South Alabama Hosts Georgia Southern In Thursday Night Sun Belt Showdown
South Alabama was able to move the ball early against Louisiana-Monroe last Saturday. They actually scoring first to take the lead, however after that they struggled until late in the game.
The combination of Tra Minter and Cephus Johnson moved the ball effectively on the ground with Minter rushing for 150 yards and Johnson adding 72 more. However, as ULM extended their lead, it forced the Jags into more throwing situations and the offense became less effective with fewer than 60 yards passing.
The Jaguar defense got a stop on the Warhawks first possession, but began to allow big plays afterwards, including a number of crucial conversions on third down and two fourth downs that led to touchdowns.
But the ability of the Warhawk receivers to get open and run free in the secondary has to be very concerning. Also concerning is that some of the top tacklers for the game were in the Jaguar secondary.
With the loss still fresh on the players minds, maybe it’s a good thing that they have a short week to prepare for Georgia Southern.
GSU, like the Jags, have struggled out of the starting block this season. The Eagles are 1-3 on the season and dropped their conference opener last Saturday against Louisiana-Lafayette 37-24. Their only win, similar to USA, is against an FCS team (Maine).
The Eagles will bring their triple option offense into Mobile, an offense that has historically given the Jaguars major headaches in the past.
Through their first four games, the Eagles have averaged just under 202 yards per game rushing and have only thrown the pass 41 times. While it may be a one-dimensional offense, if you can roll up those kind of yards you basically have to be stopped. That is what GSU does to you, if you cannot stop their triple option rushing attack then you’re in for a long day. They will wear you down, beat you up, and control the clock basically strangling you out of a chance to win.
What a defense has to do when facing a triple option team is they have to play assignment football and stay disciplined. Someone has to cover the dive, someone has to be on the pitch man and not let him get to the perimeter and someone has to be on the quarterback.
Unless you see the triple option on a regular basis, its hard to really master that as a team. Additionally, the Jags defense is playing pretty undisciplined too: missed assignments, poor tackling, and getting gashed for big plays.
The Eagles offense struggled ever since redshirt junior quarterback Shai Werts was injured in the season opener against LSU and then missed the next two games. He returned against Louisiana-Lafayette and rushed for 93 yards and threw for another 37 yards on 6-of-12 passing but was sacked three times.
Additionally, junior running back Wesley Kennedy III is set to return after serving a four game academic suspension.
In 2017, the winless Eagles under the direction of interim head coach Chad Lunsford and coming off a bye week took the Jags to the woodshed and held the Jags to their first-ever shutout, 52-0. This devistating loss sealed head coach Joey Jones’ fate.
Since that game the Jags have a 4-14 record with only two wins against FBS opponents to show for it.
In order for the Jags to win, they need to control the ball and keep it out of the hands of Werts and company. If the offense is unable to convert third downs and keep moving the chains, it’s going to be a very long game for the defense.
The Jags enter as a 12 point underdog at home, both teams are hungry to break two-game losing streaks, and to get their first conference win of the season.
It’s truly a battle of who wants it more.
So over the last few weeks if I picked the Jags to cover, they wouldn’t and vice versa if I picked them not to cover, they have. So I don’t know if I should knowingly pick the opposite and hope for the best or to go straight up and pick my gut.
Picking my gut, the Jags cover the spread, however the Eagles are the ones who walk away with the victory. The Jags are 0-5 against the Eagles, historically have had fits trying to defend the triple option, and they just don’t seem to have what it takes to turn it around in a short week. Especially when the offensive line cannot protect the quarterback.
South Alabama and Georgia Southern kick off at 6:30pm Central time. The game can be seen on ESPNU nation wide and radio coverage can be heard on 99.5 fm The Jag in the Mobile area as well as world wide on the iHeartMedia app.
Go Jags!