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’s Path To Bowl Eligibility: A Look Into The Crystal Football
After the last few seasons, how many people who would have thought the South Alabama would start the season 3-0 and looking at the prospects of getting bowl eligible?
That’s half way to bowl eligibility.
With nine games left, they have plenty of opportunities to win at least three more games. To do so, they have some work to do. But that’s a topic for another article.
In only three game it’s really looking like the hiring of Kane Wommack is the shot in the arm that the South Alabama program needed.
The cultural shift has been nothing short of phenomenal.
Seeing the way the team plays this season versus last season, it’s like night and day. The team responds to adversity in positive, productive ways.
They have bought in.
I don’t know if coach Wommack has a name for his approach, but his “neutral mindset” approach is similar to what other successful head coaches have implemented.
Nick Saban has “The Process” and is in the midst of an unprecedented run in college football at Alabama. P.J. Fleck has the mantra “Row the Boat,” which he’s used to bring Minnesota out of irrelevance in the Big 10. In Fleck’s case, he uses three physical items to reinforce his approach: the oar, the boat, and the compass.
Both Saban and Fleck concentrate on what you can control and living in the present. You cannot change the past. You have no way to know what the future will hold. They all focus on the next play.
Coach Wommack has consistently talked about having a neutral mindset approach. It’s his version of “the process” or “row the boat.” He stresses for the players to approach the next play with a neutral mindset: forget about the past and focus on the next play.
Breaking the Rules
We are going to go against his philosophy and actually take a look ahead. We are going to look down the remaining nine games and guess the likelihood that the Jags can get those necessary wins for bowl-eligibility.
What’s in Store
October 2nd vs Louisiana-Lafayette
Billy Napier is in his 4th season at the helm with back-to-back 10-win seasons under his belt. He also had the Cajuns ranked in the top 25 for a bit last year. However they had to eek out a 27-24 win over FCS Nicholls State in week two of the season.
The Cajuns will have to travel to Georgia Southern before coming to Mobile. Meanwhile the Jags will have an extra week to rest, heal and prepare with a bye week. This could be a game the Jags earn an upset win.
October 9th at Texas State
The Bobcats are have not won more than three games in a season in the last several years. The two teams have faced each other six times since 2013 and the series is evenly split 3-3 with neither team collecting a road win over the other.
The bobcats are probably one of the weaker teams the Jags will face in Sun Belt Conference play. If they play like they should, this should be one of the three wins they need to earn bowl eligibility. However the Bobcats will have a bye week before facing the Jags.
October 14th (Thursday) vs Georgia Southern
The Jags have never defeated the Eagles in any of their seven contests. Though, over the last two seasons, the Jags have closed the scoring gap between the two schools. The 2019 game taking two overtime periods for the Eagles to leave with a 20-17 win.
Georgia Southern opened the season with a struggle win over Gardner-Webb 30-25. They then were spanked by Florida Atlantic 38-6. Last week they were spanked again by #20 Arkansas.
Georgia Southern will travel to Mobile on a short week for a Thursday night game. That will be just after traveling to Troy for a 7pm game the previous Saturday. But the Jags will also have a short week, however they will not have the burden of traveling for the game.
This may be one of the winnable games for the Jags. It would be a huge monkey-off-the-back wins for the program as well.
October 23rd at ULM
The Warhawks had their bye week on the second week of the season, that’s really early. Their first game was a 35 point loss to Kentucky then a 12-7 win over Dion ‘Prime Time’ Sanders coached Jackson State, an FCS school.
The Warhawks only managed four field goals in the win.
However that’s an improvement over their winless 0-10 season in 2020. Though the season was hampered by players missing games due to Covid.
This may be the weakest Sun Belt team the Jags face this season. Historically the Jags are 0-3 in Monroe and this would be another opportunity for coach Wommack and the team to get another monkey off the programs back.
October 30th vs Arkansas State
Arkansas State hired Butch Jones to replace Blake Anderson. Jones was previously an analyst at Alabama as was offensive coordinator Major Applewhite.
Talking about getting a monkey off their back, last year the Jags were able earn their first win in Jonesboro, Arkansas in their fifth try.
After a long run of success, the Red Wolves finished the 2020 season 4-7. They sat home during bowl season for the first time since 2010.
So far this season ASU only has a win over FCS Central Arkansas. They lost a 55-50 shootout against Memphis in week two, then avoided a shutout against Washington in a 52-3 loss last week.
This should be a winnable game for the Jags. A lot of it depends on what first-year head coach Butch Jones does between now and then.
November 6 at Troy
This starts a four week stretch very stiff competition for the Jags. It’s also the first of three consecutive road games.
The Jags have lost the last three “Battle for the Belt” contests. They have also lost four of the last five. The only win in that stretch is the 2017 defensive slugfest when coach Wommack was defensive coordinator.
The Trojans have wins over Southern (55-3) and Southern Miss (21-9) on the season. They lost their second game of the season 21-13 to Liberty.
The Trojans missed an opportunity to get to .500 and bowl eligible when their season finale against ULM was cancelled leaving them with a 5-6 record overall.
In what’s looking like a pattern, the the Trojans will have a couple extra days to prepare to host the Jags. However they will be coming off a Thursday night game against current conference leader Coastal Carolina.
While the last three games have not been particularly close games, this season should be different. This will likely be a close game, as rivalry games should be. But it should be winnable.
November 13 at App State
The Jags have struggled against the Mountaineers the last two times they’ve faced each other (2018 and 2019). In those two games the Jags were defeated by a combined score of 82-10.
Overall the Jags are 1-3 against the Mountaineers. Their only win was a 47-21 contest in Boone in 2014 but then fell to them the following year.
The Mountaineers came up a little short of upsetting #22 Miami 25-23 in week two of the season. They opened the season with a win over East Carolina then defeated Elon the week after the Miami game.
Last night they struggled for most of the game against Marshall. They gave the ball away twice and Marshall capitalized with 10 points off of them. But the missed field goal by the Thundering Herd allowed the Mountaineers to kick a field goal in the fourth quarter and to hold on at the end for a 31-30 win.
Appalachian State will be a tough challenge and will be the second consecutive road contest for the Jags. Additionally it’s after the “Battle for the Belt.” This is one of the more unlikely games for a Jaguar win. But it’s never impossible.
November 20 at Tennessee
Tennessee will be favored in the game. It’s an SEC team vs a Group of Five team.
While the Jags and the Vols last faced off in 2013, the Jags gave them a run for their money in the 31-24 loss. The Jags even lead for a bit in Neyland Stadium.
The Jags had the ball 4th & goal at the Vols 8 yard line but an interception dashed the Jags hopes of a win over an SEC program. They would have to wait until 2016 for that.
Tennessee defeated Bowling Green to open the season 38-6. They’ll enter the game after hosting Georgia (currently ranked #2 in the nation).
It may be a good time for the Jags to visit Knoxville, but I wouldn’t depend on this game to get bowl eligible. A win in this game would be more of an attention-getter and a resume builder for postseason play. It would also be a good introduction of coach Wommack as a definite coach to watch in college football.
November 26 vs Coastal Carolina
The Jags finally end get a home game after three-consecutive road contests. However it will be a short week, but only by a day, as they face off on Friday after Thanksgiving.
The Jags and the Chanticleers have split their two meetings on the field. The Jags welcomed them to Mobile and full conference membership with a 31-28 win in 2018.
Last season they met for the second time with the Chanticleers ranked #15. The Chanticleers sent the Jags home from Conway with 23-6 loss.
They opened the season with a 52-14 win over The Citadel. In week two, they defeated Kansas in Conway 49-22. Last week they went into Buffalo and came away with a 28-25 win.
Both teams will go into the game losing one day of preparation, however the Jags will be the home team. Hopefully the Jags will already have earned bowl-eligibility, because needing to get a win against the Chanticleers would not be an ideal situation. But if the Chanticleers come in with a Thanksgiving hangover, maybe the Jags can capitalize with an upset win.
Gazing into the Crystal Football
(The teams listed in each section are by schedule, not by projected toughness.)
The easiest path to six wins: Texas State, Georgia Southern, ULM, Arkansas State. Win any three out of these four games and they are bowl-eligible.
The next best chance or the “we showed those prognosticators wrong”: Louisiana-Lafayette, Troy, App State. Along with going towards bowl-eligibility, winning any of these would be making a statement to the other programs in the conference that South Alabama is on the rise again.
The long shots or the “we stole the towels on the way out” wins: Tennessee, Coastal Carolina. Winning any of these games, especially Tennessee, would be a rather huge statement and would make for a particularly special season.
Final Thoughts
The Jags best chances for bowl-eligibility all line up over a four week stretch next month.
They could reach six wins before Halloween.
After Halloween the Jags strength of schedule really ramps up. The final four games will be the toughest challenge all season with the first three all on the road. They will be @Troy Nov 6, @App State Nov 13, @Tennessee Nov 20, then home vs Coastal Carolina Nov 26.
The competition in the first three games has been, admittingly, fairly soft. Additionally they have had plenty of struggles in those games, so getting to the six-win mark isn’t a given.
In order to achieve this lofty goal the Jags must continue to live by coach Wommack’s “neutral mindset” mantra.
South Alabama Survives Alcorn State 28-21 To Stay Unbeaten
It wasn’t pretty. Actually it was downright ugly at times. But the Jags (3-0) held off Alcorn State (1-2) for a 28-21 win to start the season 3-0 for the first time since 2010 and the first time as a FBS member.
The Jags needed two defensive stops late in the fourth quarter to preserve the win.
“That wasn’t nearly to our standard,” head coach Kane Wommack said after the game. “We had some things exposed during the first two weeks that we allowed to show up again. Every person in our building has to be relentless to get those things fixed. When you make a mistake in week one, it’s got to get corrected in week two and week three. The best teams in the country continue to get better, and that’s what we have to do in this bye week.”
Alcorn State used their passing game to move the ball against the Jaguar defense. With 10:09 left in the game, the Braves connected on a 27 yard pass to move into Jaguar territory. They got down to the 11 yard line before a holding penalty gave the Jaguar defense some breathing room. On 4th and 14 at the Jaguar 17, Alcorn State quarterback Felix Harper found a receiver on the left sideline. After securing the catch he made a move to the inside trying to gain the yardage needed to extend the drive, however his feet slipping just enough to allow Devin Rockette to make the stop at the 7 yard line.
The Jags took over possession with 5:36 left in the game but went three-and-out and giving up a yard to the Braves.
Jack Brooks’ punt went 46 yards and was fielded at the Braves 48 yard line, but Manny Jones found a crease in the coverage and managed to return it 23 yards to the Jaguar 29 yard line before he was forced out of bounds.
The Braves went back to the air to move the ball with a 17 yard pass completion to the right sideline before stepping out of bounds at the 12 yard line. On 2nd and 16, Harper had to scramble and made some Jaguar defenders miss but he could only manage 3 yards to the 15.
On 3rd and 13, Harper threw into the end zone for Juan Anthony but it was behind his target but Tre Young was in the perfect position to secure the interception and to preserve the win. Young almost brought the ball out of the end zone, and Alcorn State wisely used their final time out to challenge the ruling. However the officials did not see enough evidence to confirm or overturn the play so the call of a touchback, stood.
Kareem Walker rushed for 150 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. He scored on runs of 1, 13, and 35 yards.
Overall the Jags ran for 236 yards. Walk-on running back Bryan Hill added 51 yards on nine carries and a touchdown. He also showed some very determined running to convert a key 1st down.
The Alcorn State defense double teamed star receiver Jalen Tolbert to the point that he only caught two passes for 54 yards.
Jake Bentley went 14-of-25 for 158 yards and was pressured often in the game.
The Jags were playing behind an offensive line that had been shifted around. Starting right tackle Antawn Lewis was out due to illness and Trey Simpson was out due to injury. Anterrious Gray and Josh McCulloch made their first starts of the season at right guard and right tackle respectively. Kent Foster moved to left guard in place of regular starter Hadon Merchant.
The Jags had four turnovers, all fumbles, that Alcorn State turned into 14 points. Jalen Wayne and Jake Bentley had fumbles on offensive plays. Caullin Lacy mishandled a punt inside the 5 yard line that was recovered for a touchdown. Cade Sutherland, replacing Lacy as punt returner, also mishandled a punt late in the third quarter which led to the second touchdown from a turnover early in the fourth quarter.
The Swarm D only managed the one takeaway, but it came at the perfect time to preserve the win.
The Jags out gained the Braves 394 to 297 yards. While the Jags defense only allowed 32 yards rushing, they were gashed for 265 yards through the air. Alcorn State only converted 3 of 15 3rd down attempts and possessed the ball for 32:00.
The Jags offense rushed for 236 yards and threw for 158 in the win. However they only converted 4 of 12 3rd down attempts and converted none of their three 4th down attempts in the game.
Jalen Wayne led the Jaguar receivers with four catches for 51 yards. Lincoln Sefcik and Terrion Avery both caught two passes each.
Felix Harper went 20-of-33 for 265 yards, a touchdown and an interception for the Braves.
LeCharles Pringle and Juan Anthony caught six passes each for 73 and 45 yards respectively. CJ Bolar led all receivers with 128 yards on five catches.
“When you just do your job, and you have an urgency to do your job, good things happen,” Wommack said on what the Jags did differently early in the second half. “We ran the same runs in the second half that we had run in the first half, but we executed better and we operated better. Somehow, we’ve got to come out and do our job and start executing at a high level early. On top of that, when you put the ball on the ground four times, you’re going to give yourself a very difficult hole to crawl out of. We were fortunate enough to do that tonight.”
The Jags improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2010 and for the first time ever as a FBS program.
The Jags have scheduled Monday and Tuesday off on their bye week before getting back to work correcting the issues identified through the first three games of the season.
USA returns to action at home on Saturday, October 2nd with their conference opener against defending West Division Champions Louisiana-Lafayette in a White Out game.
All Jaguar fans are asked and encouraged to wear White.
Coach Wommack dressed in pregame warmups. 
Jamie Sheriff on the sidelines supporting his teammates. 
Jags make their entrance. 
Captains heading to midfield for coin toss. 
Trey Simpson on the sideline for the Jags. 
Head coach Kane Wommack taking selfies with students during the hour and a half lighting delay. 
Head coach Kane Wommack taking selfies with students during the hour and a half lighting delay. 
J’s up for the Alma Mater with the band. 
The Prowlers with their J’s up for the Alma Mater. 
Kareem Walker postgame. 
Gi’Narious Johnson postgame. 
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
Saturday’s Game Is Still On Officially Despite Alcorn State’s Covid Situation
As of now the Jaguars home game against Alcorn State is still officially on. However it seems to be a bit in limbo due to a lack of athletic trainers.
The Braves were not allowed to practice on Monday or Tuesday due to all of the part-time athletic trainers for the team testing positive for Covid.
Due to NCAA rules, team cannot practice without on-site medical staff present.
According to people who spoke with USA TODAY on the condition of anonymity, the football team’s activities on Tuesday were “limited to a walkthrough where University-employed nurses – not a certified athletic trainer – were allowed to pass out ice bags.”
“We’ve got a big game (at South Alabama) that’s going to make the university money, and we can’t go out and get treatment for the young men and women,” head coach Fred McNair said via Football Scoop. “We can’t get treatment or rehab on this day, not knowing what’s going to happen tomorrow.
“This is something that needs to be fixed. This is an administration issue. I could talk about it all the way till I turn blue. This has got to be fixed. We’ve got to be able to pay somebody to be the Alcorn State athletic trainer, and we don’t have one. That’s disheartening.”
While most of the FCS played their 2020 season in the spring of 2021, Alcorn State opted out entirely. It was framed as Covid-19 concerns.
According to sources talking with USA TODAY, the team’s upperclassmen opted not to play because the school did not have a full-time strength coach or an athletic trainer during the pandemic and they did not feel prepared to play.
A full-time athletic trainer was hired at the end of January but left in July for a health care job in the private sector. Instead of hiring a replacement, the athletic department chose to use two part-time trainers who were not vaccinated, according to the source.
No players or coaches have tested positive for Covid. The two part-time trainers tested positive prior to Saturday’s game against Northwestern State. The trainer that left in July was brought back on a temporary basis to get through the game. When players came in on Sunday for treatment, he informed the staff he would not be able to come back on Monday.
South Alabama would be owed $360,000 in liquidated damages if the game isn’t played per their contract.
South Alabama Defeat Bowling Green With Field Goal As Time Expires
It wasn’t pretty, but the Jags pulled out the 22-19 win over Bowling Green with Diego Guajardo’s 44 yard field goal as time expired.
The Jaguars start the season 2-0 for the first time since 2011 and for the first time as a FBS team. Bowling Green falls to 0-2 on the season.
The Jaguar defense kept the team in the game. But Terrion Avery and Caullin Lacy took the team on their shoulders to tie the game.
Avery carried the ball seven times on the touchdown drive and caught a pass too. However it was Lacy who stepped up on 4th and 8 to convert a first down at to the Bowling Green 16 yard line. Then Avery would cap the drive off with a 3 yard gain and then a 13 yard touchdown.
The Jags defense, after getting a much needed rest when the offense put together the touchdown drive, set their cleats in the turf and were not going to bend or break again.
On 3rd and 11 at their own 24, Falcon quarterback Matt McDonald found Christian Sims open but Shawn Jennings came in and punched the ball loose and Quentin Wilfawn fell on it giving the Jaguar offense the ball at the Falcon 33 yard line with just 1:21 left in the game.
Major Applewhite kept the ball on the ground with Avery setting up Diego Guajardo for the game-winning kick.
The game started off terrible, but it could have been worse.
Bentley was sacked for a 2 yard loss, Bentley then threw it to Lacy for a 4 yard loss and Kareem Walker was dropped for a 2 yard loss. The snap to Jack Brooks on 4th down was high and he luckily pulled it down but it gave the Falcons the time to get in and block the punt. Fortunately the ball went out of the back of the end zone to give Bowling Green a 2-0 lead.
With 4:53 left in the first quarter, Jake Bentley dropped back to pass and didn’t see linebacker Darren Anders drop into coverage and threw it right to him. Anders would return it 27 yards for a touchdown. The point-after was missed wide right and the Jags then trailed 8-0.
South Alabama got the ensuing kickoff and methodically drove down the field to the 9 yard line when the first quarter ended. Walker got the ball down to the 4 yard but the Jags settled for a 22 yard field goal for their first points of the game.
The Jaguars used their time outs wisely and forced the Falcons to punt with with under a minute left in the half.
USA took over on the Falcon 48 yard line. A pair of passes later the Jags were down to the 16 yard line. Fortunately a pass intended for Lacy was not caught as time would have expired witout a chance to kick a field goal most likely. Instead Guajardo drills a 41 yard field goal with 6 seconds left in the half to cut the Falcons lead to 8-6. Which the Falcons would be content to take to the locker room.
Bowling Green opened the second half with a 51 yard pass play on their third play from scrimmage. Aided by a holding penalty on what would have been a 1st down at the Jaguar 5 yard line, the Jags defense would force the Falcons to settle for a 40 yard field goal for an 11-6 lead.
The Jags punched right back with a 5 play, 75 yard touchdown drive. Bentley completed passes to Jalen Wayne for 15 yards then Jalen Tolbert for 42 yards to open the drive. Three plays later Kareem Walker pushes his way into the end zone to give South Alabama their first lead of the game at 12-11 with 10:11 left in the third quarter.
A 2-point conversion attempt looked to be good, but was ruled an incomplete pass. After review the play stood.
It was then Bowling Green’s turn though.
They quickly shredded the Jaguar defense with a 3 play, 83 yard drive. They opened the possession with a 47 yard pass play. Followed by a 3 yard run. But McDonald found Andrew Bench for a 33 yard touchdown to regain the lead.
The Falcons converted their 2-point conversion attempt to take a 19-12 lead with 9:08 left in the third quarter.
Bowling Green threatened to increase their lead with under a minute left in the third quarter but double-pass by Jaedyn McKinstry was overthrown and an easy interception by Keith Gallmon for a touchback.
The Jaguar defense kept bending but not breaking in the fourth quarter. A few times they looked like they were holding on by just a thread or a shoelace.
That was until the Jaguars offense with Avery and Lacy took over.
Stats
South Alabama
The Jags put up 371 yards of total offense, 114 on the ground and 257 through the air. They had 21 first down but converted 7-of-18 on 3rd down. The Jags were a perfect 3-for-3 in red zone scoring, converting two touchdown.
Bowling Green gained 317 yards, only 9 yards rushing with 308 passing. They only had 10 first down and were 2-of-12 on 3rd down. The Falcons only scored a field goal on their only red zone attempt.
Jake Bentley was 29-of-46 for 257 yards and an interception.
Caullin Lacy led the receivers with 8 catches for 63 yards. Jalen Tolbert had 7 catches for a game high 95 yards. Six other Jaguars caught passes in the game.
Terrion Avery led all rushers with 82 yards on 20 carries with a touchdown. Walker carried 12 times for 32 yards and a touchdown.
Yam Banks led the Jags with 6 total tackles, 3 of them solo. The defense had five tackles for loss and three sacks.
Bowling Green
Matt McDonald went 23-of-32 for 308 yards and a touchdown.
Christian Sims led the Falcons with 8 catches for 76 yards. Austin Osborne caught 7 passes for 38 yards. Tyrone Broden caught 3 passes for 76 yards. All six players who caught passes had a reception for 26 yards or longer in the game.
Terion Stewart led the Falcons with 16 yards rushing on 5 carries.
Next Game
South Alabama returns home to face Alcorn State on Saturday, September 18. Kickoff is scheduled for 7pm at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
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!
South Alabama Defense Dominates Southern Miss in 31-7 Win
South Alabama may have spotted the Southern Miss Golden Eagles a touchdown lead, but that was all they gave them. The Jags would score the next 31 points to claim a season-opening win at Hancock Whitney Stadium 31-7.
The Jags (1-0) triumphantly used the Swarm D to shut down the Golden Eagles (1-0) to give first year head coach Kane Wommack the first win of his career as a head coach.
The Jaguar defense turned away the Golden Eagles three times inside the 10-yard line. They also produced five turnovers in the game, the final coming on a pick-six with under a minute left.
Southern Miss put the first points on the board with 3:55 left in the first quarter. The Jags defense had seemingly stopped the Golden Eagles on a 4th and 8 play when AJ DeShazor put a big hit on Trey Lowe. However after review for targeting, DeShazor was disqualified and USM had a first down at the Jaguar 15 yard line. They scored three plays later.
The Jags answered with 12:27 left in the second quarter when Bentley connected with tight end Trent Tyre for a 1-yard touchdown.
Southern Miss fumbled the ensuing kickoff for the Jags first takeaway of the game. This time Bentley connected with running back Kareem Walker for a 5-yard touchdown with 10:29 left in half to take a 14-7 lead.
The Jags took the opening possession of the second half and drove 75 yards for another score. The first play from scrimmage was a 28 yard yard pass completion to Caullin Lacy. What looked like a Jalen Tolbert touchdown was taken off the board after a review determined he stepped out of bounds at the 3 yard line. A couple of plays later Bentley punched it in on a quarterback sneak to put the Jags ahead 21-7 at the 11:48 mark of the third quarter.
Diego Guajardo added a 48-yard field goal with 9:51 left in the third quarter to put the Jags ahead 24-7.
Shawn Steele picked off Lowe on the next Southern Miss possession but the Jags couldn’t capitalize on it with more points.
Late in the third quarter the Golden Eagles had the ball at the Jags 4 yard line, but turned the ball over on downs.
Tolbert had 4 catches for 137 yards in the third quarter alone.
After a Jaguar punt to start the fourth quarter, Southern Miss again had the ball in the Jaguar red zone. The Jaguar defense forced a fumble to end the threat.
With time winding down, Davyn Flenord stepped in front of a pass by Lowe and returned it 45 yards for the final points of the game with just 44 seconds left.
Jalen Tolbert caught four passes for 147 yard and narrowly missed having a touchdown.
Jake Bentley went 14-of-19 for 253 yards and two touchdowns.
“It was fun for me to see coordinators up in the box making adjustments with our players, having real adversity — whether it was self-inflicted adversity or from the other side,” Wommack said. “We trailed early and we were able to respond to that adversity. We need to keep playing to get this team to where we want to go.”
“Just overall, I thought it was not nearly to the standard we want to hold this team to,” Wommack said. “I thought we had poor execution at times, I didn’t think we finished well. … There’s just a number of things we have to get better and every single person in our building has to have an urgency to move the dial forward in this program. … I want to enjoy wins, but you have to have an urgency to get this program better. That was not a convincing win in my mind.”
Next up for the Jaguars is Bowling Green on Saturday, September 11. Kickoff is scheduled for 3pm at Doyt L. Perry Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio.
Former head coach Joey Jones, who started the Jaguar football program, with Riley Cole. 
Former head coach Joey Jones with former Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele. 
Captains 
Southern Miss head coach Will Hall. 
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.