missed wide right.
Guajardo came back with a 39-yard kick on South Alabama’s first possession of the second half.
Southern Miss broke the shutout with a 32-yard field goal with 5:40 left in the third quarter to make it 34-3.
South Alabama responded with a 3-play scoring drive. A pair of passes to Lincoln Sefcik went for 24 and 20 yards respectively then Webb capped it off with a 16 yard touchdown run for his 4th of the game.
After getting the ball back on downs, head coach Kane Wommack started sending in the subs. Walk-on running back Dorian Smith took his first collegiate carry 29 yards for his first career touchdown to make it 48-3 with 1:20 left in the 3rd quarter.
Freshman Gio Lopez had his fourth appearance of the season and gave Jaguar fans a glimpse of the future with a 20-yard touchdown run to finish off the scoring with 13:47 left in the game. It looked like Lopez had a 27-yard touchdown run later in the game, but a penalty for holding wiped it off the board.
“This was probably one of the more dominating performances I’ve been a part of,” head coach Kane Wommack said after the game. “Arguably our most dominating performance since I’ve been here.”
“We’re really starting to lean into how we’re supposed to start the game,” Wommack said.
Stats
South Alabama
South Alabama put up 647 yards of total offense, 360 passing yards and 287 rushing. They were 7-of-11 on 3rd down and held a 31:15 to 28:45 time of possession advantage.
Carter Bradley finished 21-of-27 for 319 yards. True freshman Gio Lopez was 2-of-4 for 41 yards with an interception late in the game.
“We’re starting to see things click, for sure,” Bradley said. “I think it’s just preparation. Our coaches are doing an unbelievable job of getting us prepared and guys are buying into it.”
Jamaal Pritchett led all receivers with 122 yards on five carries. Caullin Lacy led all receivers with nine catches for 103 yards, extending his streak of consecutive 100-yard games to six. Four other receivers caught passes in the game.
La’Damian Webb rushed for 102 yards on 20 attempts with the four touchdowns. Kentrel Bullock finished with 58 yards on nine carries with a touchdown. Dorian Smith had two carries for 34 yards and a touchdown. Marco Lee Jr has 26 yards on six carries. Gio Lopez was credited with one carry for 20 yards and a score. Jarvis Durr had three carries for 20 yards, Bradley had 19 yards on two carries, and Jonathon Carter had one carry for 8 yards.
Khalil Jacobs led the team with seven total stops, four solo, with three tackles for loss and a forced fumble. James Miller had six total stops, one solo, with a TFL.
Jordan Norman, Maurice Strong Jr both had a sack in the game. Carlos Johnson Jr and Brock Higdon both has ½ sack.
Strong Jr got the only takeway with an interception for the Jag defense.
“It was just about being consistent for us,” defensive lineman Wy’Kevious “Bubba” Thomas said after wearing the honorary #5 jersey this week. “If you show consistency throughout the week of practice, it’s easy on game day.”
Southern Miss
The Golden Eagles only managed 149 total yards of offense, a mere 46 passing and 103 rushing. The Jags defense held them to only 1-of-13 on 3rd down and 1-of-2 on 4th down attempts. They were only penalized four times for 25 yards.
Billy Wiles was 2-of-5 for 5 yards as the starting quarterback. Holman Edwards came in and went 5-of-15 for 41 yards and an interception.
Frank Gore Jr was the leading Golden Eagle receiver with 22 yards on two catches. He also had the longest play from scrimmage with a 20 yard pass reception.
Tiaquelin Mims had two catches for 4 yards. Tyquan Henderson had the second most receiving yards on the team with 9 on just one catch.
Kenyon Clay finished as the leading rusher for USM with 60 yards on 10 carries. Gore Jr finished with 27 yards on 12 carries. Rodrigues Clark was the only other player with positive rushing yards with 13 on five carries.
Swayze Bozeman finished with 12 total stops, 8 solo, with a TFL. Dylan Lawrence had nine total stops, 6 solo. MJ Daniels got the only takeway from the Jags with an interception of Gio Lopez in the fourth quarter.
Next
The Jags will take the field next on Saturday, October 28th for a 4pm kickoff against Louisiana-Lafayette. The Ragin’ Cajuns are currently 4-2, 1-1 in conference play, and are set to host Georgia State at Cajun Field this Saturday.
Preview: South Alabama Hosts Southern Miss Tuesday Night Nationally Televised Showdown
Kickoff: Tuesday, October 17, 6:30pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, AL
TV/Streaming: ESPN2
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
Thunderjags on X (formerly known as Twitter): @USAThunderjags
#5 Jersey: Wy’Kevious “Bubba” Thomas
Half of the regular season schedule is in the books. Through the first six games of the season we’ve seen some of the best play from the Jaguars, but we’ve also seen some of the worst. They’re record is an even split across the board: they are 3-3 overall and 1-1 in Sun Belt Conference play.
After back-to-back losses, South Alabama went to Louisiana-Monroe. They had never won in Monroe but this time they did in emphatic fashion. They took the Warhawks out behind the woodshed by the score of 55-7.
The next test for the Jags will be the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. In the three meetings between the two programs, the Jags have yet to lose to USM. They’ve won two in Hattiesburg and one in Mobile.
Both teams come into the game on Tuesday night with a little extra rest. Both teams last played on October 7th and have a semi-bye week. They don’t get a full two weeks between games, since they were picked up by ESPN to play a nationally televised mid-week game.
Southern Miss (1-5, 0-3 SBC)
Southern Miss head coach Will Hall are in the midst of a five-game losing streak in his third season at the helm. They opened with a 40-14 win over Alcorn State then dropped games to #4 Florida State, Tulane, Arkansas State, Texas State and Old Dominion.
They come to Mobile for only the fourth meeting between these two programs looking for their first conference win of the season and their first win against the Jags.
Offense
Despite the record, Southern Miss remains a team that you cannot take lightly. Frank Gore Jr is one of the best all-around backs in the country. He has 3,288 career rushing yards and 58 career receptions to go along with seven career touchdown passes.
The Golden Eagles average 23.7 points, 356 total yards of offense, 213.8 passing yards, and 142.2 rushing yards per game.
They are converting 36-of-94 (38.3%) on 3rd down attempts and are 7-of-16 (43.8%) on 4th down attempts. They hold a 33:16 to 26:44 advantage on average time of possession per game too.
Of their 25 trips into the red zone, they have scored 22 times, but 11 (50%) have been field goals.
Sophomore Billy Wiles is 107-of-200 (53.5%) passing for 1,254 yards with 7 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. His rushing stats don’t look so good because of sack yardage, but he has gained 122 yards on the ground yet he only has a net yardage of 14 for the season with a touchdown run. Quarterbacks have been sacked 14 times on the season.
Frank Gore Jr has only attempted one pass on the season and it was incomplete.
Jakarius Caston leads USM with 334 yards on 21 catches with three touchdowns. Latreal Jones leads the team with 23 catches with 324 yards and a touchdown. Tiaquelin Mims has 18 catches for 209 yards and a touchdown. Chandler Pittman adds 13 catches for 111 yards to round out the list of receivers with over 100 yards on the season.
Gore has 10 catches for 50 yards and a touchdown as the last player with double-digit receptions on the season. He leads the team rushing with 397 yards on 103 carries with four touchdowns. Gore has rushed for over 100 yards in two of his last three games.
Rodrigues Clark has 356 yards on 50 carries with two touchdowns.
Defense
The ‘Nasty Bunch’ defense has not been as nasty as their predecessors.
They have allowed an average of 35.3 points, 395.3 total yards of offense, 207.2 passing yards, and 188.2 rushing yards per game.
Opponents are only converting 26-of-71 (36.6%) of their 3rd down attempts and 4-of-7 (57.1%) on 4th down attempts.
They have 17 sacks on opposing quarterbacks on the season for a loss of 105 yards though.
Safety Dylan Lawrence leads the team with 36 total stops, 13 solo, with a sack. Fellow safety Jay Stanley is right behind him with 34 total stops, 18 solo, with ½ sack, a team leading two interceptions, 3 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Linebacker Hayes Maples is third on the team in total stops with 24, 9 solo, with 1.5 sacks.
Linebacker Jalil Clemons leads the team with three sacks.
Special Teams
Placekicker Andrew Stein is 13-of-15 (86.7%) on the season with a long of 52. His only two misses have come in the 40 yard zone.
Bryce Lofton is averaging 38.5 yards per punt with 10 fair catches, 7 downed inside the 20, and a long of 50 yards.
South Alabama (3-3, 1-1 SBC)
The Jags put together a consistent game last time out. The offense consistently moved the ball and the defense didn’t allow any big plays to note.
Offense
The Jag offense is averaging 32.2 points, 414.8 total yards of offense, 257.1 passing yards, and 157.7 rushing yards per game.
They are converting on 39-of-83 (46.99%) on 3rd down and 7-of-12 (58.3%) on 4th down attempts. They hold a slight advantage in average time of passion with 30:36 to their opponents 29:23.
USA continues to hold a perfect record when getting into the red zone. They have scored on all 20 trips, with 16 of them coming as touchdowns.
Carter Bradley is 117-of-178 (65.7%) passing for 1,456 yards, 11 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Gio Lopez is 8-of-11 for 87 yards and a touchdown, with most of that work coming last time out against ULM.
Caullin Lacy has stepped up as the Jaguars leading receiver. He has 39 catches for 723 yards with 6 touchdowns. He is averaging just over 18.5 yards per catch. He is third nationally in receiving yards. He has a five-game streak of 100+ receiving yard games entering this game.
Jamaal Pritchett is next with 19 catches for 251 yards and a touchdown. Tight end DJ Thomas-Jones has 9 catches for 103 yards. Fellow tight end Lincoln Sefcik has 12 catches for 88 yards and a touchdown.
Kentrel Bullock has 84 yards on 10 catches with a touchdown while fellow running back La’Damian Webb has 12 catches for 66 yards.
Webb leads the team with 476 yards rushing on 83 carries with 8 touchdowns. His eight rushing touchdowns has him tied for 3rd in the national rankings, while his yards ranks him 33rd.
Bullock has 285 yards on 59 carries with two touchdowns. Marco Lee Jr has 160 yards on 33 carries with two touchdowns as well.
Defense
The Jag defense is allowing an average of 22.2 points, 339.7 total offensive yards, 223.5 passing yards, and 116.2 rushing yards per game. Opponents are converting 31-of-79 (39.2%) of their 3rd down attempts and 2-of-6 (33.3%) of their 4th down attempts.
Opponents have scored on 14 of their 19 trips into the Jags red zone, with only 9 of them scoring a touchdown.
Trey Kiser leads the defense with 39 total stops, 18 solo. He also leads the team with 6 tackles for loss too.
James Miller is second on the team with 37 total stops, 13 solo, with 1.5 sacks. Jaden Voisin has 34 total stops, 13 solo, with a team-leading two interceptions.
Brock Higdon leads the team with 2.5 sacks.
Yam Banks, Wesley Miller, and Marquise Robinson all have one interception each.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo is 7-of-9 on the season with a long of 46. He missed a 52 yard attempt in the season opener against Tulane and a 43 yard attempt last time out against ULM.
Jack Martin is averaging 40.7 yards per punt with 10 fair catches, 7 downed inside the 20, two kicks of 50+ yards and a long of 53.
Injuries
Outside of the players that were lost for the season, head coach Kane Wommack anticipates that the players that are banged up will potentially be available against USM. Josh McCulloch has missed the last four games with a knee injury. Safety Mike Harris didn’t play against ULM due to an undisclosed injury.
Braylon McReynolds, Devin Voisin, Keith Gallmon Jr and Ed Smith are all considered out for the season. McReynolds has an outside chance to return late in the regular season and/or potentially for post-season play.
Keys to the Game
Consistency
The Jags have only played consistent ball for all four quarters in two games this season. Both were big wins (33-7 over Oklahoma State and 55-7 over ULM). When they play with consistency, the Jags are a powerhouse. They can beat any team in the conference.
But they have yet to play consistent ball in back-to-back games. This is an opportunity to do just that on national television.
Offensive Line
This is one of the keys to the game for at least the last two games. Even though Southern Miss haven’t shown it on the scoreboard, their defense has caused a bit of havoc on the season. They’ve collected 17 sacks of opposing quarterbacks and 32 tackles for loss.
They know that they have to attack at the line of scrimmage. They also know that the Jags have had some games where the offensive line hasn’t played very well either.
They’ll try to draw up some schemes to limit the Jaguar rushing attack and apply pressure on Carter Bradley.
Composure on the National Stage
The Jags have a somewhat bad history with nationally televised games. They have played flat and haven’t brought the same energy that they’ve had in other games not broadcast on a national platform.
I don’t know if it’s something to do with preparing to be seen nationally or just that the extra pressure has resulted in them playing tight historically.
This could be one of those games that, if the Jags don’t come to play for all 60 minutes, they could be on the bad end of an upset.
Prediction
Coach Wommack said that he and his staff spent a lot of time before the season planning out how they would navigate their two mid-week games. Getting off the usual Saturday game cadence and adjusting the schedule for a Tuesday night game with a couple extra days between can disrupt the rhythm of a team.
Hopefully the attention to detail helps the team play to their standard and ability.
South Alabama is a 15.5 point favorite against the Golden Eagles.
I think coach Hall and Southern Miss will throw everything they have at the Jags in order to find that first elusive conference win of the season. They’d also love to break that winless streak against the Jags too.
I think the Jags win, but I also think that Southern Miss will fight and cover the spread as their window to bowl eligibility is closing quickly. A loss to the Jags leaves them needing to win out with games against Mississippi State and Troy to close out the regular season.
Go Jags!
Jags Win In Dominant Fashion Over ULM 55-7 For First Win At Malone Stadium
This is the South Alabama team we thought would show up this season.
They went into Monroe Louisiana and dominated from beginning to end in a 55-7 drumming of the Warhawks. Carter Bradley threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns and La’Damian Webb ran for 100 yards and a score.
Caullin Lacy added to him impressive season and extended his streak of 100-yard games. He finished with 7 catches, 156 yards and a touchdown.
South Alabama (3-3, 1-1 SBC) took the opening kickoff 75 yards in 10 plays and 4:03 for the opening touchdown and just never looked back. At the end of the first quarter the Jags had more points (14) than ULM (2-3, 0-2 SBC) had total yards (8).
The Warhawks, down 31-0, took the ensuing kickoff and drove 75 yards in 11 plays to score with no time remaining in the half for their only points of the game.
The second half was all Jags in a shutout. The only time the Warhawks really got a scent of points in the second half, they got to the Jags 16, but they would turn the ball over on downs after a sack.
South Alabama kept burning the clock but the Warhawks couldn’t stop the Jags. Gio Lopez tossed a touchdown pass to Jeremiah Webb the first touchdowns in both players careers.
Stats
South Alabama
The Jaguar offense put on an offensive display. They had 589 total yards of offense, 387 yards passing and 202-yard rushing. They converted 7-of-13 of their 3rd down attempts and all three of their 4th down attempts.
They kept their red-zone scoring streak this season intact with six scores on six trips, though one of them was a field goal.
The offense possessed the ball 36:30 to ULM’s 23:30.
Carter Bradley went 20-of29 for 303 yards and three touchdowns. Gio Lopez was 7-of-10 for 84 yards and a touchdown.
Caullin Lacy led all receivers with 7 catches for 156 yards and a touchdown. Brandon Crum had 1 catch for a 3-yard touchdown. Jeremiah Webb also had one catch for a 3-yard touchdown. Nine other Jags caught passes in the game.
As mentioned earlier, La’Damian Webb ran 19 times for 100 yards and a touchdown. Marco Lee Jr added 49 yards on 11 carries for a touchdown. Kentrell Bullock had seven carries for 38 yards and a touchdown.
Trey Kiser led the Jags with nine total stops, 3 solo with ½ sack. James Miller and Khalil Jacobs both finished with six total stops.
Jaden Voisin and Wesley Miller both had interceptions in the game.
Louisiana-Monroe
The Warhawks only managed 250 yards of total offense, 112 yards passing and 138 yards rushing. They converted 7-of-15 on 3rd down and were 0-for-2 on 4th down attempts.
Jiya Wright was 13-of-28 for 112 yards, a touchdown, two interceptions, and five sacks.
Tyrone Howell was held to only four catches for 41 yards with the Warhawks only touchdown. However, Howell missed some time after getting shaken up on the second play of the game that ended with a Jaguar interception. Nolan Quinlan caught three passes for 29 yards.
Wright finished as the leading rusher with 53 yards on 13 carries. Bennett Galloway had 45 yards on six carries. Hunter Smith had 19 yards on six carries.
Next
South Alabama has a few extra days to rest and prepare for their next game. They’ll host Southern Miss at Hancock Whitney Stadium on Tuesday, October 17th.
The Golden Eagles fell to 1-5 and 0-3 in conference play and enter the game with a five-game losing streak.
Jaguars Use Strong Second Half To Win Home Opener 35-17 Over Southeastern Louisiana
The Jags pulled away eventually to earn a 35-17 win, but it was a tale of two halves.
In the first half, the Jags offense really couldn’t get anything going while the defense bent but wouldn’t break. Head coach Kane Wommack acknowledged that after the game. “I thought our team seemed like we were playing with a bit of a hangover, in terms of some of the things execution-wise, particularly in the passing game on defense, and not executing enough offensively to sustain drives,” he said.
South Alabama (1-1) and Southeastern Louisiana (0-2) played to a scoreless draw in the first quarter. Just when the Jags looked like they were moving the ball well at the end of the first quarter, they started the second quarter and nothing seemingly went right.
Offensive pass interference bookended by holding calls and the Jags went from the SLU 25 back to their own 48.
The Lions were the first to get on the board on the next possession. Aided by a roughing the passer call on Quentin Wilfawn, the Lions mixed run and pass down the field and capped it off with a 4-yard touchdown pass.
The Jags answered quickly with a 4 play, 75 yard touchdown drive. Bradley opened the drive with a pair of pass completions to Caullin Lacy and Devin Voisin for 6 and 29 yards respectively. Then La’Damian Webb got his first two carries of the game and he made good with them. He ran for 33 yards on his first touch then finished it off with a 3-yard touchdown to even the score.
Carter Bradley was intercepted on the third play from scrimmage in the second half and it looked like the first half woes were going to hang around.
After forcing a three-and-out, the Jaguar offense came out swinging with La’Damian Webb. Webb got the drive started and he ended the drive. In all he carried the ball four times for 38 yards while the scoring drive was only 7-plays, 74 yards as the Jags took their first lead of the game and the season, 14-7.
After another three-and-out by the defense, it was Marco Lee and Kentrel Bullock’s turn to drive the running game. Lee started the drive carrying the ball four of the first five plays. Then Bullock finished the drive with three consecutive runs ending with an 8-yard touchdown and a 21-7 advantage.
On the third play of their next possession, and the first play of the fourth quarter, Bradley connected with Caullin Lacy on a drag route just short of the first down. But Lacy weaved his way down the far sideline, got a key block from a fellow wide receiver downfield, and took it 84 yards to the end zone for a 28-7 advantage.
SLU opened their ensuing drive with a 76 yard pass against the Jaguar secondary. The defense held strong and forced a 29 yard field goal.
The Jags pretty much iced the game on their next possession. The Jags put together a 14-play 75 yard drive that burned almost nine minutes off the clock. Marco Lee capped it off with a 13 yard touchdown on 4th and 1 to put the Jags up 35-10 with 3:18 left in the game.
The Lions took advantage of the Jags playing reserves on defense and scored a trash-time touchdown for the final score of 35-17.
Stats
The Jags put up 509 yards of total offense, 261 through the air and 248 on the ground. The defense allowed SLU to put up 412 yards of total offense, 350 through the air and only 62 on the ground.
Carter Bradley finished 19-of-26 for 258 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Gio Lopez took one snap and completed his only pass attempt for 3 yards as a true freshman.
Caullin Lacy led the Jags receiving corps with 8 catches for 139 yards and a touchdown. Devin Voisin had four catches for 70 yards before leaving as a precaution after an injury. Jamaal Pritchett caught three passes for 36 yards.
Kentrel Bullock led the Jaguar rushing attack with 14 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown. Webb only had 7 carries but rolled up 81 yards and two touchdowns. Marco Lee had 11 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown. True freshman PJ Martin had three carries for 19 yards in his brief appearance.
Yam Banks led the defense with 7 total stops, four solo, and an interception. Trey Kiser, Ricky Fletcher, Quentin Wilfawn, LaMondre Brooks all had a tackle for loss each. Jamall Hickbottom and Wy’Kevious Thomas combine for a sack.
Zachary Clement finished 18-of-24 for 267 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Eli Sawyer finished 7-of-12 for 83 yards.
Darius Lewis led the Lions with 7 catches for 81 yards. Da’Shun Hughley only had one catch but it went for 76 yards. Harlan Dixon had five catches out of the backfield for 62 yards.
Rodeo Graham led the Lions rushing with 33 yards on eight carries. Dixon has 19 yards on 11 carries.
“There are certainly some things that we’ve got to get cleaned up, if we want to reach our potential as a football team,” coach Wommack said after the game.
The Jags had a couple injuries in the game. Keith Gallmon Jr left the game early and didn’t return. Devin Voisin had a knee injury but was seen on the sideline with his pads off and ice on it. They join Jalen Jordan, who didn’t dress out for the game but was seen on the sideline in street clothes. Braylon McReynolds injured his shoulder last week and wasn’t seen on the sideline for the game.
Khalil Jacobs was ejected for targeting on a late hit in the third quarter. He will miss the first half of the Jags game against Oklahoma State next Saturday.
Next
South Alabama will travel to Stillwater to face Oklahoma State for a 6pm kickoff. The Jags are 0-2 all-time against the Cowboys. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.
