Preview: South Alabama Faces First Road Test Of 2022 At Central Michigan
Kickoff: Saturday, September 10, 12PM
Venue: Kelly/Shorts Stadium, Mt. Pleasant, MI
TV/Streaming: ESPN+
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
#5 Jersey: Darrel Luter Jr.
Thunderjags Twitter: @USAThunderjags
South Alabama (1-0) hits the road this week for their first road test of the season. They travel to Mount Pleasant, Michigan for their date with the Central Michigan Chippewas (0-1) of the Mid-American Conference.
This will be the Jags third MAC foe, previously the Jags have faced Bowling Green and Kent State. Overall the Jags are 3-2 against MAC opponents with a 2-1 edge over Kent State and splitting the pair of match-up against Bowling Green, the Jags fell to the Eagles in their first ever bowl game appearance in the 2014 Camellia Bowl then got revenge with a last minute field goal to win 22-19 last year in Bowling Green, Ohio.
This will be the first time South Alabama and Central Michigan have faced each other.
South Alabama came out and dominated Nicholls State last Saturday in the 2022 season opener. They were a 10 point favorite and had that covered in the first quarter as they cruised to a 48-7 win.
USA’s rebuilt offensive line and running back stable made their presence known. The line opened holes for La’Damian Webb and company to take advantage of. Speaking of Webb, he showed why the coaches spoke so highly of him all off-season. He finished two yards shy of 100 yards for the game on 18 carries with two touchdowns. But on all 18 of his carries, the first guy to touch him did not bring him down.
Quarterback Carter Bradley made good decisions in his first start for the Jags. He was 17-of-25 (68%) for 260 and three touchdowns. Two of his strikes were to Jalen Wayne, who has stepped up to fill the #1 receiver role after Jalen Tolbert went to the NFL after last season. Wayne recorded 98 yards on three catches, including a 52 yard touchdown reception in the first half.
Caullin Lacy stepped up with six catches for 72 yards. True freshman Braylon McReynolds, the McGill-Toolen standout, showed his versatility with some good runs as well as a few catches, with one catch going for an 18 yard touchdown in his debut.
Central Michigan
Central Michigan is coached by Jim McElwain. If you live in Alabama or have followed the University of Alabama football over the Nick Saban era, McElwain is a familiar name. He was the offensive coordinator for the Crimson Tide for four seasons and helped lead them to two national titles and the 2009 Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram.
Since his time in Tuscaloosa, he has had stops as head coach at Colorado State (22-15) where he turned the program from a 4-8 team his first season to a 10-2 team in his 3rd. He was then the head coach at Florida and compiled a 22-12 record, his first season he went 10-4 then was relieved of his duties in his third season when his team was 3-4 on the season and just lost to Georgia 42-7. He served one season as wide receivers coach at Michigan in 2018 before being named the head coach at Central Michigan. So far at CMU he has a 20-14 record, including a 9-4 record last year with a win over Washington State in the Sun Bowl.
Paul Petrino serves as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at CMU. Petrino had a very short (six week) stint at USA as an offensive analyst. Petrino was also head coach at Idaho during their four year stint in the Sun Belt Conference before they moved down to the FCS ranks. He was an even 2-2 against USA during that time. So it’s obvious he has some familiarity with the South Alabama program, both old and new.
The Chippewas started the 2022 season with a 58-44 loss to #12 ranked Oklahoma State in Stillwater, OK. They were behind 37-7 late in the second quarter and put up 22 points in the fourth quarter, including the last two touchdowns while converting both 2-point attempts.
Offense
The Chippewa offense actually out-gained Oklahoma State last week. They put up 546 total yards of offense, 424 yards passing and 122 rushing. Quarterback Daniel Richardson slung the ball around and finished 36-of-49 for 424 yards, four touchdowns and an interception.
The Chippewas had nine receivers catch at least one pass last week. Jalen McGaughy led the receivers with six catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Carlos Carriere caught five passes for 75 yards and a touchdown. Two other receivers caught six passes and one other caught five in the loss. This was after they sent two receivers to the NFL in the 2022 draft.
Lew Nichols led the backfield with 72 yards rushing on 26 carries with two touchdowns. Myles Bailey added 51 yards on nine carries. Bailey added three pass receptions for 28 yards and a touchdown, while Nichols added six catches for 26 yards.
In 2021, Nichols led the nation in rushing yards (1,848), yards per game (142.2), and carries (341) while tying for ninth nationally in rushing touchdowns (16) and 11th in total touchdowns (18). He ranked first in all-purpose yards (2,186) and all-purpose yards per game (168.2) as he was named MAC offensive player of the year and first team all-MAC honors among his other accolades.
In the preseason, Petrino and McElwain said they want to get the ball into the hands of their best playmakers: Nichols, Bailey, Marion Lukes, and Kobe Lewis. Lewis was a 1,000 yard rusher in 2019 who missed all of 2021 with a knee injury however he transferred to Purdue over the summer. But McGaughy and Carriere, a graduate transfer from Maryland, showed they were players to watch.
The coaching staff spent time in the spring scheming ways to get more than two running backs on the field in a one back formation when they were expecting to have Lewis back.
CMU sent two offensive linemen to the NFL from last season and lost one of their returning starters for the season with a knee injury in preseason camp.
The Chippewas will look to take advantage of whatever the defense gives them. They’ll look to spread the ball around the field then lean on Nichols to run the ball. They will present a challenge to the Jaguar defense.
Defense
Central Michigan uses a more traditional 4-3 base defense. Many schools are moving to more 4-2-5 defenses with the increase of hurry up, no huddle pass-heavy offenses in college football.
The Chipppewa defense had a tough outing against Oklahoma State. They allowed 531 total offensive yards, 406 yards through the air and 125 on the ground in the 58-44 loss.
Though the OSU quarterback was only 28-of-41 for the game, he did throw four touchdowns without an interception and only taking one sack.
OSU had 11 receivers who caught at least one pass in the game, four different receivers caught touchdown passes, and three receivers had over 70 yards for the game. But the Big 10 is known for slinging the ball around quite a bit.
CMU had to rebuild their secondary from a year ago. With the loss of two of their key defenders, they have turned to Trey Jones, a sophomore from Wetumpka, AL, who led the team with 9 total tackles, eight of them solo. They also brought in Junior College transfer Jayden Davis from Diabo Valley CC where he had 47 total tackles, 28 solo, with two interceptions in their six game 2021-22 season. They also started a standout freshmen at corner in Donte Kent.
Special Teams
CMU punted five time with an average of 39.4 yards per punt. They had one downed inside the 20. They missed their only field goal attempt of the game from 50 yards and was 2-for-2 on extra point attempts. They attempted a number of 2-point conversions as they were playing catch-up with the Cowboys.
South Alabama
The Jags imposed their will on Nicholls all game long, from the opening whistle to the final play. That’s what Jaguar fans have been wanting to see a South Alabama team do for a while now. The last time Nicholls visited Mobile, they took it to overtime and the Jags had to stop two 2-point attempts to notch the victory.
Central Michigan is no Nicholls.
This is when the rubber meets the road. What some would call a ‘tune up’ is over and their first FBS opponent awaits them.
But we learned a lot in the first game.
Head coach Kane Wommack praised his team in the Monday press conference with their identity showing up and winning the “double positives.” The double positives, creating explosive plays and ball security, was something offensive coordinator Major Applewhite studied over an eight year period as a graduate assistant at Texas. Every time Texas won the “double positives” they won the game.
Offense
Hold the presses, the Jags have a legit running attack.
But it starts with the offensive line. Coach Wommack had to dig a little deep on the depth chart at right tackle to start the season. They aren’t necessarily thin at offensive line, they have 21 on the roster at that position this season. But Starter Antawn Lewis and his backup Josh McCulloch were both out due to injury which led to redshirt freshman Adrein Strickland making his first career start. The Jags expect to get at least one, and hopefully both, back before facing the Chippewas.
Two things the team has worked on this week have been penalties (10 for 80 yards) and third down conversions (3-of-13, 23.1%). They had some situations where they didn’t execute and it put them off-schedule and in third-and-long situations.
On the plus side, the Jags had zero turnovers and only took two sacks.
In the Jags first game they put up 508 yards of total offense, 332 of it through the air and 176 on the ground. Those rushing yardage numbers is the most the Jags have rushed for since they put up 236 on September 18th in the third game of the 2021 season against Alcorn State.
The Jags will face a defense that is trying to find itself and recover from their play against Oklahoma State, particularly in the secondary. There will be plays to be made against CMU, the team will just have to execute.
Defense
The Jaguars Swarm D got after Nicholls from the get go. The Colonels didn’t scrimmage in Jaguar territory until about half way through the third quarter. They held the Colonels to 2-of-13 on third downs and forced two turnovers with opportunities for a couple more in the game.
Defensively the Jags only allowed 165 total yards of offense, 106 of that through the air and 59 on the ground.
Quite the dominant performance.
This week it will be a little bit different. Petrino was on the Jaguar staff for about six weeks in January and February. Not a very long time but definitely long enough to get familiar with the offense. Especially since he was an offensive analyst.
Will that help the Chippewas? Who know, but it sure can’t hurt.
The Chippewas have a tough offense to defend. If you stack the box to stop Nichols, then you have multiple receivers that they can throw to. If you drop back into coverage then you may open some running lanes for Nichols to exploit. They will have to play fundamentally sound on defense.
Special Teams
Jack Brooks punted six times with an average of 41 yards per kick. He had four downed inside the 20 and one kick of 50+ yards.
Diego Guajardo was 2-for-2 on field goal attempts, his longest was 48 yards. He also made all six extra point attempts.
Keys to the Game
Offensive Line Play
We all know the difference offensive line play means to the offense. Just look at 2018-2020 for some examples.
The offensive line played a little better last season. They were plagued with injuries and the unit became a patchwork for a period down the stretch. I mean at one point they were down to the slimmest of margins with the same player listed as backup for multiple OL positions.
The offensive line has been retooled and the OL unit is the largest on the team (21) with some experienced starters who have come in to help. The Jags average about 37 lbs more per player on the offensive line vs the defensive line they will be facing.
This week will show a couple of things. How much they have gelled as a starting, cohesive unit, and also how good they are against a team more on their talent level.
If they can continue to protect Bradley and open holes for Webb and Co, the Jags will have a good chance to get their offense going early.
Generating Pressure With Defensive Front
With the offensive talent that the Chippewas have, it’s important that the defensive front gets pressure on the quarterback on passing plays and are able to contain the run.
Quarterback Daniel Richardson isn’t the most mobile quarterback but as evidenced against Oklahoma State, the can sling the ball around. If the Jags defense can make him move and throw on the run, perhaps that will be enough to throw him off of his rhythm without having to commit extra guys to the rush.
But they can’t let Nichols and Bailey run wild either.
Run The Ball Effectively
This goes back to the first point, but the Jags running game needs to get in gear early.
While Oklahoma State exposed the Chippewa secondary and linebackers vulnerability, you better believe that McElwain and company have put in their work in this week to prepare for South Alabama. But if the Jaguar backfield can consistently average good yardage, help keep the offense on schedule, and convert first downs, they will force the defense to respect the run game and give Bradley and his receivers favorable coverage downfield.
You may see Bradley and Applewhite throw a home run ball or two early in the game before they open up the run.
Prediction
It’s a huge step up in class this week. The Jags handled what has been a very good FCS team last week handily.
This week will be different.
Central Michigan opened at a 6.5 point favorite, the line dropped to 4.5 points at on point. But it seems to have leveled out at 5.5 points, so 5.5 is what we are going with here.
I think the Jags cover and I’m going out on a line and saying the Jags win outright. I think the Jags special teams is the difference. Brooks looked great with his directional kicks pinning Nicholls inside their 20. He also can boom a kick to flip field position. Diego has been a model of consistency throughout his career. Jacob Meeks has done well on kickoff duty.
But what may be the special teams difference maker is Caullin Lacy.
Lacy has pumped life back into the return game that has been lacking for a few years now, particularly the punt return game. His 38 yard punt return against Nicholls is the fourth-longest return in program history. Tra Minter holds the record for the longest with a 75 yard touchdown return in 2016. Last season the Jags longest punt return was only 16 yards.
I say Jags win 38-37
Go Jags!
South Alabama Dominates Nicholls State 48-7 In Season Opener
The South Alabama Jaguars put in a dominant effort in their season opener against the Nicholls State Colonels to start their 2022 campaign with a 48-7 win.
Carter Bradley threw three touchdown passes and ran for another in his debut as the Jaguars signal caller. Jalen Wayne caught two of them for touchdowns. La’Damian Webb, also making his debut with the Jaguars, ran for two scores while finishing just shy of 100 yards. Mobile native and true freshman Braylon McReynolds added a receiving touchdown in his collegiate debut.
The Jaguar defense did not allow the Colonels to score until the fourth quarter when they had started letting reserves sub in for game experience.
South Alabama opened the scoring on their second possession of the game. On 2nd and 1 Bradley connected with Caullin Lacy for 35 yards to the Nicholls 36 to get the Jags offense in gear. Webb capped it off when he rushed off right tackle, barely untouched, for a 15 yard touchdown.
On the second snap of the Colonels ensuing possession, Brock Higdon recovered a fumbled snap to put the Jaguars back in business at the Nicholls State 24. The offense couldn’t get anything going and settled for a 39 yard field goal from Diego Guajardo for a 10-0 lead with 1:54 left in the opening quarter.
Defensive coordinator Corey Batoon’s squad forced a three-and-out. Starting at their own 17 yard line, it would only take Bradley and the offense three plays to put more points on the board. A pass to Terrion Avery on the left side for 14 yards, followed by a pass to DJ Thomas-Jones for 15 yards on the right side. Brandley would cap off the drive with a beautiful touchdown pass to Jalen Wayne just inside the left hash on a go route to put the Jags up 17-0 early in the second quarter.
The Jags defense forced a pair of three-and-outs but on the second punt from deep in their own territory, a poorly handled snap led to a 13 yard loss by the punter setting up the Jags offense at the 4 yard line. Bradley rolled right, tucked the ball and scampered in for the touchdown to put the Jags up 24-0 about midway through the second quarter.
Guajardo would add a 48 yard field goal with 1:30 left in the half for the halftime score of 27-0.
Both teams started out slow in the second half before a failed 4th down conversion by the Colonels gave the Jags the ball at their own 34 yard line. Three plays later Bradley connected with Wayne for this second touchdown of the game, this time from 37 yards out to put the Jags ahead 34-0 at the 6:58 mark in the 3rd quarter.
Another three-and-out by the Jags defense and a poor punt put the Jags in great field position at their 40 yard line. McReynolds converted back-to-back first downs on runs of 9 and 15 yards before Bradley connected with him on a pass out of the backfield, McReynolds cut back inside and took the ball in for an 18 yard touchdown to put the Jags ahead 41-0 at the 3:52 mark in the 3rd quarter.
Nicholls would break the shutout on their ensuing possession, a 9 play 75 yard drive consuming 4:28 off the clock. The drive was capped off by Gums’ 10 yard touchdown run up the middle.
South Alabama would answer right back though.
Desmond Trotter led the drive in relief of Bradley and on the second snap he connected with Lincoln Sefcik for a 24 yard gain on the right side. Webb capped off the drive with back-to-back carries for 7 and 2 yards to put the final score on the board.
The defense wasn’t quite done yet though. AJ DeShazor picked off a pass at the Colonels 29 yard line with 6:24 left in the game.
Stats
The Jags offense rolled up 508 total yards of offense, 332 came through the air and 176 came on the ground. The Jags rushing yardage was more than the Colonels total offensive yardage (165). USA had 24 first downs and averaged 6.9 yards per play on offense.
The Jaguar defense only allowed 165 total yards, 106 came through the air and only 59 rushing yards to the Colonels. They had 10 first downs and averaged only 3 yards per offensive play.
South Alabama played a pretty clean first half, but the second half saw the Jags commit a number of penalties. They were flagged 10 times for 80 yards. Nicholls State was only flagged twice for 9 yards in the game.
Bradley finished the game 17-of25 for 260 yards, three touchdowns and only suffered one sack. Trotter was 9-of-10 for 72 yards and also took one sack.
Webb led the Jaguar backfield with 98 yards on 18 carries with the two touchdowns. McReynolds added 25 yards rushing on three carries. Avery and Omni Wells both had 23 yards on five carries.
Caullin Lacy led the Jags receivers with 6 catches for 72 yards. Wayne had 3 receptions for a game high 98 yards with two touchdowns. McReynolds caught all four of his targets for 39 yards and a touchdown.
Jack Brooks punted six times with four of them downed inside the opponents’ 20 yard line with a long of 58 yards.
The Colonels duo of Julien Gums and Collin Guggenheim combined for a total of 45 yards, Gums earned the only score of the game for Nicholls.
Kohen Granier finished the game 15-of-27 for 106 yards with an interception. KJ Franklin was also kept in check with only three catches for 14 yards. Neno Lemay led the Colonels with 40 receiving yards on three catches.
This breakout win was the most points scored by the Jags since posting 52 against Idaho in 2015. The margin of victory was the largest since the 45-0 win over Alabama A&M in 2017, and the most points scored in a season opener since the Jags put up 56 points against Pikeville in 2010.
“It was the momentum you want to build the first game of the season with,” said Jaguar head coach Kane Wommack. “We saw some of the things that we had talked about all offseason long: physicality, being able to establish things in the running game.”
“You saw some of the dynamic talent we have in your backfield,” coach Wommack continued.
“La’Damian did a tremendous job of getting his body back and getting ready to go,” Wommack said of the former Mr. Football who suffered a broken foot in spring practice and a broken hand over the offseason. “We had a short time frame to get him to the point where he could be rolling. I’ve said this before, but a tremendous job by our training staff and our strength staff. There was talk at one point about him being limited all the way up until the fifth or sixth game of the season, and he was full-go going into our first game.”
“He’s a back, that as he gets going and starts feeling it, and as our offensive line improves, I think his best football is ahead of him.”
“I thought Carter did a pretty good job of taking care of the football,” Wommack said. “He made some pretty good choices with the ball. He did a good job seeing what the defense was giving us and taking advantage of that. Obviously, you can see his arm talent, some of the things he was able to do down the field.”
“It took me and Carter a minute to jell and get our chemistry right, but we’ve been working as hard as we could this past summer to make sure we could come out clicking,” Jalen Wayne said. “Nowadays, it’s almost like catching a handoff from him. He puts it right in my stomach. It’s easy. He can throw it, though.”
“Defensively, I thought we did a tremendous job of keeping the main thing the main thing: stopping the run. We established the line of scrimmage,” Wommack observed of the defense.
“We talk about playing the ‘Swarm D’ mentality,” Wommack observed. “Our linebackers did a great job of being physical and tracking the ball all night. And when the ball was in the air, there was never a time we didn’t have somebody right there after them.”
Next Game
South Alabama travels to Mount Pleasant, Michigan to take on Central Michigan. Kickoff is set for 12pm central with TV coverage on ESPN+ and radio coverage on the Jaguar Radio Network.
