Preview: South Alabama Hosts Coastal Carolina For Regular Season Finale With Bowl-Eligibility On The Line
Kickoff: Friday November 26, 2:30pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium – Mobile, AL
TV/Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
#5 Jersey: Chris Henderson
Thunderjags Twitter: @USAThunderjags
It’s down to a one game season for the South Alabama Jaguar football team.
After dropping the last three games, all on the road, the Jags (5-6, 2-5 SBC) have one final shot to get bowl-eligible this season. The last time the program was bowl eligible and went to a bowl game was 2016.
Last weeks trip to Knoxville did not go as hoped. Tennessee used their athletic advantage and had their way with South Alabama from the opening kick. The Vols cruised to a 60-14 win to earn bowl eligibility themselves.
To even be talking about bowl eligibility in year 1 under head coach Kane Wommack is something fans should be celebrating. The last three seasons the Jags compiled only 9 wins and were no where near bowl eligibility.
Much less above .500 at any point either.
A meteoric 3-0 start to the season slowly came back to earth as the schedule progressively got more difficult. Combine the schedule difficulty with the number of injuries the Jags have suffered and you can see why some celebration is warranted.
Coastal Carolina
The Chanticleers (9-2, 5-2 SBC) were one of the 2020 darling teams. They finished undefeated in the regular season and ranked 9th in the nation however their scheduled game against then #17 Louisiana-Lafayette in the Sun Belt Conference Championship had to be cancelled due to positive Covid-19 tests and contact tracing within the program.
They fell in over time to #23 Liberty 37-34 in the FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl.
The Chants lost to Appalachian State in Boone, NC 30-27. Then after losing their starting quarterback, they lost to Georgia State 42-40 and will miss earning consecutive Sun Belt Conference East Division Championships.
Last week their quarterback and 2020 SBC Player of the Year Grayson McCall returned to field and picked up where he left off. McCall threw for 319 yards and five touchdowns in their 35-21 win over Texas State.
Offense
The Chanticleer offense is best described as a spread option or a speed option but they also use triple option plays too.
As you’ll see by the stats, they run their offense very well.
For the season they are averaging 41.6 points, 493.3 total offensive yards, 223.6 rushing yards, and 269.6 passing yards per game.
They are converting 70-of-124 (56%) of their 3rd down attempts and 7-of-9 (78%) of their 4th down attempts on the season.
They’ve scored on 39 of their 44 red zone trips, of those 39 scores, and incredible 36 of them have been touchdowns.
Their quarterbacks have been sacked only 16 times this season.
McCall is 138-of-186 (74.2%) on the season with 2.382 passing yards, 22 touchdowns, and only two interceptions in 9 games played. Bryce Carpenter, who started in place of McCall in two games, is 41-of-69 for 483 yards, four touchdowns and one interception.
Jaivon Heiligh is the teams leading receiver with 53 catches for 947 yards and six touchdowns. Isaiah Likely has 49 catches for 795 yards and 10 touchdowns. Kameron Brown has caught 30 passes for 533 yards and five touchdowns. Braydon Bennett is the last receiver with either double-digit catches or in triple digits in receiving yards, he has 19 catches for 246 yards and one touchdown.
Shermari Jones leads the Chanticleer rushing attack with 128 carries for 777 yards and 12 touchdowns. Reese White has 71 carries for 516 yards and seven touchdowns. Bennett adds 62 carries for 485 rushing yards and five touchdowns. Carpenter adds 215 rushing yards on 53 carries with two touchdowns. McCall rounds out the triple-digit yardage club with 191 yards on 67 carries with three touchdowns.
Defense
The Chanticleer defense is fairly stingy.
They allow an average of 19.9 points, 322.6 total offensive yards, 176.3 passing yards and 146.4 rushing yards per game.
Opponents are only converting 53-of-145 (37%) of their 3rd down attempts and 8-of-20 (40%) of their 4th down attempts.
They have 26 sacks and 69 tackles for loss on the season.
Opponents have reached the red zone 29 times and came away with points 23 of them with 19 of those scores being touchdowns.
Silas Kelly leads the team with 88 total stops, 35 solo with 7 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. The next closest is Teddy Gallagher with 67 stops, 30 solo with 7 TFLs and 2 sacks.
Josaiah Stewart leads the team in both tackles for loss with 12 and sacks with 10. They have three players with one interception each. They’ve recovered six fumbles on the season too.
Special Teams
Biscardi Massimo is 5-of-6 in field goal attempts with his longest being 50 yards and is a perfect 40-of-40 in extra points. Liam Gray is 12-of-13 on extra points and has made one of this two field goal attempts on the season with it being a 46 yard kick. Kieran Colahan is 7-of-7 on extra points and made a 39 yard field goal, the only attempt of the season.
Charles Ouverson has punted 34 times on the season with an average of 37.85 yards per kick with 13 fair catches, 11 downed inside the 20 and one kick traveling over 50 yards.
South Alabama
Since the injury to quarterback Jake Bentley the offense has struggled.
Desmond Trotter took a couple series to settle in after taking over against Troy. His comeback attempt fell one score short unfortunately.
But in the two game he has started for the Jags they have scored a grand total of 21 points.
But injuries to the offensive line and a number of defensive players have really piled up and taken their toll.
Offense
For the season now the Jags are averaging 25.3 points, 369.1 total offensive yards, 247.1 rushing yards, and 122 rushing yards per game.
The 3rd down conversion rate has fallen to 51-of-163 (31%) while their 4th down conversion rate is now 26-of-41 (63%).
The Jags red zone efficiency had dropped some. They’ve had the ball in the red zone 45 times and come away with points on 34 of those trips (76%) and 29 times they have been touchdowns (64%).
Jaguar quarterbacks have been sacked 25 times. They’ve had eight passes intercepted and 9 fumbles lost.
Trotter is 61-of-104 (58.7%) for 596 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. Prior to his injury, Bentley was 184-of-262 for 2,122 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions.
Jalen Tolbert got to showcase his skills on national television with an impressive one-handed catch against the Volunteers and fresh off of accepting an invitation to play in the Reese’s Senior Bowl. He leads the team with 72 catches for 1,283 yards with seven touchdowns (including the 68 yard touchdown against Tennessee).
Jalen Wayne has 44 catches for 519 yards and two touchdowns. Caullin Lacy has 38 catches for 273 yards. Lincoln Sefcik has 29 catches for 205 yards and four touchdowns.
Terrion Avery continues to lead the running back corps with 497 yards on 132 carries with one touchdown. Bryan Hill has 85 carries for 335 yards and three touchdowns. Kareem Walker has 286 yards on 77 carries with four touchdowns.
Defense
The defense was picked apart last Saturday in Knoxville. The big Tennessee offensive line and the breakneck speed at which the offense operates just keep the Jags on their heels.
As of now the Jags defense is allowing an average of 26.4 points, 342.3 total offensive yards, 211.4 passing yards, and 130.9 rushing yards per game.
Opponents are converting 52-of-150 (35%) of their 3rd down attempts and 12-of-20 (60%) of their 4th down attempts.
Opponents red zone efficiency now stands at 29-of-39 (74%) for red zone scoring and 22-of-39 (56%) for red zone touchdowns.
The Jags have sacked opposing quarterbacks 27 times and they have 62 total tackles for loss. They have collected 14 interceptions and recovered 8 fumbles.
Keith Gallmon now leads the team in total stops with 51, 31 of them solo, with an interceptions and a fumble recovery. He’s also ran the ball twice on two fake punts and have converted both of them into first downs.
AJ DeShazor is right behind him with 50 total stops, 24 solo, with two tackles for loss and 1/2 sack.
Wy’Kevious Thomas and Jamal Brooks continue to lead the team with 5.5 tackles for loss each. Charles Coleman and CJ Rias share the team lead with 3 sacks each. Darrell Luter leads the team with four interceptions.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo made both of this extra point attempts to run his season record to 32-of-34. He’s also still 10-of-15 on his field goal attempts, but he didn’t attempt any against Tennessee.
Jack Brooks is averaging 42.5 yards per kick over this 51 punts. He’s had 16 fair caught, 13 downed inside the 20 and 12 have gone 50+ yards with his longest traveling 54 yards.
Keys to the Game
Offensive Line Play
The last two weeks the offensive line has gone up against some strong defenses and had problems. Against App State losing Anterrious Gray from an already thin position group didn’t help. The incident that led to Gray being disqualified from the game was inexcusable, but when a player swings at another player it is now in the hands of the officials.
Tennessee also had their way with the Jags offense for most of the night.
In order to win they’ll need to play at the level they’re capable of and the level they’ve shown earlier in the season.
Defensive Discipline
Coastal Carolina executes their offense very efficiently. Their offensive scheme gives defenses problems every week.
Defensive coordinator Corey Batoon faced the Chanticleers just last season with Liberty. That recent experience will definitely aid in preparing for them.
The Jags defense bottled up the usually potent Georgia Southern option offense. However Georgia Southern was not nearly as prolific through the air as the Chanticleers.
The defenders will have to stick to their assignments and fill their gaps. When the Chants get opponents out of position they are quick to take advantage.
Seizing an Opportunity
Only two people on the roster has ever been a part of a bowl game at South Alabama. One is head coach Kane Wommack, who was defensive coordinator in 2016.
The other is Chris Henderson, who was a freshman at the time. He’s a “super” senior, what they call a 6th year senior with the additional eligibility to play afforded to them due to Covid-19.
Chris’ father Terry is a huge supporter of his son and South Alabama. He’s a prolific tweeter and a master of choosing the perfect gif response. Read this article about Chris and Terry. (Jag Nation needs more Terry’s!)
There are other players who may be suiting up for the final time in a South Alabama Jaguar uniform.
But they have a chance to earn a shot at one more game.
With a win they would put the Jaguars in the category of bowl-eligible teams. While not a guarantee they will receive an invite, but without a 6th win it’s a certainty they won’t.
The Jags defeated the Chanticleers in Mobile in 2018 then lost last season in Conway, SC. A win and a bowl invite would give the team a chance at the first bowl win in program history. And a chance at the first winning record since joining the ranks of FBS.
Prediction
The Jags are a 14.5 point underdog at home against Coastal Carolina.
Head coach Kane Wommack did not rule out any chance of Jake Bentley being able to play. He did warm up with the quarterbacks in Tennessee. Was all that some coaching game to make your opponent have to prepare for two quarterbacks?
I believe the coaches and players will be ready. They’ve played road games the last three weeks, it’s senior day, and if you didn’t know they could get bowl eligible.
I believe the Jags not only cover but they win outright and get bowl eligible. They get the upset and they get a chance at a bowl invite.
Encourage your friends and family to come out to Hancock Whitney Stadium. The Jags need the fans in the stands. They need to be loud when the Chanticleers are on offense. Hancock Whitney needs to be rocking Friday afternoon!
Go Jags!
Preview: South Alabama Travels To Rocky Top To Face The Tennessee Volunteers
Kickoff: Saturday November 20, 6:30pm
Venue: Neyland Stadium – Knoxville, TN
TV/Streaming: ESPNU
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
#5 Jersey: Wy’Kevious “Bubba” Thomas
Thunderjags Twitter: @USAThunderjags
The South Alabama Jaguars may have lost to Appalachian State 31-7 but the final score did not show how close the game actually was. But there’s no consolation for that.
The Jags (5-5, 2-5 SBC) have found a more difficult time after starting the season 3-0. But they’ve also had a laundry list of injuries this season. One position that’s been hit particularly hard has been the offensive line.
Center James Jackson returned after missing four games with a knee injury but left a few plays after returning. Hadon Merchant and Josh McColloch have both been sideline with injuries lately. Then Anterrious Gray was ejected for a flagrant foul after an App State player reportedly spit in his face and used “racially charged” language.
Walk-on Reggie Smith filled in for Gray at right guard. The offense only managed 58 rushing yards on 33 carries against the Mountaineer defense.
The ‘Swarm D’ defense forced three turnovers and picked up another one on special teams. However the offense could not convert any of those opportunities into points on the scoreboard.
App State forced the Jags into two turnovers and converted both into points. The final one was a 100 yard interception return of a tipped pass for a touchdown.
Head coach Kane Wommack chose to keep the offense on the field on a 4th and 3 at the App State 5 yard line. They failed to convert and the Mountaineer actually drove down the field and a field goal to go up 17-7.
They attempted to convert five 4th down attempts in the game and converted two of them. On Monday’s radio show Coach Wommack said that their thoughts going into the game was that they were on the road against a good team and needed big plays. He also said they needed to score touchdowns to win, not field goals.
Diego Guajardo missed his fifth field goal of the season. However the snap was high and to the opposite side of the holder. The ball was placed on the left hashmark and the kick ended up hitting the left upright.
The Jaguars are now onto their next game. They now travel Tennessee to face them for the first time since the 2013 near upset.
Tennessee
Tennessee (5-5, 3-4 SEC) is under the direction of first year head coach Josh Heupel. He took over a team that finished 3-7 last season and a program which has struggled with more downs than ups for the last several years.
Last Saturday they hosted #1 Georgia and played them tough for part of the game. However the Bulldogs eventually separated themselves from the Volunteers, 41-17.
Offense
When Heupel came in he immediately implemented his style of offense. The simple way to describe his offense is that it’s similar to the Baylor offense from the early 2010’s or Arkansas State in the mid to late 2010’s.
It begins with a quick diagnosis of pre-snap positioning then is executed with a power run game inside or one-on-one vertical shots outside.
When a defense shows them a single-high safety, it tends to mean they are going to have access to a vertical shot on the outside down the sideline.
When a defense shows them a two-high safety look then the slot receiver is the one playing in space.
At UCF, when they faced off against one-high safety they threw the ball 63% of the time.
It’s the quarterbacks job to keep the safety in the middle of the field using his eyes or via play action then throws down the sideline with receivers running vertical option routes.
The vertical option route for the receiver is if they are at least even with the defender so many yards down the field, then they will stay on the vertical route, but if they can’t beat their defender off the snap or by so many yards downfield they will choke it down and hook.
They are simple reads for the quarterback with a reliance on downfield shots, high screen pass usage, and a high RPO rate which means there’s not much for the quarterback to mess up.
Basically they take young quarterbacks and make them into repetitive, robot-like players. Why would they do that? Because they produce explosive offenses and explosive offenses win games.
The Volunteer offense averages 36.1 points, 450.6 total yards of offense, 200.9 rushing yards, and 249.7 passing yards per game.
They are converting 63-of-139 (45.3%) 3rd down attempts and 10-of-21 (47.6%) of their 4th down attempts.
Out of 41 total trips into opponents red zone they have scored 35 times. Of those 35 scores, 27 of them have been touchdowns.
They have 11 turnovers on the season, eight of them have been fumbles and they have only three interceptions on the season.
Tiyon Evans is the teams leading rusher with 525 yards on 81 carries with six touchdowns in seven games played. Quarterback Hendon Hooker is next with 465 yards on 130 attempts with four touchdowns. Jabari Small has 436 yards on 88 carries for four touchdowns in eight games played.
Hooker is 153-of-223 for 2,138 yards with 22 touchdowns and three interceptions on the season.
Cedric Tillman is the teams leading receiver with 46 catches for 725 yards and six touchdowns. Velus Jones Jr is next with 597 yards on 44 catches with six touchdowns. JaVonta Payton has 373 yards on 15 catches for six touchdowns.
The offense prides itself on quick strikes so their time of possession isn’t very good with 24:23 to the opponents 35:37 average time of possession.
Defense
Tennessee runs a 4-2-5 defensive scheme, which is gaining prevalence in college football these days.
Tim Banks is the defensive coordinator. He spent the previous five seasons as co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach at Penn State.
On average the Volunteer defense allows 29.5 points, 424.9 total yards of offense, 165.4 rushing yards, and 259.5 passing yards per game.
Opponents are converting 80-of-167 (47.9%) of their 3rd down attempts and 9-of-20 (45%) of their 4th down attempts on the season.
The defense has allowed opponents in the red zone 39 times this season and they have come away with points on 37 of those trips. Out of those 37 scores, 31 of them have been touchdowns.
The defense has forced 12 turnovers on the season, nine of them have been interceptions while the other three were fumbles.
Jeremy Banks leads the Vols with 89 total stops, 44 of them solo, with 9 tackles for loss, 4.5 sacks, and an interception.
Byron Young leads the team with 8 tackles for loss and is co-leader with Jeremy Banks with 4.5 sacks.
Jaylen McCullough has the team lead with 3 interceptions.
Special Teams
Chase McGrath has made all 46 of his extra point attempts. He is 10-of-13 in field goal attempts with a long of 48 yards.
Paxton Brooks had punted 36 times and is averaging 44.8 yards per punt with three touchbacks, 23 have been fair caught, 13 downed inside the 20, 11 have gone 50+ yard with a long punt of 64 yards.
South Alabama
Offense
The Jags offense is averaging 26.4 points, 377.5 total yards of offense, 127.3 rushing yards, and 250.2 passing yards per game.
They are converting 50-of-147 (34%) of their 3rd down attempts and 21-of-33 (64%) of their 4th down attempts on the season.
Out of 42 red zone trips they have scored on 33 of them with 28 of those being touchdowns.
Jaguar quarterbacks have been sacked 21 times on the season. Defenses have forced 17 turnovers, eight of them being interceptions and nine of them fumbles.
Terrion Avery leads the running attack with 498 yards on 129 carries with a touchdown. Bryan Hill has 308 yards on 75 carries with three touchdowns in eight games. Kareem Walker has 257 yards on 70 carries with four touchdowns in only six games.
Desmond Trotter is 42-of-72 for 380 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions. He’s playing in place of Jake Bentley who suffered a partially torn MCL against Troy a couple weeks ago.
However Bentley was seen dressed and going through some workouts earlier in the week. While it’s still a long shot that he could play at Tennessee (he is 3-0 in his career against the Vols) it’s more likely he would see the field against Coastal Carolina for the regular season finale.
Jalen Tolbert leads the receiving corps with 65 catches for 1,140 yards and six touchdowns. Jalen Wayne has 42 catches for 464 yards and two touchdowns. Caullin Lacy has 36 catches for 274 yards. Lincoln Sefcik has 27 catches for 200 yards and three touchdowns.
They are winning the time of possession 32:22 to 27:38.
Defense
The Jaguar defense is allowing an average of 23 points, 320.4 total yards of offense, 119 rushing yards and 201.4 passing yards per game.
Opponents are converting 44-of-139 (32%) of their 3rd down attempts and 12-of-19 (63%) of their 4th down attempts.
Opponents have been in the red zone 34 times on the season and came away with points only 24 times. Of those 24 scores, 17 have been touchdowns.
The Jags defense has 24 sacks on the season. They’ve forced 22 turnovers on the season with 14 of them being interceptions and eight being fumbles.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo made his only extra point attempt against App State to make his season 30-of-32. However he missed a 40 yard field goal attempt to drop his season to 10-of-15.
Jack Brooks has punted 45 times on the season with an average 42.8 yards per punt with a long of 54 yards. He’s had 15 kicks fair caught, 11 downed inside the 20 and 11 have gone 50+ yards.
Keys to the Game
Play Keep Away
Control the time of possession and shorten the game by limiting Tennessee’s possession of the ball. When the offense has the ball they need to put together long, time consuming drives like the 19 play, 9+ minute drive they had against Troy. The offense cannot score if they don’t possess the ball.
Put points on the Board
After putting together long, time consuming drive you have to put points on the board. Preferably touchdowns but you have to come away with points.
No matter how good the defense is playing, there’s a high likelihood that the Vol offense is going to strike at some point so you’ve got to put points on the board.
If you can get and maintain a lead then you can quiet down Neyland Stadium, which can be quite loud.
Don’t let receivers get behind the secondary
The defense has to keep the receivers in front of them. If they get behind the secondary they’re going to put the ball up toward the sidelines.
If they do hit on a long pass, they are going to go full-speed, up-tempo. Tennessee is definitely one of the most up-tempo offenses I’ve seen. That’s not to say they won’t go up-tempo any other time, but they really like to do that after a big play. They try to either hit it again or just take advantage of the defense as they try to recover from allowing a big play.
Fans going to the game: Watch out for Mustard Bottles
See the final few minutes of the Ole Miss game. Thankfully we don’t have Lane Kiffin on staff.
Prediction
This is going to be a tough game. The offensive line is banged up and very thin. The defense may be without a couple of players too.
SEC schools usually have some of the first choices in college recruiting. But any team can win on any given day. Just like the Jags did in 2016 at Mississippi State and had an opportunity against UT in 2013.
The Jags could use this game for bowl eligibility. But a win would do much more than that for the program. It would help in recruiting foremost.
The Jags are a 28.5 point underdog when they take the field in Knoxville. It’s hard to know how the game could turn out.
Do the Jags fall behind early and Tennessee just piles on the points after the loss to Georgia, Alabama, and Ole Miss losses in the last four weeks? Does the Swarm D come out and cause havoc from the beginning and help keep the game close? Do we see Jake Bentley play?
As much as I hate it, I think the Jags fall to below .500 this week. But I hope they cover the spread on Tennessee. But I’ll gladly have them prove me wrong and get that big W I N in Knoxville (the one they so nearly had in 2013).
Go Jags!
Preview: Battle For The Belt Edition, Jags Look To Bring The Belt Back From Troy
Kickoff: Saturday November 6, 2:30pm
Venue: Veterans Memorial Stadium, Troy, Alabama
TV/Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
Thunderjags Twitter: @USAThunderjags
#5 Jersey: Darrell Luter
It’s Battle for the Belt Week.
South Alabama (5-3, 2-3 SBC) came out of the locker room ready to play from the opening whistle. They scored touchdowns on each of their first four possessions in route to a 31-13 win over Arkansas State (1-7, 0-4 SBC).
The only touchdown allowed came on the ensuing kickoff after the Jags fourth touchdown of the first half.
Jalen Tolbert scored the first two touchdowns for his 9th career touchdown against the Red Wolves.
Terrion Avery is only the second Jaguar to rush for over 100 yards in a game this season. The last was Kareem Walker against Alcorn State back in week 3 of the season.
Second half adjustments by Arkansas State really stymied the Jaguars offense in the second half. They had negative yardage in the third quarter. While the offensive adjustments by the Red Wolves helped them to have more production in the second half, the Jaguar defense kept them out of the end zone and forced four turnovers.
Now the Jags are just one win away from bowl eligibility.
But they also being the much talked about three-game road swing. It all begins on the road in Troy, AL.
Troy
The Trojans are 4-4 overall, 2-2 in Sun Belt play and the largest margin of defeat was 13 points to the ULM. Both of their conference wins have been by 3 points (27-24 over Georgia Southern in Troy, 31-28 over Texas State in San Marcos). Both conference wins came by late game heroics.
The two conference losses have come at the hands of ULM (29-16) and Coastal Carolina (35-28).
Their two non-conference wins were over Southern (55-3) and Southern Miss (21-9). Their losses were to Liberty (21-13) and South Carolina (23-14).
Offense
Here are the Trojans by the numbers. They are averaging 27.4 points, 138.3 rushing yards, 243.7 passing yards and 382 total offensive yards per game.
They are 41-of-99 (41.4%) on third down situations. They are 6-of-11 (54.6%) on fourth down situations.
In the red zone they have scored 19-of-25 trips, with 15 of them being touchdowns.
The offense has fumbled the ball 8 times and lost possession 6 times. Quarterbacks have thrown 4 interceptions on the season.
Kimani Vidal leads the running back corps with 105 attempts for 553 yards and 5 touchdowns. BJ Smith has 248 yards on 54 attempts with 2 touchdowns. Jamontez Woods has 222 yards on 40 carries with 4 touchdowns.
Taylor Powell, a transfer from Missouri, started the first four games of the season before being sidelined by a knee injury. Powell is 101-of-153 for 960 yards, 6 touchdowns and 4 interceptions in those four games.
Gunnar Watson has started the last four games and is 68-of-100 for 746 yards and 6 touchdowns without an interception. Watson started nine games last season before being beaten out for the job by Powell.
Tez Johnson is the teams leading receiver with 46 catches for 481 yards and three touchdowns.
Reggie Todd in the next leading receiver with 21 catches for 257 yards and a touchdown. However Todd has been indefinitely suspended after being arrested on a charge of hindering prosecution in relation to a shooting during a high school football game at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on October 15.
Three other receivers have over 100 yards receiving on the season and five have 10 or more catches on the season.
While the offense hasn’t been overly productive, they really been kept in games by their defense.
The Jags know how that goes.
Defense
The Troy defense is a scrappy, stingy unit.
Statistically speaking the Trojans defense allows an average of 21.6 points, 99.9 rushing yards, 211.4 passing yards, and 311.3 total yards of offense per game.
Opponents are converting 35-of-101 (34.7%) 3rd down attempts and 6-of-9 (66.7%) 4th down attempts.
When opponents get into the red zone, they have scored all 13 times, however less than half have been touchdowns (6-of-13).
As a team the defense has 59 tackles for loss with 27 sacks, 13 interceptions, and 3 fumble recoveries.
Linebacker Carlton Martial from Mobile’s McGill-Toolen HS, leads the team with 70 total tackles, 31 solo, 8 tackles for loss, a sack, and an interception.
The next two combined come up one short of Martial’s total. Javon Solomon from the Bandit position has 35 total stops, 19 solo with 11.5 tackles for loss and team leading 8 sacks and an interception. Linebacker KJ Robertson has 34 total stops with 3 tackles for loss and 1/2 sack.
The defense kept the game against Coastal Carolina close in the fourth quarter. The Chanticleers gambled with a fake punt on a 4th and 4 from their own 31, which paid off in their favor. Though they still had to punt a little later, they were able to burn more time off the clock before doing so.
The Trojan defense forced three interceptions in the fourth quarter against Texas State. One of them went for a touchdown which provided the go-ahead score.
The week before that the defense collected an interception which allowed the Trojans to drive and get the game-winning field goal with 1:46 left in the game.
Troy’s defense ranks 18th in the nation in total defense, 39th in passing yards allowed, 20th in rushing defense, T36th 3rd down conversion percentage, and T10th in turnovers gained. Which right there with the Jags.
Special Teams
Brooks Buce is 4-of-4 on field goal attempts, his longes of the season is only 34 yards and is 24-of-25 in extra point attempts.
Luke Magliozzi has punted 38 times on the season with an average of 42.8 yards per kick, 15 fair catches, 9 downed inside the 20, 7 have gone 50+ yards with the longest being 65 yards.
South Alabama
One win away from bowl eligibility. Did any fans think this would happen a year ago?
It’s a testament to head coach Kane Wommack and his staff for the progress they’ve been able to make through eight games.
Offense
Four touchdowns on their first four possessions. This is type of execution a coach wants to see.
Statistically the Jags are averaging 29.1 points, 133.4 rushing yards, 261.1 passing yards and 394.5 total yards of offense per game.
They are converting 43-of-115 3rd down attempts (37%) and they are converting 13-of-20 on 4th down (65%).
The offense has given the ball away 13 times with 8 fumbles loss on 10 total fumbles and five interceptions.
Terrion Avery, who wore the honorary #5 jersey, showed why he earned. Avery was only the second Jag rusher to run for over 100 yards this season. He continues to be the Jags leading rusher with 399 yards on 95 carries with a touchdown.
Bryan Hill is next in line with 271 yards on 58 carries with three touchdowns. Kareem Walker, in only his second game back from a quad inury, has 237 yards on 63 carries with four touchdowns in five games of action.
Jake Bentley is the first Jag in five seasons to throw for over 2,000 yards. And he’s only 2/3rds of the way through the season!
On the season Bentley is 181-of-259 (69.9%) for 2,073 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Not only is Jalen Tolbert leading the team, but he’s among the best in the conference and the nation in receiving. He has 54 catches for 967 yards with six touchdowns.
Jalen Wayne is next in line with 34 catches for 385 yards and two touchdowns. Caullin Lacy has 262 yards on 32 catches. Lincoln Sefcik has 17 catches for 146 yards with three touchdowns.
Defense
South Alabama’s defense held the Red Wolves to only 28 yards of total offense in the first half. The rushing yardage was -12! Though they weren’t quite as dominant in the second half, they didn’t allow a single touchdown.
Statistically the defense is allowing an average of 21 points, 118.5 rushing yards, 202.2 passing yards and 320.8 total offensive yards per game.
Opponents are converting 33-of-113 (29%) of their 3rd down attempts and 9-of-16 (56%) of their 4th down attempts.
On the season they have 54 tackles for loss with 24 sacks. Jamal Brooks, despite not playing, still leads the team with 5.5 tackles for loss. Charles Coleman III tied CJ Rias for the team lead with 3 sacks.
With Darrell Luter’s two interceptions he jumps Tre Young into the team lead with 3 on the season.
Quentin Wilfawn leads the team with 36 total stops, 18 solo with two tackles for loss and a sack. Keith Gallmon and Yam Banks are still tied with 35 stops each and both have 21 solo.
The first two interceptions last week came at great times. The Red Wolves were starting to move the ball some and the Jags were able to shut those drives down with turnovers. The final one simply sealed the game with a nice exclamation point.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo connected on all four extra points against Arkansas State, he’s not 26-of-28 on the season. He also connected on a 39 yard field, his only attempt of the night, to put the icing on the game. He’s not 9-of-13 on the season.
Jack Brooks’ punting averaging a solid 41.6 yards per attempt.
Keys to the Game
Offensive line
Which way the game goes will greatly depend offensive line play. Both defenses create havoc which results in negative plays and turnovers.
The Jaguar offensive line needs to communicate and play well in a hostile environment. If they can give Bentley and his receivers time, the Trojan defense is susceptible to big plays. Can you think of a better pair of receivers ready to exploit a secondary deep than the two Jalen’s?
Playing Behind Schedule
The Trojan defense generate a lot of negative plays. The Jaguar offense will have to find a way to be comfortable playing behind schedule.
That means they need to come to terms with and be comfortable executing 2nd-and-12 or 3rd-and-long situations. They don’t necessarily need to get all the yards back in a chunk but they must execute each and every play with a neutral mindset.
A player does not need to be heroic when behind schedule, they just need to execute their job each and every play at a high level no matter the previous outcome.
Injuries
You can’t talk about injuries without circling back to point number one: offensive line.
The Jags are thin as gift tissue paper on the offensive line right now. Center James Jackson injured his knee a couple of games ago. Hadon Merchant missed last week with a knee injury. Right guard Anterrious Gray suffered a concussion against Arkansas State and will have to clear the concussion protocol in order to play against Troy.
Due to Jackson’s injury, Trey Simpson moved from guard to center. If neither Jackson nor Merchant are able to play against Troy, that would likely leave Kent Foster and a group of freshmen and former walk-ons to back up the interior of the offensive line.
But that’s not all.
Jamal Brooks missed playing time against Arkansas State due to a shoulder injury that he had been trying to play through.
Bryan Hill broke a 47 yard run, his only carry of the game, but exited the game with a shoulder injury of his own.
Not only do they need to stay healthy but, if needed, they need to be ready if their number is called.
Prediction
Head coach Kane Wommack talked to the team about the Battle for the Belt rivalry on Monday. He brought in the empty case that houses the belt when under South Alabama’s care.
The Trojans have won the last three games in the series and currently holds a 6 games to 3 advantage in the series.
The last time the Jags won was in 2017 when coach Wommack was the defensive coordinator.
What could be sweeter than the Jags ending the three winning streak, bringing the belt back home, and getting bowl eligible against your in-state rival?
But Troy would like to keep their streak alive and also get within one game of bowl eligibility themselves.
Troy is favored by 3.5 points in the game. Basically an even game but given the three point home boost. I think the Jags get it done and win outright, get bowl eligible, and bring the belt back to Mobile.
Go Jags!
Preview: South Alabama Hosts Georgia Southern For Thursday Night Matchup
Kickoff: Thursday October 14, 6:30 pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, Alabama
TV: ESPNU
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5 fm, 96.1 fm The Rocket, iHeartRadio App
We saw another first from the South Alabama Jaguars on Saturday evening against Texas State. It was the first time under first year head coach Kane Wommack that the Jaguars faltered coming down the stretch.
Through the first four games the Jags (3-2, 0-2 SBC) have started slow but in each of them they rallied towards the final whistle. Three of them were wins and one was a loss.
While the Jags still opened slowly against the Bobcats, they took control and had a 17-7 lead at halftime.
They led 24-10 early in the fourth quarter.
Momentum shifted decisively into the Bobcats favor when a flea flicker attempt went awry. Running back Bryan Hill technically fumbled the ball away on the stats sheet, however his lateral intended for Jake Bentley was plucked out of the air by a Bobcat defender.
The Jags have quite a tough assignment this week.
They have to clear their minds, rest their bodies, and yet they still need to prepare to host Georgia Southern on Thursday night after that very physical game in San Marcos, Texas.
Georgia Southern
The Eagles (2-4, 1-2 SBC) dismissed head coach Chad Lunsford after a 28-20 loss to Louisiana in the fourth game of the season after starting the season 1-3. They then split the two games since then with a win over Arkansas State (59-33) and last Saturday a loss to Troy (27-24) on a very late field goal.
They fought back from a 24-3 deficit early in the third quarter to tie the game with 6:08 left in the game. Aided by an interception, Troy regained the lead with 1:46 left in the game. The Eagles had an opportunity tie or win the game, but quarterback Justin Tomlin threw his third interception near midfield with :32 left to seal the game.
They too have a short week but at least they have to travel to Mobile for the game.
Offense
As is normal for a Georgia Southern offense, they are a predominately running offense.
They average just under 381 yards of total offense per game. The running game accounts for an average of just over 253 yards per game and they pass for 127.5 yards per game on average.
However the script was flipped for the Eagles against Troy. Georgia Southern only managed to run for 82 yards against the Trojans but threw for 219 yards.
Georgia Southern scores an average of 24.8 points per game. They have only converted 27-of-86 3rd down attempts (31.4%) on the season. They have converted 9-of-17 4th down attempts (52.9%).
As a team they have thrown 5 interceptions and fumbled 7 times, but only lost 1 fumble to opponents.
In the red zone the Eagles have scored 14 times out of 16 trips. Of those 14 scores, 8 of them have been touchdowns.
Logan Wright leads the Eagles backfield with 66 carries for 481 yards and five touchdowns on the season. Gerald Green accounts for 342 yards on 48 carries with five touchdowns. Jalen White has ran 32 times for 210 yards and two touchdowns.
The Eagles have a bit of a two quarterback system going on. Justin Tomlin has carried the ball 50 times this season for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Passing he is 38-of-77 for 458 yards, no touchdowns but four interceptions. Cam Ransom is 25-of-49 for 242 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions.
The Eagles only have three receivers with over 100 yards receiving so far on the season. Khaleb Hood leads the receiver corps with 22 catches, the only receiver in double digits, for 230 yards. Running back Logan Wright is next with 9 catches for 102 yards. Derwin Burgess Jr has four receptions for 101 yards.
Defense
GSU allows an average of 32.7 points per game.
They allow an average of 483 yards per game. However they only allow 144.2 yards rushing per game. But they allow 338.8 yards passing per game.
Their 3rd down defense is pretty strong with opponents converting 31-of-78 (39.7%) on 3rd down. Opponents have only attempted 9 4th down attempts and only converted 2 (22.2%).
Safety Anthony Wilson leads the defense with 34 total tackles, 19 of them solo, with two tackles-for-loss, one sack, three pass break ups and a forced fumble.
Safety Justin Birdsong is second with 32 total tackles, 18 of them solo, with 1.5 tackles for loss, .5 sack, and a pass break up.
Gardner-Webb opened the season with only 50 yards rushing against the Eagles defense, but they threw for 365 yards. The Eagles squeaked out a 30-25 win over the FCS opponent.
Their only other win was against Arkansas State when they held the Red Wolves to 81 yards rushing but allowed 453 yards passing in route to the 59-33 victory.
When Georgia Southern holds their opponents to under 100 yards rushing they are 2-0 this season. But when they allow over 100 yards, they are 0-4.
Against Louisiana they only allowed 129 rushing yards and lost the game 28-20. Against Troy they allowed 139 yards and lost 27-24.
Special Teams
Anthony Beck averages just a hair under 45 yards per punt. His longest on the season is 60 yards and he has 12 downed inside the opponents 20 yard line.
Alex Raynor has converted 5-of-6 field goal attempts with a long of 42 yards. The one missed attempt was blocked. Raynor has 13 kickoffs with six touchbacks.
Freshman Britton Williams is 3-for-3 in field goal attempts with a long of 49 yards. Williams has handled 18 kickoffs with five touchbacks and two out of bounds.
South Alabama
The Jags have a laundry list of injured players that are in various stages of recovery from the game. Running back Kareem Walker, who has missed the last two games, should be able to return on Thursday. Running back Terrion Avery, wide receiver Caullin Lacy, offensive tackle Ja’Chai Baker, tight ends Trent Tyre and Lincoln Sefcik, and linebackers Chris Henderson, Shawn Jennings and Ke’Shun Brown are all trying to recover from being banged up against the Bobcats, but should be able to play.
Center James Jackson suffered an injury to this right knee and will not play on Thursday.
Add in A.J. DeShazor’s disqualification for targeting in the second half of the game in San Marcos, the Jags will be without him in the first half against Georgia Southern as well. With Jennings’ being banged up, that means Juco transfer Trey Kiser will likely see more action.
Offense
The Jags offensive line has been particularly hit by injuries, however Jackson’s injury is the most significant. This will be the sixth different starting offensive line configuration in six games. You’ll likely see Trey Simpson move over to play center with Josh McCulloch at left tackle, Hadon Merchant at left guard, Anterrious Gray at right guard and Antawn Lewis at right tackle.
After last weeks performance, Bryan Hill only managed to run for 17 net yards on 13 carries against the Bobcats. AJ Phillips was the Jags leading rusher with 19 carries for 72 yards and two touchdowns, his first career score as a Jaguar. Caullin Lacy ran four times for 23 yards.
The Jags have done a good job developing their run game so far this season. They entered the season with Walker and Avery as the top two backs. Now with the emergence of Hill and Phillips, the Jags have developed depth at a position that was lacking it somewhat.
But the running backs would not be having as much success if the offensive line had not continued to improve as well.
The run game success translated into play-action passing and increased vertical passing opportunities as seen against Louisiana two weeks ago.
Georgia Southern’s defense has been pretty good against the run but susceptible to the pass by allowing an average of 338.8 yards per game.
If the Jags run game can get some footing early then Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Wayne, Caullin Lacy, and Cade Sutherland should be able to find some success against the Eagles.
Defense
For the first time this season the Jags defense struggled coming down the stretch against Texas State. They allowed two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter. Up until that point the Jags only allowed one touchdown all season in the fourth quarter
Though they were missing AJ DeShazor due to disqualification and had three linebackers banged up.
They allowed 399 yards of total offense, the most so far this season, and 212 yards rushing, also the most allowed so far this season.
Maybe one of their toughest assignments yet is coming to town.
Georgia Southern runs the triple-option, an offense that has given the Jags fits historically.
So much so the Jags have yet to notch a win against the Eagles.
The first five meetings between the two were decided by 22, 38, 15, 52, and 35 points. However the last two meetings were decided by a field goal in overtime in 2019 and a touchdown last season.
Head coach Kane Wommack said that he and defensive coordinator Corey Batoon’s defense had facets built in that would naturally help defend against the triple option.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo made all of his extra points against Texas State and is now 13-of-15. He missed a 28 yard attempt attempt against the Bobcats but connected on a 35 yard attempt. He is now 5-of-7 on the season.
Jack Brooks averages 41.4 yards punt with 7 downed inside the opponents 20 yard line and no touchbacks.
Keys to the Game
Stopping the Run
Georgia Southern isn’t the traditional triple option team that they once were. But running the ball is still 100% their identity.
When they’ve been held to under 100 yards rushing this season they are 0-2. Over the last few years when their opponent out gains them on the ground, they have lost all 20-some-odd games.
The South Alabama defense has ranked very high in the nation in run defense. Coach Wommack said that their defensive scheme has elements to it that help to stop their type of rushing attack too.
Rushing Offense
Being a predominately run offense, the Eagles defense tends to be pretty good against the run themselves.
When they have been able to take away the run and force their opponents to be one dimensional with the pass, they have excelled.
However when the opponent has success on the ground, gets favorable down and distances, and can use play-action passing to their advantage their opponents have done well.
The Jags have tall, athletic receivers in Jalen Tolbert and Jalen Wayne. The Jags have an average height advantage over the defensive backs of 3 inches. Tolbert has shown that he is one of the best receivers in the Sun Belt and possibly in the nation too.
If they can establish that run game and use play-action to get some man-to-man coverage on the outside with either Wayne or Tolbert then they could have a field day with the Eagles secondary.
Offensive Line
The Jags offensive line is a banged and bruised up group right. They’ve been that way all season though.
They have yet to start the same five guys in the same five positions twice this season.
Trey Simpson is slated to move over to center while while James Jackson will miss the game with a right knee injury. Thankfully it doesn’t look too serious or season ending.
Left tackle Ja’Chai Baker missed some time last Saturday due to injury.
They’ll need to be ready to go come Thursday evening.
Prediction
South Alabama is only a few plays away from being 5-0. But they are also only a few plays away from being 1-4 as well.
As an article a couple weeks ago pointed out, the Jags have a run of four games that should be very winnable. The first was Texas State.
Next up is Georgia Southern.
This may not be a must-win game in order to keep hope alive to get bowl-eligible. But the difficulty increases week by week. The last three game will be against the three most difficult teams on the schedule. The game before that three-game stretch is at Troy. Need I say more?
The time to win is now.
Also, let’s get that first win against Georgia Southern. Having that big zero staring at you from the win column each and every year is really old.
The Jags are a 3 point favorite according to the different odds sites. I think the Jags win but I’m not sure if they will cover. It may be yet another nail biter decided late in the game.
Let’s get to 4-2 and a win closer to bowl eligibility.
Go Jags!
South Alabama Survives Alcorn State 28-21 To Stay Unbeaten
It wasn’t pretty. Actually it was downright ugly at times. But the Jags (3-0) held off Alcorn State (1-2) for a 28-21 win to start the season 3-0 for the first time since 2010 and the first time as a FBS member.
The Jags needed two defensive stops late in the fourth quarter to preserve the win.
“That wasn’t nearly to our standard,” head coach Kane Wommack said after the game. “We had some things exposed during the first two weeks that we allowed to show up again. Every person in our building has to be relentless to get those things fixed. When you make a mistake in week one, it’s got to get corrected in week two and week three. The best teams in the country continue to get better, and that’s what we have to do in this bye week.”
Alcorn State used their passing game to move the ball against the Jaguar defense. With 10:09 left in the game, the Braves connected on a 27 yard pass to move into Jaguar territory. They got down to the 11 yard line before a holding penalty gave the Jaguar defense some breathing room. On 4th and 14 at the Jaguar 17, Alcorn State quarterback Felix Harper found a receiver on the left sideline. After securing the catch he made a move to the inside trying to gain the yardage needed to extend the drive, however his feet slipping just enough to allow Devin Rockette to make the stop at the 7 yard line.
The Jags took over possession with 5:36 left in the game but went three-and-out and giving up a yard to the Braves.
Jack Brooks’ punt went 46 yards and was fielded at the Braves 48 yard line, but Manny Jones found a crease in the coverage and managed to return it 23 yards to the Jaguar 29 yard line before he was forced out of bounds.
The Braves went back to the air to move the ball with a 17 yard pass completion to the right sideline before stepping out of bounds at the 12 yard line. On 2nd and 16, Harper had to scramble and made some Jaguar defenders miss but he could only manage 3 yards to the 15.
On 3rd and 13, Harper threw into the end zone for Juan Anthony but it was behind his target but Tre Young was in the perfect position to secure the interception and to preserve the win. Young almost brought the ball out of the end zone, and Alcorn State wisely used their final time out to challenge the ruling. However the officials did not see enough evidence to confirm or overturn the play so the call of a touchback, stood.
Kareem Walker rushed for 150 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries. He scored on runs of 1, 13, and 35 yards.
Overall the Jags ran for 236 yards. Walk-on running back Bryan Hill added 51 yards on nine carries and a touchdown. He also showed some very determined running to convert a key 1st down.
The Alcorn State defense double teamed star receiver Jalen Tolbert to the point that he only caught two passes for 54 yards.
Jake Bentley went 14-of-25 for 158 yards and was pressured often in the game.
The Jags were playing behind an offensive line that had been shifted around. Starting right tackle Antawn Lewis was out due to illness and Trey Simpson was out due to injury. Anterrious Gray and Josh McCulloch made their first starts of the season at right guard and right tackle respectively. Kent Foster moved to left guard in place of regular starter Hadon Merchant.
The Jags had four turnovers, all fumbles, that Alcorn State turned into 14 points. Jalen Wayne and Jake Bentley had fumbles on offensive plays. Caullin Lacy mishandled a punt inside the 5 yard line that was recovered for a touchdown. Cade Sutherland, replacing Lacy as punt returner, also mishandled a punt late in the third quarter which led to the second touchdown from a turnover early in the fourth quarter.
The Swarm D only managed the one takeaway, but it came at the perfect time to preserve the win.
The Jags out gained the Braves 394 to 297 yards. While the Jags defense only allowed 32 yards rushing, they were gashed for 265 yards through the air. Alcorn State only converted 3 of 15 3rd down attempts and possessed the ball for 32:00.
The Jags offense rushed for 236 yards and threw for 158 in the win. However they only converted 4 of 12 3rd down attempts and converted none of their three 4th down attempts in the game.
Jalen Wayne led the Jaguar receivers with four catches for 51 yards. Lincoln Sefcik and Terrion Avery both caught two passes each.
Felix Harper went 20-of-33 for 265 yards, a touchdown and an interception for the Braves.
LeCharles Pringle and Juan Anthony caught six passes each for 73 and 45 yards respectively. CJ Bolar led all receivers with 128 yards on five catches.
“When you just do your job, and you have an urgency to do your job, good things happen,” Wommack said on what the Jags did differently early in the second half. “We ran the same runs in the second half that we had run in the first half, but we executed better and we operated better. Somehow, we’ve got to come out and do our job and start executing at a high level early. On top of that, when you put the ball on the ground four times, you’re going to give yourself a very difficult hole to crawl out of. We were fortunate enough to do that tonight.”
The Jags improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2010 and for the first time ever as a FBS program.
The Jags have scheduled Monday and Tuesday off on their bye week before getting back to work correcting the issues identified through the first three games of the season.
USA returns to action at home on Saturday, October 2nd with their conference opener against defending West Division Champions Louisiana-Lafayette in a White Out game.
All Jaguar fans are asked and encouraged to wear White.
Coach Wommack dressed in pregame warmups. 
Jamie Sheriff on the sidelines supporting his teammates. 
Jags make their entrance. 
Captains heading to midfield for coin toss. 
Trey Simpson on the sideline for the Jags. 
Head coach Kane Wommack taking selfies with students during the hour and a half lighting delay. 
Head coach Kane Wommack taking selfies with students during the hour and a half lighting delay. 
J’s up for the Alma Mater with the band. 
The Prowlers with their J’s up for the Alma Mater. 
Kareem Walker postgame. 
Gi’Narious Johnson postgame. 
