USA v Troy Tonight and Other Jaguar Action This Weekend
Shavarez Smith holds up the SISU War Hammer at midfield prior to their homecoming game against Georgia State.
Football
This evening the Jaguars will host Sun Belt and in-state rival Troy for a 6:30pm kickoff at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The Jags 4-2 (3-1 SBC) look to keep extend their three game winning streak with a win over the Trojans 1-6 (1-2 SBC).
Last week the Jaguars defeated Georgia State 30-27 on a late touchdown drive. Troy was completely dismantled at home by conference newcomer Appalachian State 53-14 which gave the Mountaineers their first FBS and Sun Belt Conference win.
South Alabama will be without senior running back Jay Jones as an MRI confirmed that he suffered a torn ACL against Georgia State. Being a senior, that will end his college career. Kendall Houston, Xavier Johnson, Terrance Timmons and T.J. Glover will move up to help fill his cleats in the backfield.
Another player that may miss the game on Saturday is cornerback Quadarius Ford. Ford, a 5’9″ 170-pound senior, suffered a concussion against Georgia State and at last word, has not been cleared by the medical staff for tonight’s game. Ford is tied for seventh in total tackles with Theo Rich and Jerome McClain.
If you go by the Sagarin rankings as published by Jeff Sagarin, the Jags are currently the fourth best team in the Sun Belt and the 107th best in his rankings of all 252 FBS and FCS teams. Arkansas State (57), Georgia Southern (102), and Louisiana-Lafayette (102) are ranked ahead of the Jaguars (107).
The rest of the conference is ranked: ULM (136), Texas State (145), Appalachian State (150), Idaho (176), Troy (189), Georgia State (191), New Mexico State (195).
Meanwhile USA’s non-conference opponents are ranked: AP and Coaches Poll #1 Mississippi State is 4th, South Carolina (33), Navy (93), and Kent State (173). It’s also worth noting some of the other teams in the state: Alabama (2), Auburn (3), Jacksonville State (78), UAB (106), Samford (151), Alabama State (206) and Alabama A&M (238).
South Alabama and Troy start at 6:30pm, Jaguar Prowl will be at 4:10pm. Pregame and live Play-by-Play can be heard on LiteMix 99.9FM locally and on iHeartRadio on your smart devices. It will also be televised on ESPNU nationally.
Soccer
South Alabama Soccer going into the final weekend of regular season action this weekend with a chance to clinch the regular season title for the first time since 2000 with a win at Arkansas State or Arkansas-Little Rock this weekend. They also bring a 13 match unbeaten streak after shutting out Georgia Southern and Georgia State last weekend.
The Jags hold a four point lead over second place Texas State with two matches left.
USA (14-2-1, 6-0-1 SBC) faces Arkansas State (4-12, 1-6 SBC) TODAY at 2pm. They then play Arkansas-Little Rock (11-5-1, 2-4-1 SBC) on Sunday at 1pm. Live video of both games will be available for free from each host institution.
Charde Hannah was named the Sun Belt Player of the Week but the Jaguar defense had its best outing since prior to starting conference play. They held both GSU’s to a combined 13 shots overall and only five on goal for the teams ninth and 10th shutouts of the season. Sophomore goalkeeper Sarah Hay leads the conference with a Goals Against Average of 0.74, save percentage .851, and shutouts per game 0.62.
Volleyball
The Volleyball team look to snap their three-match skid against ULM (7-17, 1-10 SBC) tonight at 6pm in Monroe. The Jags (9-11, 4-6 SBC) will then travel to Arkansas State (11-8, 6-4 SBC) for a Saturday match against the Red Wolves beginning at 7pm.
Currently UALR is tops in the conference with a perfect 12-0 record in Sun Belt play and an 18-4 record overall. The Jags sit in 8th place in the conference one match behind ULL and one ahead of Georgia State.