Preview 68 Ventures Bowl: Eastern Michigan vs South Alabama
Kickoff: Saturday, December 23, 6:00pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, AL
TV/Streaming: ESPN
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
Thunderjags on X (formerly known as Twitter): @USAThunderjags
#5 Jersey: Khalil Jacobs
The 2023 postseason is here and it’s full of firsts for South Alabama.
USA is playing in a bowl game in back-to-back seasons for the first time. They’re playing for their first bowl win, and their first back-to-back winning seasons. They are playing in the hometown bowl game, the 68 Ventures Bowl, for the first time. But they are also facing Eastern Michigan for the first time in program history.
That’s a lot firsts.
The 68 Ventures Bowl went out on a limb and chose the Jags to play at home. They are banking on JagNation to show up for a bowl game when their college football watching is limited. While Saturday, December 23rd has a few games scheduled throughout the day, the 68 Ventures Bowl and the Las Vegas Bowl (Northwestern vs Utah on ABC) are the only two games scheduled during the evening time slot.
It’s very important for South Alabama fans to buy tickets and show up to show their support for both the program and for the bowl game itself. If you cannot go, it’s just as important to tune in to watch the game and to post on social media about the game throughout it.
In the previous three bowl games the Jags have been invited to the Jags just haven’t broken through and got their first win. Yet.
A win will be a huge accomplishment for the program. It’ll get the monkey off their back for bowl losses. But it will secure their first winning season in consecutive seasons.
Now for the final “first” in this game, let’s take a look at Eastern Michigan. (Or skip down to the TL;DR section)
Eastern Michigan (6-6, 4-4 MAC)
The Eagles earned bowl eligibility in their season finale with a 24-11 win at Buffalo. It was their only road win for the season. They were 5-1 at home and 1-5 on the road.
The Eagles are +3 on turnover differential this season. They’ve given the ball away 15 times (10 INTs, 5 fumbles lost) while the defense has taken the ball away 18 times (11 fumble recoveries, 7 INTs).
Offense
| Stat | Average per Game |
| Points | 20.33 |
| Rushing Yards | 115.0 |
| Passing Yards | 158.58 |
| Total Offense | 273.6 |
| Time of Possession | 29:02 |
| Penalty Yards | 60.83 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 57-of-163 (34.97%) |
| 4th Downs | 10-of-16 (62.5%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 32-of-37 (86.5%) |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 22-of-37 (59.5%) |
| Penalties – Yards | 76-730 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 12-5 |
| Passing Attempts-Completions-TD-Interceptions | 328-185-10-10 (56.4% completion rate) |
Austin Smith was the leading passer for the Eagles going 171-of-298 for 1,775 yards, nine touchdowns, and seven interceptions. However Smith entered the transfer portal.
Junior Ike Udengwu III is 13-of-28 (46.63%) for 100 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns. Freshman Cam’Ron McCoy only attempted one pass this year.
Tanner Knue leads the team with 479 yards on 50 catches with three touchdowns. JB Mitchell III has 398 yards on 35 catches with a touchdown. Hamze El-Zayat has 370 yards on 25 catches with two touchdowns. Jaylon Jackson has 221 yards on 22 catches with two touchdowns.
Samson Evans leads the Eagles running back corps with 635 yards on 142 carries with 12 touchdowns. Jaylon Jackson has 574 yards on 125 carries with two touchdowns. Austin Smith had 134 yards on 101 carries with two touchdowns.
Defense
| Stat | Average Allowed per Game |
| Points | 24.0 |
| Rushing Yards | 177.8 |
| Passing Yards | 205.17 |
| Total Offense | 382.9 |
| Time of Possession | 30:55 |
| Penalty Yards | 57.0 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs Allowed | 64-of-163 (39.26%) |
| 4th Downs Allowed | 12-of-33 (36.36%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Defense | 40-of-52 (76.9%) |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 27-of-52 (51.9%) |
| Penalties-Yards | 77-684 |
| Fumbles-Recovered | 19-11 |
| Passing Attempts-Completions-TD-Interceptions | 351-205-13-7 (58.4% completion rate) |
Linebacker Chase Kline leads the defense with 143 total stops, 48 solo, with 5 TFLs, 2 sacks, and 10 quarterback hurries. Fellow linebacker Joe Sparacio has 131 total stops, 57 solo, with 6.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks and 5 quarterback hurries. Then third on the tackles list is defensive back Quentavius Scandrett with 56 total tackles, 30 solo, and two interceptions.
Mikah Coleman leads the team with 4.5 sacks but entered his name into the transfer portal in the offseason. Peyton Price is second on the team with 4 sacks and Justin Jefferson is third with 3.5 sacks.
Three players lead the team with 6.5 TFLs each, Mikah Coleman, Justin Jefferson, and Joe Sparacio.
Special Teams
Mitchell Tomasek averages 45.31 yards per punt with 24 downed inside the 20, 17 fair catches, 17 punts of 50+ yards with a long of 72 yards.
Jesus Gomez was 11-of-15 on the season with a long of 55 yards. Kenyon Bowyer attempted one kick and was successful in converting it from 25 yards.
South Alabama (6-6, 4-4 SBC)
The 2023 may not have played out the way they were hoping after a 10-3 record last season. But they’ve had several bright spots during the season. They went to Oklahoma State and completely whipped the Cowboys in their home stadium in Stillwater 33-7. They scored 55 points in back-to-back conference games against Louisiana-Monroe and Southern Miss. When they needed to win two of their final three games to get bowl eligible, they stepped up. They shut out Marshall 28-0 to get their sixth win with a game to go in the season.
The story of the 2023 season was inconsistency. Games came in batches of two. Whenever they won two games, they lost two games. Plus the whole season was book-ended with a season-opening loss at Tulane and a season-ending loss at Texas State.
Let’s delve into the Jaguars stats for the season.
The Jags are even in turnover differential this season. They have given the ball away 19 times on the season (10 INTs, 9 fumbles lost) while the defense has taken the ball away from their opponents 19 times as well (11 INTs, 8 fumble recoveries).
Offense
| Stat | Average per Game |
| Points | 30.92 |
| Rushing Yards | 160.0 |
| Passing Yards | 264.92 |
| Total Offense | 424.9 |
| Time of Possession | 30:30 |
| Penalty Yards | 57.25 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 71-of-165 (43.03%) |
| 4th Downs | 17-of-26 (65.38%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 39-of-43 (90.69%) |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 33-of-43 (76.74%) |
| Penalties – Yards | 80-687 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 18-9 |
| Passing Attempts-Completions- TD-Interceptions | 392-268-24-10 (68.36% Completion Rate) |
Carter Bradley started 11 games this season and threw for 221-of-326 (67.79%) for 2,660 yards, 19 touchdowns with 7 interceptions. Bradley has 83.16% of the passing attempt, 83.67% of the passing yards, and 79.16% of the touchdowns thrown on the season.
True freshman Gio Lopez appeared in four games, with on start against Try when Bradley was out with a knee injury. He went 27-of-42 (64.29%) for 283 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
Trotter went 20-of-24 (83.33%) for 236 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. Trotter was 18-of-21 for 220 yards and four touchdowns in the season finale against Texas State when Bradley had to leave after aggravating his knee.
Caullin Lacy by and far led the Jaguar receiving corps with 91 catches for 1,316 yards and seven touchdowns. However, Lacy opted for the transfer portal after the season.
Jamaal Pritchett is the top returning receiver with 49 catches for 756 yards and six touchdowns. DJ Thomas-Jones has 24 catches for 212 yards and three touchdowns. Javon Ivory has 16 catches for 183 yards with a touchdown.
La’Damian Webb also by and far led the Jags rushing attack with 1,007 yards on 186 carries with 16 touchdowns. He missed the season finale against Texas State with turf toe. Webb will also miss the 68 Ventures Bowl as he continues to heal the turf toe and prepare to enter the NFL draft.
Kentrel Bullock is the leading returning rusher with 380 yards on 77 carries with three touchdowns. He also missed the season finale with an injury. Marco Lee has 220 yards on 53 carries and two touchdowns. Braylon McReynolds, who left the season opener with a broken collarbone, has 161 yards on 33 carries and will be the starter for the 68 Ventures Bowl.
Defense
| Stat | Average Allowed per Game |
| Points | 21.92 |
| Rushing Yards | 116.8 |
| Passing Yards | 209.67 |
| Total Offense | 326.4 |
| Time of Possession | 29:29 |
| Penalty Yards | 46.17 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs Allowed | 54-of-160 (33.75%) |
| 4th Downs Allowed | 8-of-18 (44.44%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Defense | 23-of-30 (76.66%) |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 14-of-30 (46.66%) |
| Penalties-Yards | 69-554 |
| Fumbles-Recovered | 14-8 |
| Passing Attempts-Completions-TD-Interceptions | 323-195-19-11 (60.37% completion rate) |
Quentin Wilfawn leads the team with 81 total stops, 46 solo, with a team-leading 6.5 sacks and a team leading 15 tackles for loss with six quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and a pass breakup. Trey Kiser is next in line with 68 total stops, 29 solo, with 9.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks. James Miller has 67 total stops, 26 solo, and four TFLs.
Jaden Voisin has 66 total stops, 29 solo, two TFLs, and a team-leading four interceptions. Marquise Robinson adds two interceptions while Yam Banks, Khalil Jacobs, Jalen Jordan, Maurice Strong Jr, and Wesley Miller each have one interception each.
Special Teams
Jack Martin averaged 40.05 yards per punt with 21 fair catches, 12 down inside the 20, four punts of 50+ yards with a long of 54 yards.
Diego Guajardo was 13-of-18 on the season with a long of 51 yards. He was perfect inside 40 yards. He was 5-of-7 from 4-49 yards and was 1-of-4 from 50+ yards.
Injuries/Transfer Portal
The new landscape of college football with the transfer portal and Name, Image, and Likeness has affected both teams coming into the 68 Ventures Bowl.
Eastern Michigan was hit pretty hard.
The Eagles have seen their starting quarterback, Austin Smith, enter the transfer portal. But he wasn’t the only one. Tight ends Andreas Paaske (4 catches, 39 yards) committed to the University of Arkansas, and CJ Horton. Offensive lineman Zach Conti committed to Southern Miss. Most recently wide receiver Javon Swinton entered the portal on Monday, December 18.
Defensive end Micah Coleman (38 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 6.5 TFLs, and 8 quarterback hurries) committed to Cincinnati while defensive tackle Alex Merritt (27 tackles, 4.5 TFLs) entered his name into the portal but does not currently show up in the portal.
Starting running back Samson Evans may not play due to injury. He has reportedly made the trip with the team, but he is not a guaranteed play as of the time of this writing. Evans ran for 127 yards and a touchdown against Buffalo to help the Eagle get bowl-eligible.
South Alabama wasn’t immune either.
Caullin Lacy, the Jags First Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection, 5th nationally wide receiver nationally, and the Jags leading receiver, entered his name into the portal and has committed to Louisville.
Defensive lineman Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge decided to enter the portal in order to play somewhere closer to home. Linebacker Gavin Forsha, a transfer from Kansas State, initially entered his name into the portal but has reportedly decided to withdraw it shortly afterwards.
Offensive lineman Dontae Lucas has reportedly decided to enter the portal after playing in the bowl game. Lucas transferred from Florida State in 2022 and started 11 of 13 games at left guard. He has started 11 of 12 games this season after moving to right guard.
La’Damian Webb will not play in the game either. He missed the regular season finale against Texas State due to turf toe. He continues to treat his injury and will focus on getting ready for the NFL draft since his collegiate eligibility has been exhausted.
Carter Bradley has been going through some drills to get ready for the game. However his knee injury needs rest so Desmond Trotter and Gio Lopez have been getting lots of practice reps in case Bradley is unable to play. Bradley had to miss the Troy game after being knocked out near the end of the Louisiana-Lafayette game. He also exited the Texas State game early with the same injury with Trotter nearly leading a comeback that fell just short.
Keys to the Game
Who Steps Up
With two key pieces to the Jaguar offense this season missing from the lineup, who will be the next man up to fill their production?
Caullin Lacy had a consistent presence all season long. He had explosive plays down field, but he also served as a key possession receiver when the Jags needed to move the chains. Jamaal Pritchett came on as the season unfolded. He was able to occasionally flash his speed down the stretch, especially when team began to focus their attention on Lacy. This leads the way for freshman Anthony Eager and redshirt-junior Jeremiah Webb to step in.
Eager is listed as the starter in place of Lacy on the depth chart released earlier this week. Eager does not have any stats for this season. Behind him they have listed Jeremiah Webb, he has one catch for 3 yards recorded this season.
In place of La’Damian Webb, Braylon McReynolds is listed as the starter. He started in the Texas State game when Webb missed due to the same injury that’s keeping him out of this game. McReynolds hasn’t missed a step since coming back from his broken collarbone suffered in season opener. Kentrel Bullock is also making his return to the lineup after missing a couple of games due to injury himself. They make a good one-two punch in the backfield.
Capitalizing on Opportunities
Eastern Michigan’s offense takes a methodical approach. They don’t necessarily make a lot of big plays, but they will eat clock, shorten the game, and will keep moving the ball down the field. When the Jags possess the ball, they really need to take advantage and put points on the board. Because if the Eagles can play their style of game, the Jags opportunities will be limited.
However EMU has their own question marks leading into the game with injuries and the transfer portal. The Jaguar defense will need to be ready for anything. With a few weeks to scheme for a bowl game and their question marks, they may dial up some offensive changes and trick plays to catch the Jags on their heels.
Playing Fundamentally Sound
What you’ll often see in bowl games is some lapses in fundamentals. It can be attributed to a couple of things. The long layoff between games and, especially now with the transfer portal and opt-outs, limited depth.
Losing players to the portal or even to opt-outs for some (thankfully not something USA has experienced) can limit depth at positions that may already be razor thin after a long, grueling regular season schedule and the injuries suffered therein.
Coaches can be apprehensive to let their team get too physical during bowl practice due to the fear of losing key player leading up to the game.
These and other factors converge and can lead to a lack of fundamentals in a bowl game. Poor tackling, issues with ball security, and others have already shown themselves again this bowl season. The team with the strongest fundamentals in the game will definitely have an easier path to victory.
Prediction
South Alabama is a 16.5 point favorite according to handicapper websites. It’s the second-largest spread this bowl season (Oregon is a 17.5 favorite over Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl).
Comparing the stats between the two teams, it seems logical that the Jags are a big favorite. If you add in the transfer portal and injuries, it further bolsters the spread.
EMU have lost their starting quarterback, best pass rusher, and their best interior offensive and defensive linemen to the portal. Additionally their top running back may miss the game with an injury.
Without Webb, the Jags will be starting Braylon McReynolds and running back. Kentrel Bullock is back healthy and will rotate in for playing time as well. Even without Webb, the Jags should be able to move the ball well on the ground against the Eagles rushing defense.
If Bradley is unable to play, either Trotter or Lopez will get the start or could also come in and play if Bradley is unable to finish the game. Lopez could play without burning his redshirt even though he’s already appeared in three games this season thanks to a rules change over the last couple of years.
Even if Bradley is healthy and ready to go, head coach Kane Wommack said that they plan on using multiple quarterbacks in the game. I would expect to see all three in the game at some point.
I feel that the Jags get the win at home, even if they are designated the away team.
Do they cover the spread? I think the Jags are more talented and are more hungry for the win. As long as they don’t get in their own heads, I think they win and cover the spread.
TL;DR (“Too long; didn’t read” for those wondering)
I think we’ve over analyzed this game by this point if you’ve read this entire article.
South Alabama is the better team in this match-up. They would have been the better team in the regular season and, even after the transfer portal subtractions, the Jags remain the better team. If the South Alabama plays up to their capabilities, they will get their first bowl win. Even if they don’t play up to their capability, they should win.
In my Lee Corso moment, I turn and grab Southpaw’s headgear and put it on. I say “South Alabama big in this one. Go Jags. South in your Mouth!” as the credits roll and the camera goes into the next scheduled program.
Go Jags!
South Alabama Rally Falls Short At Texas State 52-46
South Alabama couldn’t overcome an early 24-point deficit in the first quarter as Texas State wins 52-44 in San Marcos.
“We dug ourselves into an incredible hole and earned a loss with poor execution,” head coach Kane Wommack said after the game. “We didn’t make enough plays defensively. We weren’t nearly responsive enough. That was really the story to me all season. When we’re in tight games and tough moments, we didn’t have a defense that was responsive enough.”
DJ Thomas-Jones had three receiving touchdowns. Desmond Trotter, who came in for an injured Bradley Carter in the second half, threw for 220 yards and four touchdowns. Braylon McReynolds, who started for an injured La’Damian Webb rushed for a team-leading 79 yards on 19 carries.
After the South Alabama (6-6, 4-4 SBC) defense kept Texas State (7-5, 4-4 Sun Belt) off the scoreboard on their first possession for only the third time this season.
But on the first offensive play by the Jags, the Bobcats forced Caullin Lacy to fumble and Texas State’s Kaleb Culp scooped it up and ran it back 31 yards for the first score of the game.
On the Bobcats next possession, TJ Finley connected with Ashtyn Hawkins for a 48-yard touchdown to take a 14-0 lead at the 8:47 mark.
The Jags offense go three-and-out and the Bobcats march down the field sparked by a 31-yard run by Donerio Daveport on the first play of the drive. Jahmyl Jeter keeps the ball in the wildcat and scores from a yard out to put the Bobcats up 21-0 at the 3:38 mark in the first quarter.
Texas State catches the Jags off-guard with an onside kick and recover it at the Jags 37-yard line. The defense finally got their legs underneath them and held the Bobcats to a 28-yard field goal at the 1:05 mark of the first quarter.
“We just made too many errors in all three phases – offense, defense, special teams,” Wommack said.
South Alabama finally gets on the board early in the second quarter when Carter Bradley connected with Javon Ivory for 39-yards and his first touchdown of the season. The Jags go for a two-point conversion but it fails on an incomplete pass leaving the Jags trailing 24-6 at the 14:08 mark of the second quarter.
Texas State’s Kole Wilson caught the kickoff about two yards deep in the endzone and found a lane on the left side of his protection and returned it for a touchdown to go up 31-6 with 13:55 left in the second quarter.
After Khalil Jacobs forces a fumble and Marquise Robinson caught it and returned it 25 yards to the Bobcats 29-yard line. Diego Guajardo added a season-long 51-yard field goal.
The Jags forced a punt and got the ball back with 1:52 left in the first half. Bradley led the Jags down the field and found DJ Thomas-Jones for an 18-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion was good when Bradley went back to Thomas-Jones to make it 31-17 at halftime.
On the third play of the second half Carter Bradley would go down on a hit that aggravated his left knee injury. Desmond Trotter led the team into field goal range, but Guajardo’s 55-yard attempt had the distance but was pulled wide right.
After forcing the Bobcats the punt, Trotter hit on back-to-back passes for 19 yards to Lacy then 51 yards to Jamaal Pritchett to quickly flip the field. A couple plays later Trotter would toss a 1-yard touchdown to Thomas-Jones to cut the Texas State lead to 31-24 at the 6:41 mark of the third quarter.
Unfortunately, that would be as close as the Jags would get.
“Our offense was better in the second half,” coach Wommack said. “But our defense never gave us a chance to get back in the game enough. We had to find a way to get one more stop and we didn’t do that. That’s kind of been the take of our season, we have not been responsive enough in tough games. That’s something we’ve got to get better at.”
Texas State would go back up by two touchdowns just a little bit later. Aided by pass completions of 39 and 16 yards, the Bobcats capped off a 64-yard drive with a one-yard TJ Finley touchdown run with 3:35 left in the third quarter.
On the second play of the fourth quarter, Quentin Wilfawn tipped Finley’s pass at the line of scrimmage and Khalil Jacobs intercepted it and returned it 12 yards to the Texas State 28-yard line. Braylon McReynolds opened the drive with a 16 play rush then on the third play Trotter connected with Lacy on a perfectly thrown corner route for a 12 yard touchdown at the 12:57 mark. But the two-point conversion attempt would fall incomplete leaving the Jags trailing 38-30.
The Bobcats only needed four plays to get back on the scoreboard. Finley connected with Kole Wilson for a 24-yard score with 11:31 left in the game to go up 45-30.
Trotter led the Jags back down the field with a mix of run and pass, but the drive took 7:25 off the clock. He threw it to Thomas-Jones who used his size and hands to come down with the touchdown. The Jags got two attempts at the two-point conversion after a pass interference penalty on the first attempt. On the second, Trotter was rushed and had to move up in the pocket. He threw to the right side of the end zone, but possibly could have kept it and converted. The Jags were then down 45-36 with 4:01 left to play.
The Jags used two of their time outs on the ensuing Texas State possession, but on 3rd & 9, Finley connected with Konner Fox for 41 yards to the 1-yard line. The Jags let the Bobcats score to preserve time and go up 52-36 with 2:54 left in the game.
The game got very chippy on the Jags possession after Jordan Revels was flagged for unnecessary roughness when he leveled Thomas-Jones after the whistle had blown and Thomas-Jones was looking to the sideline. By all rights he should have been ejected, but the officials let him keep playing and Texas State kept him in the game.
Dontae Lucas was flagged on the next play for unsportsmanlike conduct, though it was actually another Jaguar, who took a shot at Revels after the play. The offense caught the Bobcats in the neutral zone on two consecutive plays, but were unable to capitalize on the free plays down the field. A few plays later Trotter connected with Hopper for a 5-yard touchdown. McReynolds converted the two-point attempt on a shovel pass from Trotter to make it 52-44 with 1:02 left in the game.
However, the Jags were unable to cover the onside kick and only had one time out which allowed Texas State to run out the clock.
Stats
After being dominated on the stats sheet in the first quarter, the Jags ended up out-gaining the Bobcats overall.
| Stat | South Alabama | Texas State |
| Total yards: | 485 | 479 |
| Passing yards: | 403 | 368 |
| Rushing Yards | 82 | 111 |
| 3rd down conversions: | 7-of-15 | 6-of-13 |
| 4th down conversions: | 2-of-2 | 1-of-1 |
| Turnovers (defensive points off) | 2 (6) | 2 (9) |
| Possession: | 31:15 | 28:45 |
Bradley finished the game 18-of-24 for 183 yards and two touchdowns before having to exit the game. Trotter finished out 19-of-22 for 220 yards, four touchdowns and an interception.
“I’m so proud of Desmond Trotter,” Wommack said. “He answered the bell and made play after play. He’s worked so hard every single day. He’s been the guy ready at a moment’s notice. He was selfless when we put Gio in versus Troy. I didn’t want to burn Gio’s redshirt, but we wanted to give Dez a shot and what a tremendous job he did. We would have loved to be able to execute better so he had a chance to win it at the end.”
Caullin Lacy led with 11 catches for 94 yards and a touchdown. Thomas-Jones had 56 yards on nine catches with the three touchdowns. McReynolds had six catches for 70 yards. Javon Ivory had 85 yards on four catches with a touchdown. Pritchett had four catches for 81 yards.
McReynolds added 79 yards rushing on 19 carries. Trotter had 20 yards on seven carries. Marco Lee Jr had 4 yards on four carries.
Several Jags all finished with six stops each – James Miller, Ricky Fletcher, Quentin Wilfawn, Khalil Jacobs and Charles Coleman III. Wilfawn and Jacobs both had sacks in the game with Jacobs getting the only interception by the Jags.
TJ Finley finished 19-of-28 for 368 yards, three touchdowns and an interception.
Kole Wilson led the Bobcats with six catches for 102 yards and a touchdown. Ashtyn Hawkins led all receivers with 131 yards on five catches with a touchdown.
Ismail Mahdi had 97 yards on 23 carries with a touchdown. Donerio Davenport added 35 yards on six carries. Jahmyl Jeter had two carries for 3 yards and a touchdown.
Next
South Alabama will officially find out their bowl destination on Sunday, December 3rd. Go to usajaguars.com/tickets/bowlgames to secure your tickets to any of the three bowl games that the Sun Belt Conference is tied to in case the Jags are selected to one of them. You will not be charged and the ticket office will contact you BEFORE charging you if you have tickets selected for one of the SBC tie-in bowl games. This helps the Jags with ticket-commitments to lobby for their selection by the respective bowl committees.
See you at the Bowl Game!
South Alabama Clinched Bowl Eligibility With 28-0 Shutout Of Marshall
The South Alabama Jaguar football earns bowl-eligibility behind a shutout defensive effort against the Marshall Thundering Herd 28-0 on Senior Day at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
The Jags (6-5, 4-3 Sun Belt) forced turnover on both of Marshall’s (5-6, 2-5 SBC) first two possession and turned them into a pair of Diego Guajardo field goals. The Jaguar defense held the Thundering Herd to only 80 yards of total offense in the first half and 201 total yards for the entire game.
Senior La’Damian Webb powered his way to 117 yards with a rushing touchdown, a receiving touchdown and a two-point conversion. Caullin Lacy also powered his way 126 yards receiving.
Jalen Jordan picked off Cole Pennington on the third play of the game to set up Diego Guajardo for a season-long 43 yard field goal. On the next possession Jaden Voisin got his team-leading fourth interception of the season on the third play of the second possession. Again the Jaguar offense couldn’t sustain the drive and settled for a 37 yard field goal by Guajardo at the 8:38 mark of the first quarter.
After a three-and-out, Lacy gave the offense the ball with great field position after good punt return out to the Jaguar 49. It only took the Jaguars four plays to capitalize. Senior Carter Bradley connected with Jamaal Pritchett for a 25 yard touchdown. After a pass interference penalty on the first two-point try, Webb took a shovel pass from Bradley into the end zone for two-points to put the Jags up 14-0.
Lacy set up the offense at midfield after another good punt return. Braylon McReynolds ran for 35 yards to move the ball into the red zone, then a couple of plays later Bradley connected with Webb for an 8-yard touchdown for a 21-0 lead. Marquise Robinson got the third Jaguar interception of Pennington as time expired in the first half.
The Jags looked they were going to take the opening possession of the second half the length of the field to score. The 13 play drive featured 11 carries by Webb and ended when his dive from inside the 1 yard line was marked inches short of the end zone on 4th down.
The only second-half score came in the fourth quarter after Jamie Sheriff and Quentin Wilfawn forced Pennington into an incomplete pass on 4th & 7 at the Jaguar 46 yard line. Bradley connected with Lacy for 38 yards to the 6 yard line to set up Webb for a 6-yard touchdown run untouched for the final score of the game.
Team Stats
| Category | South Alabama | Marshall |
| Total Yards: | 393 | 201 |
| Passing Yards: | 196 | 159 |
| Rushing Yards: | 197 | 42 |
| 3rd Downs: | 7-of-17 | 3-of-14 |
| 4th Downs: | 0-for-2 | 3-for-4 |
| Turnovers (Defensive pts off) | 3 (6) | 1 (0) |
| Time of Possession | 36:27 | 23:33 |
Individual Stats
Carter Bradley finished the game 17-of-23 for 176 yards and two touchdowns. Desmond Trotter went 2-of-3 for 20 yards in mop-up duty.
Caullin Lacy had nine catches for 126 yards. Braylon McReynolds had five catches for 21 yards. Webb had two catches for 4 yards and a touchdown. Pritchett only had one catch for 25 yards for his touchdown.
La’Damian Webb had 117 yards on 24 carries with a touchdown. McReynolds had 53 yards on eight carries. Marco Lee Jr also had eight carries for 30 yards. Trotter gained 13 yards on two carries.
Khalil Jacobs led the team with five total stops, one solo, with a tackle for loss and a quarterback hurry. Jalen Jordan finished with four stops, two solo, with an interception. Jaden Voisin also had four total stops, three solo, with an interception and a pass breakup. Marquise Robinson also had an interception.
The Jaguar defense held Cole Pennington to 22-of-36 for 159 yards and three interceptions while Rasheen Ali only managed 55 yards rushing on 16 carries.
Caleb Coombs had 6 catches for 23 yards and Ali had four catches for 41 yards.
“Proud of the fight of our football team,” said head coach Kane Wommack after the game. “We talk about adversity and working through adversity. Certainly, we’ve created adversity for ourselves this season and we’ve had to work through those things. I’m very proud of the last two weeks of our team doing hard things in hard times.”
“I’m very proud of our defense,” Wommack continued. “They’re playing at a really high level right now. They’re playing fast, playing aggressive, we’re attacking the ball, we’re attacking the quarterback, and we were situationally dominant tonight on third and fourth down. They never got into the red zone.”
The shutout was the first for South Alabama since 2017 versus Alabama A&M and the first shutout against an FBS opponent in program history. Also the Jags will go to a bowl game in back-to-back seasons for the first time in program history.
“Shutouts are really, really hard,” Wommack said. “They’re really, really hard especially when you start to have a big lead. Because typically you’re going to take out a few [starters] in that situation and [the opponent] is going to be more aggressive. They’re going to go for it on fourth down; they’re going to throw the ball down the field. And really, the whole fourth quarter, [Marshall] was doing those things. I’ve seen a lot of 7-point finishes, because you end up giving up something in the end… So it’s really, really hard to do that, and it was pretty impressive to be able to do that tonight. As a defensive guy, shutouts are just fun.”
In addition to the seniors that were honored before the game, Yam Banks was a surprise addition to the list. Banks, a redshirt junior, indicated that he is undecided as to whether or not he will return for a fifth season or if he may turn pro.
“I’m thinking about declaring [for the NFL draft], leaning towards it,” Banks said. “But it could be a possibility that I play a fifth year and stay.”
Next
South Alabama will travel to San Marcos, Texas to take on Texas State. The game was picked up by the NFL Network so the kickoff time has shifted to 6pm on Saturday at Bobcat Stadium.
Preview: South Alabama Hosts Marshall For Senior Day With Bowl Eligibility Implications
Kickoff: Saturday, November 18, 4:00pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, AL
TV/Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
Thunderjags on X (formerly known as Twitter): @USAThunderjags
#5 Jersey: Jamie Sheriff
South Alabama (5-5, 3-3 Sun Belt Conference) will look to give their departing seniors one last win at Hancock Whitney Stadium on Saturday when they host Marshall (5-5, 2-4 SBC). If they accomplish the task, they will be the first senior class to earn back-to-back bowl berths in program history.
Both teams enter needing just one win to earn bowl eligibility.
Marshall snapped a five-game losing streak last week behind redshirt freshman Cole Pennington’s first career start. They started the season 4-0 with wins over Albany (21-17), East Carolina (31-13), Virginia Tech (24-17) and Old Dominion (41-35).
Then they hit the rough patch in their season. They lost to @ NC State (41-48), @ Georgia State (24-41), vs James Madison (9-20), @ Coastal Carolina (6-34), and @ App State (9-31).
Marshall head coach Charles Huff is in his third season at the helm. He went 7-6 in his first season with a loss in the New Orleans Bowl against Louisiana-Lafayette. The Herd was still in Conference USA at the time.
Last season Huff lead the Herd to a 9-4 and a 5-3 conference record in their first year in the Sun Belt. They made waves in with a 26-21 win at then #8 Notre Dame and finished the season with a 28-14 win over UConn in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
Prior to Marshall, Huff was an assistant coach at Alabama for two years.
The Jags were able to break their two-game losing streak themselves with the return of Carter Bradley behind center, an offensive line that were determined to set the line of scrimmage, and a stingy defense.
With two games left for both teams to earn bowl eligibility, both squads would like to go ahead and get that done this week.
Marshall (5-5, 2-4 SBC)
Marshall has a -11 turnover margin on the season. They’ve given the ball away a total of 23 times, 14 interceptions and have lost 9 out of 18 total fumbles. Meanwhile the defense has taken the ball away 12 times, they have 10 interceptions and have recovered 2 out of 9 fumbles.
Offense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 24.4 (83rd) |
| Total Offense | 359.9 (85th) |
| Passing Offense | 230.9 (T-59th) |
| Rushing Offense | 129.0 (97th) |
| Time of Possession | 29:13 |
| Penalty Yards | 55.8 |
Cam Fancher is the leader passer on the team going 186-of-287 (64.8%) for 1,948 yards with eight touchdowns to 11 interceptions on the season. Redshirt freshman Cole Pennington is 27-of-43 (62.8%) for 278 yards with no touchdowns to three interceptions in two game appearances. Pennington made his first career start last week in Marshall’s 38-33 win over Georgia Southern.
The Herd has many receivers involved in their passing game. Five receivers have 20 or more catches on the season and 10 receivers in all have 100+ receiving yards. Caleb Coombs leads the team in catches with 33 catches and receiving touchdowns with two, for 287 yards. DeMarcus Harris leads the receiving corps with 362 yards on 21 catches with a touchdown. In all, eight receivers have touchdowns receptions on the team.
Jaden Harrison has 238 yards on 19 catches with a touchdown. Darryle Simmons has 226 yards on 22 catches.
Rasheen Ali leads the team with 932 yards rushing on 173 carries with 14 touchdowns in nine games played. Ali is tied for 7th in the nation in rushing touchdowns, one TD behind Webb. Ethan Payne has 183 yards on 50 carries. Fancher is third on the team in rushing with 173 yards on 102 carries with two touchdowns in the nine games he’s played in.
| Season Stat | |
| 3rd Downs | 40-of-130 (31%) |
| 4th Downs | 6-of-21 (29%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 26-of-34 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 17-of-34 |
| Penalties-Yards | 61-558 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 18-9 |
Defense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 28.9 (T-94th) |
| Total Offense | 381.5 (72nd) |
| Passing Offense | 216.3 (50th) |
| Rushing Offense | 165.2 (94th) |
| Time of Possession | 30:47 |
| Penalty Yards | 62.5 |
JJ Roberts leads the team with 73 total stops, 39 solo, with two interceptions, a forced fumble, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry in nine games played. Eli Neal has 64 total stops, 20 solo, with 6.5 Tackles for Loss, 2 sacks, an interceptions and three quarterback hurries.
Owen Porter leads the team with 13 sacks, is tied for the team lead with 5 sacks, with 50 total stops, 20 solo, 11 quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and two pass breakups.
Elijah Alston is second on the team with 9.5 TFLs, 4 sacks, 15 quarterback hurries, two pass breakups, and an interception with an 85 yard return for a TD.
Sam Burton co-leads the team with 5 sacks, he has 5.5 TFLs and 8 quarterback hurries.
| Season Stat | |
| 3rd Downs | 44-of-143 (31%) |
| 4th Downs | 9-of-21 (43%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 29-of-37 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 15-of-37 |
| Penalties-Yards | 68-625 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 9-2 |
Special Teams
Rece Verhoff is 10-of-13 (76.9%) placekicking with a long of 44 with one kick blocked. Kameron Lake is 1-of-2 with a long of 20.
John McConnell is averaging 43 yards per punt, a long of 74 yards, with 16 fair catches, 13 downed inside the 20, 5 kicks of 50+ yards, and one touchback.
South Alabama (5-5, 3-3 SBC)
The Jags continue to have a turnover margin of -2 on the season. They have turned the ball over a total of 16 times, nine interceptions and seven fumbles lost. The defense has taken the ball away from opponents 14 times, seven interceptions and seven fumbles. The Jags gave the ball away once to Arkansas State last week, but took the ball away once as well.
Offense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 29.9 (T-49th) |
| Total Offense | 423.0 (40th) |
| Passing Offense | 258.4 (42nd) |
| Rushing Offense | 164.6 |
| Time of Possession | 29:50 |
| Penalty Yards | 59.70 |
Carter Bradley’s is 186-of-279 (66.7%) for 2,301 yards and 15 touchdowns to 7 interceptions in nine games played. Gio Lopez, with one start but four game appearances, is 27-of-42 (64.3%) for 283 yards with 1 touchdown to 2 interceptions on the season.
Caullin Lacy leads the team with 71 catches, 1,096 yards, and six touchdowns. Lacy ranks 4th in the nation in receiving yards after a 50-yard game last week. Jamaal Pritchett has 650 yards on 44 catches with 5 touchdowns. Lincoln Sefcik has 165 yards on 17 catches with a touchdown. DJ Thomas-Jones has 156 yards on 15 catches.
La’Damian Webb leads the team with 890 yards rushing on 162 carries with 15 touchdowns and an average of 5.5 yards per carry. Webb is 31st in the nation in rushing yards and tied for 2nd in the nation in rushing touchdowns. Kentrel Bullock, despite missing last week in the concussion protocol, has 380 yards on 76 carries with three touchdowns and a 5 yard per carry average. Marco Lee Jr has 186 yards on 41 carries with two touchdowns and a 4.5 yards per carry average.
| Season Stat | |
| 3rd Downs | 57-of-133 (42.9%) (29th) |
| 4th Downs | 12-of-20 (58.8%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 32-of-34 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 26-of-32 |
| Penalties-Yards | 69-597 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 12-7 |
Defense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 21.1 (37th) |
| Total Offense | 323.7 (25th) |
| Passing Offense | 198.9 (31nd) |
| Rushing Offense | 124.8 (35th) |
| Time of Possession | 30:09 |
| Penalty Yards | 46.7 |
Quentin Wilfawn’s tear over the last three weeks continues to have him pace the defense with 71 total stops, 40 solo, with a team leading 13.5 TFLs and also a team leading 5.5 sacks. He also has 5 quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, and a pass breakup.
James Miller has 61 total stops, 23 solo, with 4 TFLs, a quarterback hurry and a fumble recovery.
Trey Kiser has 60 total stops, 26 solo, with 8.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, two pass breakups and a quarterback hurry.
Jamie Sheriff is third on the team with 6 TFLs and is tied for second on the team with 3 sacks. He leads the team with 7 quarterback hurries with a forced fumble.
Jaden Voisin leads the team with 3 interceptions to go with his 6 pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Ricky Fletcher leads the defense with 11 pass breakups.
| Season Stat | |
| 3rd Downs | 45-of-1330 (33.83%) (43rd) |
| 4th Downs | 7-of-15 (46.67%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 19-of-26 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 11-of-26 |
| Penalties-Yards | 55-467 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 11-7 |
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo is 10-of-14 (71.4%) placekicking with a long of 46 yards.
Jack Martin is averaging 39.06 yards per punt with a long of 53 yards, 16 fair catches, 10 downed inside the 20 and two kicks of 50+ yards.
Injuries
Carter Bradley returned and played the entire game. At times it looked like he may have been favoring his left knee, but he moved around in the pocket well and even ran a few times. There was a strong northern wind during most of the game which affected his deep passes a bit. Some sailed long on him when the wind was at his back.
Overall Bradley looked good in his return.
Braylon McReynolds returned to the lineup for the first time since his injury suffered against Tulane in the season opener. The coaching staff said they were limiting how much playing time he got in the game. His first time touching the ball he gained 10 yards, so it’s safe to say he is ready to go. The coaching staff will evaluate him throughout the week and may “significantly” increase it workload this Saturday.
McReynolds return came at the perfect time. Kentrel Bullock missed the game after being unable to clear the concussion protocol prior to the game against Arkansas State. Each player and each concussion is different so the timetables to return are completely different each time. Hopefully Bullock will completely recover in time for the game.
Lincoln Sefcik will miss the remainder of the season due to breaking unspecified team rules, not due to injury.
Keys to the Game
Turnovers
Marshall averages 2.3 turnovers a game this season. Last week they gave the ball away twice to Georgia Southern, an INT and a fumble, yet still won the game. Over the five game losing streak they had a total of 14, or nearly three per game.
The Jags defense has not generated as many turnovers this season as they have over the last two seasons. I’m sure the team will look at this game as an opportunity to improve on the turnover margin with some takeaways
Meanwhile the Jaguar offense wants to protect the ball more. Webb had a very uncharacteristic fumble last week against the Red Wolves. It looked as though he was slipping on the turf as the defender knocked the ball loose. Bradley has cut down his interceptions after what looked like he was trying to force the ball downfield into bad coverage.
Turnover margin in a game is one of those key stats teams want to win as it increases their likelihood to win.
Offensive Line
The guys up front did a great job against the Arkansas defense. They limited the Red Wolves to only two sacks and led the way for La’Damian Webb to rush for 163 yards.
That kind of play is exactly what the team needed to help defeat the Red Wolves.
Marshall’s rushing defense is 94th in the nation, so if the offensive line can set the line of scrimmage the Jaguar backfield could have a field day running the ball.
But it all starts up front.
Stadium Presence
South Alabama still has a fan problem. Despite on-campus students not having far to go to view the game, they just didn’t turn out very well against Arkansas State.
It was the Jaguar Marching Band along with the Honor Band that provided most of the crowd noise in the game. They did a very good job of it too!
Everyone in the stadium last week could take a lesson from them.
The stadium was rocking for the Southern Miss game. We need that each and every week at Hancock Whitney Stadium. We need to “Rock the ‘cock” every home game. Whoever programs the in-game music really needs get off their personal playlist and look for some music to energize the crowd. The “Stand up and Shout” on 3rd down needs to go away for the foreboding chimes of “Hell’s Bells.” We need to settle on one good sing-along song to play early in the fourth quarter.
Give Thunderjags a crack at the in-game musical choices!
Senior Recognition
A strong group of seniors will be honored before the game on Saturday. They are in no particular order: Jamie Sheriff, Jamall Hickbottom, Maurice Strong Jr, Carter Bradley, Desmond Trotter, Tanner McGee, La’Damian Webb, Marco Lee Jr, Reggie Smith, Josh McCulloch, Brandon Crum, Jacob Hopper, Lincoln Sefcik, Ke’Shun Brown, Trey Kiser, James Miller, Quentin Wilfawn, Keith Gallmon, Jalen Jordan, Jacob Meeks and Diego Guajardo.
Many of those names you’ve heard mentioned on this site, while watching on television or streaming, or on the radio broadcast. Thank you for what you have done as a Jaguar and for being outstanding ambassadors of the team and the school. We wish you the best in whatever comes next in your journey.
Prediction
The Jags are another double-digit favorite this week with a 10.5 point favorite to win. Every time the Jags have been favored this season I have cringed a bit just because of the uncertainty and the inconsistency.
But I think South Alabama will be ready for Marshall. If the Jag defense can pick up where they left off last week, they should hold Marshall in check like they did Arkansas State no matter who starts at quarterback.
Though the Jaguar offense did just enough to win, we’d like to see them do a bit more.
The weather was a factor last week though. A strong northerly wind with mist doesn’t make for the best playing conditions, particularly throwing the ball. The weather on Saturday looks good, so hopefully that means lots of fireworks and light display for South Alabama.
I think the Jags win and they squeak out a cover while they’re at it.
Go Jags!
South Alabama Earns Fifth-Straight Win Over Arkansas State Behind Strong Defense, 21-14
South Alabama held off a late surge for a 21-14 win over Arkansas State on a misty, windy evening at Hancock Whitney Stadium. It puts them one win away from bowl eligibility and marks their fifth consecutive win over Arkansas State in the series.
Carter Bradley returned from his knee injury he suffered against Louisiana-Lafayette to toss a pair of touchdowns to Jamaal Pritchett. La’Damian Webb ran for 163 yards and a touchdown. Quentin Wilfawn, wearing the honorary #5 jersey, led the team 9 total stops, 6 solo, 1.5 sacks, 2 tackles for loss and 4 quarterback hurries.
The Jags improve to 5-5 overall and 3-3 in Sun Belt Conference play while Arkansas State falls to the same 5-5 overall and 3-3 in conference play.
South Alabama opened the game with a three-and-out on the opening possession. Arkansas State found success running the ball early in their first possession, but the Jags defense stiffed up and held them to a field goal.
Head coach Kane Wommack has spoken all season that the team needs to be responsive, and they did exactly that on the next possession. On the second play of the drive, La’Damian Webb busted off a 60 yard run to the Red Wolves 12 yard line. Two plays later Webb finds the end zone on a 13 yard run to give the Jags the lead and they wouldn’t surrender it.
Late in the second quarter, the Jags faced a 4th and 5 from their own 41 yard line when they called a direct snap to Todd Justice. He found a big opening on to his left and rumbled for 19 yards. Though he fumbled at the end of this run, but it was covered by long snapper Travis Drosos. After calling a time out with :12 left until halftime, Bradley connected with Jamaal Pritchett in the left side of the end zone for a 20 yard touchdown. They took a 14-3 advantage into halftime.
Arkansas State took the opening possession of the second half and quickly burned the defense for a pair of passes for 17 and 24 yards. But the Jags defense regained their composure and held the Red Wolves to another field goal, making it 14-6.
But again the Jags responded.
Caullin Lacy returned the kickoff 40 yards to the 47, giving Bradley and the offense a short field. The drive was capped off by the second passing touchdown from Bradley to Pritchett for a 21-6 lead at the 7:52 mark of the 3rd quarter.
The Jags looked to be driving for another score in the fourth quarter when Webb slipped and was stripped of the ball at the Arkansas State 19 yard line. The Red Wolves capitalized with a 46 yard touchdown pass by Jaylen Raynor to Jeff Foreman. Raynor also converted the two-point conversion to make it 21-14 with 3:39 left in the game.
Arkansas State used their final two time outs and forced the Jags to punt with 2:44 left but a running into the kicker penalty gave the Jags 5 yards, which was enough for a first down. From there Webb was able to run for a first down to seal the game.
“I’m very, very proud of the responsiveness of our team tonight,” head coach Kane Wommack said. “We’ve been talking about doing hard things in hard times and certainly tonight was that. The last couple of games here, it’s been really hard. This season, we’ve had to grind for everything that we’ve gotten. We’ve earned wins and earned losses, but I’m very proud of our guys. I’m proud of our defense because we’ve talked about being responsive and being the aggressor, and I thought we stayed in the backfield all night.”
Team Stats
| Stat | South Alabama | Arkansas State |
| Total Yards | 344 | 302 |
| Passing Yards | 145 | 186 |
| Rushing Yards | 199 | 116 |
| 3rd Downs | 5-of-15 | 2-of-13 |
| 4th Downs | 2-of-3 | 1-of-3 |
| Penalties | 8 for 71 yards | 3 for 15 yards |
| Time of Possession | 32:52 | 27:08 |
Individual Stats
Carter Bradley finished 19-of-25 for 145 yards and two touchdowns with two sacks in his return.
Caullin Lacy was held to only 50 yards on seven catches. Jamaal Pritchett also had 50 yards on three catches with two touchdowns. La’Damian Webb had four catches for 32 yards.
Webb had 28 carries for 163 yards and a touchdown. Braylon McReynolds, making his return from his broken collarbone in the season opener at Tulane, added 20 yards on four carries. Todd Justice had the one carry for 19 yards on the fake punt.
Wilfawn has been playing lights-out over the last two games. In addition to his nine tackles, four quarterback hurries, two TFLs and 1.5 sacks, he also broke up a pass and kept pressure in Raynor’s face all night.
“[Raynor is] a really good athlete and getting pressure to him the whole game was one of our keys, and I th ink we executed really well,” Wilfawn said after the game.
Jaden Voisin picked off Raynor for his third of the season.
Jaylen Raynor was limited to 15-of-28 for 186 yards with an interception and a touchdown with four sacks. Raynor was also held to 26 yards on the ground on 10 carries.
Jeff Foreman led the receivers with 61 yards on three catches with a touchdown. Adam Jones added 30 yards on three catches. Courtney Jackson has 23 yards on two catches.
Zak Wallace was held to 56 yards on 11 carries. Ja’Quez Cross had 52 yards on 13 carries.
Next
South Alabama will attempt to earn bowl eligibility next Saturday when they host Marshall for their first-ever meeting. Marshall is also 5-5 and will also try to earn bowl eligibility. It will be the last home game of the 2023 season for the Jags. South Alabama will be honoring the Seniors prior to the game on Senior Day.
The game is scheduled to kick off at 4 pm and will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Preview: South Alabama Hosts Southern Miss Tuesday Night Nationally Televised Showdown
Kickoff: Tuesday, October 17, 6:30pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, AL
TV/Streaming: ESPN2
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
Thunderjags on X (formerly known as Twitter): @USAThunderjags
#5 Jersey: Wy’Kevious “Bubba” Thomas
Half of the regular season schedule is in the books. Through the first six games of the season we’ve seen some of the best play from the Jaguars, but we’ve also seen some of the worst. They’re record is an even split across the board: they are 3-3 overall and 1-1 in Sun Belt Conference play.
After back-to-back losses, South Alabama went to Louisiana-Monroe. They had never won in Monroe but this time they did in emphatic fashion. They took the Warhawks out behind the woodshed by the score of 55-7.
The next test for the Jags will be the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. In the three meetings between the two programs, the Jags have yet to lose to USM. They’ve won two in Hattiesburg and one in Mobile.
Both teams come into the game on Tuesday night with a little extra rest. Both teams last played on October 7th and have a semi-bye week. They don’t get a full two weeks between games, since they were picked up by ESPN to play a nationally televised mid-week game.
Southern Miss (1-5, 0-3 SBC)
Southern Miss head coach Will Hall are in the midst of a five-game losing streak in his third season at the helm. They opened with a 40-14 win over Alcorn State then dropped games to #4 Florida State, Tulane, Arkansas State, Texas State and Old Dominion.
They come to Mobile for only the fourth meeting between these two programs looking for their first conference win of the season and their first win against the Jags.
Offense
Despite the record, Southern Miss remains a team that you cannot take lightly. Frank Gore Jr is one of the best all-around backs in the country. He has 3,288 career rushing yards and 58 career receptions to go along with seven career touchdown passes.
The Golden Eagles average 23.7 points, 356 total yards of offense, 213.8 passing yards, and 142.2 rushing yards per game.
They are converting 36-of-94 (38.3%) on 3rd down attempts and are 7-of-16 (43.8%) on 4th down attempts. They hold a 33:16 to 26:44 advantage on average time of possession per game too.
Of their 25 trips into the red zone, they have scored 22 times, but 11 (50%) have been field goals.
Sophomore Billy Wiles is 107-of-200 (53.5%) passing for 1,254 yards with 7 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. His rushing stats don’t look so good because of sack yardage, but he has gained 122 yards on the ground yet he only has a net yardage of 14 for the season with a touchdown run. Quarterbacks have been sacked 14 times on the season.
Frank Gore Jr has only attempted one pass on the season and it was incomplete.
Jakarius Caston leads USM with 334 yards on 21 catches with three touchdowns. Latreal Jones leads the team with 23 catches with 324 yards and a touchdown. Tiaquelin Mims has 18 catches for 209 yards and a touchdown. Chandler Pittman adds 13 catches for 111 yards to round out the list of receivers with over 100 yards on the season.
Gore has 10 catches for 50 yards and a touchdown as the last player with double-digit receptions on the season. He leads the team rushing with 397 yards on 103 carries with four touchdowns. Gore has rushed for over 100 yards in two of his last three games.
Rodrigues Clark has 356 yards on 50 carries with two touchdowns.
Defense
The ‘Nasty Bunch’ defense has not been as nasty as their predecessors.
They have allowed an average of 35.3 points, 395.3 total yards of offense, 207.2 passing yards, and 188.2 rushing yards per game.
Opponents are only converting 26-of-71 (36.6%) of their 3rd down attempts and 4-of-7 (57.1%) on 4th down attempts.
They have 17 sacks on opposing quarterbacks on the season for a loss of 105 yards though.
Safety Dylan Lawrence leads the team with 36 total stops, 13 solo, with a sack. Fellow safety Jay Stanley is right behind him with 34 total stops, 18 solo, with ½ sack, a team leading two interceptions, 3 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Linebacker Hayes Maples is third on the team in total stops with 24, 9 solo, with 1.5 sacks.
Linebacker Jalil Clemons leads the team with three sacks.
Special Teams
Placekicker Andrew Stein is 13-of-15 (86.7%) on the season with a long of 52. His only two misses have come in the 40 yard zone.
Bryce Lofton is averaging 38.5 yards per punt with 10 fair catches, 7 downed inside the 20, and a long of 50 yards.
South Alabama (3-3, 1-1 SBC)
The Jags put together a consistent game last time out. The offense consistently moved the ball and the defense didn’t allow any big plays to note.
Offense
The Jag offense is averaging 32.2 points, 414.8 total yards of offense, 257.1 passing yards, and 157.7 rushing yards per game.
They are converting on 39-of-83 (46.99%) on 3rd down and 7-of-12 (58.3%) on 4th down attempts. They hold a slight advantage in average time of passion with 30:36 to their opponents 29:23.
USA continues to hold a perfect record when getting into the red zone. They have scored on all 20 trips, with 16 of them coming as touchdowns.
Carter Bradley is 117-of-178 (65.7%) passing for 1,456 yards, 11 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Gio Lopez is 8-of-11 for 87 yards and a touchdown, with most of that work coming last time out against ULM.
Caullin Lacy has stepped up as the Jaguars leading receiver. He has 39 catches for 723 yards with 6 touchdowns. He is averaging just over 18.5 yards per catch. He is third nationally in receiving yards. He has a five-game streak of 100+ receiving yard games entering this game.
Jamaal Pritchett is next with 19 catches for 251 yards and a touchdown. Tight end DJ Thomas-Jones has 9 catches for 103 yards. Fellow tight end Lincoln Sefcik has 12 catches for 88 yards and a touchdown.
Kentrel Bullock has 84 yards on 10 catches with a touchdown while fellow running back La’Damian Webb has 12 catches for 66 yards.
Webb leads the team with 476 yards rushing on 83 carries with 8 touchdowns. His eight rushing touchdowns has him tied for 3rd in the national rankings, while his yards ranks him 33rd.
Bullock has 285 yards on 59 carries with two touchdowns. Marco Lee Jr has 160 yards on 33 carries with two touchdowns as well.
Defense
The Jag defense is allowing an average of 22.2 points, 339.7 total offensive yards, 223.5 passing yards, and 116.2 rushing yards per game. Opponents are converting 31-of-79 (39.2%) of their 3rd down attempts and 2-of-6 (33.3%) of their 4th down attempts.
Opponents have scored on 14 of their 19 trips into the Jags red zone, with only 9 of them scoring a touchdown.
Trey Kiser leads the defense with 39 total stops, 18 solo. He also leads the team with 6 tackles for loss too.
James Miller is second on the team with 37 total stops, 13 solo, with 1.5 sacks. Jaden Voisin has 34 total stops, 13 solo, with a team-leading two interceptions.
Brock Higdon leads the team with 2.5 sacks.
Yam Banks, Wesley Miller, and Marquise Robinson all have one interception each.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo is 7-of-9 on the season with a long of 46. He missed a 52 yard attempt in the season opener against Tulane and a 43 yard attempt last time out against ULM.
Jack Martin is averaging 40.7 yards per punt with 10 fair catches, 7 downed inside the 20, two kicks of 50+ yards and a long of 53.
Injuries
Outside of the players that were lost for the season, head coach Kane Wommack anticipates that the players that are banged up will potentially be available against USM. Josh McCulloch has missed the last four games with a knee injury. Safety Mike Harris didn’t play against ULM due to an undisclosed injury.
Braylon McReynolds, Devin Voisin, Keith Gallmon Jr and Ed Smith are all considered out for the season. McReynolds has an outside chance to return late in the regular season and/or potentially for post-season play.
Keys to the Game
Consistency
The Jags have only played consistent ball for all four quarters in two games this season. Both were big wins (33-7 over Oklahoma State and 55-7 over ULM). When they play with consistency, the Jags are a powerhouse. They can beat any team in the conference.
But they have yet to play consistent ball in back-to-back games. This is an opportunity to do just that on national television.
Offensive Line
This is one of the keys to the game for at least the last two games. Even though Southern Miss haven’t shown it on the scoreboard, their defense has caused a bit of havoc on the season. They’ve collected 17 sacks of opposing quarterbacks and 32 tackles for loss.
They know that they have to attack at the line of scrimmage. They also know that the Jags have had some games where the offensive line hasn’t played very well either.
They’ll try to draw up some schemes to limit the Jaguar rushing attack and apply pressure on Carter Bradley.
Composure on the National Stage
The Jags have a somewhat bad history with nationally televised games. They have played flat and haven’t brought the same energy that they’ve had in other games not broadcast on a national platform.
I don’t know if it’s something to do with preparing to be seen nationally or just that the extra pressure has resulted in them playing tight historically.
This could be one of those games that, if the Jags don’t come to play for all 60 minutes, they could be on the bad end of an upset.
Prediction
Coach Wommack said that he and his staff spent a lot of time before the season planning out how they would navigate their two mid-week games. Getting off the usual Saturday game cadence and adjusting the schedule for a Tuesday night game with a couple extra days between can disrupt the rhythm of a team.
Hopefully the attention to detail helps the team play to their standard and ability.
South Alabama is a 15.5 point favorite against the Golden Eagles.
I think coach Hall and Southern Miss will throw everything they have at the Jags in order to find that first elusive conference win of the season. They’d also love to break that winless streak against the Jags too.
I think the Jags win, but I also think that Southern Miss will fight and cover the spread as their window to bowl eligibility is closing quickly. A loss to the Jags leaves them needing to win out with games against Mississippi State and Troy to close out the regular season.
Go Jags!
Preview: South Alabama Hosts Central Michigan For Homecoming, Final Non-Conference Game
Kickoff: Saturday, September 23, 4pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, Alabama
TV/Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
Thunderjags on X (formerly known as Twitter): @USAThunderjags
#5 Jersey: Desmond Trotter
This is an important game for the South Alabama Jaguars.
No, it’s not a flashy game against another Power-5 program. It’s not a conference game. It may be homecoming, but that’s not the reason either.
It’s an important game for two reasons: one, it’s next game on the schedule, and two, we get to see how the team responds after the last game.
You may be reading this thinking “man, you make it sound like they lost last week. But they won arguably the biggest game in program history last week against Oklahoma State.” But that’s exactly it. They won the biggest game in program history, now how do they respond?
The Greek philosopher Epictetus wrote, “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
Head Coach Kane Wommack took over the program in 2021 and he has consistently spoken about getting his players to have a neutral mindset. You cannot get too high on emotion, but you cannot get to low either. This week will be a big test for his team to see if they have that neutral mindset nailed down, at least from the emotional high that was last week.
The Jags (2-1) earned a program-defining win last Saturday in dominating fashion. They took a 23-0 lead into halftime and by the time the final whistle blew, they posted a stunning 33-7 beat-down of a Power-5 program in their own stadium. One of the intriguing stats we noted was that the Jags rushed for more yards (248) than Oklahoma State gained in total offense (208) for the entire game.
South Alabama has been showered with praise since the game ended. They were named the Cheez-It’s team of the week (which brought them a big delivery of assorted boxes of Cheez-It’s on Monday). They were honorably mentioned in Matt Mitchell’s “SEC Roll Call”, a weekly comedy sketch he does recapping the previous weeks performances. But they also have Homecoming festivities this coming week.
How they turn around and respond in this game could really define the remainder of the season.
This paragraph may induce PTSD, so be warned. In 2016, South Alabama traveled to Starkville, MS and earned their first win over a Power-5 and SEC program with a 21-20 win. Coincidentally, it happened to be coach Wommack’s first game with the Jaguars as defensive coordinator too. However the Jags lost the following week to Georgia Southern 24-9 as well as the next week at Louisiana-Lafayette 28-23. Then they needed overtime to survive an upset bid by Nicholls 41-40. Similarly in the 2016 season, they were able to defeat the then #19 ranked San Diego State Aztecs 42-24, but lost back-to-back games to Arkansas State (17-7) and Troy (28-21) afterwards.
Coach Wommack keeps stressing “consistency.” This game will be a big measuring stick for how much consistency the coaching staff has been able to instill into this program.
South Alabama (2-1)
In a way the Oklahoma State game was a carry-over from the second half of the Southeastern Louisiana game. The Jaguar offense scored on their first three possessions and four of their six first-half possessions, not counting the last possession with a mere 18 seconds left before halftime.
The defense kept the Cowboys off the scoreboard until early in the fourth quarter, and the longest plays from scrimmage was a 21 yard quarterback run and a 15 yard pass completion.
The Jags are +1 in turnover margin for the season. They have thrown three interceptions and lost three of the four fumbles they’ve committed. Defensively the Jags have forced five fumbles and recovered all of them while also collecting a pair of interceptions.
Offense
South Alabama’s mantra ‘Run The Damn Ball’ was on full display in Stillwater. La’Damian Webb, even on a play-count, rolled up an impressive 151 yards rushing on 18 carries with a pair of touchdowns. It was highlighted by a 65 yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that put the final dagger in the Cowboy’s heart.
Kentrel Bullock also had 18 carries for 71 yards and Marco Lee Jr had 6 carries for 30 yards.
Carter Bradley was 10-of-16 for 152 yards and two touchdowns, including a beautify placed 57-yard strike to Caullin Lacy.
Lacy led the Jags receivers with 5 catches for 104 yards and both of Bradley’s touchdown passes. Lincoln Sefcik had three catches for 21 yards. Javon Ivory and Bullock had one catch each for 17 and 10 yards respectively.
Lacy has really elevated his play after Devin Voisin was lost for the season to a knee injury last week. He was already a big-time playmaker before!
Josh McColloch suffered a knee injury mid-week and did not play, however the offensive line had their best outing so far this season with Jordan Davis stepping up and starting in McCulloch’s place.
The Jags are averaging 389.7 total yards of offense, 201 yards passing and 188.7 yards rushing per game. The running back corps are averaging 5 yards per attempt through three games.
The offense is converting 20-of-39 (51%) of their 3rd down attempts and 3-of-4 (75%) of their 4th down attempts. In the red zone they have scored on all 9 of their trips, with seven of them being touchdowns.
However, Bradley has been sacked 7 times on the season for 50 yards, but only twice last week by the Cowboys.
Defense
Coach Wommack, defensive coordinator Corey Batoon, and assistant coach Jay Hopson seemed to have really turned around the secondary after Tulane exploited them for several explosive plays. They only allowed 208 total yards of offense, 114 passing yards and 94 rushing yards to the Cowboys.
Through three games the defense is allowing an average of 352 yards of total offense, 252.7 passing yards and 99.3 rushing yards per game.
Opponents are converting just 13-of-34 (38%) of their 3rd down attempts. Of the 11 trips into the red zone for opponents, they have scored on 8 of them with only 4 coming as touchdowns.
James Miller leads the defense with 19 total stops, 10 solo, with a fumble recovery. Jaden Voisin is next behind him with 16 total stops, nine solo, with a forced fumble. Trey Kiser is third with 15 total stops, eight solo, with a tackle for loss, a pass breakup, and a quarterback hurry.
Brock Higdon leads the defense with 2 sacks on the season. Jamie Sheriff, Quentin Wilfawn, Khalil Jacobs, and Maurice Strong Jr have one sack each.
Yam Banks and Marquise Robinson both have one interception each.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo made good on both of his attempts against OSU last weekend and is 3-of-4 on the season with a long of 42. His only miss was from 52 in the season-opener against Tulane.
Jack Martin is averaging 43.4 yards per attempt, with a long of 53 yards. He has four fair catches, four downed inside the 20.
Central Michigan (1-2)
Despite the Chippewa’s record, they have been playing some pretty good football on the season. Both of their two losses come at the hands of Power-5 programs. The season opener was a 31-7 loss at Michigan State and last week they kept it close in the first half at Notre Dame before the Fighting Irish pulled away in the second half for a 41-17 win.
Between the two losses, the Chippewas earned a win against #11 ranked FCS New Hampshire 45-42 on a field goal as time expired. They led 42-28 with under six minutes left in the game. New Hampshire tied the game with a 71-yard catch-and-run with just over three-minutes left in the game.
Last week against Notre Dame, the Chippewas cut the lead to 7 before halftime before the Irish pulled away in the second half. The Irish, who put up 578 yards of total offense, took back any momentum with a 74 yard touchdown drive in only 7 plays to start the third quarter and never looked back.
Overall they are -1 on turnover margin. Offensively they have fumbled three times but recovered them all, however they have thrown three interceptions. Defensively they have one interception and a forced fumble that they’ve recovered.
Offense
The Chippewa offense is averaging 23 points, 309 yards of total offense, 145.7 passing yards, and 163.3 rushing yards per game. They are only converting 11-of-44 (25%) of their 3rd down attempts but they have converted 4-of-5 (80%) of their 4th down attempts.
Quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr missed the Notre Dame game with an illness but is expected to return and presumably start on Saturday. He is 18-of-36 (50%) for 280 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in those two games. Jase Bauer is 13-of-29 (44.9%) for 157 yards.
The top two receivers both have five catches. Chris Parker has 142 yards on his 5 catches with a touchdown. Tyson Davis has 92 yards with his five catches.
They have five players with three catches each. Jesse Prewitt III has 91 yards and a touchdown, Mitchel Collier has 30 yards, Marion Lukes has 28 yards, Myles Bailey has 11 yards, and Sam Hicks has 7 yards.
Myles Bailey leads the Central Michigan rushing attack with 186 yards on 38 carries with two touchdowns. Emanuel Jr is the next leading rusher, even with sack-adjusted yardage figured in, with 142 yards on 38 carries with two touchdowns in two games played. Marion Lukes has 75 yards on 19 carries. Quarterback Jase Bauer has 43 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown. BJ Harris has 11 carries for 32 yards, the last back with double-digit carries on the team.
Defense
Central Michigan runs multiple fronts. They will switch between 3 and 4 down linemen which give an even and odd look to the offensive line. So the Jaguar offensive line will need to stay on the same for their protection schemes. They have played pretty well against the run, but have been quite susceptible to explosive passing plays.
They are allowing an average of 38 points, 507.3 total yards of offense, 371.3 passing yards, and 136 rushing yards per game.
Opponents are converting 16-of-39 (41%) of their 3rd down attempts and 3-of-6 (50%) of their 4th down attempts.
Donte Kent leads the defense with 26 total stops, 18 of them solo, with a tackle for loss (TFL) from the secondary. Kyle Moretti is right behind him with 25 total stops, 14 solo, with two TFLs from his linebacker position. It drops off to 16 total, 7 solo, stops for Trey Jones from the secondary. Then Justin Whiteside has 13 total stops, 11 solo, for the highest ranking defensive lineman.
Jacques Bristol leads the team with three TFL’s with a sack, as part of his 11 total tackles. He is tied with Michael Heldman and Maurice White for sack leader. Heldman leads the team with 4 quarterback hurries.
Elijah Rikard is the only player on the defense with an interception.
Special Teams
Tristan Mattson, a redshirt-junior transfer from Arkansas State, is 2-of-3 on the season. His long is 47 yards, which was his first attempt of the season and came against New Hampshire as time expired. He also handles kickoff duty and has nine touchbacks on his 13 kickoff attempts.
Jake Walrath is averaging 45.1 yards across his 21 punt attempts. His longest kick was 63 yards. He has two touchbacks, five fair catches, five downed inside the 20 and seven kicks of 50+ yards. He can really flip field position in a hurry.
Keys to the Game
Neutral Mindset
The Jags will be coming off a big win over a Power-5 opponent. It’s also Homecoming week. This is a textbook upset script for the Chippawa’s. It also doesn’t help that they want revenge for last season and to get back to .500 on the season.
Coach Wommack speaks about having a neutral mindset. There are several keys to the neutral mindset. He doesn’t want players to get too emotionally high nor too emotionally low after a game, or even after a play. The players need to approach each play as its own entity, when the play is over it’s time for the next play. It doesn’t matter if the previous play was a big loss or a huge gain; you have to line up for the next play just the same. Each time you line up for a play, just do your job and trust your teammate to do his.
Taking what the defense gives
The Chippewa defense has been quite good against the run. While their passing numbers aren’t that good to observe, they haven’t been that bad against the pass either. Their biggest problem is explosive plays through the air, similar to what the Jags had trouble with against Tulane. They will be working to make similar adjustments this week and hope they show on the field when they arrive in Mobile on Saturday.
Carter Bradley may have to put the ball in the air more than he did against Oklahoma State for the Jags to win. If the Chippewa’s continue to be susceptible to the pass, that’s what the Jags need to exploit.
But a productive running game will also help loosen up the secondary too.
Offensive Line
Last Saturday, the Jags offensive line played arguably the best game of football in program history. They opened running lanes for the Jaguar running backs and they were pretty good in pass protection. Bradley was sacked twice in the game, but did not have a single quarterback hurry on the stat sheet.
Consistency is stacking one good game after another. They could really use another outing like that this week.
Not to keep repeating it, but Central Michigan has been good against the run. If they are able to get success stopping the Jags rushing game, they will turn up the pressure on Bradley and try to get him to force the ball downfield. Two of his three interceptions this season can be contributed to him trying to force the ball under pressure.
Injuries
Reggie Smith was injured late in fall camp and will miss the season. Braylon McReynolds suffered a broken collarbone against Tulane and will likely miss the entire regular season.
Before the game last Saturday, we found out that both Devin Voisin and Keith Gallmon Jr will also miss the rest of the season as well.
Gallmon Jr suffered a torn pectoral muscle early in the game against Southeastern Louisiana. This is the second time in as many seasons he has suffered the same injury and missed an entire season. However this time it’s the opposite pectoral as the one injured in 2022.
Voisin suffered a knee injury in the second half against SLU.
Thankfully, the Jags stayed pretty healthy against Oklahoma State last week.
Prediction
The Jags are pretty much a 14.5 point favorite across the board on most odd-maker sites. I was glad my prediction last week was completely wrong. When I pick against the Jags, I’m more than happy to be wrong.
It may be early for the Chippewa’s to circle the wagons, but I’m sure they feel an urgency for a win before they start conference play. They had 12 players out with Covid last Saturday and was within one score of Notre Dame at halftime (21-14). Thankfully the game will be at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
The Jags offensive strengths play into some of the strengths of Central Michigan’s defense. It will be interesting to watch how it plays out.
I’m going with the Jags to win, but maybe they don’t cover the 14.5 spread but barely. I think a strong second half leads to a Jags win 31-17, just under the spread.
Go Jags!
South Alabama Puts On A Football Clinic, Dominates Oklahoma State 33-7 In Stillwater
South Alabama went to Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma on a mission.
Mission Completed: 33-7.
The South Alabama Jaguars (2-1) completely dominated Oklahoma State (2-1) in every phase of the game, from beginning to end. The offensive line protected Carter Bradley and they opened holes for the running backs. The defense shut down the Cowboys rushing attack and the secondary played up to their talent level. The Jags dominated the time of possession. They didn’t turn the ball over. The special teams played flawlessly and even got a takeaway on a muffed punt late in the game to seal the win.
This is only the second win by South Alabama over a Power-5 team. It was by far the most decisive win. The previous Power-5 win was over Mississippi State in Starkville by a score of 21-20.
Carter Bradley threw two touchdown passes to Caullin Lacy in the first half, including a 57 yard touchdown with just over a minute left before halftime. La’Damian Webb rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns, the second touchdown a 65 yard scamper right up the gut of the Cowboy defense midway through the fourth quarter to seal the game.
They took a commanding 23-0 lead into the halftime locker room.
The Cowboys offense finally showed signs of life late in the third quarter. They finally got on the scoreboard to avoid a shutout with 12:14 left in the game.
The Jaguar offense went three and out, but Jack Martin’s punt was muffed and recovered by Travis Drosos at the OSU 24 which led to a field goal and a 26-7 advantage.
When Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy was faced with a 4th and 12 with about eight minutes left, he all but signaled it was over by sending in the punt team.
Then on the second play from scrimmage Webb broke free on his final carry of the game and took it 65 yards and the final score of the game.
Stats
South Alabama
South Alabama put up 395 yards of total offense, 243 yards rushing and 152 passing. They were 6-of-14 on 3rd down for the game, with most of their failures to convert coming in the second half. They held the ball for 34:35 and were flagged eight times for only 40 yards.
Bradley was 10-of-16 for 152 yards and two touchdowns. Desmond Trotter came in late but didn’t attempt a throw.
La’Damian Webb led all rushers with 151 yards on 18 attempts with two touchdowns. He averaged 8.4 yards per carry.
Kentrel Bullock had 18 carries for 71 yards. Marco Lee had 30 yards on six carries.
Caullin Lacy led all receivers with 104 yards on 5 catches with a pair of touchdowns. Lincoln Sefcik had three catches for 21 yards. Javon Ivory had one catch for 17 yards.
Oklahoma State had 208 yards of total offense, 114 passing and 94 rushing. They were only 4-of-15 on 3rd down attempts and only held the ball for 25:20. They were flagged seven times for 64 yards.
Diego Guajardo was perfect on two attempts from 39 and 42 yards respectively. Jack Martin averaged 43.8 yards across his five punts with one going 53 yards and three of them being downed inside the 20.
Oklahoma State
Alan Bowman started the game and went 6-of-12 for 42 yards and an interception. Gunnar Gundy came in and went 9-of-18 for 64 yards. Garret Rangel came on late and was 1-of-5 for 8 yards.
Jaden Bray caught 5 passes for 42 yards. Josiah Johnson caught two for 25 yards. Ollie Gordon had two catches for 13 yards.
Elijah Collins led the Cowboys with 31 yards rushing on 9 carries. Gundy added 27 yards on 10 carries. Jaden Nixon had 23 yards on five carries with the only Cowboy score.
Wes Pahl punted eight times with an average of 43 yards.
Final Analysis
This was the type of play that we’ve been looking for this season. It was also the type of play coach Wommack was looking for too.
“I thought our guys are starting to play to the level we’re capable of.” Said coach Kane Wommack. “We really haven’t played well the first two weeks, particularly in the first half. We were able to establish the run early, which gave us some one-on-one shots. We liked some matchups against a couple of their DBs, and we were able to get those matchups early. I think the nice thing is we knew we were very capable of coming in here and executing at a high level and physically putting a team away.”
Tulane exposed similar deficiencies that Western Kentucky exploited in the bowl game to finish the 2022 season. Some adjustments were evident last week against Southeastern Louisiana. But this week the Jags secondary locked all but locked down the Cowboys usually prolific receiving corps.
Before the game we found out that wide receiver Devin Voisin had torn his ACL against SLU and will miss the season. It was also released that Keith Gallmon tore his right pectoral muscle, the opposite one that caused him to miss the entire 2022 season and will miss the rest of the 2023 season.
Braylon McReynolds suffered a broken collarbone against Tulane and had surgery to correct it. He will likely miss most if not all of the Jags regular season. But coach Wommack left it open that he could possibly return before the end of the season or in postseason play.
Jordan Davis started at left tackle in place of Josh McCulloch after he suffered a knee injury in practice. McCulloch’s injury is not considered season-ending though.
Next
South Alabama returns home for their final non-conference game to host Central Michigan on homecoming. The game is scheduled to kickoff at 4pm at Hancock Whitney Stadium and will be streamed on ESPN+.
Preview: South Alabama Faces Off Against Oklahoma State In Stillwater
Kickoff: Saturday, September 16, 6pm
Venue: Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, Oklahoma
TV/Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
Thunderjags on X (formerly known as Twitter): @USAThunderjags
#5 Jersey: Trey Kiser
It took six quarters of football, but we finally saw the Jaguar team we expected this season make their real debut.
The Jags (1-1) first half of play against Southeastern Louisiana (0-2) was just the test we expected the Jaguars to face. SLU was able to move the ball on the Jags, but the defense wouldn’t break. The Jaguar offense also struggled to move the ball consistently early. But by the end of the opening quarter, it looked like the Jags had found their groove and were driving.
Penalties and negative plays completely derailed the drive and took them out of scoring position. They started the quarter at the Lions 25-yard line, but by the time 4th down arrived, they had given up 27 yards mostly due to penalties.
SLU scored first, but the Jaguars responded with a matching touchdown. The third quarter began with more adversity when Carter Bradley was intercepted on the fourth offensive play of the half. After the defense forced a three-and-out the Jags offense came alive with a spark by La’Damian Webb. South Alabama scored 21-straight points before the Lions stopped the bleeding with a field goal.
The next test for South Alabama is a familiar Power-5 foe, Oklahoma State (2-0).
Oklahoma State (2-0)
The Cowboys experienced a rather disappointing season in 2022 going 7-6. In 18 seasons as the head coach at OSU, Mike Gundy has had seven 10+ win seasons and two 12-win season. The 2021 season was one of those 12-win seasons. They were 12-2 with a win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. They were ranked #5 in the nation and on the precipice of their first appearance in the College Football Playoff. However, 9th ranked Baylor upset the Cowboys 21-16 in the conference championship game and knocked them out of the playoff picture.
The 2022 season started off 5-0 before dropping 6 of their final eight games.
So far, the 2023 season has started off on the right foot with non-conference wins over Central Arkansas 27-13 and Arizona State 27-15. But this may be the most vulnerable Cowboy team the Jags have faced in their match-ups over the last few years.
In 2018 they defeated the Jags 44-7 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium and then they defeated the Jags 55-13 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater 2018.
Offense
Head coach Mike Gundy and offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn have yet to settle on a single starting quarterback. They are currently rotating between three players: redshirt freshman Garret Rangel, senior Alan Bowman and sophomore Gunnar Gundy.
In the first two games each have seen action. Against Central Arkansas they played Rangel-Bowman-Gundy in that order. Then against Arizona State they went Bowman-Gundy-Rangel. All three are pretty equal athletically, neither one is more dynamic in the run game that the others. All three understand the offense and are efficient throwing the ball.
Rangel may be considered the most efficient of the three since he is 16-of-24 for 164 yards and two touchdowns with one interception and an additional 20 yards on four carries rushing. Bowman is 24-of-40 for 193 yards with -7 rushing yards on four carries. Gundy 12-of-16 for 138 yards, one touchdown, and has rushed for 12 yards on four carries.
Every year the Cowboys seem to have a deep stable of pass catchers and this season is no different. De’zhaun Stribling leads the team with 11 catches, 138 yards and a touchdown. Jaden Bray has nine catches for 118 yards. Brennan Presley has 10 catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns. They have eight other receivers who have caught passes so far this season.
Ollie Gordon II leads the rushing attack with 97 yards on 16 carries with a pair of touchdowns. Elijah Collins also has 16 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown. Jaden Nixon has 13 carries for 70 yards.
As expected the Cowboy offensive line are quite big. They average 306.6-pounds across their offensive line with the smallest listed starter at 296-pounds and the shortest is 6’4”. That size is probably a good reason why the Cowboys tend to rush the ball better later in the game.
The offense has only turned the ball over once and it was by interception.
Defense
The Cowboy defense is good at converging on the ball. The base defense is a 3-3-5 with three down linemen, three linebackers, two corners and three safeties.
They have allowed an average of 334 total yards of offense to opponents through two games. They give up an average of 116.5 yards rushing and 217.5 yards passing per game.
The defense has taken the ball away from opponents twice, once by interception and once by fumble recovery.
Safety Kendal Daniels leads the team with 15 total stops, 10 of them solo, with a fumble recovery. Linebacker Nickolas Martin is next with 13 total stops, eight solo, with three tackles for loss and two sacks. As a team, the defense has eight sacks and 17 tackles for loss.
Special Teams
The Cowboys have used two punters so far this season. Wes Pahl has 6 punts for an average of 47 yards per attempt, a long of 60 yards, three kicks of 50+ yards, three fair catches, two downed inside the 10, and one touchback. Hudson Kaak has four attempts for an average of 36.5 yards per attempt, a long of 42 yards, four downed inside the 20, and two fair catches.
Alex Hale is 4-of-5 on kicking duties with a season long of 52 yards.
South Alabama (1-1)
The Jaguar offense has taken a little time to find its identity this season. It wasn’t until the second half last week did we really see the offense play up to expectations. La’Damian Webb hasn’t fully gotten up to speed yet this season. He was limited in fall camp due to off-season surgery. He only had seven carries against SLU but he made them count by gaining 81 yards and scoring two touchdowns.
Kentrel Bullock and Marco Lee carried most of the load in the game with a brief appearance by true freshman PJ Martin. In all the Jags rushed for 248 yards and four touchdowns against the Lions.
Offense
The Jaguar offense is averaging 26 points, 387 total yards, 225.5 passing yards, and 161.5 rushing yards per game through the first two contests.
Carter Bradley is 42-of-56 (75%) for 448 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Caullin Lacy leads the team in both catches (15) and yards (199) with a touchdown. His yardage stats are aided by the 84 yard touchdown catch and run against the Lions. Jamaal Pritchett has 8 catches for 99 yards. Devin Voisin has 5 catches for 77 yards with a touchdown. Bullock adds 5 catches for 22 yards out of the backfield. Tight end Lincoln Sefcik has 25 yards on four catches.
Webb leads running back corps with 121 yards on 16 carries (7.6 yards per attempt) with two touchdowns. Bullock leads the team with 26 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown. Marco Lee has 11 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown.
Across the offensive line the Jags are big. They average 322 yards per starter with left tackle Josh McCulloch being the lightest listed at 312-pounds. Which may also lend to why the Jags also tend to run the ball better later in the game.
Defense
The Jaguar defense is allowing an average of 27 points, 424 total yards of offense, 322 passing yards, and 102 rushing yards per game.
James Miller leads the defense with 12 total stops, six solo, with a fumble recovery. Yam Banks, Trey Kiser and Jaden Voisin are all right behind him with 10 total stops each. Banks has 7 solo tackles, a forced fumble and an interception on the season.
Quentin Wilfawn leads the defense with two tackles for loss. Khalil Jacobs and Maurice Strong Jr are tied with one sack each.
Special Teams
Jack Martin only has three punts on the season, two of them against SLU last week. He is averaging 42.7 yards per punt with a long of 45, two fair catches and one downed inside the 20.
Diego Guajardo is 1-of-2 on field goal attempts, both in the season opener against Tulane. His long on the season is 36 yards with his only miss from a 52-yard attempt.
Keys to the Game
Secondary Play
The Jaguar secondary made some big strides from game one where Tulane took advantage with three explosive touchdown plays (two of 47 and one of 48).
Against SLU the secondary played better and more consistent. They gave up only one long pass in the game, but they allowed some easy, short passes to be completed and third downs to be converted.
The Cowboys are a better passing team than SLU though.
They will attack the perimeter and look to create one-on-one matchups to their advantage. They’ll mix tempos during the game at what feels like random. Likely the Cowboys will favor how their personnel matches up with the defensive personnel or they see something that is immediately exploitable, so they go up tempo to dissuade subbing players in-and-out. Or they simply want to catch the defense off-guard.
Offensive Line
The offensive line has struggled protecting Bradley early in the season. They found some success against SLU but Oklahoma State will be another big test for this unit. The starting defensive front they’ll be facing will consist of a trio of redshirt seniors. Actually on their two-deep chart they have nine players listed on the defensive line and seven of them are all redshirt-seniors.
Bradley was unable to stretch the field against Tulane. He doesn’t have a big, tall receiver to really go up and contest passes like Jalen Wayne last season. While the Jags receiver corps is really good, they are a little undersized in some matchups.
If the offensive line can win their battles and give Bradley time to throw and the running backs openings to run, the Jags can play some keep-away and shorten the game, especially with the new clock rules this season.
Stay Healthy
With Braylon McReynolds out for an extended time with a broken collarbone and Devin Voisin looking doubtful with a knee injury, the Jags really need to stay healthy.
McReynolds was listed as the #2 running back behind Webb coming into the season. He also was a primary kickoff returner averaging 23.1 yards per return last season.
Voisin was the leading receiver last season with 64 catches, 871 yards and five touchdowns last season.
Jalen Jordan and Keith Gallmon Jr are likely to return to the defensive secondary this week. Jordan sat out last Saturday after suffering a foot injury against Tulane. Gallmon suffered an unspecified injury against SLU and didn’t return to the game.
With Sun Belt Conference play quickly approaching, staying healthy for a run at the conference championship will be paramount.
Prediction
According to odds sites, the Jags are mostly a 7.5 point underdog to the Cowboys. One site has the Cowboys as much as a 9 point favorite.
I don’t really know about this matchup. One moment I feel like the Jags really have a good opportunity. But then I think how they played the first six quarters this season and how we’ve historically played against OSU and doubts creep in.
I think I’ll go with the pessimistic side and say the Cowboys cover narrowly, but I’ll be hoping that they prove me wrong on the field.
Look for a passionate performance by Trey Kiser, he’s returning to his home state and will be wearing the honorary #5 Anthony Mostella jersey this week.
Go Jags!
Preview: South Alabama Opens Home Slate Against Southeastern Louisiana
Kickoff: Saturday, September 9, 4pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, Alabama
TV/Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
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South Alabama (0-1) opens their home schedule against Southeastern Louisiana (0-1) at Hancock Whitney Stadium Saturday afternoon.
The last two games by the Jags, the “reverse bookends” if you will, were both played in New Orleans. That would be the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl to end the 2022 season and the 2023 season opener versus Tulane last week. They have both been humbling and glaring blemishes on what head coach Kane Wommack’s short resume as a head coach.
In his sophomore coaching season, he led the Jags to a 10-2 regular season and a bowl game. Western Kentucky found the most glaring weaknesses in the Jaguar defense and took full advantage of it to the tune of a 44-23 win over the Jags.
The similar issues plagued the team on Saturday: Secondary issues and doing your job. Tulane quarterback Michael Pratt had two touchdowns of 47 yards and a third that went for 48 yards. He was 14-of-15 passing for 294 yards against a defense that returned most of its starters from last season.
But it’s not time to pull the fire alarm on the season just yet. Not one game into the 2023 season.
You have to take the game and the match-up into full consideration as well. It was a top 25 game on the road. Tulane returned some very good players on both lines, and it showed. The Jaguar offensive line, despite its experience, couldn’t maintain their blocks to protect quarterback Carter Bradley from the big Green Wave defensive front.
Meanwhile the Jags defensive front had problems getting pressure on Pratt as the picked apart the secondary like a surgeon.
Coach Wommack has talked about facing adversity during the game and responding to that adversity many times. That’s exactly what happened on Saturday. On the second play from scrimmage, the normally sure-handed La’Damian Webb fumbled the ball away to Tulane, which put the Jags behind early.
But the team responded.
Down 10-0, the Jags cut the lead to a field goal early in the second quarter. Then after back-to-back scoring drives that ended with 47-yard touchdown passes, the Jags responded again. A field goal late in the first half and a touchdown about midway through the second quarter had the Jags within seven points.
Coach Wommack said during his weekly radio show that you don’t get chances like [facing a top 25 team] back, now they have to live with the consequences.
He identified problems in the secondary and offensive line that need to be correctly quickly.
The offensive line played fundamentally inconsistent in the game. However, coach Wommack said that they did well identifying defensive schemes, but they just didn’t execute with consistency.
He also said the secondary got caught looking into the backfield to make a big play and the opposite happened.
But the bottom line is that the coaches and players both believe it can and will be corrected.
Southeastern Louisiana
Next up are the Lions. SLU is coached by Frank Scelfo and he’s been named the Southland Coach of the Year twice since being named head coach in January 2018. He is 34-24 (25-13 in conference play). He led the Lions to the Southland Conference championship last year, their first since 2014, and to their third trip to the second round of the NCAA FCS playoffs during his tenure.
If the Scelfo name seems familiar, you’re right. His nephew, Joseph Scelfo, was a starting center for the Jags before transferring to NC State as a Grad Transfer in 2016.
The Lions know how to win, they finished 9-4 in 2022 and reached the second round of the FCS playoffs.
They have a whopping 17 players named to the preseason All-Conference team entering the 2023 season.
Offense
In 2022, under offensive coordinator Greg Stevens, the Lions averaged 35.3 points and 439.8 yards per game.
Helping the Lions out last season was former South Alabama quarterback Cephus Johnson. He finished his collegiate career with the Lions last season and was signed to the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers practice squad.
Stevens is known for coaching quarterbacks. In 2021 he helped Cole Kelley to Southland Conference Player of the Year, Louisiana Offensive Player of the Year, Walter Payton Award runner up and consensus All-American honors as the threw for 5,124 yards and 44 touchdowns with a completion percentage of 73.6%. But he also ran for 491 yards and 16 touchdowns as well.
SLU only managed 208 yards of total offense (125 passing, 83 rushing) against Mississippi State in their season opening 48-7 loss last weekend.
Starting quarterback Eli Sawyer was 11-of-19 for 85 yards in the first half before giving way to Zachary Clement. Clement went 5-of-9 for 40 yards with a touchdown in relief. Sawyer and Clement were named to the first- and second-team all-conference preseason teams respectively.
Harlan Dixon led the Lions with 51 yards rushing on eight carries. Rodeo Graham Jr ran for 23 yards on five carries. In all, eight players are credited with carries for the Lions, those that were not quarterbacks did not have any negative yardage against the Bulldogs.
Dixon also topped the stat sheet for the Lions with a team-high four catches for 42 yards. Darius Lewis added three catches for 25 yards.
Defense
Defensive Coordinator Bill D’Ottavio is in his third season with the Lions and his second season calling plays. In 2021 he coached safeties. Then in 2022, his first as the Lions DC, this squad finished 10th in FCS in turnovers forced (24), 5th in interceptions (16), and 11th in defensive touchdowns (3).
Previous to joining SLU, he was the defensive coordinator at Samford for 13 seasons, where he coached four NFL draft picks.
Defensive back Ian Goodly led the Lions with 15 total stops, eight solo, against the Bulldogs. Linebacker Herman Christophe collected 10 stops, 1 solo. Anthony Britton Jr., also a linebacker, finished with nine total stops, two solo, with a forced fumble.
The only player to record a sack was defensive back Khamron Ford, which was one of his two stops for the game.
Special Teams
Austin Dunlap had seven punts for an average of 46.3 yards per kick. His long was 56 yards, four of his kicks were 50+ yards and four were downed inside the opponents 20. He is in his senior year and has played in all five seasons as a Lion with a career average of 42.5 yards per punt with only two blocked, both in his freshman season in 2019.
Riley Callaghan (So) earned Stats Perform Freshman All-America and All-Southland Conference honors as a freshman is the teams placekicker. He went 15-of-18 (with a long of 47 yards) and was 42-of-44 on PATs. He did not attempt any field goals last week.
South Alabama
The Jaguar offense may not have played up to their potential in the first game, but they did show some of what they did well last season. La’Damian Webb wasn’t given much room to run, and was also kept out of the game for a while, but he found creases and eeked out positive yardage. He finished with 40 yards on nine carries.
Kentrel Bullock had 12 carries for 37 yards in his Jaguar debut. Braylon McReynolds only had two carries for nine yards before he left the game with an injury.
Carter Bradley was 23-of-30 for 190 yards, with a touchdown but he was also sacked five times and had two interceptions when he tried to force the ball out.
Jamaal Pritchett led the Jags with 63 yards receiving on five catches. Caullin Lacy led the team with seven receptions for 60 yards. Bullock added 19 yards on three catches out of the backfield. Devin Voisin was held to only one catch for a 7-yard touchdown.
As we mentioned above, we the offensive line struggle to protect Bradley, especially on obvious passing downs. Bradley trying to force the ball out, this led to a pair of interceptions.
There were a few key opportunities where the Jags faced 3rd and short and procedural penalties killed their opportunities. What would have likely been easy first downs by running the ball. Instead, two of them turned into quarterback sacks instead.
Defense
The Jaguar defense held strong against the run for most of the game. Quarterback Michael Pratt was just edged out by Makhi Hughes as the team’s leading rusher (41 to 39), and that was due to the Green Wave’s late success running the ball.
As mentioned earlier, the Jags secondary gave up two touchdown passes of 47 yards and one other for 48 yards.
The defensive front held the Green Wave to a mere 36 yards rushing in the first half. It wasn’t until later in the third quarter that Tulane started finding more success running the ball.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo went 1-of-2 in field goal attempts. His attempt from 53 yards out in the first quarter came up short. But he nailed a 36-yarder in the second quarter. In doing so, he broke the tie he had with former Jaguar placekicker Aleem Sunanon for the all-time scoring record. Guajardo now tops that list with 244 career points.
Jack Martin only saw the field once for a 45-yard punt.
Keys to the Game
Establish the Run
The Jags need to establish the run early against the Lions. They have a defense that loves to cause havoc and force turnovers. Last season the Lion defense forced 16 interceptions alone.
An old adage in football says, and I paraphrase “when you throw the ball, there are three outcomes and two of them are bad.” While that statement may still be true, it hasn’t stopped offenses from throwing the ball at a high frequency. But when your opponent has forced 16 interceptions the previous season, you may look to keep the ball on the ground a bit more if you can find success.
Webb has shown he can get it done. Bullock has shown, in one game so far, that he will be a good addition to the backfield.
However, it looks like the Jags will be without Braylon McReynolds for SLU so everyone moves up a spot on the depth chart. But with Marco Lee, Jonathon Carter (R-Fr), and a trio of true freshmen, the Jags look okay depth and talent wise at the position.
Tighten up the Secondary
Getting torched by three explosive touchdown passes in one game will definitely light a fire under you. But then if you go back and see how inconsistent they have played over the last two games (spanning the bowl game last season) and you know these guys are going to put in the work to get better.
You are only guaranteed a limited number of games in a season. You have to make your opportunities count. One has already passed. Now they have 11 more chances during this regular season to show what they can do.
This group needs to go out and show they can get it done on Saturday during game situations.
They need to get their eye discipline back and to simply do their job and trust their teammates to do their job as well.
Pass Protection
The offensive line had a tough assignment against Tulane. But they have to shake that off and get back to executing the fundamentals at a high level. The quarterback needs time to go through his progression and the receivers need to have time to run their routes.
Giving Bradley a little more time in the pocket will allow him to stretch the field vertically, making the defense have to cover and respect more of the field. Last Saturday against Tulane, the defense had effectively shorted the field that they needed to defend and the Jag offense struggled because of it.
Injuries
Jalen Jordan went out early in the game with a foot injury. Coaches think he could be ready to play against SLU, however they will know more later in the week. At this time, they are projecting him as Questionable.
Braylon McReynolds left the game with a shoulder injury after a kickoff return. Coach Wommack said he was “very questionable” for Saturday. They will also know more about the extent of his injury later in the week but we likely will not see him against the Lions at a minimum.
Yam Banks was forced out of the game in the second half after forcing a fumble. They put him in the concussion protocol. While they believe he will be cleared to play by Saturday, if he did suffer a concussion, it’s not a guarantee he will be able to suit up on Saturday.
Prediction
South Alabama opened as a 10-point favorite and the consensus is that the Jags are a 9.5-point favorite if you can find a line anywhere. Looking up and down their roster, their size and skillset are on par with what you see across the Sun Belt.
Southeastern Louisiana is no pushover.
The Jags have won eight consecutive games against FCS teams, but not without some close calls. In 2021, the Jags defeated Alcorn State 28-21. In 2016 the Jags needed two stops in overtime to earn a 41-40 win over Nicholls. The Jags lost to Southern Utah 22-21 to start the 2013 season.
I think they keep the win streak alive. But I think some of the fans who don’t read this site (or any site for that matter) will not be satisfied with the win because SLU is an FCS school.
I think the Jags cover the spread in the friendly confines of the ‘cock, but don’t look for it to be a blow out as the uninformed will expect. I think it’ll be something more modest like 30-13. Even if they are able to have their way with the Lions, I don’t think they will put too much on display for Oklahoma State to watch and prepare for when the Jags go to Stillwater in week 3.
Go Jags!