South Alabama And Ole Miss Agree To Home-And-Home Series
The University of South Alabama and Ole Miss have finalized an agreement to meet on the gridiron for a home-and-home series.
The Jags and the Rebels previously met once in Oxford with the Jags losing 47-27.
The meetings are scheduled for September 2, 2028 in Oxford and again the following year on September 1, 2029 at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
NCAA Tournament Cancelled; SBC suspends all spring sports indefinitely
Due to the concerns surrounding the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the Sun Belt Conference has announced that regular-season competitions and conference championships in all sports are suspended indefinitely.
This decision was made in consultation with the league’s Presidents, Chancellors and Directors of Athletics to protect the health and wellness of student-athletes, coaches, staff and fans.
Breaking: Sun Belt Conference Basketball Tournament CANCELLED
After further discussion with the Presidents and Chancellors and Directors of Athletics and mounting concerns surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Sun Belt Conference has decided to cancel the remaining games of the 2020 Sun Belt Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships scheduled for March 14-15 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans.
sunbeltsports.org
This announcement came on the heels of the Southeastern Conference announcing the cancellation of their conference tournament that was being held in Nashville.
It is currently unknown what the NCAA will ultimately decide concerning the NCAA Tournament. They stated yesterday it would continue on however only essential staff, media, etc would be able to attend. Now that statement is in question.
SBC Tournament Semifinal and Finals Closed to Public
Per South Alabama and the Sun Belt Conference:
The Sun Belt Conference has announced that, in light of the evolving landscape surrounding the coronavirus (COVID-19), it will conduct the semifinal and championship games of the 2020 Sun Belt Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships set for March 14-15 at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans with only student-athletes, coaches, essential staff, officials, broadcast network staffs, credentialed media and limited immediate family members of the participating teams present.
The Sun Belt and the Smoothie King Center will continue to take precautionary measures and follow the guidelines outlined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for those in attendance, including, discouraging high-risk individuals from attending tournament games, even if they meet the attendance exception.
In addition, the Conference and the Smoothie King Center will continue to be proactive during tournament games by taking the following measures:
• Conducting frequent cleaning and sanitizing of common areas, team locker rooms, and media areas.
• Providing information from the CDC on ways to stop the spread of the virus will be posted throughout the Arena.
• Announcing reminders through our videoboard and public address announcer to maintain social distance, wash hands regularly, and utilize the hand sanitizer stations throughout the facility.
• Keeping locker rooms closed to credential media covering the games.
• Ensuring emergency medical services will continue to be on site for any medical concerns.
South Alabama Sign 19 Student-Athletes On Early Signing Day
Head coach Steve Campbell and his staff announced that they signed 19 student-athletes to National Letter-of-Intent on Wednesday.
Eight of the 19 are junior college transfers with two years of eligibility remaining. Three of them have won a junior college national title and 13 of them are rated as three-star recruits.
The eight Ju-Co players, all of which are joining the team in January are: Dewayne Betts Jr. (Memphis, Tenn.), Hayden Burton (Bogue Chitto, Miss.), Zeke Chapman (Lake, Miss.), Chance Lovertich (Brandon, Miss.), Darrell Luter Jr. (Hattiesburg, Miss.), Jamie Sheriff (Terry, Miss.), CJ Thompson (Tulsa, Okla.) and Quentin Wilfawn (Oxford, Miss.).
The remaining 11 student-athletes have all completed their senior seasons at their respective high-schools: Yamarus Banks (Ridgeland, Miss.), Nae’Saan Dickerson (Ellenwood, Ga.), Latarius “Kado” Carr (Olive Branch, Miss.), Elijah Gainey (Flowery Branch, Ga.), Jacob Hopper (Boaz, Ala.), Carlos Johnson (Spanish Fort, Ala.), Caullin Lacy (Mobile, Ala.), Andrew McMillan (Long Beach, Miss.), Christian Sapp (Kiln, Miss.), Zyon Walker (Memphis, Tenn.) and Christian Wortham (Grenada, Miss.).
They will all enter with four years of eligibility and McMillan will join the team in the spring semester as an early graduate.
According to coach Campbell, they signed some players to give them immediate help at positions of need such as defensive line where they lost some guys to graduation. Additionally they added experience in the secondary.
The Jags expect to return three quarterbacks currently on the roster and they signed two. A ju-co player with championship experience at the high school and ju-co level for immediate help and a freshman to develop.
Yamarus Banks (CB, 5’11”, 200 lbs, Ridgeland HS, Ridgeland, MS) Rated a 2* athlete by 247sports.com and he recorded 52 tackles and four interceptions. He also caught 37 passes for 788 yards and three touchdowns on the offensive side of the ball.
Dewayne Betts Jr. (S, 6’2″, 200 lbs, Coahoma (MS) CC, Memphis, TN) rated a 2* ju-co recruit by 247sports.com, and the second-best prospect as an athlete in the country, as well as a 2* by Rivals.com. Had offers from Massachusetts and Liberty.
Hayden Burton (OL, 6’5″, 325, Mississippi Gulf Coast CC, Bogue Chitto, MS) rated a 3* ju-co prospect by both Rivals.com and 247sports.com. He was on the 2019 NJCAA national championship team for 2019. Had scholarship offers from Arkansas State, Louisiana-Monroe and Marshall. Was also recruited by Tulane, Ohio, and Liberty.
Latarius “Kado” Carr (LB, 5’10”, 225 lbs, Olive Branch, MS, Olive Branch HS) rated a 3* recruit by 247Sports.com and selected to play in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game. In three years, he compiled 248 tackles, 37 for loss, as the school went 33-8 overall and made the playoffs each year.
Zeke Chapman (DL, 6′, 305 lbs, Pearl River CC, Lake, MS) A 3* rating by 247Sports.com and was ranked in the top-20 Ju-co defensive tackles. He was credited with 35 tackles and 6 for loss with a fumble recovery in his sophomore season. Was also recruited by Troy and Southern Miss.
Nae’Saan Dickerson (WR, 6’2″, 180 lbs, Hapeville Charter HS, Ellenwood, GA) rated 3* from 247Sports.com and 2* by Rivals.com. He and his team won the state championship as a sophomore. He had scholarship offers from Illinois, Boston College, Tulane, UNLV, Troy, Toledo, Kent State and Bowling Green. He was also recruited by Kentucky, Ball State and Liberty.
Elijah Gainey (QB, 6’3″, 215 lbs, Flowery Branch HS, Flower Branch, GA) A 3* rating by 247Sports.com and 2* by Rivals.com. He sat out his senior season with a knee injury after starting the previous two seasons. In 8 games he had 2,005 yards and 20 touchdowns. He had a scholarship offer from Troy and was recruited by Georgia Tech, South Carolina and Vanderbilt.
Jacob Hopper (TE, 6’6″, 230 lbs, Sardis HS, Boaz, AL) rated a 3* recruit by 247Sports.com and a three year letterwinner and qualified for the state playoffs his senior season. He was recruited by Arkansas, Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic and Charlotte.
Carlos Johnson (DL, 6′, 310 lbs, Spanish Fort HS, Spanish Fort, AL) rated a 3* recruit by 247Sports and a 2* by Rivals.com. He was selected to play in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game after being a four-year letterwinner, four appearances in the state playoffs, and a 41-12 record over that stretch. Was offered a scholarship by Troy as well.
Caullin Lacy (WR, 5’10”, 175 lbs, Faith Academy, Mobile, AL) rated 3* by 247Sports.com and 2* by Rivals.com. He helped his team to back-to-back state playoff and a 17-6 record over the past two seasons.
Chance Lovertich (QB, 5’11”, 195 lbs, Mississippi Gulf Coast CC, Brandon, MS) Went 236-of-366 passing for 2,794 yards and 24 touchdowns. He was also recruited by Ole Miss and UAB.
Darrell Luter Jr (CB, 6′, 180 lbs, Pear River (MS) CC, Hattiesburg, MS) Rated a 2* recruit by 247Sports.com and was rated among the top 30 cornerbacks in the nation. Offered a scholarship by Houston and was also recruited by Southern Miss and Coastal Carolina.
Andrew McMillan (OL, 6’4″, Long Beach HS, Long Beach, MS) Rated a 3* recruit by 247Sports.com and the 5th best offensive tackle in the state of Mississippi.
Christian Sapp (OL, 6’2″, 310 lbs, Hancock HS, Kiln, MS) Rated a 2* recruit by 247Sports.com and considered in the top 10 guards in the state of Mississippi.
Jamie Sheriff (DL, 6’1″, 260 lbs, Mississippi Gulf Coast CC, Terry, MS) Rated a 3* prospect by 247Sports.com and among the top 20 strongside defensive ends in the state. He was offered a scholarship by North Texas and Toledo.
CJ Thompson (S, 6’1″, 195 lbs, Northeast Oklahoma A&M JC, Tulsa, OK) Rated a 3* recruit by 247Sports.com, the top Ju-co recruit in OK and the 13th rated safety in the country.
Zyon Walker (DL, 6′, 305 lbs, Whitehaven HS, Memphis, TN) rated a 2* recruit by both 247Sports.com and Rivals.com. In eight games in his senior season he recorded 27 total tackles, 14 tackles for loss and two fumble recoveries. He was also recruited by Southern Miss.
Quentin Wilfawn (LB, 6’1″, 245 lbs, Northwest Mississippi CC, Oxford, MS) rated a 3* recruit by 247Sports.com and the 8th best inside linebacker. He was recruited by Memphis, Arkansas State, Louisiana-Lafayette, and Charlotte out of high school. Had offers from Georgia Southern, Louisiana-Monroe and Liberty out of ju-co.
Christian Wortham (WR, 6’1″, 185 lbs, Grenada HS, Grenada, MS) Was rated a 3* athlete by 247Sports.com and among the top 50 recruits. Rivals.com rated him a 2* recruit. He was recruited by Auburn, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Kentucky and Wake Forest. His father played at Alabama from 2000-2004 and played for the Seattle Seahawks in 2005.
South Alabama Closes Out 2019 Season, Ladd-Peebles Stadium Era, With 34-30 Win Over Arkansas State
Jalen Tolbert, Desmond Trotter, and Tra Minter were the three big names in South Alabama’s 34-30 upset of Arkansas State. The much-needed win broke a nine-game losing streak by the Jags.
It also closed out the era of South Alabama Football at Ladd-Peebles Stadium with a win.
Tolbert set a school record with 4 touchdown receptions including the game-winning score with 1:18 left in the game. Tra Minter also made history as he became the first Jaguar to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season.
Arkansas State opened the scoring when Layne Hatcher connected with Brandon Bowling to go up 7-0. The Jags answered with two touchdown passes by Desmond Trotter to Jalen Tolbert of 21 and 29 yards, both in the first quarter, to take a 14-7 lead.
Neither team could score for the remainder of the first half, but the Jags had appeared to have had Tolbert’s 3rd touchdown in the second quarter. However it was all for nothing as the Jags were flagged for an illegal player downfield, then was assessed a penalty for Tolbert flipping the ball at an Arkansas State defender. Then South Alabama head coach Steve Campbell was also hit with an unsportsmanlike conduct flag for arguing with the officials. In all, the Jags were hit with 35 yards of penalties.
Arkansas State opened the second half scoring with a 23 yard field goal with 10:50 left in the third quarter, cutting the Jaguar lead to 14-10.
Minter added a touchdown with 6:03 left in the third quarter, however Diego Guarjardo’s PAT was blocked leaving the Jags with a 20-10 lead.
The nations leading receiver in yards, Omar Bayless, cut the Jags lead to 20-17 on a 10-yard touchdown reception.
Trotter and Tolbert hooked up again on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 31-yard touchdown to put the Jags up 27-17. Hatcher’s 1-yard touchdown run put the Red Wolves within 3 points again with 12:29 left in the game.
As the Jaguars offense sputtered, Arkansas State was able to add field goals of 40 and 20 yards to take a 30-27 lead with 3:51 left in the game.
USA needed big conversions on their go-ahead drive and Tra Minter took the team on his back. Facing a 4th & 8, Trotter threw to Minter in the flat and he worked his magic to pick up 11 yards and to keep drive alive. A few plays later, Minter came up big again when Trotter threw it to him again which he turned into a 17 yard gain an a play that was ruled a run.
Trotter then found Tolbert for the final touchdown and the lead.
The Red Wolves had one more opportunity but a strip sack gave the Jags the ball with a little over a minute left in the game.
Facing 4th & 1 and Arkansas State out of time outs, Campbell had a choice: he could kick the field goal to go up by 7 points, or he could ice the game with a 1st down. Once again they called Minter’s number, and once more he came through gaining just enough to move the chains and allowing the clock to run out.
The Jags rolled up 495 yards of total offense, 216 of them on the ground and 279 through the air. They gained 26 first downs, went 5 of 16 on 3rd downs and converted all four 4th down attempts.
Arkansas State gained 437 yards of offense, 342 through the air and 95 on the ground. The Red Wolves gained 21 first downs, went 8 of 18 on 3rd down, and 0 of 2 on 4th down.
Minter rushed for 106 yards on 21 carries with a touchdown. Trotter added 58 yards on 14 carries.
Trotter was 20-of-31 passing for 279 yards and four touchdowns. Tolbert led the way with 5 catches for 144 yards and 4 touchdowns. Kawaan Baker caught 5 passes for 62 yards.
Jamal Jones led the Red Wolves rushing with 61 yards on 16 carries.
Hatcher was 23-of-38 passing with 342 yards and two touchdowns. Kirk Merritt led the Red Wolves with 9 catches for 121 yards. Bayless gained 98 yards on four catches with a touchdown.
“I’m very proud of the way our guys played tonight,” coach Campbell said after the game. “I think we played complimentary football tonight; all three phases played about as well as we’ve played all year.”
“It means a lot, because you want to get the win for the players,” Campbell said. “You want them to know what you’re telling them is right and that they believe that. We tell them to keep chopping wood and sooner or later it’s going to turn.”
The Jags finish the season with a 2-10 record overall and a 1-7 record in Sun Belt Conference play, the worst record since the Jags FBS transitional season in 2012. The coaching staff will turn their full attention to recruiting with the early signing period beginning on December 18.
With the win, Campbell’s record is now 5-19 in two full seasons.
South Alabama Closes Out Regular Season And Ladd-Peebles Stadium Against Arkansas State
South Alabama will close out one era in Jaguar football on Friday when the scoreboard clock finally hits :00.
The Jags program began there in 2009 with their historic win over Hargrave Military Academy. They won their first 19 games played in the stadium. They didn’t lose their first home game until the final game of the 2011 season to Cal Poly.
With Hancock Whitney Stadium taking shape on campus and on target to be ready for the Jags first home game of the 2020 season, a new era of South Alabama football will begin. As much negativity that has been directed at Ladd-Peebles stadium since 2009, without the stadium it’s unknown if the football program would have started when it did. The current price tag on “The ‘cock” is $75 million and it wasn’t until 2019 for the school to put together the plan to fund it. If they had to build a stadium to start football in, would we have FBS football today? Would we be the fastest program to go from inception to playing in a bowl game in modern football history?
With the rich Jaguar history in the stadium like the first win, the first win against an FBS team (Florida International), clinching their first bowl berth (Texas State), and defeating their first ranked opponent (San Diego State) it will be a little bittersweet bidding goodbye to Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
As strong as the Jags started when playing in the stadium, the team has struggled over the last couple of season. Amassing a 4-19 record so far over the last two seasons including a program-record nine-game losing streak this season.
The team would like to do nothing more than to close out the Ladd-Peebles era the way the team started it: with a win.
Their opportunity will come against a perineal power in the Sun Belt Conference. Arkansas State has reached bowl-eligible status for their ninth consecutive season despite a few years of one-and-done coaches. Hugh Freeze, Gus Malzahn, and Bryan Harsin all spent one season with the Red Wolves and getting to a bowl game before departing for another job. Blake Anderson is in his 6th season as the Red Wolves head coach and earning a bowl bid in each of his previous 5 seasons but only winning one of them so far (2016 against UCF).
But this season is much different for Anderson.
If you’re a religious viewer of ESPN College Gameday, you probably watched the segment about Anderson, his team, and the loss of his wife to cancer. If you didn’t see it, I highly recommend watching it.
So to say the Red Wolves are also motivated would be an understatement.
The Red Wolves enter the game with a 7-4 overall record (5-2 in conference play). They have played some wild games too. A 50-43 shootout against Troy and 48-41 one against ULM, a nail-biting 28-27 win over Coastal Carolina, and holding on to a 38-33 win over Georgia Southern. But they’ve had a 55-0 spanking at national power Georgia, and a 52-38 loss to Georgia State.
But in each of their games they have played fearlessly and confidently. They rank second in the conference in passing offense with over 300 yards per game. Omar Bayless leads the country in receiving yards and touchdowns (1,375 and 15) with 85 catches. They average 34 points per game and over 430 yards of total offense per game.
But their defense ranks 9th (out of 10) in Total Defense by allowing 480 yards per game. And staying consistent, they are also 9th in both passing and rushing defense. However, their red zone defense is 2nd in the conference (behind Louisiana-Lafayette) with 78%.
The Jags are dead last in scoring offense (edging out Texas State) with a mere 17 points per game average. They are also last in total offense with 315.3 yards per game average and last place in 3rd down conversions at 30.5%. Finally they are -5 in turnover margin, placing them 9th among Sun Belt teams.
While you can taut their 4th place scoring defense, they still allow 30.7 points per game. Their defensive stats are roughly middle of the pack across the board.
The Jags had played spirited football over the previous two weeks before the loss at Georgia State on Saturday. A missed field goal at Texas State then the inability to get defensive stops against Louisiana-Lafayette late in the game both ended in losses but with scores of 28 and 27 points respectively. But seemingly regressed against Georgia State, as they only managed 3 points prior to two garbage time touchdowns against defensive reserves.
South Alabama will look to get back on track with behind Desmond Trotter at quarterback running the RPO scheme with Tra Minter and Carlos Davis powering the running game.
The Jaguar defense will have to clamp down on Bayless and the rest of the Red Wolves passing game, which is their bread and butter. With a secondary that is expected to be without Jalen Thompson and has allowed a number of 3rd and long conversions all season long, that will be a tall order.
Arkansas State enters the game as an 11 point favorite. Last week I thought the Jags would win outright against Georgia State. I was quite positive. This week I feel very pessimistic. I feel Arkansas State is going to win and cover to close out South Alabama’s history at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Prove me wrong Jags!
The Jags (1-10, 0-7 SBC) and the Red Wolves are scheduled to kick off at 4pm at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on Friday, November 29th. Pregame radio coverage starts at 2pm on 99.5 FM The Jag and 96.1 FM both locally in Mobile as well as world wide on iHeartMedia app. The game can be streamed on ESPN+.
South Alabama Falls To Georgia State 28-15, 9th Straight Loss Of Season
The South Alabama football extended it’s school-record losing streak to nine consecutive games and 15 consecutive road games, 28-15 at Georgia State.
After spirited games over the last two weeks, the game started in South Alabama’s favor with a three-and-out on the defense’s opening drive and the offense drove down for a field goal to take a 3-0 lead.
But that was all of the highlights for the Jags until the game was well in the bag for Georgia State.
The Panthers would score 28 consecutive points with their final score coming with 14:13 left in the game.
Georgia State quarterback Dan Ellington played on a torn ACL in his right knee and still went 21 of 27 for 208 yards and two touchdowns as the Panthers improved to 7-4 overall and 4-3 in Sun Belt Conference play.
The Jags did score two touchdowns in the final six minutes of the game, basically trash time against the reserves. Desmond Trotter connected with Jalen Wayne for a 20 yard touchdown with 5:56 left in the game then he found Jalen Tolbert on a 52 yard score with :49 left in the game.
Again the Jags had problems in special teams play when Diego Guajardo started his approach early on a PAT, then a poor snap and a poor kick that was ruled a blocked kick because it technically hit a Panther.
Defensively the Jags allowed several third-and-longs to be converted. Offensively they gave the ball away with a fumble and an interception in addition to two failed 4th down attempts.
“I told them I was disappointed,” head coach Steve Campbell said in the post game press conference when asked what he told the team in the locker toom after the game. “I thought that we took a step backwards today. The last two weeks, I’ve felt we had chances to win the game against Louisiana and Texas State, and I thought if we made improvements like we had the last two games, that we would win the game. We didn’t do that though.”
Tra Minter overtook Xavier Johnson at the programs all-time leader in all-purpose yards with 4,210 with one game left in his career. He rushed 18 times for 70 yards, caught two passes for 2 yards, and had one kickoff return for 55 yards.
After going over 100 yard rushing last week, Carlos Davis had 5 carries and 10 yards.
Desmond Trotter went 12 of 25 throwing for 218 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. He also ran the ball 14 times for 37 yards and was sacked twice.
Kawaan Baker led the Jags with 3 catches for 56 yards. Tight end Brandon Crum also caught 3 passes for 51 yards. Jalen Tolbert caught two passes for 74 yards including a touchdown.
Tra Barnett rushed 23 times for 128 yards and a touchdown for Georgia State. Roger Carter caught 7 passes for 87 yards and a touchdown. McCoy also caught 7 passes for 53 yards. Devin Gentry caught 4 passes for 27 yards and a touchdown.
The Jags will play Arkansas State on Friday, November 29 in what is set to be the final home game at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. They kickoff at 4pm.
Claws Out: South Alabama Travels To Georgia State For Final Road Game Of Season
The South Alabama Jaguar football team (1-9, 0-6 SBC) plays in their final road game of the 2019 season on Saturday when they take on the Georgia State Panthers (6-4, 3-3 SBC) in Atlanta.
Of the two remaining games of the season, this game may be the more likely of the two for the Jags to not only get their first FBS win of the season, but also break a 14-game road losing streak dating back to the 2017 season.
Over the last two games the Jaguar offense has shown signs of life behind the direction of redshirt freshman Desmond Trotter. The team missed a go-ahead field goal against Texas State in the final two minutes of the game. Then against Louisiana-Lafayette, who had the top scoring defense in the conference, the Jags rolled up 351 yards rushing and 27 points.
Tra Minter has been a workhorse all season long but with the emergence of Carlos Davis, the Jags rushing attack has found someone to compliment Tra and to build around going forward.
With Georgia State’s defense allowing over 200 yards rushing per game, offensive coordinator Kenny Edenfield will look for a repeat performance in rushing production from the ULL game.
But the Jaguar offense cannot be one-dimentional.
Trotter will eventually need to throw the ball effectively. Though he’s only made two starts in his career in college, he has yet to pass for 200 yards or more. Last weekend against ULL, he only attempted 15 passes and only had 2 passing yards at halftime.
While the offense has started finding it’s way, the defense has regressed. They allowed 373 yards passing to Texas State two weeks ago and then 255 yards rushing to ULL last weekend. But all season the defense has struggled getting off the field on 3rd down but have allowed a number of 3rd and longs to be converted lately.
The Jaguar defense will face a quarterback who was committed to head coach Steve Campbell’s staff at Central Arkansas, he didn’t follow him along to Mobile when Campbell was hired. Instead he chose to go with the Panthers.
Dan Ellington has completed 64% of his passes for 1,901 yards, 19 touchdowns and six interceptions on the year.
But that’s not the most remarkable note about Ellington. Despite suffering a torn ACL, he started against Appalachian State and is listed as probable against the Jaguars. Though the Panthers lost 56-27, they held a 21-7 lead early in the game.
Part of Ellington’s danger is his ability to run, which has been neutralized by his injury. How much mobility he has will be see on Saturday.
Expect the Jaguar defense to turn up the pressure if he mobility is limited. Last week against App. State, Ellington threw two interceptions and eventually gave way to redshirt freshman Cornelious Brown in the second half when App State started taking control of the game.
The Jags will be without defensive lineman Tyree Turner and tight end Khameron Taylor. Offensive lineman Joshua McCulloch is questionable to play. Defensive lineman Jordon Beaton is listed as probable.
If the Jags are going to get an FBS win this season, this may be their best opportunity of the two remaining games. Between an injured starting quarterback and an inexperienced backup, coupled with a defense that allows over 200 yards per game rushing, the numbers game sure looks good for USA.
The Panthers are favored by 10 points. Not only do I think the Jags will cover, but I think they will win outright.
The Jags and the Panthers are scheduled to kickoff at 1pm in Atlanta at Georgia State Stadium. The game can be streamed on ESPN+ and radio coverage will begin at 11am on 99.5 FM The Jag and 96.1 FM in Mobile and worldwide on the iHeartMedia app.
Go Jags!
South Alabama Loses Eighth Straight, Falls 37-27 To Ragin’ Cajuns
The Jaguars dropped their eighth consecutive game to fall to 1-9 on the season, 37-27 to Louisiana-Lafayette at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, despite rushing for 351 yards against Sun Belt Conference western division leader Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday.
The Jags only win so far is against FCS Jackson State.
Despite the 352 yards rushing and 468 total yards of offense and the defense holding the Ragin’ Cajuns to 391 yards of offense, the Jags lost by 10 points and were down 16 points after holding at 21-17 lead with about nine minutes left in the 3rd quarter.
But the Jags then allowed the Cajuns to score 20 straight points to take a 37-21 lead with 4:12 left in the game. The big momentum shift happened when Mobile native Eric Garror returned a punt 72 yards to the Jaguar 4 yard line. Though the defense kept them out of the end zone, it did lead to the go-ahead field goal and a noticable shift on the Cajun sideline.
The Jags kept fighting and tried to make it a one-score game when Tra Minter dove in at the pylon for an 11-yard touchdown with 2:48 left in the game. The Jags had to go for the 2-point conversion, but what seemed like a missed assignment on offense, Desmond Trotter’s pass was tipped away in heavy traffic to leave the Jags trailing by two scores at 37-27.
The Jags then attempted an onside kick, which they appeared to recover however the ball hit a Jaguar players foot prior to traveling the required 10 yards thus the illegal touching gave the Cajuns the ball at the point it was touched.
Head coach Steve Campbell used two of the Jags three time outs after the Cajuns first two offensive snaps to preserve time, however he kept the final time out in his pocket as the Cajuns faced 4th and long allowing 40 seconds to run off the clock before coach Napier called a time out to pull the offense off the field and send on the punt unit.
The Cajuns then punted away from Tra Minter, he sprinted in an attempt to get under the ball and narrowly missed it hitting him. The Cajuns were able to down the ball at the Jaguars own 3 yard line with 1:41 left in the game.
As the Jags were trying to move out of the shadow of their end zone and get a quick score to possibly attempt another onside kick, the Jags were suddenly plagued by holding penalties. Desmond Trotter gave the Jags a big 25 yard run and a first down at the 44 yard line, it was then when Campbell finally used his final time out with a mere :08 left on the clock. Trotter connected with Jalen Tolbert for a 14 yard gain to the Cajun 42 before getting out of bounds with :02 left.
The game would end on a sack of Trotter however as the Jaguar offensive line crumbled under the Cajuns defensive pressure.
The first half was a back and forth affair after the Cajuns opened the scoring with a field goal. The Jags answered right back behind a 20 yard touchdown by Carlos Davis. The drive was extended after a roughing the passer call on 3rd & 3 gave the Jags a first down when they would have been facing 4th down.
The score would remain 7-3 until early in the second quarter when Cajun quarterback Levi Lewis connected with Neal Johnson for a 9 yard touchdown making it 10-7.
But again, the Jags responded with another drive of their own. This drive saw one of the cajuns best defender get ejected for targeting and it was capped off by a 4 yard touchdown by Jared Wilson giving the Jags a 14-10 advantage.
Not to be outdone, the Cajus returned the ensuing kickoff 60 yards to the Jaguar 36 yard line before being forced out of bounds. A few plays later, facing 2nd and goal at the 1 yard line, Levi Lewis connected with a wide open Hunter Bergeron in the back corner of the end zone to take a 17-14 lead with 7:30 left in the half.
The Jags had an opportunity to tie the game late in the second quarter but Frankie Onate’s 43 yard attempt was partially blocked.
The Jags rushed for 351 yards on 50 rushing attempts in the game. After going into halftime with only 2 yards passing, the Jags ended the game with 116 yards for a total offensive output of 467 yards.
The Jags had 23 first downs in the game, were only 3 of 10 on 3rd down attempts, and were only led in time of possesion by two seconds: 29:58 to 30:02.
The Cajuns had 391 yards of total offense, 255 of them came on the ground with 136 through the air. They had 23 first downs in the game as well and were 5 of 14 on 3rd down.
Tra Minter lead all rushers with 137 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown. Carlos Davis added 122 yards on 10 carries with a touchdown. Desmond Trotter carried the ball 12 times for 64 yards.
Cade Sutherland led the Jags with 3 catches for 64 yards. Five other Jags all caught one pass each.
Desmond Trotter was 8-of-15 for 116 yards and sacked twice.
The Cajuns were led by Elija Mitchell who ran for 117 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries. Raymond Calais added 77 on 13 carries and Trey Ragas had 52 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.
Levi Lewis went 16 of 29 for 136 yards and two touchdown and was sacked just once.
Jamal Bell led the Cajuns with 3 catches for 51 yards. Three other Cajuns caught three passes but Neal Johnson was the only one of them to catch a touchdown pass.
“I thought the guys played extremely hard; I thought they gave a really good effort against the No. 1 scoring defense in our league,” South Alabama coach Steve Campbell said. “…There were a couple of plays I wish we could have back, (including) that punt. We knew their guy doesn’t like to fair catch and we worked on it. I wish I could have that one back, and re-emphasize some things there. … Our defense I thought played really good red zone against three of the best backs in the league. We held them to field goals down there.”
The Jags will travel to Georgia State to face the Panthers on Saturday, November 23rd for a 1pm kickoff in Atlanta. The Panthers will enter the game after a 56-27 loss to Appalachian State.
The game will be streamed on ESPN+. Pregame radio coverage and play-by-play will start at 11am and can be heard on 99.5 FM The Jag and 96.1 FM locally in Mobile and through the iHeartMedia app worldwide.