Preview: South Alabama At Coastal Carolina
Kickoff: Saturday, November 7, 7:00pm
Venue: Brooks Stadium, Conway, South Carolina
TV: ESPNU
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5FM, 96.1 The Rocket, iHeartRadio
The South Alabama Jaguars (3-3, 2-1 Sun Belt) takes on the second leg of their three-game road swing on Saturday night when they face the #15 ranked Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (6-0, 4-0 SBC) in Conway, S.C.
The Jaguars enter the game after suffering their first conference loss of the season on the road at Georgia Southern. The Jags led most of the game but the Eagles took over the game in the fourth quarter and held off the Jags 24-17.
The Chanticleers have been one of the best stories of the season so far. They enter the game undefeated and with the highest ranking ever achieved by a Sun Belt Conference team. But the Jaguars would love to knock off another ranked opponent like they did to San Diego State a few years ago.
Currently the Jags are only 1/2 game behind division leading UL-Lafayette, who they play next weekend. Jaguar head coach Steve Campbell rightly points out that they control their own destiny right now.
Chanticleer Offense
Coastal Carolina ranks 11th in the nation with 40.3 points per game average. Their rushing attack averages 197.8 yards per game, which is good for 25th best in the nation. They have been able to run the ball with ease so far this season.
C.J. Marable leads the rushing attack with 353 yards on 93 carries with five touchdowns. But along with him are three others that are able to carry the ball with him. Reese White has 228 yards on 39 carries with three touchdowns and an average of 5.8 yards per carry, Shermari Jones has 208 yards on 43 carries and two touchdowns, and Grayson McCall has 199 yards on 48 carries with four touchdowns.
The Chanticleer passing attack averages 243.7 yards per game.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Grayson McCall returned to the lineup against Georgia State last week. He has started five games for the Chants going 77-of-111 for 1,184 yards, 15 touchdowns and only 1 interception. Fred Payton has started one game but played in 5 games this season going 17-of-33 for 271 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
Jaivon Heiligh is the teams leading receiver with 30 catches for 515 yards and six touchdowns. That is right there with with the Jags top two receivers, Jalen Tolbert and Kawaan Baker.
There are four other receives who have caught double-digit passes on the season, the most prolific of them has caught 17 passes for 133 yards and four touchdowns.
The offensive line has played outstanding for the Chanticleers by only allowing five sacks through six games. That is tied for seventh nationally. They may not be very big, but they play very polished and technically sound.
Coastal Carolina Defense
The “Black Swarm” defense dominated Georgia State last Saturday in their 51-0 rout. They forced two turnovers, three sacks, and six three-and-outs.
So far for the season they are allowing an average of 21.6 points and 345 total yards per game.
The defensive line simply manhandled Georgia State. But, like their offensive counterparts, they are a huge defensive line but they play sound and are able to get after the quarterback.
The defense only allowed 106 total yards to the Panthers, who have had an up and down season so far. But that is some scary numbers for a team playing at home.
The Panthers opened the game with a 31-yard kickoff return. But when they attempted a field goal with 11:00 left in the first quarter, little did they know that they would not snap the ball again in the Chanticleer territory for the rest of the game.
Keys to the Game
Turnovers
The Jags must win the turnover game and hopefully do so with a clear majority. It starts with limiting turnovers on offense, which South Alabama has done pretty well all season. USA has only fumbled five times on the season and lost only three of them combined with only four interceptions.
Defensively the Jags have forced 11 fumbles but only recovered three of them and intercepted two passes.
Overall, that puts the Jags at -2 in turnover margin.
The Chanticleers have fumbled the ball six times and lost three of them while throwing three interceptions. Defensively they have forced 10 fumbles and only recovered three of them but they have intercepted eight passes on the season.
That puts them at +5 in turnover margin.
Offensive line
The Jags offensive line played well against Georgia Southern for about three quarters. But in the fourth quarter the Eagles started pushing the line around. It was evident with the quarterback hurries and sacks late in the game. Desmond Trotter simply had no time to throw the ball.
The Jags will be without right guard Jacob Shoemaker due to a knee injury. Left tackle Wyatt Green was hampered by an injury.
Covid
Two Jaguar defensive linemen will reportedly miss the game following positive test results. Additionally two defensive assistant coaches, two GA’s, some video crew members, and the entire equipment crew are all out due to covid.
This is not the time to be without the services of two defensive linemen, two defensive coaches and two GA’s.
Prediction
There’s a lot that is just not trending well for this game.
Playing the #15 ranked team in the nation, on the road, in a conference game. The Chanticleers rank 11th in the nation in scoring and 25th in the nation in rushing per game. Plus they are coming off of a complete dismantling of Georgia State.
South Alabama had a couple extra days to regroup and prepare after their loss to Georgia Southern.
The Chanticleers are a 17.5 point favorite over the Jags for good reason. Historically USA has not been a very good road team.
I think the Chanticleers will win the game and I think they may actually cover the spread as well.
Go Jags!
Preview: South Alabama At Georgia Southern
Kickoff: Thursday, October 29, 6:30pm
Venue: Allen E. Paulson Stadium, Statesboro, Georgia
TV: ESPN
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5FM, 96.1 The Rocket, iHeartRadio
South Alabama (3-2, 2-0 SBC) faces Georgia Southern (3-2, 1-2 SBC) on a short week for both schools. The Jags won their second-consecutive game to continue to stay unbeaten through two conference games for the first time in school history. Additionally the Jags record is over .500 for the first time since 2016.
The Jaguar offense has benefitted having Desmond Trotter back and healthy. Against ULM, Trotter went 8-of-12 for 184 yards and three touchdowns. All three of his touchdowns went to Kawaan Baker. Though Chance Lovertich has seen action in every game, but it seems that with each game, Trotter is cementing his position as the leading quarterback.
While the two conference wins are worthy of celebration, lets not get ahead of ourselves too much just yet.
The Jags three wins against Southern Miss, Texas State and UL-Monroe are a combined 2-16 this season. The two conference win have come against two teams with a combined record of 1-12. Also the Jags were soundly defeated by one of the better CUSA teams in UAB.
Next up is Georgia Southern. A team the Jags have yet to notch a win against in six attempts. The Eagles were out-rushed for the first time since November 2019 when undefeated Coastal Carolina (5-0, 3-0 SBC) gave them a 28-14 loss in Conway, South Carolina.
In the Eagles three wins, they average nearly 250 yards rushing per game. In the Jags two losses, they have given up an average nearing 200 yards rushing per game.
GSU Offense
Georgia Southern keeps doing what they do best: run the ball. They rank second in the Sun Belt and 13th nationally in both rushing offense (248.8 yards per game) and yards per carry (5.5).
The offense starts with Shai Wertz, who is an explosive runner. He’s totalled 333 yards on 60 attempts with two touchdowns on the season. That’s an average of 5.6 yards per attempt.
He was held to only 36 yards on 16 carries against Coastal Carolina last time out. But he was also banked up and was sidelined for a bit before returning to the game. He was pressed into a season-high 20 passing attempts, but only completing seven of them for 94 yards with two interceptions. But on the season Werts is 40-of-76 for 558 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions.
J.D. King leads the the rushing attack with 87 carries and 490 total yards with four touchdowns while averaging 98 rushing yard per game. Wesley Kennedy III has scored three touchdowns on just 31 carries with 206 yards and an average of 6.7 yards per carry.
GSU Defense
The Eagles defense ranks 3rd in the sun belt and 32nd in the country by allowing 361.2 yards per game. Those numbers are a bit skewed by their shutout performance against UMass where they allowed a mere 191 total yards of offense.
Defensively they are stronger against the run than the pass.
GSU is good at keeping the opposition behind schedule on downs and distance, that all starts with strong play on first down. Which is why opponents are routinely facing 3rd and long against this defense.
Keys to the Game
Rushing Defense
The Jags have been pretty good against the run this season, allowing an average of 134 yards per game and 3.9 yards per carry.
That will be tested this week.
The Jags first down defense has allowed 6.4 yards per play. They will have to do better in order to keep the Eagles off schedule. So far in 6 games against them, the Jags have not found the recipe to beat them. Though last season they had their best opportunity when the fell 20-17 in 2OT.
Scoring on Possessions
The Eagles prolific rushing offense lends itself well to dominating the time of possession, especially when they are finding success.
That leads to fewer possessions for opponents, which equates to fewer scoring opportunities.
The Jags will need to cash in those possessions with points as often as possible.
The Jags could very well find themselves on the receiving end of their fourth quarter possession against ULM. Last week the Jags had a 16 play possession that drained over 10 minutes off the clock.
Those quick strike, 80-yard touchdown passes to Kawaan Baker or Jalen Tolbert are great, but against a team like the Eagles, that could disadvantage their defensive teammates.
Offensively the Jags may need to grind out some longer possessions in order to give their defense a chance to get some rest. This means getting their running game going against the usually stiff GSU rush defense. They’ll have to do it without the help of offensive lineman Jacob Shoemaker who left the Jags game against ULM due to a knee injury.
Playing Well on the Road
The Jags broke their road losing streak when they opened the season with a win over Southern Miss, but USM. However, as mentioned earlier, the Jags three wins have been against opponents with a combined record of 2-16. One of those wins was recorded by USM.
This will be the Jags first significant road test of the season. Their first road game since September 3rd actually, as the Jags have played four-consecutive home games since that season opener. That included a two-week break when the Jags game against Troy had to be rescheduled due to positive Covid tests among the South Alabama student-athletes.
They cannot take Georgia Southern lightly. This may not look like the normal Georgia Southern squad that they have seen over the previous six meetings, but their two losses have come to teams ranked in the AP Top 25 at the time of their meeting.
Prediction
Georgia Southern is a 5.5 point favorite at home. Both teams have a short week with both played on Saturday.
UAB used deep throws to open up their running game against the USA defense. Georgia Southern will utilize their option game to test the discipline of the Jaguar defense. With only three days of preparation, the Jags may have a hard time against that Eagle running game.
I think Georgia Southern will win outright, and I think they squeek out a cover as well.
Go Jags
South Alabama Defeats Louisiana-Monroe 38-14 To Stay Unbeaten In Conference Play
The South Alabama Jaguars won its second consecutive Sun Belt Conference game in impressive fashion by a score of 38-14.
Desmond Trotter threw three touchdowns and ran for another. Kawaan Baker caught all three touchdown passes by Trotter as the Jags improve to 3-2 overall and 2-0 in SBC play.
This is the first time the Jags have ever started Sun Belt play 2-0 in program history and the first time to have a winning record since 2016.
Louisiana-Monroe fall to 0-6 on the season, 0-3 in conference play.
The Jags first offensive possession was a three-and-out and punted after only 1:09 off the clock.
Louisiana-Monroe then drove down to the Jaguar 14 yard line when quarterback Colby Suits threw a ball that went off his receivers fingertips but was caught by Devin Rockette who then returned it 95 yards for the games opening touchdown, putting the Jags up 7-0 with 10:07 left in the opening quarter.
After a Warhawk punt, the Jags drove the ball down to the ULM 31 yard line before the drive stalled. Diego Guajardo split the uprights from 50-yards out to extend the Jaguar lead to 10-0 with 3:01 left in the opening quarter.
But the Jags weren’t done in the first quarter.
After forcing another three-and-out the Jags took possession at their own 15 after the punt. On the second play, Trotter connected with Kawaan Baker down the left sideline for an 80-yard touchdown to go ahead 17-0 with :51 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Warhawks were driving again near the middle of the second quarter, but when the drive stalled at the Jaguar 31 yard line, they went for the 4th and short but came up short, turning the ball over on downs.
Chance Lovertich entered the game at quarterback and quickly drove the Jaguars down to the Warhawk 18 yard line, but was intercepted with 7:29 left in the half.
ULM then drove down the field and running back Josh Johnson scored on a 2-yard run. However the extra point attempt would sail wide right of the goal post to keep the score at 17-6.
Facing 4th and 5 with :02 left in the half, head coach Steve Campbell kept his offense on the field. Lovertich pulled the ball down and ran to the 24 before being brought down to end the half.
The Warhawks opened the second half by moving the ball down the field quickly. However the Jaguar defense finally stood their ground at their 7 yard line. Coach Viator opted for a 28 yard field goal attempt, but it too went wide right.
South Alabama, led by Desmond Trotter, marched the team down the field and was capped off by Trotter’s 5 yard touchdown run to make the score 24-6 with 4:35 left in the third quarter.
ULM attempted another 4th down conversion, but a bad snap gave the Jags the ball near midfield. Again the Jags drove the ball down the field and connected with Kawaan Baker for a 16 yard touchdown to go up 31-6.
The Warhawks got on the scoreboard one more time when Suits connected with Jordan Carroll for a 4 yard touchdown. They opted for the 2-point conversion after the two missed kicks and converted to make the score 31-14 with 12:26 left in the game.
The South Alabama offense then put together a 16 play, 71 yard drive that took 10:46 off the clock and ended with a one-handed circus catch by Kawaan Baker when he caught the ball one-handed and managing to get a foot down inbounds.
Carlos Davis led the Jaguar rushers with 17 carries for 58 yards.
Trotter went 8-of-12 for 184 yards, three touchdowns and was sacked three times. Lovertich went 3-of-5 for 62 yards, an interception and was sacked once.
Baker caught 6 passes for 154 yards and three touchdowns. Tolbert caught 2 passes for 68 yards.
Josh Johnson carried the ball 15 times for 49 yards to lead the Warhawks.
Suits went 22-of-33 for 282 yards, a touchdown and was sacked three times.
Josh Pederson caught 4 passes for 65 yards. Jahquan Bloomfield caught three for 69 yards. Tyler Lamm also caught three for 22 yards. Seven other players caught passes.
Keith Gallmon led the Jags with seven tackles, all solo, with one tackle for loss. Riley Cole, Jamie Sheriff and Shawn Jennings all recorded sacks.
“I’m very pleased with the way the guys plays tonight,” coach Campbell said after the game. “It wasn’t about (coaches) making a call, the guys went out and made plays. That’s what it takes.”
“That was fun to watch,” Campbell said. “We were down a couple of offensive linemen, but some young guys like Trey Simpson, Braden Moody, and Tyler Jernigan stepped up and got the job done. To see those guys put together a 10-minute, 16-play drive; I’m really proud of them.”
Devin Rockette spoke after the game, talking about his interception return early in the game. “For that type of momentum to come out to start the game, I think that was a big part in the game. But I’m real proud of the team. We practiced hard this week at practice… We were in zone coverage and I saw a receiver sit down in front of me and saw the quarterback throw it so I just sat down and waiting for a tipped ball, and it was tipped, and then I didn’t see nothing but green.”
South Alabama gained 415 yards of total offense, 169 yards rushing and 246 yards passing. They converted 8-of-14 3rd down attempts in the game and was a perfect 3-for-3 on 4th down attempts.
ULM gained 380 yards of total offense, 98 yards rushing and 282 yards passing. They only converted 3-of-10 of their 3rd down attempts and only converted 1-of-3 4th down attempts.
South Alabama has a short preparation this week as they travel to Statesboro, Georgia to take on Georgia Southern on Thursday night. The game will air on ESPN with a 6:30pm kickoff.
Preview: Louisiana-Monroe At South Alabama
Kickoff: 6:00 pm, October 24
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, AL.
Television: ESPN+
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5 FM, 96.1 FM The Rocket, iHeartRadio app
The South Alabama Jaguars (2-2, 1-0 SBC) are flying high, though the mascot is a ground animal.
The Jags were able to rebound from their 42-10 home loss at the hands of UAB to break their two-game losing skid and open up conference play with a win. The 23 days between games was caused by a postponement of their annual rivalry game with Troy due to Covid-19.
Against Texas State (1-5, 1-2 SBC) they only trailed once early in the game and either led or was tied the remainder of the way.
Next up for the Jags are the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (0-5, 0-2 SBC).
The Warhawks enter the game after a 40-7 obliteration at the hands of Liberty on October 10. They worked themselves into a huge hole with special teams play (or lack thereof).
The Warhawks punt team allowed three touchdowns. The first came on a dropped snap in the end zone that Liberty recovered. Then they had a punt blocked for a touchdown along with a punt returned for a touchdown.
That doesn’t include a long punt return that set up another score for Liberty. That’s 27 points allowed because of their punt team (one PAT was missed).
Meanwhile South Alabama finally started to outdistance Texas State midway through the fourth quarter when they broke a 20-all tie with a touchdown pass to Kawaan Baker. Then iced the game with 1:09 left on a 44-yard field goal by Diego Guajardo.
ULM Offense
The Warhawks are primarily a passing team. They average 236 yards per game through the air. Their rushing game is very anemic with only 56.2 yards per game on average. Which is 292.2 yards of total offense per game.
That translates to a scoring average of 13.4 points per game and 15 first downs.
Quarterback Colby Suits may not run the offense as well as Caleb Evans did previously, but he has a strong arm. If Suits can get some success, he is known to go on some really hot streams and really toss the ball around the field.
ULM Defense
The Warhawk defense is allowing 429.4 total yards per game. Their biggest weakness has been their rush defense, they allow 262.2 yards per game on the ground compared to their 167.2 yards per game allowed through the air.
But they may return three defensive lineman who have missed the last three games due to injury. That would help out a defense that is already good.
ULM Special Teams
Well, as we mentioned previously, their punt team has been disastrous. Allowing three touchdowns to Liberty and a long punt return to set up a fourth score.
Georgia Southern also blocked two more punt attempts in the previous game.
True freshman Daniel Sparks has had to step in to handle punting duties for an injured Jared Porter. Warhawk head coach Matt Viator told the News Star that “he’s devoted more practice time to punting than at any time in his career.”
There is a chance that Porter could return for this game, which would further help the Warhawk team.
How the Jags Match Up
The Jaguars average 403 yards of total offense, 276.2 passing and 126.8 yards rushing per game. They also average 24 points and 21.5 first downs per game.
Defensively they allow 415 total yards, 271 yards passing and 144 yard rushing per game and they allow 27.5 points per game.
Texas State sat back and did not allow the Jags to go deep on them with fairly good success. It really wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the Jags really started to take control of the game. After their final go-ahead score, the Jags defense came out strong and denied Texas State another chance to tie the game.
Keys to the Game
Rushing
When the Jags can run the ball, the offense works much better. They keep the defense honest and open up passing and play action.
Carlos Davis set a new South Alabama single game record with 32 carries for 113 yards and a touchdown to lead the Jaguars rushing attack. That was his second-consecutive 100 yard rushing game too.
Look for Davis to get plenty of work again against the Warhawks while mixing in the other backs as well.
Offensive Line
The offensive line played better against Texas State, but now can they keep doing that consistently?
Hadon Merchant cost his team a touchdown early in the game against Texas State with a penalty. Though they still came away with a field goal, it’s not what you want to see out of a veteran lineman returning after missing several games due to injury.
Pass Defense
The Warhawks are a passing team. Be it by necessity or lack of talent to get their rushing game going, they are going to throw the ball.
The Jaguar secondary was hit hard by UAB with deep throws. If the Warhawks manage to exploit the secondary, it could cause problems for the Jags in the game.
Prediction
Before the beat-down in Lynchburg, the Warhawks played perennial Sun Belt Power Georgia Southern tough in Louisiana.
Prior to that they had to deal with players missing game time due to Covid. So the ULM team that comes into Hancock Whitney Stadium may not be the same team that many have seen earlier in the season.
With a week to regroup and prepare, they could be ready to play the Jags tough.
With a 14.5 point spread, I think the Jags will win the game outright but I don’t think they will cover. I think ULM may be able to eek out and cover the spread themselves.
Go Jags!
South Alabama Downs Texas State For First Conference Win, 30-20
The third time really IS the charm.
After 23 days between games, the Jags (2-2, 1-0 Sun Belt Conference) finally returned to the gridiron and pulled out a 30-20 win over Texas State (1-5, 1-2 SBC) for their first-ever win at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
Carlos Davis had a career day with 32 rushes for 113 yards and a touchdown. Desmond Trotter returned from his illness and shoulder injury by going 18-of-22 for 187 yards, a touchdown and two sacks to help lead the Jaguars over the Bobcats on homecoming.
Trotter broke the tie midway through the fourth quarter when he found Kawaan Baker on an eight yard touchdown pass. Then led the offense on a time consuming drive late in the game to ice it with a 44-yard Diego Guajardo field goal.
Riley Cole led all players with 15 tackles, 10 of them solo, and 1.5 tackles for loss. Jeremiah Littles got the only sack by a Jaguar.
The Jaguars converted 10-of-18 3rd down attempts while holding the Bobcats to 4-of-13 on 3rd down.
After winning the toss and electing to receive, the Bobcats marched down the field to the USA 35 yard line. However the Jaguar defense forced an incomplete pass on their 4th down attempt to take over the ball on downs.
The Jags then proceeded to march down the field with Carlos Davis running down to the 1 yard line. However Hadon Merchant was flagged for a personal foul which set the Jags back 15 yards to the 16 yard line. USA had to settle for a 33 yard field goal for a 3-0 lead.
Texas State then responded with touchdown drive of their own. The Bobcat kicker Seth Keller then hooked the PAT left however Davyn Flenord was flagged for being offsides. The retry was good to put the Bobcats ahead 7-3 with 4:07 left in the first quarter.
It would turn out to be their only lead in the game.
With the scored tied at 10-10, South Alabama started their final drive of the opening half with 4:48 left. Behind Chance Lovertich at quarterback, the Jags drove down the field aided by some Texas State penalties. The Jags had two scores taken off the scoreboard before the third attempt finally stuck on a 1 yard touchdown pass to Jalen Tolbert with :12 left on the clock to take a 17-10 lead into the halftime locker room.
The Jaguar offense came out in the second half completely flat with three consecutive three-and-outs.
The Jags would finally get the offense back in gear when the return of Trotter to the field and add a field goal to break the 17-17 tie early in fourth quarter.
USA would take the lead for good with 7:10 left behind the pounding of Carlos Davis and capped off by an 8 yard touchdown pass from Trotter to Kawaan Baker. Then Diego Guajardo would ice the game with 1:09 left in the game with a 44 yard field goal.
Chance Lovertich went 7-of-12 for 66 yards and a touchdown in his short stint at quarterback.
Jalen Tolbert led all receivers with 9 catches for 91 yards and a touchdown. Baker caught 5 passes for 43 yards and the one touchdown.
Riley Cole had a career day with 15 total tackles, 10 of the solo with 1.5 tackles for loss. The next closest was Nick Mobley with 7 total tackles. Jeremiah Littles was the only Jag to record a sack.
Brady McBride went 28-of-40 for 260 yards and a touchdown for the Bobcats.
Jackson Lanam caught 5 passes for 48 yards and a touchdown. Marcell Barbee also caught 5 passes for another 45 yards. Eight other Bobcats caught passes in the game.
Jahmyl Jeter led the bobcat rushing attack with 5 carries and 31 yards. Brock Struges carried it 8 times for 30 yards and the only rushing touchdown.
The Jaguar offensive line allowed two sacks nine tackles for loss in the game.
USA put up 385 total yards of offense, 132 on the ground and 253 through the air. Texas State gained 348 total yards, only 88 on the ground and 260 through the air.
“It’s huge for a lot of different reasons,” Campbell said about the win after the game. “It’s the first win in Hancock Whitney, but also we needed to get a win and get back going again. I thought we started the season off hot, but we definitely cooled off for a little while. … The biggest deal for us, in our half of the conference, we’re not looking up at anybody. We can only do what we can do. We’ve played one (conference game) and we won it. Now we just have to take care of business.”
“Getting this win was huge,” Trotter said. “Coming off of that layoff, everyone was fresh. This was a huge win going into conference (play), now we’re just looking toward next week.”
South Alabama will host Louisiana-Monroe (0-5) on Saturday, October 24 for a 6pm kickoff.
Preview: Texas State at South Alabama
Kickoff: 11:00 am, October 17
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, AL.
Television: ESPNU
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5 FM, 96.1 FM The Rocket, iHeartRadio app
23 days.
That’s how long it’s been since the South Alabama Jaguars (1-2, 0-0 Sun Belt Conference) have been on the field to play an opponent when they take the field on Saturday to play Texas State (1-4, 1-1 SBC).
After the 42-10 beat down at the hands of UAB, the Jags had players test positive for Covid-19 which lead to the postponement and eventual rescheduling of the October 3 rivalry game against Troy (now December 12).
The October 10 date was a scheduled bye date. The week leading up to it, the coaching staff started getting some players back, meeting in small position groups and reconditioning and focusing on fundamentals.
It’s basically a big reset button of sorts.
On Friday and Saturday the Jags were able to finally get back together for team exercises with pads. But without workouts and donning pads for a week and a half to two weeks, how can anyone not question the conditioning and preparation of the team?
It’s been a sad state of affairs in San Marcos. Over the past five and a half seasons the Texas State Bobcats have compiled a cumulative record of 14-51.
The Jags and the Bobcats have been battling each other for which team would finish in the Sun Belt Conference cellar. The loser of the head-to-head between the two teams has finished at the bottom of the conference standings the few seasons.
Texas State Offense
The Bobcats are predominately a passing team. They have been using two quarterbacks thanks to Covid-19, Tyler Vitt and Brady McBride. McBride won the job in fall camp and is 55-of-96 for 549 yards, 5 touchdowns and two interceptions on the season. McBride started the opener agianst SMU.
With McBride unavailable for their next two games, the incumbent Vitt took over duties. He is 40-of-64 for 602 yards, 6 touchdowns and two interceptions on the season. He has also added 89 rushing yards and a touchdown with his legs.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see both quarterbacks play on Saturday unless one or the other really has a hot hand.
The ball has been spread around pretty well. The leading receiver, Jeremiah Baydel has 18 catches for 241 yards and three touchdowns. Jah’Marae Sheread has 15 catches for 155 yards and a touchdown. Marcell Barbee and Trevis Graham Jr. both have 11 catches with Barbee leading with 173 yards and 4 touchdowns while Graham Jr has 120 yards and no touchdowns.
They have eight others who have caught passes on the season with three touchdowns spread about amongst them.
The Bobcats leading rusher is Calvin Hill with 308 yards on 55 attempts with three touchdowns. Brock Sturges has 61 carries for 251 yards and two touchdowns. But they also have Oklahoma State transfer Jahmyl Jeter who may see his role increase as the season progresses, but currently only has 80 yards and one touchdown on his stats sheet.
Overall, the offense averages 148.6 yards per game rushing and 230.8 yards passing per game for a total of 350 total yards per game.
Coach Stewart will look for his players to make more havoc plays in the game to try to yeild more negative plays and turnovers. So far this season the Jags only have two takeaways, both fumbles.
Haydel also does punt return duty and took one 91 yards for a touchdown against UTSA with under 2 minutes to go to tie the game. Unfortunately they missed the game-winning extra-point and lost the game in overtime.
Texas State Defense
Defensively the Bobcats have forced 5 turnovers on the season. Four of the turnovers are interceptions. Jarron Morris leads them with two picks, he also took one 100 yards for a touchdown in a win over Louisiana-Monroe. He also has three pass break ups, a quarterback hurry, a forced fumble, and a blocked kick.
For the season the Bobcats are allowing an average of 162 yards rushing, 292 yards passing, and 32 points per game.
Statistically the defense plays the best in the first and fourth quarters. They have only allowed 20 points in the first quarter and 30 points in the fourth quarter. The third quarter is only slightly worse with 38 points allowed on the season. But the second quarter is their worst, allowing 62 points on the season.
Despite their number of interceptions, the Bobcats are susceptible to the pass as the stats show. If the Jags can establish their running game enough to keep the defense honest, the passing game should open up for the adept pass catchers that the Jags field.
But that hinges on the offensive line.
They have had a shaky start to the season to say the least. Through three games they have allowed seven sacks and 20 tackles for loss. It’s encouraging that the probable return of Hadon Merchant to the offensive line will help solidify the group.
Keys to the Game
3rd Down
Offensively the Jags have regressed from the Southern Miss game. Their 3rd down conversion rate has dropped from 58% at USM to 47% against Tulane then plummeting to 25% against UAB. While the explosive plays have led the Jaguar offense to scoring more points so far this season, third downs extend drives, continue possessions, and generally helps to win games.
Oh yeah, and help the defense get some rest between possessions.
Defensively, the Jags have been pretty solid on 3rd downs against USM and Tulane with a 35% and 9% conversion rate. However UAB, in addition to their big plays, they also converted 63% of their 3rd down attempts.
Which leads us to…
Big Plays
UAB used big plays to keep the Jags on their heels and set that tone on the very first play from scrimmage. The Jags lost five players in the secondary from last season either to graduation or transfer. If defensive coordinator Greg Stewart and the defense can’t stop the big plays on defense, the remaining teams on the schedule will definitely notice and exploit it themselves.
Improved Second Half Play
In the Jags loss to Tulane, they put 10 points on the board early before the offense ground to a halt in the third quarter. They were simply unable to consistently move the ball again after that. The defense then allowed 21 points and the Tulane win.
Against UAB, the offense only really showed itself in the second quarter when they scored 10 unanswered points to draw within four of the Blazers. However the second half the Jags were simply unable to move the ball consistently and were unable to put any points on the board.
Prediction
The Jags are a mere 2.5 point favorite at home, where they have yet to win a game in the brand new Hancock Whitney Stadium. This is their opportunity to start their ‘second season’, the conference season, with a win. The last few games between the two has been won by the home team and that has been enough to lift them out of the Sun Belt Conference cellar.
USA will have Desmond Trotter back with his shoulder reportedly near 100% again. They’ve also reportedly been trying some new combinations and positions on the offensive line with some returning faces healthy.
I the pattern will continue itself with the Jags winning at home to finally celebrate a win at Hancock Whitney.
The Jags and the Bobcats will kickoff at 11am. The game can be seen on ESPNU or radio coverage will be available on Sports Talk 99.5 FM or 96.1 FM The Rocket or on iHeartRadio app.
No Tailgating For Remainder Of Season
In an email from the South Alabama Athletics they announced that they were extending the ban on tailgating for the remainder of the season.
The email stated:
The Jaguars have played two of their scheduled six home games this season and half way through their four-game home stand after the Jags rivalry game with Troy was rescheduled to December 12 after positive Covid-19 tests among the team.
The Jags will host Texas State this Saturday, October 17 followed by Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday, October 24th.
They will then play three consecutive road games before returning home in November 21 against Georgia State. After a road game against Arkansas State on November 28, they will then return home to complete their regular season slate with the rescheduled matchup against Troy on December 12.
What We’ve Learned So Far This Season
With the breaking news that the South Alabama game against Troy in the annual ‘Battle for the Belt’ has been postponed due to Covid-19 concerns, now it a good time to look back on what we’ve learned about the Jags through three games.
First we’ve learned that we all have to stay vigilant in the face of Covid. No matter what you think about the virus itself, an outbreak on the team can and will disrupt the season. With the Troy game postponement, the first opportunity for both teams to face off, based on their current schedules, would be December 12. The date of the Sun Belt Conference Championship.
The South Alabama Jaguar football (1-2) team closed our their home-and-home series with UAB (2-1) with a second 32-point loss. Not the showing you want against a peer in-state opponent, especially when you get outscored in the two games by a combined score of 77-13.
Looking at it through red, white and blue glasses you can point to the fact that the Jags scored more points this time around and they stayed in the game longer than too.
But a loss is a loss. UAB still bested us by 32 points both times (35-3 last year, 42-10 this year).
There’s seems to be a pattern that we can identify. The Jags come out of the gate in the first game of the season with fire. In 2018 they lost a close game to Louisiana Tech at home 30-26 before going on the road to Oklahoma State and getting blown out 55-13 then the season goes downhill from there.
In 2019, they traveled to Nebraska and gave the Cornhuskers a bit of a fright in a game that was closer than the 35-21 final score indicates. They then came home and defeated FCS Jackson State 37-14 before the debacle that was Memphis (42-6 and the infamous PAT) which started the nine-game losing streak.
After the season-ending win over Arkansas State and the season-opening win over Southern Miss, you started to think that ‘Maybe the Jags have finally turned the corner.’
That thinking continued into the second half against Tulane before the 21 unanswered points that was the remainder of the second half.
Then the blip of offense that was the UAB game that provided us with the 10 points in the second quarter and clawed the Jags to within four points of the Blazers. But that was short lived and the Blazers cruised to victory from that point on.
So what have we learned from the UAB game and the season so far?
Offensive Line
The Jags offensive line still has lots of work to do. They struggled to protect Chance Lovertich the entire game and the rushing game struggled overall too.
The Jags had 0 passing yards and only 28 yards of offense in the first quarter.
Actually both lines suffered. The defensive line couldn’t get any rush on redshirt quarterback Bryson Lucero the entire game and they had problems stopping Spencer Brown consistently.
Without a pass rush, the Blazers were able to torch the secondary through the air. It all started with the 56 yard bomb on their first offensive play to set the tone for the game. When you have single coverage in the secondary with no pass rush, well you see what happens.
Third down efficiency
South Alabama was 3-of-12 on third down conversion attempts. Again this stat is reminiscent of the last two seasons.
But the third down scenarios were somewhat self inflicted.
The offense often found themselves behind schedule with poor first down play selection and execution. In the first quarter, on the five 1st down plays the Jags offense had the results were: 2 yard rush, incomplete pass, -2 yard rush, incomplete pass, 0 yard rush.
So five plays and a net of zero yards of offense.
Of the three 3rd downs they faced in the first quarter, the Jags shortest attempt was a 3rd & 8. That just makes a defensive coordinator smile when they can consistently get an offensive into those situations. I mean, give me that all day in NCAA Football (yes, I still play it occasionally RIP) or Madden (this is speculation, I haven’t played Madden in many years).
Distractions
So the Jags blew an 18-point lead against Tulane to lose the opener at Hancock Whitney Stadium. I don’t know if that carried over into the UAB game, but even in pregame warmups everything felt off. The team and even the fans were flat.
If we’re being honest here, it’s been a while since the fans have been fired up for more than one or two games a season. The opening of Hancock Whitney Stadium is one of those occasions this year. Troy is typically another one.
Granted the previous week saw the area take a hit from a hurricane and people were recovering from it. The university had class cancellations and the football team missed some practice time. But they had two weeks to prepare so I wouldn’t think the missed time was that much of a difference maker.
The major factor is getting the team back up after a loss. Especially one like the one to Tulane.
They have an extra week to attempt to get over UAB now that the November 3rd ‘Battle for the Belt’ has been postponed.
Despite Troy traveling across the continental United States to play BYU, any fan of these two schools know they were going to be ready for their first trip to Hancock Whitney Stadium. They were relishing the opportunity to get a win on their first opportunity in the new venue.
Offensive playcalling
The play calling in the first six quarters of the season was pretty good. I don’t think anyone would say a lot of negative things about the playcalling against Southern Miss or the first half against Tulane either.
The Jags moved the ball, scored points, and generally looked good.
But things changed in second half of the Tulane game. The offensive line started getting pushed around by the Green Wave defense. Jaguar quarterbacks started getting more pressure applied.
Lovertich, and Desmond Trotter in what snaps he got before reinjuring his shoulder, started having to move around and get rid of the ball quicker.
It seemed that the Jaguar coaching staff were determined to run the ball against UAB from the start. It didn’t go very well. Even with 6 or 7 in the box, the Jags stuck with the run.
Yes Carlos Davis would occasionally bust one outside and get a big run, but overall it just wasn’t as effective.
The South Alabama players and coaching staff had two weeks to prepare for UAB. Now they have two weeks to prepare for Texas State.
That is whenever they can resume workouts after the Covid-19 pause.
South Alabama Without Answers In 42-10 Loss To UAB
The South Alabama Jaguars (1-2) just did not have an answer for the UAB Blazers (2-1) as they fall in their second game in Hancock Whitney Stadium 42-10.
The redshirt freshman Bryson Lucero, in his first start as a Blazer, opened the game with a 56-yard bomb to Austin Watkins Jr on the first offensive play from scrimmage and set the tone for how the next four quarters of football was going to be played. Three Spencer Brown rushes later and UAB Blazer would put the first points on the scoreboard.
The next Blazer possession would showcase Brown’s running ability with seven total runs and the last five for his second touchdown of the game to go up 14-0 with 5:26 left in the opening quarter.
South Alabama opened the 2nd quarter facing a 3rd and 7 at their own 33 but Chance Lovertich would finally get the Jaguar offense in gear with a 29 yard completion to Jalen Wayne followed two plays later with a 38 yard completion to Jalen Tolbert for a touchdown. On the play, Antonio Moultrie would be flagged for a hit to the head and disqualified from the game. With the point-after, the Jags halved the Blazer lead to 14-7.
With the 15-yard penalty assessed on the kickoff, Diego Guajardo would tee up the ball on the 50 yard line. A sneaky onsides kick would be recovered by Devin Voisin and the Jags were back in business again on the UAB 43 yard line.
Lovertich connected with Kawaan Baker for 14 yards and a first down, but a roughing the passer penalty added an addition 14 yards to the 13 yard line. However the Blazer rush defense shut down the Jags with back-to-back runs for no gain. Guajardo would put through a 31 yard field goal to cut the Blazer lead to 14-10.
From there, it was all Blazers.
UAB responded on their next possession with Lucero finding Watkins Jr for another 39 yards on 3rd and 10 to extend the drive. Spencer Brown capped off the drive with a 20 yard touchdown run.
The Blazers would add another touchdown with 3:20 left in the half and would take a 28-10 advantage to the locker room at halftime. After Guajardo missed a field goal wide right, Lucero would toss up another deep pass this time to Myron Mitchell for 52 yards then he would connect with Trea Shropshire for the score.
UAB wouldn’t score again until about midway through the fourth quarter.
On the Blazers final scoring drive, true freshman Dewayne McBride gashed the Jaguar defense for 53 yards on 5 carries to carry UAB into the end zone.
Chance Lovertich went 14-of-29 for 168 yards, a touchdown and an interception in his first start.
Kawaan Baker led the Jags with five catches for 35 yards. Jalen Tolbert caught three passes for 59 yards and a score.
Carlos Davis led the rushing attack for the Jags with 105 yards on 17 carries.
Nick Mobley led the defense with 9 total tackles, 4 solo. Riley Cole was the only Jag to record a sack, with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
Bryson Lucero went 18-of-28 for 319 yards and two touchdowns in his first collegiate start as a redshirt freshman.
Watkins Jr led the way with seven catches for 183 yards and a touchdown. Myron Mitchell added three catches for 77 yards. Trea Shropsire caught two passes for 8 yards and the other touchdown.
Spencer Brown carried the ball 20 times for 105 yards and three touchdowns, and set the new career touchdown record for a running back in the process.
McBride carried the ball 8 times for 64 yards and a touchdown.
In all, the Jaguar offense was outgained 509 to 315 yards and out-rushed 319 to 168.
The Jaguars cleaned up their act some with only two penalties for 30 yards in the game. The Blazers were flagged 11 times for 122 yards and had two players ejected in the game.
Head coach Bill Clark threw some shade at coach Campbell and the Jags leading up to the game. “Their coach said that they are going to be ready for us,” Clark said. “I heard him say that last year.”
However Clark and his Blazers backed up their talk with play on the field, even if the penalties and ejections marred it somewhat.
South Alabama was on the losing end of the time-of-possession 25:00 to 35:00. In addition the Jags only convert 3-of-12 on 3rd down. While the Blazers converted 10-of-16 3rd down attempts, it sure seemed like much more than that.
“It’s very disappointing,” Campbell said after the game. “I thought we would play better than that. We had a hard time getting off the field early defensively, and offensively had trouble moving the ball there for a while. In the second half, we couldn’t generate any offense. It’s just disappointing.”
“We didn’t coach well, we didn’t play well,” Campbell said. “We played better than that the first two weeks, but we didn’t play well tonight.”
“This is indicative of how we practices the last two weeks,” UAB head coach Bill Clark said. “Our guys were on a mission to come back and play who we are. Proud of our guys, that was a team effort.”
South Alabama has a lot to work on over the next week to prepare for in-state rival Troy to open Sun Belt Conference play. Troy will travel to #18 BYU on Saturday for a 9:15pm CDT kickoff before returning home to begin their preparation for the Jags.
The Jags and the Trojans will kick off at 7:00 pm CDT on Saturday, November 3 at Hancock Whitney Stadium and will be nationally televised on ESPNU.
Preview: UAB At South Alabama
Kickoff: 6:30 pm CDT Thursday, September 24th
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium
Television: ESPN2
Radio: 99.5 FM The Jag, 96.1 FM The Rocket, iHeartRadio App
The South Alabama Jaguars now have two games under their belt for the 2020 season. They upset Southern Miss to open the season in Hattisburg as a double-digit underdog. Then gave up 21 unanswered points in the final quarter and a half of play against Tulane to open Hancock Whitney Stadium with a loss.
Desmond Trotter injured his shoulder against Southern Miss, which gave Chance Lovertich an opportunity to show what he can do. Lovertich got another chance against Tulane when the offense needed a spark and helped lead the Jags to a 24-6 advantage before the offense ground to a halt in the second half.
Trotter returned early in the fourth quarter, but left the game after re-injuring his shoulder. Subsequently head coach Steve Campbell announced on Monday that Lovertich will start on against UAB.
During the open date last week, Campbell also indicated that both quarterbacks will continue to get playing time, “I thought both of them did some good things. Desmond did some good things early and Chance came in and gave us a lift. … We’ve got two good quarterbacks and I think it’s going to take both of them playing well and staying healthy.”
Trotter has started the first two games of the season going 20-of-35 for 373 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions (both against Southern Miss). Lovertich has gone 20-for-32 for 311 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, but he was sacked five times and pressured numerous other times by Tulane.
With the announcement of Thursday’s starter, we’ll get to see what the offense looks like with Chance as the starter. It’s unknown if Trotter will be available if needed or if Tanner McGee would be the next man up should anything happen.
Speaking of quarterbacks, last week UAB head coach, and former South Alabama defensive coordinator, Bill Clark announced that Tyler Johnston III will be out indefinitely with a injury to his non-throwing shoulder. Johnston, a redshirt junior from Spanish Fort, was set to play basically in his back yard against the Jaguars.
The only other Blazer quarterback to have seen playing time other than Johnston this season has been Bryson Lucero who has gone 11-of-21 for 138 yards and a touchdown in two games played this season.
Probably one of the biggest concerns for South Alabama coming into the 2020 season, only slightly ahead of the quarterback position (which is always the most talked about position leading up to the season), was the offensive line.
Campbell, an offensive line guru, has struggled to get the Jaguar offensive line to play up to what is necessary to win week-in and week-out.
The offensive line played great against Southern Miss, though the Golden Eagle defensive front looked undersized compared to the Jags. But that was flipped when they took on Tulane. The Jag line looked good in the first half before the Tulane talent and size took over in the second half allowing five sacks and numerous pressures.
The Green Wave shut down the Jaguar rushing game to a tune of just 13 yards which allowed them to tee off on the 5’10” Lovertich. Potential returns of Hadon Merchant and Josh McCulloch may help the line against UAB.
One of my keys to the game against Tulane was turnovers. Last season the Green Wave forced lots of turnovers. The Jags only committed only one turnover in the game, but it was costly. Trotter fumbled on a QB keeper at the 2 yard line early in the game. Nether team would score any points in the first quarter. The Jags defense forced three fumbles, but only recovered one of them.
Meanwhile penalties became a problem again for the Jaguars. Tulane defensive end Cameron Sample drew a pair of holding penalties from veteran center Brian Ankerson, which hamstrung a potential scoring drive before halftime. A pass interference call aided the Green Wave to a touchdown in the third quarter. Roughing the quarterback in the fourth quarter allowed Tulane a second-chance at their two-point conversion attempt that put them up by three points.
However the penalty that hurt the most came with just over 1:30 left in the game. The Jags defense forced the Green Wave to punt. D.J. Exilhomme was flagged for leaping, which on the field at game speed it probably looked like that and may have met the letter of the rules, but in review it looked accidental. Either way the only penalty that is reviewable is targeting.
Another one of the keys to the game from last week was special teams. The place kicking improved with no issues on snaps or holds for extra-point or field goal attempts. Diego Guajardo even made a career-best 49-yard field goal in the third quarter.
While the return game was non-existent, there were some better decisions made on kickoff returns that did not pin the Jaguars inside their own 15 yard line.
The punting game was hit or miss. Jack Brooks had a 57 yard punt that rolled to the 1 yard line and another one that went inside the 15 yard line. But punts of 22 and 33 yards were the flip side of the coin. The punt coverage allowed a 19-yard return as well.
Despite the reduction in attendance, the fans were loud and a full Hancock Whitney Stadium will definitely be impressive in the future. Easy to navigate concourses, hand rails on the stairways, and much improved concessions made quite the impressions on fans. And that video board is the envy of the conference.
I could only find two things to “gripe” about with the new stadium. The first was a lack of airflow that made it feel much warmer than it was. But the enclosed endzones kept the sound in, which made 25% attendance sound louder than expected. You can’t really have it both ways unfortunately.
The other gripe was with the only speakers for the sound system seeming to be in the video board structure. The fans in the North end zone are BLASTED with sound. My advice is to bring some ear plugs if that is where your seats are located.
But if those are your only two complaints, I think you’ve done a pretty good job.
But seriously, those speakers can be REALLY loud in the end zone and as a proponent of proper hearing health, I cannot stress enough that a good pair of ear plugs is an invaluable investment.
Previewing UAB
So far this UAB Blazer team does not look like the same Blazer team you’ve seen over the last couple of years on the surface. Or is it?
Allowing 35 points to an FCS team is not the start to the season you really want. However not all FCS teams are alike.
Central Arkansas has one of the best offenses in the nation on their level. While they did load up on the points, the Blazers only allowed 293 offensive yards while forcing three turnovers and recording two sacks and five tackles for loss.
On the other hand, the Bears took advantage of three Blazer turnovers in the first half and, with the short fields, they cashed them in for points. Two of those turnovers were an interception that was returned to the 4 yard line and a mishandled fair catch that was recovered at the 15 yard line.
Against Miami, the Blazer defense was gashed by Miami’s run game. After taking a 7-0 lead, the Blazer defense forced a 4th & 1 at the Miami 34 yard line, then gave up a 66 yard touchdown run. Then an ineffectual offense led to a gassed defense that gave up 337 rushing yards in all.
Blazer running back Spenser Brown looks like he is already in mid-season form. Against Central Arkansas, he carried the ball 24 times for 127 and a touchdown.
He looked like he was going to have another good game against Miami before the yellow flags started flying. A 20-yard gain on the second play of the second drive was negated by an illegal motion penalty. He finished the game with 74 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown.
Behind Brown the Blazers have two more backs that look capable of getting playing time without too much of a production dropoff. Though they did not put up good numbers against the hurricanes.
With the announcement of Johnston’s injury, Bryson Lucero looks to be the starter for the Blazers. However, Dylan Hopkins started five games in 2018 for the Blazers and led them to a 3-2 record and a west-conference division title. But Hopkins is listed as 3rd on the depth chart. Is this some gamesmanship in game preparation?
Both teams are coming into the game after an off week. Though UAB has had a couple extra days since they played on a Thursday.
The Jags have what is considered one of the best group of wide receivers in the nation. Both Jalen Tolbert and Kawaan Baker are in the top five in the nation currently. However their rushing game just has not solidified yet.
The Jags defense has allowed 150.5 yards per game rushing with an average of 4.1 yards per carry. With wet and rainy conditions and UAB’s stable of running backs, the ground game may be the one of the deciding factors in the game.
Keys to the Game
Rushing defense
As mentioned previously, with wet and rainy conditions predicted up until kickoff and thunderstorms possible during the game while missing Tyler Johnston III at quarterback, look for UAB to lean heavily on Spencer Brown and the running back corps to grind it out on the ground.
That will put a lot of pressure on the Jaguar defense to stop the run. Brown may be one of the best running backs the team faces all season.
Turnovers
In wet conditions turnovers are always a huge concern. Hopefully the Jags have done their share of wet ball drills and then some.
Special teams
Against Southern Miss the Jags had issues in place kicking and some in kickoff returns. Against Tulane the Jags had issues punting.
What will the third game bring?
I keep going back to the weather conditions because it could play a huge role in the game. A kicker could slip, a punter shank one, a returner could fumble a return or muff a catch. Any one of those could make or break the game. The Jags need to be solid in all aspects of special teams.
Spread and Prediction
UAB is a 7 point favorite in Mobile. The Jags have been underdogs in 12 consecutive football games and are 8-2 against the spread in the last 10 overall. This includes the two games this season that the Jags have covered in both, winning outright against Southern Miss.
I think the trend continues with the Jags covering the spread but, again, I don’t think they win outright.
Go Jags!