Jags Travel To ULL For Final Opportunity At Another SBC Win This Season
The Jaguars go on the road on Saturday for their final Sun Belt game in their first season of competition in the conference and FBS play. The Jags also look to get their second FBS and their second Sun Belt victory when they play Louisiana-Lafayette.
Over the last seven games, the Jaguars have found out where they stand in the conference as they complete their second year of a two-year transition into FBS. With only one win to show, the Jags have had four games decided by eight points or less. A single possession.
The win-loss record is not where head coach Joey Jones would like it to be, but it has still been a productive season as the fourth year of the program comes to a close over the next two weeks.
“One thing I think is that we have become a better football team throughout the season, we’ve probably improved more throughout this time than any time we ever have as evidenced by our team playing with a team like Middle Tennessee, who is probably going to play for the [Sun Belt] championship,” Jones said. “It’s 17-12 in the fourth quarter and we had chances to make plays and win the ball game. But we are right there. I think that we have found out that we can play with Sun Belt teams now. Do we have to get better and learn how to win games? No doubt about it. But in our first year I’m real pleased with the progress, though I am certainly not happy with the results at this point. We are at a point where we want to be, though we wish we had won a few more games.”
South Alabama enters this weekends game with a 2-9 (1-6 SBC) record and one last opportunity to earn a conference victory this season. Louisiana-Lafayette enters the game with a 6-4 (4-2 SBC) record with an offense that ranks in the top half of the conference as they average 433.3 yards per game and 33.1 points per game. The Jaguars defense ranks second in the conference by allowing 366.4 yards per game.
Last Saturday, the Jaguars defense held Middle Tennessee to 20 points, ten points below their scoring average when they entered the game. On the other hand, ULL gained 582 yards of total offense against the top defense in the conference in Western Kentucky. They scored two touchdowns in the final three minutes to defeat the Hilltoppers 31-27.
“Offensively they have really become much better, they are running their quarterback a lot more,” Jones explained. “Earlier in the year they were careful to run him because they lost their other quarterback, but now they have Broadway in there and he is doing a great job running the football. He is scary when he pulls it down. And they are throwing it well all the time, they were already good at that, so it has given diversity in that they can run it or throw it. They have big offensive linemen who run the zone very well, they have a complete offense that you have to defend all over the field.”
ULL quarterback Terrance Broadway accounted for 403 yards of total offense against Western Kentucky as he rushed for 145 yards on 14 carries and completing 23-of-33 passing attempts for 258 yards. For the season he has a 65.7% completion rate while accounting for 19 touchdowns (13 passing and six rushing) while posting 2,526 total yards this season.
“We do a great job every week preparing, I really want to compliment our staff and what they do scheme-wise to get ready for games,” Jones said. “Our players are buying into it, playing hard-nosed football and getting after it. If we don’t give up the big plays in games that we continue to talk about we would be doing great defensively. But I am real pleased with how we are playing defensively overall. We are preparing for this team like anyone else, but experience against some of the teams in this league has helped us.”
The ULL defense allows 419.2 yards per game, 266.8 of them through the air. Ross Metheny has threw for over 200 yards in the Jaguars last six games. So there is a good opportunity for the Jaguars to drive and score.
The Jaguars and the Ragin’ Cajuns kickoff is set for 4pm in Lafayette, Louisiana and can be seen online on ESPN3.com (if your internet service or cable TV service is from an affiliated service provider).