Preview: South Alabama Travels To Texas State For First Road Conference Game Of The Season
Kickoff: Saturday October 9, 6 pm
Venue: Bobcat Stadium, San Marcos, Texas
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5 fm, 96.1 fm The Rocket, iHeartRadio App
All eyes are on South Alabama this week. Not because of any national implications (not yet anyway). But because fans are eager to see how the Jaguars respond after the first loss under first year head coach Kane Wommack.
The Jags (3-1, 0-1 SBC) have spent the week preparing for their first conference road game of the season at Texas State (1-3, 0-0).
Last Saturday the Jags dropped their game to Louisiana 20-18 despite having two opportunities to take the lead late in the game. The first was a 4th and 1 at the 4 yard line where Jake Bentley’s pass was ruled incomplete, though Lincoln Sefcik insists that it was a catch. The other was a 37-yard field goal attempt that was missed wide right with 1:06 left.
This all transpired after the Jags fought back from a 20-0 deficit early in the second quarter. The Jags scored 18 unanswered points after that point giving themselves the opportunity to win the game. This was against the Sun Belt Conference West Division Champion for the last three seasons and the preseason choice to win it again.
As coach Wommack said in the post game press conference, the Jags played some of their best football in the last 40 minutes of the Louisiana game.
All the focus has shifted to Texas State though.
The Louisiana game is over and in the past. The Jags control their future and have to approach each game as if their record is 0-0.
A neutral mindset.
Texas State
Despite playing four games, the Bobcats are still quite a mystery.
They opened the season with a 29-20 loss to Baylor and an overtime win over Florida International. However the team was without more than a dozen players in their last two games due to injuries and Covid protocols. They lost to FCS Incarnate Word 42-34 and to Eastern Michigan 59-21.
They’ll host the Jags coming off a well-timed bye week.
Offense
The Texas State offense is led by quarterback Brady McBride, a 2020 transfer from Memphis. He’s thrown seven touchdowns so far this season.
McBride is another dynamic running quarterback. After facing Alcorn State and Louisiana, hopefully this will only help the Jags to be prepared for his style of play.
The Bobcats average 24.5 points and just under 333 yards of total offense per game. They average 196.5 through the air and 136.3 on the ground per game.
Calvin Hill has 239 yards rushing on 49 carries, appearing in all four games. Brock Sturges is next with 151 yards on 33 carries with two touchdowns in three games. Jahmyl Jeter has 96 yards on 17 carries with three touchdowns in four games. McBride has 36 rushing yards, but that is after 87 yards has been deducted from his total gain to account for runs for loss and sacks.
McBride is 79-of-137 passing on the season for 786 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions.
Marcell Barbee leads the Bobcats with 209 yards receiving on 20 catches with three touchdowns. Javen Banks is next with 13 catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Ten other receivers have caught passes on the season, the highest among them has 84 yards on 7 catches.
In addition to the three interceptions McBride has throw, the offense has fumbled the ball six times and lost two of them to the opponent.
Texas State is converting 38% of their 3rd down attempts (21-of-56). But have converted 5-of-7 4th down attempts (71%).
The Bobcats have been very efficient in the red zone so far this season. In all 14 trips they have come away with points, 10 trips they came away with touchdowns.
Defense
The Bobcats allow an average of 36.8 points and 435 total yards of offense per game. That breaks down into an average of 175 yards rushing and 260 yards passing per game.
Opponents are completing over 60% of their passing attempts. They are 85-of-140 for 1,040 yards with 10 touchdowns. Texas State has only picked off one opponents passes.
Opponents have converted 31-of-58 3rd down attempts (53%) and 2-0f-3 4th down attempts (67%).
When opponents get into the red zone they are scoring 80% of the time (16-of-20). Of those 16 scoring trips, 13 of them have been touchdowns.
Along with the one interception, the defense has forced nine fumbles and recovered five of them.
Defensive back Troy Lefeged Jr leads the defense with 28 total stops, 12 of them solo. Zion Childress, a safety, is next with 26 total stops, 16 solo along with the lone interception and two forced fumbles. In all three of the top four tacklers all come from the secondary, the lone exception is a linebacker.
Texas State’s pass rush ranks 107th in the nation with only three sacks this season.
Special Teams
Placekicker Seth Keller is perfect on the season, he is 5-for-5 on field goals with his longest being 48 yards. He has also made all 11 extra point attempts.
Punter Seamus O’Kelly is averaging 38.4 yards per kick. He only has two that have gone 50 yards or more and only three have been downed inside the 20.
Jacob Bates had handled all but two of the kickoffs with nine touchbacks and one kick out of bounds.
The kick returners have returned 11 kicks for an average of 19.4 yards. One has gone for a 60 yard return but there have been no kickoff returns for a touchdown.
South Alabama
Offense
The Jags offense had another sputtering start to the game last Saturday. Each of their first offensive possessions this season have been three-and-outs.
Often the problems are self-inflicted with negative-yardage plays and getting behind the down and distance schedule.
It’s possible the Jags get their leading rusher, Kareem Walker, back this week after sitting out last game with a quad issue. However Bryan Hill stepped in and ran the ball great in Walker’s absence.
Offensive stats wise, the Jags are averaging 24.8 points with 363 yards of total offense per game. That breaks down to 131.8 yards rushing and 231.8 yards passing per game.
They have converted 21-of-60 3rd down attempts (35%) and 5-of-10 4th down attempts (50%) through four games.
Kareem Walker not only leads the team in rushing yards (208) but also in carries (53) and touchdowns (4). Terrion Avery has 142 yards on 45 carries and a touchdown in four games. Bryan Hill already has 132 yards rushing on 31 carries with three touchdowns in only two games.
Jake Bentley is 79-of-122 (65%) for 927 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Jalen Tolbert leads the team with 20 catches for 460 yards. Caullin Lacy has 19 catches for 152 yards and Jalen Wayne has 15 catches for 153 yards. The only receivers to catch touchdown passes have been Walker and Trent Tyre.
Along with the one interception, the offense has fumbled the ball six times and lost five of them.
Defense
The Jags defense continues to rank high nationally.
South Alabama is third in the nation in Stop Rate (percentage of possessions that end in a punt, turnover, or turnover on downs). The Jags stop rate is 84.6% which only trails Georgia (93.4%) and Iowa (85.7%) on the list.
In numerous categories they rank in the top 20 nationally like Total Defense, Scoring Defense, Rushing Defense, and Pass Efficiency Defense. They lead the country in third-down conversion rate (19%), is 3rd in the nation in total first downs allows per game (14.8), and opponent’s red-zone scoring percentage (54.5%).
Statistically on the season they allow 16.8 points and 288.8 yards of total offense per game. That breaks down to 191 passing yards and 97.8 yards rushing per game.
As you can see, its a very stingy defense.
Jamal Brooks and Yam Banks lead the defense with 16 total stops each. Banks has 10 solo stops and Brooks has nine.
Wy’Kevious Thomas, Tre Young, and AJ DeShazor each have 15 stops with Young coming in with the most solo at 11.
The defense has forced five fumbles and recovered four. They also have 4 interceptions on the season for a total of eight takeaways.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo missed his first field goal attempt near the end of the Louisiana game, however he has made his four other attempts on the season. Of the four he’s made, three of them have been in the 40 yard range with the longest coming from 48 yards out.
Guajardo also missed two extra points. The sure-footed kicker had his first attempt blocked then a second one hit off the right upright on a very wet night at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
Jack Brooks is averaging 41 yards per punt, three of them have gone over 50 yards with the longest traveling 53 yards. He’s had six downed inside the opponents 20 yards line with no touchbacks. One of his 22 attempts was blocked (Bowling Green).
Guajardo had handled 20 kickoffs with eight touchbacks.
Keys to the Game
Fast Start Offensively
The Jags offense has started each of the four games with a three-and-out. They’ve been marred by negative plays and played behind the chains each time.
They could really use at least a few first downs on their opening possession. Even better, take the opening possession down the field for a touchdown.
Turnovers
I always hate to use turnovers as a key to the game, because they always are. It’s common sense. But sometimes it just needs to be spotlighted.
With five lost fumbles on six overall fumbles through the first three games, the Jags did an excellent job of protecting the ball against Louisiana. Despite the often rainy conditions and wet field, the Jags didn’t put the ball on the ground once in the game.
Nor did they throw an interception.
They are +2 in turnover margin on the season after forcing the Cajun fumble.
First Down Production
The Jags were able to establish the run fairly early in the game against Louisiana. Bryan Hill and the Jags running backs were able to get some big chunks on first down.
They were giving offensive coordinator Major Applewhite 2nd and short. As a play caller, your offensive playbook is wide open in those situations.
You saw what they can do too.
Bentley was able to throw deep down field off play-action for Tolbert and Wayne. Some of them turned into some big gains and flipped field position.
Tolbert will out jump just about anyone to make a catch. If the defender doesn’t keep Wayne in front of him, he is a danger to take one to the end zone any play.
Prediction
The Jags have yet to win a game in San Marcos, Texas. They have come close a couple of times. This is a great time to end that shutout.
They also haven’t won back-to-back road games since 2015 (San Diego State & Troy).
Last year the Jags put up season-high numbers in first downs, rushing attempts, total plays and time of possession. The offense didn’t turn the ball over a single time. The defense allowed their fewest rushing yards and fewest average gain per play on the season. Basically it was the best game, statistically, the Jags played last season.
So far this season, Texas State has one of the nations worst pass rushes with only three sacks thus far. The Jags offensive line have been pretty good protecting Bentley with most the sacks allowed have been coverage sacks. Also the Jags average over 9 yards per pass attempt (24th in the nation) while the Bobcats allow 7.4 yards per pass (79th in nation).
There’s just a lot that stacks up in the Jags favor, but are those numbers actually reflective of the Bobcats considering the injuries and Covid protocols?
South Alabama enters as a 3.5 point favorite in most odds sites.
As I highlighted during the Jags bye week, this should be one more winnable games on the Jags remaining schedule. It would also get them 2/3rds of the way to bowl eligibility as well.
I think the sting of a loss will motivate the players and coaches. They will use it as a bit of a get-right game. The Jags win and they will cover.
Go Jags!
Preview: South Alabama Hosts Louisiana For A ‘White Out’ In Sun Belt Opener
Kickoff: Saturday October 2, 7 pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, Alabama
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5 fm, 96.1 fm The Rocket, iHeartRadio App
South Alabama will host Louisiana-Lafayette in their Sun Belt Conference opener on Saturday. This is a huge game for the Jags, probably the biggest game since moving on campus to Hancock Whitney Stadium.
The Ragin’ Cajuns (4-1) have earned three consecutive Sun Belt West Division titles in three seasons under head coach Billy Napier, including back-to-back 10-win seasons. This is the type of consistency that head coach Kane Wommack wants his team to achieve.
Napier is 31-12 as a head coach and 20-5 in conference play, all at Louisiana-Lafayette. Previously he spent time as recruiting coordinator, tight ends coach, and quarterbacks coach during his stint at Clemson. During his stops at Alabama he was an offensive analyst and later a wide receivers coach.
The Cajuns have won the last five match-ups in the series. The last time the Jags prevailed was a seven point victory in 2015. However six of the last seven games have been decided by 10 points or less, the lone exception was last years 38-10 loss in Lafayette.
Last season the Jags were held to a season-low passing total while allowing the most rushing yards on the season. The Cajuns did it with big plays too, they have double-digit number of 20-plus yard plays on the Jags.
South Alabama
The Jags (3-0) have their best start ever in FBS program history under first-year head coach Kane Wommack. After a 31-7 win over Southern Miss, the Jags had two closer contests against Bowling Green (22-19) and Alcorn State (28-21).
After a bye week to correct some things exposed early in the season, the Jag will return to action on Saturday when they open conference play against the Ragin’ Cajuns.
Defense
The key to the Jags success so far this season has been their excellent play on defense.
The Jags are ranked 1st in the nation in 3rd down conversion percentage defense, 1st in red zone defense, 3rd in rushing yards allowed, 3rd in first down defense, tied for 12th in sacks, 18th in scoring defense, 24th in total defense, tied for 30th in turnovers gained, 79th in team tackles for loss and 81st in passing yards allowed.
The defense is allowing an average of 15.7 points per game to their opponents and only 55.3 rushing yards per game. Opponents are passing for 235.3 yards per game on average.
The defensive secondary has been hit with a number of explosive passing plays in the last two games.
Offense
The Jaguar offense has not been as consistent as the defense. They tend to start games slow but eventually find their way. But they also have periods in the game where they have trouble moving the ball.
The Jags are 97th in the nation in total offense and rushing yards per game, and 3rd down conversion percentage. They are a paltry 126th in 1st down offense, 121st in fumbles lost on the season, and 108th in tackles for loss allowed. But they are tied for 43rd in red zone offense and 48th in time of possession.
While those numbers look pretty grim, the offense is averaging 27 points per game this season, 355 yards of total offense per game, and 5.1 yards per play.
The lack of consistency is what really hampers the offense.
Hopefully the break has allowed the offensive line to get healthy once again. With a healthy offensive line and some work with the running backs urgency to hit the holes, the Jags rushing game will improve. If they can get the running game established earlier in games it will really open up the offensive playbook a lot.
However it looks like they may have to do it without running back Kareem Walker as he has been nursing an injury since last week.
Louisiana
Louisiana (4-1) opened the season with a power 5 loss to Texas but have won three straight, including their conference opener at Georgia Southern last Saturday.
Offense
The Cajuns offense is averaging 423 total yards per game. The throw for an average of 271.7 yards per game and rush for another 151.3 yards per game. They are also averaging 30.5 points per game.
In Cajun fashion, they have not just one running back but three who rotate playing time. Chris Smith just barely edges out Montrell Johnson in rushing attempts (43 to 41) and yards (191, 183). Johnson has four touchdowns though to Smith’s two.
Emani Baily has 168 rushing yards on just 27 carries too.
Dontae Fleming leads the receiving corps with 11 catches for 152 yards and a touchdown. Kyren Lacy has 10 catches for 110 yards and a touchdown. Jalen Williams has nine catches for 109 yards.
Levi Lewis is a dual threat quarterback. He is 85-for-130 for 1,047 yards and seven touchdowns this season with only one interception. He’s gained 125 yards on the ground but lost 64 yards in negative plays and sacks so he only has 61 yards rushing officially.
However it was announced three offensive linemen are out for the season. Two of them are listed on the two-deep, however one is a starter. Additionally they have lost their starting kicker for the season as well.
Defense
The Cajuns needed a late defensive stop to hold on to the win over Georgia Southern last week. The eagles got within one score with 1:34 left after a 76 yard touchdown run.
They also forced two fumbles and an interception in the game.
Louisiana-Lafayette allows an average 413.3 yards of total offense per game. Opponents throw for 235.3 yards per game and rush for 178 yards per game. Georgia Southern ran for 278 yards on the Cajuns despite the loss.
Opponents are converting almost 50% of their 3rd down attempts.
Keys to the Game
Start Fast Offensively
The Jags offense tends to start games a bit slow. After a couple of possessions though, they tend to hit their groove.
They may not be able to get away with that against the Cajuns.
Avoid lots of three-and-outs
The Cajuns defense allows quite a bit of yards but they tend to get stops when they need to. The offense needs to convert some first downs on each possession to give the defense time to rest and to help win the field position game.
Late in the game against Alcorn State, the Jags offense had some three-and-out situations and the Jags defense were visibly getting tired. But they still came up big when needed, including a game-clinching interception in the end zone.
Louisiana is a stronger opponent and allowing the defense to get some rest between possessions will help to keep them fresh.
Turnovers
The Jaguar defense has been spectacular in forcing seven turnovers on the season. However the offense has fumbled the ball away five times. Then there was that pick-six at Bowling Green. So the team is only +1 in turnover margin.
Hopefully the defense can continue their turnover havoc. On the other hand, the offense needs to slow their roll.
In a study over a four year period from 2009-2012, a team that averaged a turnover margin of +1 per game could expect about nine wins per season with all other things being equal.
Jag Fans
This may be the first time the crowd truly makes a huge difference in a game.
Yes fans and crowds make differences in games to a point but this one is different. This one could be even more impactful.
This is South Alabama’s first attempt at a “white out” in their new on-campus home.
Penn State has used the “white out” to their advantage a number of times. This could be the beginning of a similar tradition for South Alabama.
So wear WHITE, be LOUD, and create a great ENVIRONMENT!
Prediction
I think this has been one of the games that’s been circled on the calendar for a few weeks now. This is a bit of a measuring stick game too. Where does the team stack up against the back-to-back-to-back Sun Belt Conference West Division Champions.
The Jags have had an extra week to prep for this game. The administration and athletic department are going all out with a “white out” theme. This game clearly means a little more.
The Cajuns opened at a 10.5 point favorite in the game and it has since gone up to 12.5 points.
I think the Jags cover and also I think they win this game outright.
Go Jags!
South Alabama Hosts Alcorn State In Final Non-Conference Home Game
Kickoff: Saturday September 18, 7:00 pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadiumn, Mobile, Alabama
TV: ESPN3
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5FM, 96.1FM The Rocket, iHeartRadio
South Alabama (2-0) returns home to face Alcorn State (1-1) from Lorman, Mississippi. The Braves are members of the Football Championship Subdivision Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Alcorn State is the fourth time in the last five seasons that the Jags have hosted a member of the SWAC conference. Previously the Jags have earned wins over Alabama A&M, Alabama State, and Jackson State from 2017-2019.
Grambling was scheduled to officially open Hancock Whitney Stadium last season on September 12, however the game was cancelled when the SWAC moved their season to the spring due to Covid-19.
Overall the Jags are 4-0 against SWAC teams with the 2011 win over Mississippi Valley State.
South Alabama has outscored SWAC opponents by a combined score of 162-24 while averaging 40.5 points per game and scoring no fewer than 35 points. The Jaguars last defensive shutout came against Alabama A&M on September 16, 2017 in a 45-0 decision.
The Jags set a single-game rushing record with 413 yards against Jackson State on Sept. 7, 2019. Tra Minter led the Jags with 189 rushing yards and 275 all-purpose yards, both rank #2 in single-game school record history.
Alcorn State
The Braves are led by fifth-year head coach Fred McNair. He has a 31-20 record with the the Braves. He played football professionally in the Canadian Football League, the World League of American Football, and the Arena Football League. His brother was Steve McNair, the most notable Brave to play in the NFL.
Offense
The Braves offense score an average of 13.5 points per game. Their offensive production is pretty balanced with an average of 179 yards per game passing and 155.5 yards per game rushing for a total of 311 total yards per game.
Of their three touchdowns scored this season, two have been through the air and one on the ground.
The offense is only converting 25% of their 3rd down attempts but they have converted four of their seven 4th down attempts.
Through their two games they have allowed four sacks. They have fumbled the ball twice, and lost one of them.
They are 4-of-8 in red zone scoring attempts. Three of those were touchdowns.
They have a pair of running backs with over 100 yards rushing on the season. Niko Duffy has 131 yards on 26 carries with an average of 5 yards per carry. Stadford Anderson has 128 yards on 11 carries with an 11 yard per carry average and a 68 yard long in only one game appearance. Quarterback Felix Harper has 50 yards rushing on 18 attempts with a touchdown.
Harper is the only quarterback with stats for the Braves. He is 30-of-50 for 358 yards on the season.
J. Anthony leads the team in receiving yards with 95 on 6 pass receptions. LeCharles Pringle leads the team in receptions with 8 for 84 yards. Manny Jones has 78 yards on his four catches. Seven other receives have caught passes this season.
Defense
Defensively the Braves have allowed an average of 16.5 points per game.
Opposing teams have rushed for an average of 139 yards per game and passed for an average of 188 yards per game.
They have three takeaways on the season. Two interceptions and one fumble recovery out of three fumbles.
Opponents have converted 13-of-31 3rd down attempts and only 1-of-4 4th down attempts on the season.
They have collected 11 tackles for loss with five sacks.
Their leading tackler is Juwan Taylor, a defensive back, with 18 total tackles, 11 solo. Keyron Kinsler has 16 total, 5 solo with an interception as another defensive back.
South Alabama
The Jaguars are off to a fast start win-wise under first year head coach Kane Wommack. However you cannot really say the same for the offense in those two games.
Against Bowling Green some early miscues led to Falcon scores, however some luck and great defensive play kept the Jags from being in a keeper hole than they faced.
The opening possession was a three-and-out, but a high snap led to a blocked punt that happened to go out of the back of the end zone for a safety.
The Jags second possession was another three-and-out, but Jack Brooks’ punt only went 23 yards and gave the Falcons great field position at the Jaguar 38 yard line.
The Jaguar defense stuffed the 4th and 1 run to get the ball back on downs at the Jaguar 29.
Later in the opening quarter the Falcon defense was gifted with an interception thrown right at the linebacker dropping back in coverage. It was returned 27 yards for a touchdown, however the PAT was wide right leaving the Jaguars in only an 8-0 deficit.
After weathering the terrible first quarter, the offense started to come alive.
Offense
Through two games the Jags average 335.5 yards per game of total offense. They average 72.5 yards rushing and 263 yards passing per game.
They have converted 10-of-30 3rd down attempts (33%) and 1-of-2 4th down attempts.
The offense has only turned the ball over twice, one fumble and one interception.
Jake Bentley has been the only Jaguar to take snaps at the quarterback position. He is 46-of-68 for 526 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Terrion Avery leads the Jaguar rushing attack with 94 yards on 30 attempts. Kareem Walker has 58 yards on 30 attempts.
Jalen Tolbert leads the receiver group with 263 yards on 12 catches. Caullin Lacy has hauled in 13 passes for 130 yards. Walker and Trent Tyre are the only Jags to have been on the receiving end of touchdown passes so far this season.
Defense
In both games the defense has started the game ready to play. Although against Bowling Green, they allowed several explosive plays to occur. Explosive plays are considered passes that go 15 yard or longer and run that go 12 yards or longer.
The stiff Jaguar defense has allowed an average of 13 points per game so far this season.
Opponents are averaging 220.5 passing yards, 67 rushing yards, and 287.5 total yards per game.
The defense has a total of 6 takeaways so far this season. They have recovered 3 of the six fumbles by opponents and also intercepted three passes.
Opponents have converted 4-of-27 3rd down attempts (15%) and 2-of-4 4th down attempts.
The defense has 10 total tackles for loss with seven sacks.
Tre Young and Yam Banks lead the defense with 10 total tackles each. Young has 7 solo and Banks with 6 solo.
Keys to the Game
Focus
When an FBS team takes on an FCS team, one of the big concerns by the coaching staff is focus. Teams have been caught “looking ahead” to the next game and either greatly struggled or outright lost to FCS teams.
Just this past weekend Florida State was upset by Jacksonville State. Earlier this season Montana upset #20 Washington and East Tennessee State defeated Vanderbilt (23-3). Appalachian State defeated #5 Michigan back in 2007 when they were an FCS program before they joined the Sun Belt and FBS.
The focus this week is paramount as the offense really needs come out of the tunnel with some fire early.
Running the Ball
Major Applewhite called a good game and continued to pound the ball on the ground. While it seemed ineffective in the first half, it began to pay dividends in the second half.
Terrion Avery was the workhorse on the game tying drive late in the fourth quarter. Kareem Walker also started finding holes in the second half.
This would be a great week to make major strides in running the ball heading into the teams bye week before starting conference play.
Staying Healthy
Another big concern when playing FCS teams is remaining healthy. No one wants to lose a player due to injury any time. But you especially don’t want to when you’re playing an opponent you should defeat handily.
But this also ties back into the first point, focus.
Maintaining focus and playing fundamentally sound football reduces chances of injury. With rain chances looking to be anywhere from 25% to 50% on Saturday, playing fundamentally sound football will go a long way in keeping players off the injury report.
Prediction
The expectation is that South Alabama should win this game easily.
The Braves have a fairly good sized team. The offensive line particularly stands out, size-wise, as being larger than most FCS schools.
However, they had to miss two days of practice due to Covid. Their part-time athletic trainers tested positive prior to their game last Saturday. On Tuesday, they had a walk-through aided by campus nurses and by Wednesday they were able to actually practice normally.
I think Alcorn has had a lot of distractions this week and they have missed out on a lot of preparation.
Jags win this and go 3-0 on the season by a wide margin. It depends on how well coach Wommack and his staff have been able to keep the team focused on this week as to what kind of product we’ll see on the field. I expect they will have cleaned up some stuff from the first two games and will head into the bye week ready to start preparation for the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns and conference play.
Go Jags
South Alabama Travels To Bowling Green For First Road Game Of The Season
Kickoff: Saturday September 11, 3 pm
Venue: Doyt L. Perry Stadium, Bowling Green, Ohio
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5 fm, 96.1 fm The Rocket, iHeartRadio
South Alabama has spent the week gearing up for their first road trip under first-year head coach Kane Wommack.
I don’t think many will argue against the idea that it’s easier to prepare after a win than it is after a loss. However coach Wommack made sure, as soon as the Southern Miss game was over, to start pointing out that the team needs more urgency and that it was no where near the standard he wants to hold his team to.
Coach Wommack pointed out the teams poor execution at times, how he didn’t think they finished well, and that it was not a convincing win in his mind.
Next up for the Jaguars are the Bowling Green Falcons.
It’s an opportunity for some payback for the Jags 33-28 loss on December 20, 2014 in the Camellia Bowl in Montgomery. It was the Jags first bowl game appearance.
Third year Bowling Green head coach Scot Loeffler is 3-15 and coming off a 38-6 loss at Tennessee to open their season. The Falcons were 0-5 in a short 2020 season.
While the Jaguars offensive production, numbers wise, was not very impressive, it definitely felt different.
The Jags continued to struggle to run the ball. But the Southern Miss defensive front is arguably their strongest defensive unit. Any way you look at it, there is definitely room to grow on their 31 rushing yard outing.
Kareem Walker gained 26 yards on 18 carries. He got a significant chunk of carries in the later stages of the game with little effectiveness. Terrion Avery added 12 yards on 10 carries.
On the other hand the Jags passing game was quite efficient. Bentley went 17-of-22 for 269 yards and two touchdowns. Jalen Tolbert led the way with 168 yards on just five receptions (an average of 33.6 yards per catch with a long of 49 yards). Caullin Lacy added 67 yards on five catches and Jalen Wayne caught three passes for 20 yards. Walker and Trent Tyre caught the two touchdown passes.
Offensively the Jags had 11 tackles for loss accounting for 31 lost yards. Of those 11, three of them were sacks for a loss of 17 yards. The Jags fumbled the ball away to Southern Miss once in the game.
Defensively the Jags used the SwarmD and caused disruptions all night. The team racked up five tackles for loss for a loss of 33 yards, four of them sacks for 31 yards. They collected two interceptions, one of them returned 48 yards for a touchdown. They also forced two fumbles and recovered both of them.
The secondary had three pass breakups. Keith Gallmon led the team in tackles with 7, 5 of them were solo.
In all, seven of the nine top tacklers in the game came from the defensive front. That helps show that Jags did a good job getting stops before players got to the secondary.
Bowling Green
Offense
The Falcons ran into a Tennessee defense that caused them a lot of problems. They were only able to rush for 32 yards. Nick Mosley led the way with 26 yards on the ground on eight carries. His longest run was 24 yards.
Matt McDonald was 25-of-38 for 187 yards through the air while being sacked twice. He spread the ball around pretty well. The leading receiver, Austin Osbourne, had eight catches for 46 yards. Cavon Croom added five catches for 45 yards. Three other receivers caught three passes each.
Defense
The Falcon run defense was shredded for 326 yards on 64 carries. That still averaged out to 5.1 yards per carry. Two Tennessee running backs went over 100 yards in the game and the quarterback had two rushing touchdowns.
The defense only allowed 145 yards passing and one passing touchdown to the Vols. Michigan transfer quarterback Joe Milton went 11-of-23 for 140 yards and a touchdown while adding 44 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 14 carries. The Falcons did sack him three times though.
Bowling Green’s defense recovered two fumbles, one of them forced.
South Alabama
Offense
As mentioned previously, the offense struggled running the ball. They only managed to gain 31 yards on 34 carries.
However the blame doesn’t solely rest on the offensive line.
After reviewing the game film, head coach Kane Wommack said that the Jaguar running backs showed some hesitancy. That hesitancy, however slight, against the quality and experienced defensive front of Southern Miss meant that the holes that the offensive line opened for the backs closed quickly.
But there were breakdowns in blocking by the receivers as well.
In short, the running backs hesitation and blocking mishaps by receivers all contributed to allowing the defense to fill the gaps.
Which circles back to coach Wommack’s post-game talk about playing with urgency. Which is fixable. And you better believe they will be working on that this week.
Going up against Bowling Green’s defense may give them a great opportunity to take this week’s work in practice and translate it into success on the field.
The Falcon defense allowed 326 yards to Tennessee. But going back to the 2020 season, they allowed over 310 rushing yards per game on average.
Defense
The Jaguar defense played better than expected.
During preseason camp coach Wommack said that installing the defense had gone quicker and easier than expected.
It sure came out to shine on Saturday night.
Overall the Jags only allowed 258 yards of total offense. Only 125 yards rushing and 2.9 yards per carry to coach Will Hall, who is known for his power rushing attack offense.
The defense was in the backfield all game long causing havoc.
They recorded 11 tackles for loss, three of them sacks, and many more quarterback hurries. They also forced two interceptions, some near interceptions, and three pass breakups.
The stat that I liked was that of the top 9 tacklers on the Jaguar defense, 7 of them came from the defensive front. Only two were players in the secondary.
That means that the front 6, and sometimes just the front 5 (as one of the ends may situationally drop into coverage), did not allow their opponents to get into the second level of the defense. Additionally they did not needing safeties to come up and help stop the run. It also means that they weren’t completing a lot of passes either.
The longest run allowed was 5 yards and the longest pass completion was 23 yards to Frank Gore Jr., the running back.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo had a solid outing connecting on a 48 yard field goal in the third quarter. He had six kickoffs and half of them were touchbacks.
Jack Brooks also had a solid night. He averaged 43.9 yards across his eight punts. His longest of the night was 54 yards and he had three punts downed inside the 20.
Keys to the Game
Rushing Offense
With improved offensive line play, the running game needs to pick up to help balance the offense. This will be needed as the season progresses as we get into conference play.
Coach Wommack said that there would be a focus this week on urgency and also said he thought he saw hesitancy by the running backs. This would be a great opportunity for the Jags running backs to have a break out performance against a somewhat historically weak run defense.
Since Saturday coach Wommack and also offensive coordinator Major Applewhite have both pointed out that all 11 players have roles to play each and every play. They pointed out some missed blocks by the wide receivers and missed checks by the quarterback that would have put them into better situations.
Penalties
I definitely noticed a difference in penalties.
When the game started getting chippy in the first quarter and ramped up after Southern Miss scored to take their only lead of the game, the Jags maintained composure in the moment. They didn’t get frustrated and they didn’t get baited into penalties.
They got some effort-based penalties that will be addressed. Yet they still got some penalties that there are no excuses for. A personal foul on a kickoff that goes for a touchback. A targeting call for a tackler leading with the crown of the helmet.
While these are improved, they need continual reinforcement and improvement.
Winning on the Road
Over the last several seasons the Jags have been a terrible road team. Including the win against Southern Miss this season, the Jags have won only 5 road games dating back all the way to the 2016 season.
There were two seasons in there where the Jags were winless on the road.
The season opening win over Southern Miss in 2020 ended a drought where the Jags had not won a road game since the Troy game on October 11, 2017.
A road win will go a long way towards giving the Jags some of their swagger back from the early days of the program.
The Jags have not started a season 2-0 since the 2011 season, before they were a FBS Transitional team.
Prediction
South Alabama enters as a double-digit favorite against Bowling Green. The line started at 14.5 and has dropped to 13.5.
This will definitely be a game to watch for any Jaguar fan. Just to see how the team performs on the road under coach Kane Wommack and his staff.
I definitely think the Jags will win, but flirting with the spread is an interesting conundrum. 13.5 points is quite a bit, I think the Jags will cover but just barely (like a 14 point win).
Go Jags!
Preview: Southern Miss at South Alabama
Kickoff: Saturday September 4, 7:00 pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, Alabama
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5FM, 96.1FM The Rocket, iHeartRadio
The new era of South Alabama football gets underway Saturday, September 4, 2021 with the 7pm kickoff at Hancock-Whitney Stadium against Southern Miss.
Gone is Steve Campbell after three seasons and only nine wins to show for it.
In a homecoming of sorts, Kane Wommack was hired after being a finalist for the Broyles Award last season as defensive coordinator at Indiana University. The hire makes Wommack the youngest head coach in FBS football at 34 years old.
Just like his previous stint at South Alabama, Wommack brings a tremendous amount of energy and enthusiasm to the field and locker room. Few get more excited about a big play than he does.
Coach Wommack brought in Corey Batoon, who is well versed in his 4-2-5 SwarmD system. The SwarmD system was developed by Coach Wommack’s father, Dave Wommack, and is the scheme that coach Kane Wommack has implemented and improved throughout his coaching career. The same system produced 18 takeaways last season for Indiana.
Wommack also brought in Major Applewhite as offensive coordinator to give the Jaguars struggling offense a makeover.
Applewhite spent the last two seasons on the Alabama staff as an analyst. Prior to that he was head coach at Houston where he took over after being Tom Herman’s offensive coordinator.
Additionally, two offensive assistant coaches hired were Rob Ezell and Gordon Steele who were also analysts at Alabama. Steele is the son of former Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele.
Newcomers Making Impact
Coach Wommack and his staff brought in a total of 19 newcomers intent to make an immediate impact. After taking over as head coach in December, the Jags brought in 13 Division I scholarship transfers, three junior college transfers as well as a few walk-ons. Additionally they brought in a healthy number of high school signees, which are the foundation of the Jaguars future.
Out of those newcomers, eight of them are expected to start against Southern Miss on Saturday. Six of those starters are on the offensive side of the ball.
Leading that group, and arguably the most high-profile, is quarterback Jake Bentley. Bentley started his collegiate career at South Carolina in 2016 being redshirted. They removed his redshirt and in his second start he led the Gamecocks to an upset win over nationally ranked Tennessee. He started the remainder of that season. In 2018 he set the single-game passing record with 510 yards in a loss to eventual national champion Clemson in Death Valley.
Over four seasons at South Carolina and one at Utah, Bentley has a 62.4% completion rate with 61 touchdowns to 38 interceptions. He won the starting job in spring practice over Desmond Trotter.
Another high-profile transfer is Kareem Walker. He comes to USA from Mississippi State and won the starting job in preseason camp.
The offensive line, which has been a serious problem the last couple of seasons, sees three newcomers slated to start. Also a true freshman is listed as second string at left and right guard. This group may be impacted the most by the newcomers.
Defensively Jamal Brooks (Missouri) is the only newcomer slated to start. He beat out a number of returning players for the position and will be tasked with calling the defensive signals this fall as well. Six other newcomers are listed on the defensive depth chart though.
Travis Drosos (Colorado) is listed as the starting long snapper on special teams.
Most of these new faces are not on their last year of eligibility either. Of the 19 brought in, 14 of them have at least two years of eligibility left. Some have four years of eligibility remaining.
Injuries
Linebacker Nick Mobley, a three-year starter for the Jaguars, was medically disqualified prior to fall camp. The team doctors detected a condition to the neck and spine area and for his wellbeing he is not allowed to play. Mobley had 94 tackles for the Jaguars last season.
The only significant injury the Jaguars have suffered in preseason camp was defensive end Jamie Sheriff. Sheriff sustained a torn LCL in his left knee which will require surgery and will sideline him until spring. Sheriff was practicing with the first-team defense at the Bandit position.
Charles Coleman III, a sophomore from Huntsville, AL, is listed as the projected starter against the Golden Eagles in place of Sheriff.
Southern Miss
The Jags defeated Southern Miss in the 2020 season opener in Hattiesburg. That led to the resignation of Jay Hopson after the “highly disappointing home loss.”
USM hired Will Hall, the former Tulane offensive coordinator, to helm the program. Hall got his first head coaching position when he was promoted from offensive coordinator at West Alabama after the retirement of Bobby Wallace. He spent three seasons there before taking the head coaching position at West Georgia for three years. He then served as offensive coordinator at Louisiana-Lafayette and Memphis for one season each before spending the last two at Tulane again as an OC.
In his six seasons as a Division II head coach he compiled a 56-20 record, losing no more then four games in a season.
USM has a veteran offense returning 10 starters from last season. The receiving corps could possibly be one of the better groups in Conference USA. However the Golden Eagles were plagued with turnovers a year ago. They committed 16 turnover, which was 35th most in the nation.
The difference in these two teams match up last season was the Jaguar defensive front tackling and applying pressure on the quarterback. It was one of the few times they were able to do that last year.
USM has Frank Gore Jr and Darius Maberry as a formidable 1-2 punch in the backfield and will be featured in Coach Hall’s power running attack. Add in running quarterback Trey Lowe III, a West Virginia transfer who started three games last season, you have another dimension USM didn’t have last season.
South Alabama Offense
USA allowed 40 sacks last season which was 126th in the nation. Running backs only averaged 2.9 yards per carry last season. Those were two big reasons why it was a priority to bring in some help on the offensive line.
To help bolster the running back position, the Jags brought in Kareem Walker. Carlos Davis, the Jags leading rusher a year ago, was indefinitely suspended prior to spring practice and entered the transfer portal.
The Jaguar offense only converted 39.1% of their 3rd down attempts ranking in at 71st in the nation last season. They also averaged 358.5 yards of offense per game (95th in the nation). Most of that yardage came through the air as they averaged 247.2 yards per game (46th in the nation).
But what matters most, the Jags averaged 19.9 points per game which was 112th in the nation.
The Jags have had inconsistent quarterback play for a number of years now. Bentley and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Major Applewhite look to turn that around. Going against a young defensive coordinator may help that effort.
It also helps when you have a receiver like Jalen Tolbert, probably among the best in the nation, on the receiving side of your passes. Then add Jalen Wayne, Caullin Lacy, and Cade Sutherland into the mix and you really have some downfield targets to throw to.
South Alabama Defense
Defensively the Jags only allowed 27.3 points per game (53rd in the nation) and forced 14 turnovers (49th).
However they allowed 436.4 yards per game (92nd), 261.9 yards passing per game (104th), and 8.7 yards per pass (114th).
Expecting an immediate turnaround in the defense may be unreasonable. The players have been learning the 4-2-5 SwarmD system and haven’t been put that system into practice under game conditions.
However between coach Wommack and coach Batoon, I feel they will be as prepared as they can be come game time. The fundamentals they have been building through spring practice and preseason camp will only be reinforced as the season progresses.
As mentioned previously, Jamal Brooks will be calling the defensive signals for the Jags from the Mike position. He will be tasked as the primary defender of USM’s running backs, primarily Frank Gore Jr. Gore Jr. rushed for 708 yards and two touchdowns on 121 carries as the leading rusher for the Golden Eagles. Gore Jr.
Devin Rockette enters his third season as a starting cornerback for USA. He and the Jags secondary will have to cover Jason Brownlee, the Golden Eagles leading receiver from a year ago. But throw in sophomore quarterback Trey Love III adding a running dimension to the offense and you have more to prepare for.
Golden Eagle head coach Will Hall has installed his power running attack offense but that goes against the strength of the Jaguars defense from last season.
Jag nose tackle Gi’Narious Johnson will be lining up opposite sixth-year senior center Arvin Fletcher. Fletcher has started 47 games as a Golden Eagle and is truly the anchor of the USM offensive line. Johnson, a freakishly strong player, can make it a very long night if he is able to consistently disrupt the center of the USM offensive line.
Keys to the Game
Offensive Line
The new staff identified the offense line as a position of need and addressed it in the offseason. Three newcomers will be starting on the offensive line. Getting good play out of this position will be key to get the Jaguar offense in gear and scoring points.
Quarterback
Jake Bentley brings a wealth of experience to the team. The sixth-year senior has started at South Carolina and Utah. He set the single-game passing record at South Carolina with 510 yards against Clemson.
While Desmond Trotter was not a bad player, he was simply beat out for the position. In a real competition for the starting position, Trotter looked much improved and ready to step in if needed.
Defense
This one is quite broad. The Jaguar secondary had problems last season. They will have to play better in order to have an improved season. But with a Broyles Finalist as your head coach along with coach Batoon’s experience with the SwarmD system he has improved, I think it will happen.
While the rush defense for the Jags was their strong point, they will be tried by Southern Miss on Saturday. Coach Hall has implemented his signature power rushing attack in Hattisburg. With a veteran and physical offensive line, they will present a serious challenge for the Jags.
Taking away the rushing attack and forcing USM into a one-dimensional offense with a young starting quarterback could be key to a Jags win.
Prediction
Both coaches are full of energy and are looking to start their tenure with a win. Hall the first has a FBS head coach and Wommack the first as a head coach, period.
The cultural change at South Alabama is quite evident and the players have bought into what the coaches have teaching. The defense picked up the system faster than anticipated, which is quite promising.
Southern Miss is a 1.5 point favorite in Mobile.
I think the Jags will start the season with a homefield win in what feels like the real debut of Hancock Whitney Stadium.