Non-AQ Top 10
|
Non-AQ Top 10
|
|||
|
RK
|
TEAM
|
RECORD
|
PTS
|
|
1
|
Fresno
State (8) |
7-0
|
114
|
|
2
|
Northern
Illinois (4) |
8-0
|
111
|
|
3
|
Brigham
Young |
6-2
|
96
|
|
4
|
Ball
State |
8-1
|
86
|
|
5
|
East
Carolina |
5-2
|
43
|
|
6
|
Ohio
|
6-2
|
42
|
|
7
|
Louisiana
|
5-2
|
37
|
|
8
|
Tulane
|
6-2
|
32
|
|
9
|
Boise
State |
5-3
|
30
|
|
10
|
Rice
|
5-2
|
26
|
Dropped from rankings: Bowling Green
Others receiving votes: Buffalo 21, Bowling Green 14,
Toledo 6, Marshall 1, Troy 1.
Monday Press Conference
Head coach Joey Jones met with media on Monday for the weekly press conference. Jones along with defensive lineman Montavious Williams and offensive lineman Ucambre Williams reflected on the game at Texas State and looking ahead to this weekend’s match up against Arkansas State.
Below are highlights.
Jones began with his opening statement. “We’re obviously disappointed about Saturday’s game. Our kids played well late in the game. They (Texas State) committed a couple of late penalties and gave up a couple of touchdown passes to us. We kind of took over in the fourth quarter, but didn’t finish it. But it started with us not playing well early in the game. There was a lot more than just that fourth-and-24 play.”
“But it kind of started with us not playing well early in the game,” Jones said. “We don’t need for it to come to a point late in the game where we have to make every play to win. We need to take care of things before that. A lot of people talk about that one play, but certainly there were a lot of plays before that and early in the game where we could have done a lot better.”
“We need to play well and mature a little bit more and understand that we’ve got to make some plays there at the end because it has come down to that a lot of the time. If we make two or three plays this year everybody’s happy but unfortunately we didn’t in a couple of games and we’re not happy. It’s all about wins and losses and we’ve got to make those plays.”
“All I know to do is fight,” Jones continued. “That’s just the way I am, and that’s the way our players are too. It’s something we have to fight through mentally. We have played well this year. We’ve done a lot of good things. We are a much better team, but all of that doesn’t matter. What matters is wins and losses. But we are a better team, and I think we can bank on the fact that we are better and continue to improve.”
Jones spoke about Arkansas State. “They are probably the most talented bunch on offense that I have seen on film as far as the skill positions are concerned. They have a couple of great receivers, and a really good quarterback transferred in from Utah State. And their running backs are great. They are leading the league in offense. They are very explosive on that side of the ball. And they’re really good on defense as well. They have some seniors up front. They are the defending Sun Belt champions. They’ve won it the last two years. They know how to win, and understand what it takes to win. We know it is a great challenge for us.”
Jones spoke about how playing a full Sun Belt schedule last season is helping the team now. “We kind of found out about all these teams and what they are about by playing that schedule. We lost a couple of close games last year and won one. Just being in those different environments helps you understand teams better, and you always know how to play them the next year when you have played them before. It makes a big difference.”
Defensive lineman Montavious Williams spoke about the disappointment level after the Texas State game. “It’s difficult because I heard that the spread of points that we’ve lost is 11. As a senior it hurts, and I don’t get another shot at this, but try to make the most of it and hopefully get a bowl game for us and our fans as well.”
“It hurts me because defensively we were on the field last and the offense gave us a chance to win the game and we didn’t do our job,” Williams said about the importantance of finishing games. “I feel like we failed them so we have to get back at practice and have the best week we’ve had so far.”
Williams talked about feeling pressure: “It’s kind of self-imposed and fan-imposed as well because they’ve been behind us the last four or five years and we want to give them something to cheer about and hopefully build our fan base.”
“Defensively, it’s tackling.” Williams said is the key for this week against Arkansas State. “I think Coach said we missed 14 tackles, as opposed to a game where we win and it’s five missed tackles or seven missed tackles. We have to put more emphasis on that and get back to the basics.”
Offensive Lineman Ucambre Williams also reflected on the Texas State game. “It’s very hard to come back from a loss like that, but the biggest thing we have to do is move on to the next week and have a great week of practice. That’s the only thing we can do, not think about it and move on to Arkansas State.”
“It hurts a lot. It’s like being on the top of the world and then someone comes and knocks you down, but we just have to move on from it. We’re going to finish the season strong, I promise you,” Ucambre said about the disappointment after the Texas State game.
Ucambre spoke about the importance of finishing games. “It’s very important to finish and also to start. We started off slow at Texas State and that hurt us. The start and finish of each game is important. Coach talks about finishing every quarter and winning every quarter. We have to instill that (belief in us) this week in practice and come out with a victory Saturday.”
Ucambre also talked about having to face three of the top teams in the conference in the final five games of the season. “Having them at home is a key factor. They’re all tough teams, everybody in the Sun Belt is tough, so we have to come out and play hard.”
“On the offensive side of the ball we have start off strong and finish strong,” Ucambre said when talking about the keys for this week. “We kind of get lackadaisical when we get a lead but this week we really have to try and work on that and sustain it for the entire game.”
The Jags and Red Wolves kickoff at 6:30pm on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Jags Fall To Texas State On Last Second Field Goal
The South Alabama Jaguars fell on a late field goal on Saturday in San Marcos, Texas 33-31. They fought back from an 11 point deficit at halftime. They scored 21 points in the fourth quarter and 28 points in the second half.
USA tied the game with 13:10 left in the fourth quarter on a 13 yard touchdown pass from Ross Metheny to Shavarez Smith. Texas State would drive down and score a 37 yard field goal to regain the lead with 7:56 left then on the Jaguars next possession, Metheny’s pass would be intercepted and returned 29 yards for a touchdown by Justin Iwuji to give the Bobcats a 27-17 advantage.
But the Jags would not give up. With 5:20 left in the game, Metheny connected with Danny Woodson for a 42 yard touchdown to climb within three points again at 27-24. Texas State would drive and add their third field goal of the game to go back up by six points, 30-24 with 2:22 left in the game.
The Jags would add another long touchdown when Metheny connected with Danny Woodson again for a 43 yard touchdown to take their only lead of the game 31-30 with the PAT.
However, the Bobcats were not giving up with 1:32 left. After gaining a first down out to the Texas State 40, Tyler James would connect with Jafus Gaines for a six yard completion on a slant. He would run up and spike the ball. Jones would connect with Gaines again for five yards and an apparent first down, but the Bobcats would be flagged for offensive pass interference to back them up to the Texas State 31 and face 3rd and 19. Jones would then attempt a pass over the middle which Maleki Harris would knock down to bring up 4th and 19. A false start would make it 4th and 24 at the Texas State 26 yard line.
The Jags would take their final time out of the game to set their defense for the 4th and 24 play. Texas State’s Tyler Jones would air it out down the right sideline and connect with Ben Ijah for 51 yards to the Jaguar 23 yard line. After a rush for a loss of 1 yard, Texas State would take their final time out of the game with :08 left in the game.
Jason Dann would add his fourth field goal of the game from 41 yards out to give Texas State a 33-31 lead with :04 seconds left. An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty would be flagged on the Bobcats to back up the kickoff 15 yards. The kickoff would make it into the endzone and downed for a touchback.
The first play would be incomplete to Jereme Jones leaving :01 on the clock. The next pass would be caught by Jereme Jones then the lateraling would begin. Jones would get it back to Metheny who would toss it back to Jones, who would toss it to Shavarez Smith, then to Cris Dinham, then back to Metheny, then Smith again who would try to get rid of it but would fumble it to be recovered by Texas State at the Jaguar 43 yard line.
The Jags were outgained in total yards 452 – 409. Texas State had 234 yards rushing and 272 yards passing. The Jags gained 109 yards rushing and 300 yards passing. The Bobcats ran 79 plays and controlled the ball for 37:21 of the game compared to the Jags 65 offensive plays and 22:39 time of possession. The Jags were a mere 4-of-13 in third down conversion attempts and 1-of-2 in fourth down conversions. Texas State converted 8-of-17 third downs and both of their two fourth down attempts.
Cris Dinham was the leading rusher for the Jaguars with 54 yards on four carries. Ross Metheny gained 40 on 10 carries and Jay Jones managed 15 yards on five carries. Metheny was the only rusher to find the endzone.
Danny Woodson caught five passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns (one for 42 and the other for 43 yards). Wes Saxton caught the most passes with 10 for 89 yards. Jereme Jones caught four passes for 50 yards. Shavarez Smith added 41 yards on three receptions. Jay Jones caught three for six yards and Bryant Lavender caught two for seven yards.
Ross Metheny went 27-of-43 for 300 yards and three touchdowns with one interception. Brandon Bridge did not see time in the game.
Enrique Williams led the Jags with 13 total tackles and one tackle for loss. Qudarius Ford had nine, all but one solo. Montell Garner was the only Jag with an interception. Pat Moore collected two sacks for 18 yards and Montavious Williams got one sack for 14 yards.
“I thought they outplayed us for three quarters,” Head coach Joey Jones said in his postgame press conference. “They controlled the game. We fought our way back into it and had a chance to win it. We had them on fourth-and-long and they convert it. But I thought they outplayed us most of the game. They ran the ball well on us. We didn’t do anything offensively in the first half. We can’t fall behind that much and expect to win ball games. We had a chance though, we just didn’t get it done.”
“Our kids are always going to come back and fight,” Joey Jones stated. “I told them in the locker room that we have to close those games out. We went ahead with a minute-and-a-half left, we just had to find a way to stop them.”
Defensive lineman Romelle Jones was injured in the first half of the game on a chop-block by the Bobcats. They were penalized for the block. The senior attended the Jaguars conditioning workout on Sunday but the extent to the injury is not know just yet. Though there was more optimism about his return, but further tests and results of prior tests are still pending.
Right now, Romelle is listed as day-to-day until they know more.
“I was a little worried about that after the game,” head coach Jones told AL.com on Sunday. “The report I got was fairly negative. I think we’re going to get some more tests run, but he seems to be walking pretty normally and I think he should be back sooner than we thought originally.”
The Jags (3-4 overall, 1-2 SBC) will return to Ladd-Peebles Stadium against Arkansas State on Saturday. They will try to even their overall record and their Conference record while trying to stay alive for the SBC championship.
Saturday’s game is set to kick off at 6:30pm in their annual Hall-Of-Fame game. It will also be televised nationally on ESPN3.
The Sun Belt Conference Announces Affiliation With New Miami Beach Bowl
The Sun Belt Conference announced that it has tie-ins with the newly created Miami Beach Bowl. The Bowl will be owned and administered by the American Athletic Conference and will be played at the Miami Marlin’s new stadium, Marlins Park, which opened two seasons ago.
The Sun Belt will be in the six year bowl rotation for the game along with Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference.
In 2014 and 2015, Conference USA will face a team from the AAC. In 2016 and 2018, a team from the MAC will face an AAC team. That leaves a Sun Belt team to take part in 2017 and 2019.
“The Sun Belt Conference is excited to be included in this new bowl game,” said Commissioner Karl Benson. “Our student-athletes and fans look forward to postseason opportunities and I know that the Miami Beach Bowl will be a great showcase for college football.”
“We are very pleased to host the Miami Beach Bowl at Marlins Park,” said Marlins President David Samson. “Bringing postseason football back to the site of the Orange Bowl should bring a smile to the faces of college football fans throughout South Florida. The history of college football in Miami is replete with fond memories of great players making historic plays on these hallowed grounds. Marlins Park is a perfect venue for exciting college football, and we look forward to many memorable matchups in the years to come.”
Marlins Park will be able to seat 34,000 for football with 50 luxury suits, a retractable roof, climate controlled temperatures and a natural grass playing surface. It opened in 2012 for Miami Marlins, a Major League Baseball team.
Jags Vs Bobcats Overview With Franchione Press Conference Video
The University of South Alabama football team (3-3 overall, 1-1 SBC) travels to Texas State (4-3, 1-2 SBC) for a 6pm kickoff on Saturday in San Marcos, Texas.
The Jags enjoyed a 38-21 homecoming win over Kent State last Saturday, the first comfortable win in almost two seasons and snapping a two-game losing streak.
Texas State’s head coach Dennis Franchione is in his third season as head coach of the Bobcats and are coming off of a 24-17 win over Georgia State and ranks first in scoring defense in the Sun Belt Conference. This will be the Bobcats homecoming game and hope to enjoy a win similarly to the Jags win last week.
Going against one of the top Sun Belt Conference defense is the Jaguar offense who gained 481 yards of offense with a balanced attack. The Jags rushed for a season high 224 yards and threw for 257 more while controlling the ball for almost 35 minutes.
One of the key stats from the game against Kent State is that the Jags did not commit a single turnover. The Jags will need to protect the ball against Texas State as they are among the leaders in turnover margin in the Sun Belt.
Play-by-play of the game can be heard on WNSP 105.5FM as well as streaming online worldwide on www.wnsp.com. The game can be seen on ESPN3 as well.
This is a video of Texas State head coach Dennis Franchione from his Tuesday press conference where he spoke about their win over Georgia State and looking ahead to tomorrows game against South Alabama.
Go Jags!
USA Continues To Prepare For Texas State
South Alabama first-year defensive coordinator Kevin Sherrer talks with the defense on the sidelines during the Jags game against Kent State.
The Jaguars continue to hone their gameplan for Texas State in hopes of spoiling the Bobcat’s homecoming.
USA’s defense is preparing for the Texas State offense who use the option and has a potent running game. Meanwhile the Jaguar offense is preparing a defense with a strong front seven and a defense that leads the conference in scoring defense.
“I thought it was really good,” head coach Joey Jones explained to AL.com about Wednesday mornings practice. “I thought we’re starting, especially on defense, to pick up our assignments a little better. We need another good day though. But I thought we’re moving towards being pretty good.”
Execution will be key for the Jags on Saturday, just like anytime they play on the road. But the bobcats will want to defeat the Jags at home on homecoming. The bobcat defense plays very disciplined and rarely gives up long runs while doing a good job of swarming to the football.
The Jaguar offensive line will have a challenge as Texas State will look to put pressure on the quarterback and stopping the running game.
Head coach Joey Jones challenged his team to continue to get better. He told them, “…we’re at the midway point of the season and great teams get better as the season ends and finish strong. That was my challenge to them.”
The Jags are coming off of a 38-21 non-conference win over Kent State. This was the Jaguars first win by more than seven points since the Jags 35-3 win over Mississippi Valley State in 2011.
USA (3-3 overall, 1-1 Sun Belt) and Texas State (4-3, 1-2 SBC) will kickoff at 6pm CDT on Saturday in Sam Marcos, Texas. Play-by-play will be available on 105.5 FM WNSP and streamed worldwide on www.wnsp.com. We have reached out to Texas State for confirmation if video of the game will be streamed online through their video portal for a fee.
USA vs Texas State By The Numbers
Last night’s win by Louisiana-Lafayette over Arkansas State puts them in first place in the Sun Belt standings. ULL (5-2 overall, 3-0 SBC) won 23-7 over the Red Wolves.
South Alabama is tied with Arkansas State and UL-Monroe at 1-1 in Conference play.
ULL sits on top of the conference in scoring offense with an average of 35.5 points per game, Troy is second with 34.4 ppg and the Jags rank third with a 31.3 ppg average. Texas State ranks 6th with an average of 23.0 points per game.
However Texas State ranks first in the conference in scoring defense by allowing an average of 22.6 points per game. The Jags rank fourth by allowing an average of 28.5 points per game.
Troy leads the Sun Belt in total offense with an average of 486.9 yards per game, South Alabama ranks 4th with an average of 452.8 yards per game with Texas State coming in last with an average of 314.9 yards per game.
ULL leads the conference in rushing offense with Texas State coming in fourth with an average of 186.3 yards per game on the ground. The Jags rank right behind them with an average of 175.0 yards per game rushing.
Troy leads the conference in passing offense with an average of 327.7 yards per game passing. South Alabama is second in the conference with an average of 277.8 yards per game passing. Texas State ranks last in the conference with only 128.6 yards per game passing from their option offense.
Troy also leads the conference in passing efficiency with a rating of 157.2 while the Jags rank fifth with a 132.9 rating. Texas State is seventh with a rating of 100.1.
The total defense leader is Western Kentucky by allowing an average of 350 yards per game. Texas State ranks third by allowing an average of 381 yards per game. South Alabama ranks fourth by allowing an average of 410 yards per game.
Texas State if the leader in rushing defense in the conference by allowing a mere 100.3 yards per game on the ground. The Jags rank fourth in the conference allowing an average of 163.0 yards per game on the ground.
WKU leads the passing defense standings by allowing only 170.1 yards per game through the air. The Jags rank sixth in the confernece by allowing 247.0 yards per game through the air.
Texas State ranks first in the conference in pass defense efficiency with a 115.3 rating. The Jags are sixth with a 134.1 rating.
In special teams rankings, the Jags are second in the conference with an average return of 25.9 yards per kickoff return. Texas State is third with an average of 25.7 yards per return. Though Texas State takes the top spot in punt return average with 12.5 yards per return. The Jags rank sixth with an average return of 5.9 yards.
Texas State ranks second in the conference in punting with a net average per punt of 40.1 yards. The Jags rank fifth with a net average of 35.3 yards per punt.
The Jags rank fifth in the conference in Field Goal percentage as Aleem Sunanon is 7-of-12 on the season for a .583 average. Texas State ranks last (7th) in the conference as they are 4-of-9 on the year for a .444 average.
Texas State is tied with UL-Lafayette for first place in the conference in interceptions with nine through seven games. The Jags rank third with seven interceptions through six games.
South Alabama and Troy are tied atop the ranking for defensive sacks with 15. Texas State is third with 13. Texas State also ranks first in the conference by allowing only nine sacks while the Jags are tied with Troy, UL-Monroe, WKU and UL-Lafayette with 12 sacks allowed.
In third down conversions, South Alabama ranks fifth by converting 41.9 percent into first downs. Texas State ranks last in the conference by only converting 32.3 percent of their third downs into first downs.
Texas State ranks second in the conference in opponents third down conversion rate by allowing their opponents to convert 36.2 percent of their attempts. The jags ranks sixth with opponents converting 40 percent of their attempts.
Texas State converts 37.5 percent of their fourth down attempts, good for fourth place. The jags are sixth in the conference with a 27.3 percent conversion rate.
South Alabama ranks fifth in the conference in penalties with an average of 56.3 yards per game while Texas State ranks seventh with an average of 67.3 yards per game.
Time of possession ranking has Texas State on top with an average of 32:50 while the Jags rank fifth with 30:08 per game.
Texas State is second in the conference in turnover margin with +5 the Jags are fourth with +1.
Monday Press Conference
Running back Jay Jones diving in for a Jaguar touchdown against Kent State.
The Jaguar football team is fresh off of their 38-21 win over Kent State where they put together a balanced, complete performance. The win snapped a two-game losing streak and evened their season record at 3-3 overall.
But they will have to turn around and learn how to defend an offense that is rarely seen in the college ranks these days, the option.
Below is highlights of the Monday press conference.
Head coach Joey Jones opened the press conference with his opening statement where he spoke about how pleased he was to see his team win a more comfortable game. “I thought we played a fairly complete game (last week), and played well in all three phases,” Jones said. “I liked our confidence and how we approached the game. We didn’t turn the ball over and didn’t have a ton of penalties, so it was just a game that you like as a coach. But you always see things you can fix and get better from when you watch the film. It was a good game overall, and I’m real pleased with the way our kids came out and played against Kent State.”
The focus then turned to Texas State. “Defensively, they are number one in the league in points allowed,” Jones explained. “That’s the only way you can rate a defense to me. They are keeping people out of the end zone, and that’s what matters. They’re doing a great job and have a great scheme. They have a lot of movement on their front, getting people where they want them to be. They are very well-coached on defense. Offensively, they run an option scheme which causes some issues so we have to be smart about how we play. And their special teams are really sound.”
Jones then spoke more about defending the option. “You don’t see it as much,” he explained. “Our players, as well as players on other teams, don’t see it much in this day and time even in high school. But years ago you would play against it in high school and you could just brush up on it. But right now it is a totally new thing for them, so we have to be smart about how we present it to them. We have to present it to them in a way they understand it.”
He also spoke about the team’s confidence after the win over Kent State. “I think it did a lot for our confidence,” Jones said. “Our kids came off the field and realized they beat a darn good team. I thought we controlled the game very well. What it taught our players more than just confidence is if we play every quarter and treat each quarter like it is the end of the game, then we have a shot. From that standpoint, I thought we grew up.”
Running back Jay Jones was the offensive representative for the press conference. He reflecting back on his performance against Kent State. “The Kent State game was just a game that was focused on me coming out and making plays,” he explained. “Our offense is full of playmakers and to this point, I’ve just been playing my role like everyone else. Coach Jones told me before Saturday’s game to come out ready to get the ball. They just put me in great positions to make plays in the game.”
Jay then spoke about what Saturday’s success does for his confidence. “It does a lot for our confidence, because we’ve lost some close games this season that we felt we shouldn’t have and where we felt we were the better team,” Jones Said. “This past week, we took the preparation seriously. We just wanted to win every quarter. Winning it easily did a lot for our confidence and its going to help us this week.”
He also addressed how the offense seems to have more of a comfort level now. “I think it’s just everyone understanding what their part (in the offense) is,” Jay explained. “The receivers know that when I’m running the ball, they know that their blocking is key, whereas on a pass play, my blocking is key. We now know how good this offense can be if everyone does their role.”
He talked about how the offensive line has developed as the season has progressed. “We do a lot of group schemes with our offensive line and blitz pickups in practice,” he said. “They take everything seriously. When we’ve had injuries, a lot of guys have stepped up and made a difference. Our offensive line goes hard every play. They give me gaps and creases that help me make plays.”
The defensive representative was linebacker Enrique Williams. He talked about what the team’s win did in helping the team’s confidence. “Going into the week, the coaches were saying that we needed to make a statement,” Williams explained. “Not just win, but show other teams we can win by more than a touchdown or a field goal. A lot of our games have been going down to the last second, so we needed to come out and make that statement to the rest of our opponents.”
Williams explained how they will have to adjust to the Texas State’s option offense. “We’ve played against some option teams the past few years,” Williams said. “It’s always difficult (to face a team) when you have a running threat at quarterback, so we’re just going to have to be disciplined and stay in our gaps with everyone just doing their job.”
South Alabama will travel to San Marcos, Texas for a Sun Belt Conference game against Texas State on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 6pm.
Jags Rank 78th In First BCS Rankings
The first Bowl Championship Series (BCS) rankings were released on Sunday and the Jags debut at #78.
Here are the rankings for all of the Sun Belt Conference teams and Jaguar opponents:
- 39 Tennessee
- 39 Louisiana-Lafayette
- 51 Tulane
- 72 Western Kentucky
- 73 Louisiana-Monroe
- 78 South Alabama
- 80 Arkansas State
- 84 Troy
- 91 Texas State
- 103 Kent State
- 999 Georgia State (not eligible along with Penn State and Texas-San Antonio)
Jags Defeat Kent State 38-21 On Homecoming
Running back Jay Jones diving in for a Jaguar touchdown against Kent State.
The South Alabama Jaguar football team were challenged to put together a complete game and they came out and did just that in their 38-21 win over Kent State. The win ended a two game losing streak for the Jags and evens their overall record at 3-3 for the season.
The Jags gained 481 total yards in the game, 257 yards rushing and 224 yards passing. They had 29 first downs in the game while converting 6-of-11 third down attempts. Also in six trips into the red zone, the Jags scored on five of them and all were touchdowns.
Ross Metheny led the offense for most of the game and added a fifth consecutive game where he has rushed for a touchdown. Aleem Sunanon connected on a 45 yard field goal after two weeks of open competition for the plackicking position. Additionally Kendall Houston scored two touchdowns on runs of three and 14 yards.
Jay Jones ran for a season-high 99 yards on 13 rushes to lead the backfield. Cris Dinham also had a career best 67 yards on 12 rushes. Kendall Houston rushed for 43 yards on seven carries while Terrance Timmons rushed for 21 yards and Julien Valentin added 20 late in the game.
The offense ran 77 offensive plays and averaged 6.2 yards per play without a single turnover.
Defensively, Maleki Harris had a career-high tackle total with 10 to lead the defense. He also recorded 1.5 tackles-for-loss. Montell Garner added seven tackles, Enrique Williams had six and Romelle Jones added five. Alex Page had four tackles, two of which were sacks.
The Jags were up 10-0 before Dri Archer scored on a 74 yard run with under 10 minutes to play in the first half. However the Jags responded with a 79 yard drive in nine plays to take a 17-7 lead into halftime. Actually, the Jags would post three consecutive scores after Archer’s touchdown to take a commanding 31-7 lead in the second half.
Dri Archer struck again with 14:01 left in the game when he took the first down pass from David Fisher 73 yards for a touchdown to cut the lead to 31-14.
South Alabama responded when T.J. Glover returned the kickoff 67 yards to the Kent State 30 yard line. It would become the Kendall Houston drive as he rushed four consecutive times before hitting pay dirt on the fourth which covered 14 yards. The Jags would then lead 38-14 with 11:28 left in the game.
Kent State would put together a drive in the final 1:38 to make the score slightly more respectable after they scored with six seconds left in the game for the final score 38-21.
Eight different Jags would catch passes in the game with Shavarez Smith leading the way with 63 yards on three receptions and Wes Saxton catching the most passes for the Jaguars with four. Jereme Jones extended his consecutive games with a completion streak with two receptions for 23 yards. Danny Woodson would catch three passes for 38 yards and the only receiving touchdown for the Jags.
Ross Metheny was 16-for-23 for 224 yards and a touchdown through the air and a touchdown on the ground as well. Brandon Bridge was 0-for-1 in his limited time in the game, which was almost disastrous. One play he tried to make something happen after being persued. After being tripped up he tried to throw the ball as he was going down deep in USA territory, but it was ruled a fumble. However, after review, it was overturned and ruled an incomplete pass but a flag was thrown for intentional grounding. The Jags were able to punt on the next play.
The second quarter has been a problem for the Jags this season. The 10 points they scored in the second quarter were the first since the second quarter against Western Kentucky and the first time they scored a touchdown in the second quarter since the game against Tulane.
On Kent State’s first drive, the Jags Montavious Williams blocked a 41 yard field goal attempt, which was big for the Jaguars defense early in the game.
The only two negative things from the game without reviewing the game film were the two long touchdown runs by Dri Archer after catching a passes out of the backfield and allowing the late touchdown at the end of the game.
Dri Archer is a talented player and the Jags did well keeping him bottled up for most of the game, save for those two big plays. Archer would finish with 227 all-purpose yards, 114 rushing yards on 10 carries. The late touchdown was not allowed by the first string defense. The defense played very soft in that last drive trying to let the time run out.
After the game head coach Joey Jones spoke about the game. “We’re gaining confidence right now and maturing as a team,” he said. “We have played a lot of tough teams on our schedule, and we’re going to play even more. All we can control is what we do, and I think our kids are buying in to that. If we learn from that today, then we can continue to use it and be successful with it.”
“As a whole today, guys were motivated, and we played with a great swagger,” Jones commented. “Guys were celebrating after every play that was made.”
“My hat’s off to Kent State,” Jones commented about Kent State playing without starting quarterback Colin Reardon and star defensive tackle Roosevelt Nix. “They came down here banged up with a lot of injuries and two of their best players hurt. They have played five of six games on the road and that’s a tough thing to do. I’ve been in their shoes, and understand what that’s like.”
“My hat’s off to my team, players, coaches and everyone involved with the organization. That was a solid win for us,” Jones said. “I thought we played well in all phases and played for four quarters. We challenged our players all week to take it a quarter at a time and win each quarter, and I thought they did that. We played a little looser out there, and that was good to see. I am real proud of the way we played.”
However Jones also said, “I’m sure we’ll see some things on film that we need to correct, but overall I’m real pleased.”
South Alabama will travel to San Marcos, Texas to face Texas State in a Sun Belt Conference game on Saturday, October 26 with kickoff scheduled for 6pm.