Jags Vs Trojans: The 2019 ‘Battle for the Belt’
South Alabama and Troy started playing each other annually as the Jags were a transitional member of FBS. In 2015, in order to give the game the significance people thought it deserved, the two schools embraced the title “Battle for the Belt” and adopted a wrestling style championship belt as the trophy to be exchanged between the two schools.
Since introducing the Belt trophy, neither school has successfully defended the title and the road team has been the winner.
In 2017 South Alabama traveled to Troy with a 1-4 record and displayed grit and determination on national TV to bring home the belt. They did it with a stifling defense, solid special teams play, and enough offense to get the job done against an eager Trojan defense. That was also a Trojan team that defeated LSU and won 11 games.
Last year the Trojans came to Mobile with a big crowd and took a two-score lead early in the second quarter before cruising to a 38-17 win.
The Jags enter the game with a 1-5 record overall and 0-2 in conference play on the season and desperately seeking a win against an FBS opponent. They also enter the game after a tough double-overtime loss to Georgia Southern last time out on the field.
The team is talented and has shown flashes of that talent, but have been unable to put it together from the opening kick all the way until the scoreboard shows :00 at the end of the game.
Head coach Steve Campbell, defensive coordinator Greg Stewart and offensive coordinator Kenny Edenfield all have very strong ties to Troy. All three were teammates on the 1987 NCAA Division II national championship team. Stewart was also on the 1984 national championship team. Edenfield has the most experience in this rivalry as he’s been an assistant coach at Troy for 10 years prior to joining Campbell at USA in 2018.
Troy enters the game with a 2-3 record under new head coach Chip Lindsey. They too enter the game after a tough loss, a 42-10 whipping at Missouri. Also adding insult to injury, they may be without quarterback Kaleb Barker due to an injury against Missouri. With that, they hope to have a strong showing by their defense, who has already allowed over half the points in five games as they allowed in 13 games last season.
But the Jags coaching staff aren’t quite buying it. They think Barker will actually play in the game and his questionable status is just something to force the Jags to prepare for both contingencies.
Troy will definitely scheme to stop Tra Minter and the Jags running game. He is obviously the center piece to the Jags offense. He is quite clearly the primary running back, often the leading receiver, and returns kicks and punts.
The next player the Trojan defense will look to neutralize is Kawaan Baker. Behind Minter, Baker is the next most consistent playmaker in the offense through jet sweeps and pass catching.
The third and one that touches the ball the most, Cephus Johnson, has been quite efficient running the ball in recent games. Johnson also showed off his arm against Georgia Southern with two big touchdown passes of 75 and 60 yards to Baker and Jalen Tolbert.
This may give have given Troy something else to prepare for as Troy’s secondary has been struggling so far this season. Couple that with the possibilty of a second-string quarterback stepping in and getting stops and limiting scoring opportunities by the Trojan defense will be a premium.
The Jags defense has played strong this season with standout performances against Nebraska and Georgia Southern. Through most of the game the Jags played strong but when the defense is on the field for over 40 minutes, its no wonder the Eagles were able to drive down the field to tie the game and send it to overtime.
The major difference the Jags will see when they face the Trojans is the offense. Under Lindsey. the Trojans are spreading the field and throwing the ball more when, under Neal Brown, they ran more Run-Pass Option (RPO).
Defensively the Trojans are pretty similar to last year.
The Trojans are a 15 point favorite in the game. Both teams have had extra time to prepare and scheme ahead of a nationally broadcast game.
Can this be the week the Jags turn the corner on the 2019 season?
I think the Jags will play inspired and energized game in this rivalry game. They will have a chance to win. So I think the Jags will cover the spread but they have to prove themselves before I can pick them to win outright. I definitely don’t want the Trojans to be the first to defend the belt since it’s introduction. I hope the trend keeps up and the road team wins the game.
Go Jags
South Alabama Falls To Georgia Southern 20-17 In 2OT
The South Alabama Jaguars fall in heartbreaking fashion in double-overtime to Georgia Southern 20-17 in an ugly game.
The Eagles (2-3, 1-1 SBC) tried everything to give the game away, but the Jaguars (1-5, 0-2 SBC) just couldn’t capitalize down the stretch. It was blind side pressure on quarterback Cephus Johnson that ultimately set up the Eagles for their game-winning field goal attempt in the second overtime period.
You may be asking ‘how ugly was it’?
Well, let me tell you some numbers. The Jags only had 4 first downs in the game to GSU’s 22. The Jags finally surpassed the 100 yards of total offense about midway through the third quarter. They ended the game with 242 total yards of offense to GSU’s 383. USA only managed 48 yards rushing to 305 for the Eagles. USA threw the ball for 194 yards while the Eagles gained 78 through the air.
Georgia Southern ran 83 offensive plays and held the ball for 40:38. The Jags only ran 39 offensive plays and possessed the ball for 19:22.
USA was 0-of-10 on 3rd downs. That’s right zero, zilch, nada, nothing, nil.
GSU was 5-of-18 on 3rd down and converted their only 4th down attempt.
Georgia Southern was the first to get on the scoreboard with a 46 yard field goal at the 11:03 mark in the second quarter. But their lead would not last long.
On the first play from scrimmage for the Jags, Johnson lofted a ball up and over the Eagle defense and right into Kawaan Baker’s arms for a 75 yard touchdown to take a 7-3 lead only :11 seconds after GSU broke the scoreless tie.
After a three-and-out by the Jags offense and a 25 yard punt by Jack Brooks gave Georgia Southern excellent field position at the USA 42. After an incomplete pass to start the drive, GSU rushed six consecutive times and found the end zone to retake the lead 10-7 with 1:11 left in the third quarter.
After punting back and forth, the Jags started at their own 20 yard line after a touchback when Tra Minter took the second down handoff 20 yards to the Jaguar 40 yard line. Then Johnson loaded up and tossed it deep for Jalen Tolbert, who hauled it in and scoring his first career touchdown on the 60 yard play with 5:41 left in the third quarter.
The Jags were looking to put the game away when Johnson lofted another deep pass to Kawaan Baker, but this time Baker had to slow down for the ball ever so slightly which allowed the Georgia Southern defenders to bring him down at the GSU 31 after a 43 yard gain. However the Jags would not be able to keep the chains moving and had to settle for a 45 yard field goal by Frankie Onate at the 4:24 mark in the fourth quarter giving the Jags a 17-10 lead.
After Diego Guajardo’s kickoff went out of bounds, the Eagles then methodically marched the ball down the field with runs of 14, 9, 16, and 22 on consecutive plays to get to the Jaguar 4 yard line. They finally punched it in on 3rd and goal at the 1 to tie the game at 17-all with :20 left in regulation.
South Alabama won the overtime coin toss and elected to go on defense first. The Jags defense bent but didn’t break. The Eagles got to the Jaguar 5 yard line before going in reverse via penalties for illegal formation then an illegal forward pass.
The 32 yard field goal was hooked left giving the Jags the opportunity to score and end the game.
The Jags offense went backwards with a loss of a yard by Minter followed by a false start putting the ball at the 31 yard line. Onate’s 45 yard field goal attempt was blocked to go to the second overtime period.
This time the Jags went on offense first and on the first play Randy Wade beat the left tackle and got to Johnson stripping the ball before he could throw it and the Eagles pounced on it.
The Eagles were content to just run the ball mostly between the hashmarks until the last run put it on the left hash, the same position of the missed field goal just minutes before.
However this time it split the uprights for the 20-17 final score.
Minter was held to 45 yards on the ground and just 8 yards receiving. Kawaan Baker led the receivers with 126 yards and a touchdown on four receptions. Tolbert had the one catch for 60 yards and a touchdown.
Shai Werts threw the ball 17 times and completed nine of them. But he was also the games leading rusher with 102 yards on 20 carries. JD King rushed for 72 yards on 22 carries.
South Alabama will have 13 days to get ready for their trip to Troy for the 2019 Battle for the Belt. Troy will play on Saturday and will have 10 days to prepare.
While the Jags finally found a deep pass threat, they had some significant issues in other offensive phases of the game. They couldn’t run, they couldn’t convert third downs, and they were significantly out-snapped and out-possessed by their opponent.
“We did some good things, but obviously not enough to win the game,” head coach Steve Campbell said after the game. “It’s very disappointing.”
“We couldn’t generate any kind of a running game, and that was the difference,” Campbell said. “We could not run the football. We had a hard time blocking their defensive front and linebackers.”
On a bright note, the Jags defense held up very well considering the situation.
Now the Jags have a bye week and 13 days to prepare for their in-state rival.
They are going to need it.
Go Jags!
South Alabama Hosts Georgia Southern In Thursday Night Sun Belt Showdown
South Alabama was able to move the ball early against Louisiana-Monroe last Saturday. They actually scoring first to take the lead, however after that they struggled until late in the game.
The combination of Tra Minter and Cephus Johnson moved the ball effectively on the ground with Minter rushing for 150 yards and Johnson adding 72 more. However, as ULM extended their lead, it forced the Jags into more throwing situations and the offense became less effective with fewer than 60 yards passing.
The Jaguar defense got a stop on the Warhawks first possession, but began to allow big plays afterwards, including a number of crucial conversions on third down and two fourth downs that led to touchdowns.
But the ability of the Warhawk receivers to get open and run free in the secondary has to be very concerning. Also concerning is that some of the top tacklers for the game were in the Jaguar secondary.
With the loss still fresh on the players minds, maybe it’s a good thing that they have a short week to prepare for Georgia Southern.
GSU, like the Jags, have struggled out of the starting block this season. The Eagles are 1-3 on the season and dropped their conference opener last Saturday against Louisiana-Lafayette 37-24. Their only win, similar to USA, is against an FCS team (Maine).
The Eagles will bring their triple option offense into Mobile, an offense that has historically given the Jaguars major headaches in the past.
Through their first four games, the Eagles have averaged just under 202 yards per game rushing and have only thrown the pass 41 times. While it may be a one-dimensional offense, if you can roll up those kind of yards you basically have to be stopped. That is what GSU does to you, if you cannot stop their triple option rushing attack then you’re in for a long day. They will wear you down, beat you up, and control the clock basically strangling you out of a chance to win.
What a defense has to do when facing a triple option team is they have to play assignment football and stay disciplined. Someone has to cover the dive, someone has to be on the pitch man and not let him get to the perimeter and someone has to be on the quarterback.
Unless you see the triple option on a regular basis, its hard to really master that as a team. Additionally, the Jags defense is playing pretty undisciplined too: missed assignments, poor tackling, and getting gashed for big plays.
The Eagles offense struggled ever since redshirt junior quarterback Shai Werts was injured in the season opener against LSU and then missed the next two games. He returned against Louisiana-Lafayette and rushed for 93 yards and threw for another 37 yards on 6-of-12 passing but was sacked three times.
Additionally, junior running back Wesley Kennedy III is set to return after serving a four game academic suspension.
In 2017, the winless Eagles under the direction of interim head coach Chad Lunsford and coming off a bye week took the Jags to the woodshed and held the Jags to their first-ever shutout, 52-0. This devistating loss sealed head coach Joey Jones’ fate.
Since that game the Jags have a 4-14 record with only two wins against FBS opponents to show for it.
In order for the Jags to win, they need to control the ball and keep it out of the hands of Werts and company. If the offense is unable to convert third downs and keep moving the chains, it’s going to be a very long game for the defense.
The Jags enter as a 12 point underdog at home, both teams are hungry to break two-game losing streaks, and to get their first conference win of the season.
It’s truly a battle of who wants it more.
So over the last few weeks if I picked the Jags to cover, they wouldn’t and vice versa if I picked them not to cover, they have. So I don’t know if I should knowingly pick the opposite and hope for the best or to go straight up and pick my gut.
Picking my gut, the Jags cover the spread, however the Eagles are the ones who walk away with the victory. The Jags are 0-5 against the Eagles, historically have had fits trying to defend the triple option, and they just don’t seem to have what it takes to turn it around in a short week. Especially when the offensive line cannot protect the quarterback.
South Alabama and Georgia Southern kick off at 6:30pm Central time. The game can be seen on ESPNU nation wide and radio coverage can be heard on 99.5 fm The Jag in the Mobile area as well as world wide on the iHeartMedia app.
Go Jags!
South Alabama Drops Sun Belt Conference Opener To Louisiana-Monroe 30-17
South Alabama played a somewhat better game than the previous two, but still wound up on the short end of a 30-17 score in Monroe, Louisiana. The Jags fall to 1-4 overall and 0-1 in Sun Belt Conference play. This was also the 12th consecutive road loss.
The Jags opened the game with a stop on defense and then led a 12-play, 90 yard drive for a touchdown to take an early 7-0 lead. But were unable to sustain the offensive momentum for the whole game.
ULM answered the Jaguars touchdown quickly with a tying touchdown and it only took 1:29 off the clock.
USA had a chance to regain the lead, but an overthrow by Cephus Johnson was intercepted in the end zone on the first play of the 2nd quarter.
The Jags were able to keep the Warhawks out of the end zone, but gave up a field goal off the turnover.
After being unable to sustain the drive and being forced to punt. The Warhawks used big plays to put another touchdown on the board. They only needed four plays to cover the 72 yards to take a 17-7 lead.
South Alabama drove down to the 4 yard line before stalling and having to settle for a field goal.
The Jaguar defense forced three-consecutive punts to open the second half, but then the Warhawks scored touchdowns on their next two possession all but putting the game away.
USA added a late touchdown to cover the spread. After being unable to recover the onside kick the game was over even though the Jags would get the ball one more time there was really no threat.
The South Alabama offense rolled up 263 yards rushing, with Tra Minter rushing for 150 of them on 19 carries. But they were hampered with penalties at the wrong time, though they were few at least.
The offensive line was outmatched, despit out weighing the ULM defensive line. Cephus was pressured and sacked on numerous occasions. Coach Steve Campbell, an offensive line guru, has yet to get the Jaguar offensive line to put together four quarters of good play.
“I thought we did some things better,” coach Campbell said after the game. “We ran the ball better, but we didn’t have any success through the air until late in the game when we had to spread it out and had to start throwing it. Disappointing loss, very disappointing.”
“We let too many opportunities slip away,” Campbell said. “We’re not there yet. We’ve got to keep grinding, keep pushing.”
Campbell and his team will have a short turnaround as they will play Georgia Southern on Thursday night at Ladd-Peebles Stadium with kickoff scheduled for 6:30pm. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.
South Alabama Opens Conference Play Against Louisiana-Monroe
In the past two games South Alabama has been outscored 77-9 and have fallen to 1-3 on the season. But the coaching staff is quick to tell you that the real season starts now. They have eight games remaining in the season and they are all conference games.
The coaches are correct.
If the Jags can make a huge turnaround in time, they can still get bowl eligible with five wins. Plus they still hold their own destiny in making the inaugural Sun Belt Conference Championship too.
But as much optimism the first game of the season against Nebraska gave the fans. The last two game have soured them as much or maybe more.
The offense has protected the ball better after turning the ball over several times in the first couple of games. However, the offense has been ineffective moving the ball the last two weeks. They seemed to have been starting to find their way late in the first quarter of the UAB game as Cephus Johnson was running the option pretty well. Cephus racked up 41 yards on six carries, unfortunately he had to leave the game with a concussion late in that first quarter.
After losing some offensive firepower last season both to graduation and to the transfer portal, the number of offensive play makers has dwindled. Tra Minter still leads the team rushing and in all-purpose yards while Kawaan Baker is a great possession receiver who is able to make big plays and has been effective at times running the jet sweep and snagging a touchdown here and there. It has made it hard to get the ball into those play makers hands.
USA’s defense could not get stops against Memphis or UAB. The Blazers controlled the ball for 39:58, wasn’t forced to punt until the 3rd quarter, and allowed them to convert all four 3rd down conversion on the opening drive of the second half, a drive that lasted almost nine full minutes.
As the Jags head into their first conference game of the season against Louisiana-Monroe, they enter ranked 117th of 130 FBS teams in total offense (322.5 yards per game), 119th in passing (146.5 yards per game, and 124th in scoring (16.75 points per game).
In head coach Steve Campbell’s press conference to begin the week, he said that the problem wasn’t the offensive strategy, but rather execution.
“We can draw up new plays, but it is still going to be about a little thing here and a little thing there,” Campbell said Monday. “It’s not what we’re doing, but how we are doing it. Obviously, we need to get the ball to Tra Minter and make sure that KB [Kawaan Baker] gets opportunities.”
The offensive line was manhandled by the Blazers on Saturday. They allowed four sacks and eight tackles for loss.
The Warhawks forced Florida State into overtime in a 45-44 loss to the ‘Noles. They scored 20 points against a good Iowa State team. But on the other side, they allowed 72 points to Iowa State.
South Alabama needs to get off to a fast start on both sides of the ball. They can’t afford to fall behind early and struggle moving the ball and scoring points. After the first drive of the second half against UAB, the Jags defense was able to get stops on the Blazers. Similarly, the Jags defense got stops in the second half of the Memphis game as well.
The defense needs to clamp down early. They could really use Tyree Turner, who is doubtful with an ankle injury suffered against Nebraska.
Offensively, the Jags have got to extend drives by converting 3rd downs and ultimately put points on the board. If it’s by running more option and play action passing then do it, because the RPO has not been working.
It’s running the same play over and over again and the opponents have gotten wise to it. I’m looking at you Kenny Edenfield, as the offensive coordinator you need some better scheming.
The coaching staff has reiterated their support of Cephus as the starting quarterback. But heading into the game he (concussion) and wide receiver Jalen Wayne (foot) are both listed as probable.
The current spread is ULM by 16 points. I’ve picked the Jags the last two weeks to cover and it hasn’t worked out for me. But also based on what I’ve seen the last two weeks, I don’t know if they can turn around everything that is wrong in just one week.
I think the Warhawks cover the 16 point spread, but a late surge by the Jags makes it close. The Warhawks allow 244 yards per game and nearly 6 yards per carry rushing.
South Alabama and Louisiana-Monroe kick off at 6pm in Monroe, LA. The game will be available to streamed on ESPN+ with a subscription. Play-by-play coverage will be aired on 99.5FM The Jag locally in Mobile and worldwide via iHeartMedia app on the web and smartphones.
Jags Take Another Thumping, Fall to UAB 35-3
South Alabama travelled to Birmingham for their final non-conference game of the 2019 season against the UAB Blazers and came home with a 35-3 loss.
Tyler Johnston III threw for 313 yards and three touchdowns on 22-of-27 passing while also running for 26 yards against the Jaguar defense. In all, the Jags defense gave up 514 yards of total offense.
In a game with few highlights for the Red, White, and Blue, Tra Minter led the Jags with 43 yards rushing and added three catches for 34 yards.
Nick Mobley, sophomore linebacker, led the defense with 10 stops. Keith Gallmon and DJ Daniels each had nine and eight stops respectively in the secondary.
The few highlights for the Jags this week is that they won’t make Sportscenter, C’mon Man, or You Had One Job segments this week with a botched point-after attempt that turns into two-points for the opposite team. They avoided a shut out by notching a field goal in the first quarter. Though they were shut out of the end zone. They did not turn the ball over and were only called for just four penalties.
Cephus Johnson had to leave the game early due to being diagnosed with a concussion, though he was visibly not happy about it on the sideline. He finished the game 3-of-5 passing for 7 yards and 41 yards rushing on six carries.
Tylan Morton came in and went 5-of-10 for 76 yards. Desmond Trotter saw some action late and his only pass attempt was incomplete.
Jalen Tolbert and Kawaan Baker both caught two passes for 23 and 22 yards respectively.
Blazer Spencer Brown carried the ball 18 times for 80 yards and two touchdowns.
With the non-conference slate finished, the Jags will need to regroup for the meat of your schedule.
“We start conference play next week and that gives everybody a chance to start over,” South Alabama coach Steve Campbell said. “Everybody is 0-0 and it starts a new season. We’ll learn from this one.”
“I thought we played better [defensively] in the second half” Campbell said. “Offensively, we didn’t put enough together to generate any touchdowns. This is now two weeks in a row that we haven’t played well offensively, so we have to go back and look at what we’re doing, and whether or not we have the right people at the right spots. We need to find a way to move the ball and score some points.”
Campbell spoke about how to turn things around going into conference play with eight games remaining. “We’ll go back to the drawing board and figure out a way to score some points offensively. Defensively, we did a good job of getting off the field in the second half. They [UAB] went on one [scoring] drive in the second half and that was a nine minute drive where they converted five or six third downs and we just couldn’t get off the field. We made them earn it in the second half and didn’t give them anything cheap. There’s some stuff for us to build off from this game. Our special teams played better.”
South Alabama will travel to Louisiana-Monroe. The Warhawks took Florida State to overtime before falling to the Seminoles. The Jags will have a week figure things out and do some soul searching as they still control their season.
The Jags and the Warhawks are schedule to kick off at 6pm in Monroe, LA. The game can be seen on ESPN+ with a subscription.
USA At UAB: The Battle of I65
South Alabama (1-2) will hit I65 and travel up to Birmingham to face off with UAB (2-0) for the first time in program history. These two schools had a home-and-home scheduled previously, but was cancelled when UAB abruptly shut down their football program in 2014.
UAB has since restarted their program and have found new success on the gridiron.
If this becomes a regular matchup (which I hope for) I think this would be great for both programs. The (real) Battle of I65.
If you’ve been around the Jaguar football program since it’s inception, the name Bill Clark should be familiar with you. Coach Clark was the defensive coordinator under coach Joey Jones from 2009 – 2013 when he left for a head coaching opportunity at Jacksonville State.
In all, there are 25 players and coaches with ties to the Mobile area that are a part of the UAB program. Former assistant coaches Bryant Vincent and Richard Owens are both on Clark’s staff. Quarterback Tyler Johnston was a standout player for Spanish Fort before signing with UAB.
Since UAB restarted their program in 2017 they are an undefeated 13-0 at home. Including a 13-3 record in 2018 with a bowl win over Northern Illinois in the Boca Raton Bowl.
The Jags come into the game after a 42-6 trouncing by Memphis in Mobile when Tra Minter, the Jags leading all-purpose yardage leader, was forced out of the game with a concussion early in the game. They also made ESPN and other lists for the botched PAT that was returned by Memphis for 2-points after the Jags only score of the game.
Here’s the PAT just in case you need a reminder.
I present to you: the worst PAT attempt in college football history courtesy of South Alabama. pic.twitter.com/myXZpsA6m1
— Eagle-Eyed Social Media User Dan Why-Ner (@DanWeiner) September 14, 2019
The USA coaches pulled Cephus Johnson in the third quarter against Memphis, but head coach Steve Campbell said that he will continue to be the guy behind center for the Jags. Cephus, on the bright side, has thrown for 393 yards and three touchdowns but on the down side he has thrown four interceptions, committed three fumbles and has only completed 53% of his passes. It’s unknown if Johnson may be on a “short leash” and could be pulled in favor of Tylan Morton or Desmond Trotter.
The Blazers have a 1-2 punch at running back with Spencer Brown and Jonathan Haden. They are licking their chops after watching USA allowing over 300 yards to Memphis last weekend. However the Blazer offensive line has not performed as well run blocking as they have pass blocking. They will probably test the Jaguar rush defense to see if they can get some early success because the Jaguar secondary has covered well with an interception in each of the Jags first three games and only allowing Memphis to throw for more than 200 yards.
The Jaguar offensive line has helped the Jags average over 199 yards per game, with the help of the big game against Jackson State. But the Jags pass protection has not been the best so far this season as they have allowed six sacks so far. They will be facing a Blazer defense that are sack-hungry and will be looking to put pressure on Johnson to try to force him into some bad decisions and to try to cause some fumbles.
The Blazer defense has held their first two opponents to 7-of-31 on 3rd down conversions, tallied 20 tackles-for-loss and eight sacks while holding them to an average of 89.5 yards per game rushing, but those two opponents have been Alabama State and Akron.
When your leading receiver is your running back, that says a lot about your receiver corps. Minter leads the team in receptions (9 for 80 yards) as well as rushing yards (242). Kawaan Baker is right behind him with one fewer catch (8) but has 184 yards receiving and two touchdowns. But when your two quarterbacks combine to have 6 interceptions only completing 50% of their passes, to say the Jags passing game is struggling is an understatement.
Meanwhile the Blazers have looked very good early with two players in the top eight of Conference USA in receiving yardage.
An additional factor is injuries. The Jags got pretty banged up against Memphis. Minter is expected to play as he was sighted at practice. However Riley Cole (undisclosed) and Roy Yancey (ankle) have also been dealing with injuries but have been practicing, so it sounds like they will play but will those injuries affect their effectiveness?
Officially Cole, Yancey, and Jalen Wayne are all probable to play. Minter was last listed as questionable. Tyree Turner and Patrick Rosette have been listed as doubtful. Max Charite and Shawn Jennings have been ruled out for the game. Meanwhile UAB only has one player listed as being out for the season.
The Blazers are an 11 point favorite in the game with an over/under of 48 points. But the Jags will have Minter back as he has reportedly cleared the concussion protocol and practiced with the team on Wednesday.
While I don’t feel good calling for the Jags to win out-right (as much as I’d love for it to happen). The Blazers have put up impressive numbers against two opponents that they should have a clear advantage against. Meanwhile the Jags gave Nebraska a scare before facing a possibly the best Group of Five team in Memphis.
I’ll be a homer and take the Jags to cover but I think UAB may run their home record to 14-0 since “The Return”.
The Jags and the Blazers are scheduled for a 2:30pm kickoff from Legion Field in Birmingham. The game can be viewed on the NFL Network.
Go Jags.
Jags Dominated By Memphis 42-6
The cat fight turned out to be a one-sided event as the Memphis Tigers (3-0) dominated all phases of the game against South Alabama (1-2) at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on Saturday.
USA looked to have made big strides leading into this season as they pressed Nebraska hard in a 35-21 loss in Lincoln to open the season, then a program record 413 yards rushing last week against Jackson State. But Memphis, from the American Athletic Conference, showed the Jags that they had not progressed as much as they may have thought, at least on September 14th.
The Jags were staring squarely at being shut out at home for the first time in program history, but a big play touchdown near midway through the fourth quarter saved the team from that fate. But they did suffer their worst home loss in program history to a non-Power 5 conference team.
Both teams opened the game with three-and-outs on offense, but Memphis eventually got their offense going as Kenneth Gainwell scored on a 5-yard run with 7:21 left in the first quarter. Kylan Watkins dove for an 18-yard touchdown pass from Brady White to make it 14-0 at the 14:18 mark in the second quarter.
Later in the second quarter after a big run by Watkins, the Tigers scored on a 4th and goal when White found Kedarian Jones for a 2-yard touchdown pass taking a 20-0 lead after the 2pt attempt on the swinging gate formation.
The Tigers added a 36-yard field goal with :39 left in the second quarter to close out the first half leading 23-0.
Of the eight first-half possessions by the Jaguars offense, six of them ended with punts. One ended by a fumble by Cephus Johnson and halftime ended the other.
The Tigers out gained the Jags in the first half 327 – 93. They out rushed the Jags 245 – 55.
Tra Minter left the game late in the first quarter after a vicious hit on an 8-yard jet sweep left him laying motionless for a couple minutes before he was helped off the field by the athletic trainers and visibly woozy. He will be in the concussion protocol this week and will have to clear that before he can be cleared to play again for the Jags.
Memphis opened the second half with a quick score that was sparked by a big play when safety DJ Daniels tipped a pass that fell right into tight end Joey Magnifico’s hands that went for 58 yards to the 4 yard line. White then connected with Antonio Gibson for the touchdown to take a 30-0 lead.
Memphis added a field goal early in the fourth quarter to take a 33-0 lead with 13:10 left in the game.
On the ensuing drive Tylan Morton ran for a 7-yard gain, but fumbled the ball and Austin Hall picked it up and returned it 48 yards for another Memphis touchdown making it 40-0 with 11:18 left in the game.
The Jags got the ball back and on the second play Morton connected with Kawaan Baker on an inside slant play which turned into a 74 yard touchdown. However on the PAT snap was bobbled and in an attempt to make a play, the ball was fumbled and Jacobi Francis took it the distance for 2-points for Memphis closing out the scoring at 42-6.
The Jags were held to 248 total yards of offense while Memphis rolled up 530 total yards. The Jags rushed for only 101 yards in the game compared to 312 for the Tigers and the Jags only managed 147 yards passing to 218 by the Tigers.
USA only converted 5 of 15 3rd down attempted, but Memphis only converted 7 of 15 attempts.
I guess the positive point in the game was the Jags were only flagged three times for 30 yards. Memphis was flagged 10 times for 100 yards.
Cephus Johnson was a mere 5-for-14 for 42 yards before he was pulled midway through the third quarter. Tylan Morton was 4-for-12 for 105 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Johnson led the Jags with 37 rushing yards on 14 carries, followed by Jared Wilson who had 28 yards on 10 carries.
Jalen Tolbert caught four passes for 37 yards. Kawaan Baker caught two passes for 84 yards and the lone Jaguar touchdown.
Brady White went 12-for-20 for 209 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Connor Adair completed both of the throwing attempted for 9 yards.
The Tigers had a pair of runners go over the century mark with Kenneth Gainwell rushing for 145 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown. Kylan Watkins added 113 yards on 11 carries.
Damonte Coxie caught three passes for 81 yards to lead the Tigers receiving corps.
The Jags visibly struggled at the line of scrimmage, which Jaguar head football coach Steve Campbell noted in his post game comments. “We had a hard time running the ball and we had a hard time stopping the run,” Campbell said. “If you aren’t able to run the ball, you become one dimensional on offense. We had a chance to hit a play or two early and we didn’t, so all they did was tighten up defensively, and we struggled to run the ball. Memphis rushed the ball for 312 yards and we were only able to rush it for 101 yards and most of that I believe came in the fourth quarter. We got beat on the line of scrimmage.”
Campbell also noted the loss of Minter in the game. “It hurt because we are a young football team,” he said. “Tra is someone we look to for a lot of leadership on offense. Jared {Wilson] stepped up for us a little bit, but it hurt to lose Tra because he does a lot for us.”
South Alabama will travel to Birmingham for the first game of a home-and-home series between the two programs and the Jags final non-conference game of the season. UAB is coached former South Alabama defensive coordinator Bill Clark. He is joined by former Jaguar offensive coordinator Bryant Vincent as well as former assistant coach Richard Owens.
The Jags and the Blazers are set for a 2:30pm kickoff at Legion Field. The game will be televised on the NFL Network. Radio coverage can be heard on 99.5 The Jag locally in Mobile and on the iHeartMedia app.
Jags Face Nebraska In 11am Kick
Here we are, ready for the 2019 season to finally begin. While Thunderjags has been quiet, we are still here. This year has been very busy with off the field family business. Without any further ado, let’s preview game number one.
The Jags coming off a 3-9 record for the 2018 campaign opens in Lincoln, Nebraska to take on the #24 Cornhuskers.
The Huskers enter the third season under head coach Scott Frost after back-to-back 4 win seasons. Despite that, they are getting lots of early hype being ranked #24 in the nation to start the season.
South Alabama lost a lot from last season, but not all of it from graduation. Several players transferred out to other programs. They lost Jordan McCray and Malik Stanley to the transfer portal. Kawaan Baker is by far the leading receiver returning with 33 catches and four touchdowns. While the four returning receivers combine for a total of 10 catches. They do return six squad members from last season, a mixture of redshirts and others who didn’t see any gametime then added seven true freshmen and a senior transfer.
The linebacking corps will look to fill Bull Barge’s big shoes as they return one letterwinner from last season with one sack. They also return three redshirt freshmen and two previous squad members.
The offensive line returns four starters from last year, three of them started all 12 games. But the squad had problems knocking people off the ball, but hopefully an offseason of study and strengthening will pay dividends.
Punter Corliss Waitman decided to transfer to Mississippi State to spend what looks like his final college football season reunited with former Jag head coach Joey Jones. Frankie Onate looks to step up and fill Gavin Patterson’s shoes as placekicker.
Always one of the most talked about positions is quarterback. Evan Orth and Cole Garvin graduated. Orth started eight games, Garvin started three, and 2019 starting signal caller Cephus Johnson started one. While Johnson only threw 19 passes last year, he completed seven of them for three touchdowns and only one interception.
Though head coach Steve Campbell brought in the top ranked JUCO dual-threat quarterback in Tylan Morton, Johnson beat him out for the starting job.
As mentioned before, Johnson will be breaking in a lot of new receivers with one veteran leading the way in Baker.
The tight end position should see more work in 2019. They only accounted for one touchdown last season against Memphis.
The running back position returns two letterwinners. Tra Minter leads the way as a 2nd team All-America all-purpose back by the Sporting News and preseason watch list for the Doak Walker and Paul Hornung Awards. Minter was the only returning back to have carried the ball 10 times or more in a game in 2018. Actually, Jalin Buie hasn’t carried the ball in a game since September 16, 2017.
Though the Jags return four redshirt freshmen and a JUCO transfer to help give depth. Tony Brown and John Tank Miller are two names to keep up with this season as they have been mentioned many times over the last year and in the offseason.
Nebraska’s defense is big up front. The Jags offensive line will have their hands full with the size and speed of the Cornhuskers. Coach Edenfield will look to find mismatches and try to exploit them with misdirection and try to use some of their speed against them.
Additionally the Husker corners are pretty good. Opponents struggled completing outside passes down the field.
Offensively Nebraska has a very good quarterback, possibly one of the best in the nation, in Taylor Martinez. He can throw well and he’s very good and running the ball. The Jags defense will have to play very disciplined football. Everyone is going to make mistakes, especially in the first game of the season. Season openers are won and lost by those mistakes. In order to have a chance to win, the Jags have to minimize their mistakes against what looks to be a very potent offensive attack for the Huskers this season.
The Jags have a win over a top 25 team, they’ve defeated a Power 5 SEC team. This is their second time facing Nebraska in Lincoln. The team is ready to start the 2019 season after the lackluster 2018 record. Maybe the chances of a Jaguar win is a little more favorable than the odds that Doctor Strange gave in Avengers: Infinity War. But it takes precision, focus, and near perfect play.
While I’d love to recreate the Mississippi State win, I’m not confident I’ll see it today. We have 11 games after this one and we need to stay healthy but also get some game experience for lots of new players.
USA is a 36 point underdog according to the Las Vegas oddsmakers. I think the Jags will keep it closer than that on the road but the outright win is slim but would be extremely exciting.
Jags Send Senior Out On Top With 31-28 Win Over Coastal Carolina
Head coach Steve Campbell talking with the Jaguar offensive line between possessions early in the game against Coastal Carolina.
South Alabama took advantage of their final game of the season and a beat-up and bruised Coastal Carolina team to send 19 seniors out with one final 31-28 win.
Coastal Carolina (5-7, 2-6) came into the game looking for a win to get bowl eligible in their second season playing a Sun Belt schedule. Meanwhile the Jags (3-9, 2-6 SBC) only had pride and the program’s seniors to play for in their final game of the season.
The Chanticleers entered on a three game skid and plagued by injuries which only got worse during the game with more injuries occurring during the course of play.
The Jags jumped out early with a 32-yard field goal on their opening drive. Then a 45-yard touchdown pass from Cole Garvin to Jamarius Way on the first play after recovering a Coastal Carolina fumble to take a 10-0 lead.
The Jags kept it up in the second quarter with a one-play 73-yard drive when Evan Orth came in and lofted a throw over the Coastal defender to let Jamarius Way to out run the defense to the end zone for a 17-0 lead.
Coastal Carolina finally got on the board on their next possession, capped off by a 31-yard touchdown when Bryce Carpenter came in for an injured Kilton Anderson and found Isaiah Likely for the touchdown.
The Jags answered right back with a 13-play, 75 yard drive capped off by Kawaan Baker’s 6 yard touchdown run. Which let the Jags take a 24-7 lead to the locker room at halftime.
The second half was a different story, the Chanticleers opened the second half throwing the ball and systematically driving down the field for a touchdown.
USA got their only points of the second half two possessions later when they drove 51 yards in 10 plays and 4:22. Garvin connected with Way for a 7 yard touchdown making the score 31-14.
Coastal wasn’t ready to give up though and proceeded to drive 65 yards to get within 10 points again at 31-21.
The Jags offense went cold midway through the fourth quarter with back-to-back three-and-outs but the Jags defense held their own and forcing an incomplete pass on a 4th down conversion attempt with 3:17 left in the game.
The Jags then went into their ground control offense to bleed the clock. After Tra Minter broke the single-game rushing record, he then broke free for a 20 yard gain but the Chanticleers forced a fumble and recovered it at their own 20.
Coastal proceeded to pass the ball down the field aided by a illegal use of hands penalty before Anderson found Malcolm Williams for a 16 yard touchdown cutting the Jags lead to only three points 31-28 with only 34 seconds left in the game.
Coastal Carolina attempted an onside kick, but it never took the high bounce as wanted and Jahmmir Taylor was able to cover it up preserving the Jags win.
The Jaguar offense rolled up an impressive 533 yards of total offense and 331 yards on the ground. Tra Minter ran 24 times for 203 yards, breaking Kendall Houston’s record of 173 rushing yards against Troy.
Deonta Moore ran nine times for 72 yards. Baker rushed seven times for 16 yards and a touchdown.
Cole Garvin went 7-of-9 for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Evan Orth went 3-of-4 for 91 yards and a touchdown.
Jamarius Way caught six passes for 141 and all three receiving touchdowns. Minter caught two passes for 49 yards and Jordan McCray added 12 yards on two receptions.
The Jaguar defense allowed 385 yards, holding the Chanticleers to only 92 rushing yards. They commited their first penalty in two games against USA and ended the game with four for 40 yards.
Anderson went 20-for-32 for 262 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Williams caught seven passes for 109 yards and a touchdown to lead the Coastal receivers.
CJ Marable ran 10 times for 40 yards while Alex James rushed for 32 yards on nine carries with two touchdowns. Anderson had 11 carries for 20 yards after sack yardage.
“I was glad our seniors could go out with a win in their last game at Ladd[-Peebles Stadium],” head coach Steve Campbell said. “Those guys really stepped up and played big in a big way.”
“After the Louisiana-Monroe game, we looked and saw that we really didn’t have a personality offensively,” Campbell continued. “We were running a little of this and a little of that; we really hadn’t established a personality. Before last week, we said we were going to run the football, be a play-action team and try to create some explosive plays with some man-to-man coverages. We were able to do that.”
“It makes it that much more special, to end with a win on this field” said senior linebacker Bull Barge after the game. “That’s what you work hard for, to go out on top at your own place. It just feels good knowing you’re going out on top after a long season.”
“It definitely gave us a spark,” said junior Tra Minter on a win to end the season. “All we wanted to do was send these seniors out with a bang and give them something to look back on. For next year, it just gave us a spark and some confidence for next season.”
The coaches will now put all their focus on recruiting with an early signing period on December 19-21 and the regular signing day on February 6, 2019.
Inside the Numbers: