Preview: Battle For The Belt 2024
Kickoff: Tuesday, October 15, 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: Fluff Bothwell
Battle for the Belt.
The yearly renewal of the in-state rivalry between South Alabama and Troy has been fairly one sided over the last few years but the animosity between the two remains as heated as ever. Troy has won the last six meetings between the two, including a 28-10 victory last season that saw Gio Lopez get his first career start as a true freshman.
The Jags (2-4, 1-1 Sun Belt Conference) and the Trojans (1-5, 0-2 SBC) both enter the game with something to prove and two-game losing streaks each. The Jags dropped a lopsided game at LSU then just over a week ago they lost a heart breaker at Arkansas State on a field goal with under a minute to go. Troy fell to Louisiana-Monroe and Texas State at home and see their path to a bowl game shrinking.
Both teams enter with a sense of urgency on top of the drive of playing in a rivalry game.
South Alabama hasn’t defeated Troy since the 19-8 defensive battle at Troy in 2017. Six consecutive losses. Steve Campbell went 0-3 and Kane Wommack went 0-3 in their coaching careers in the Battle for the Belt. Now head coach Major Applewhite gets to see how we fares in the rivalry.
The Jag seniors have never held the belt after a win while the Troy seniors have never had it leave their possession.
With two new head coaches, what does the 2024 renewals have in store for us?
Troy
The Trojans are led by first-year head coach Gerad Parker. He was selected to fill the position left vacant when Jon Sumrall left to take the head job at Tulane. He posting a 23-4 record overall and 16-2 in conference play during his time at Troy.
Parker previously served as offensive coordinator at Notre Dame for the 2023 season, where the Fighting Irish ranked 8th national averaging 39.1 points per game, 12th nationally in passing efficiency, and 29th in total offense. The Irish finished with a 9-3 record.
The 2022 season he was the tight ends coach at Notre Dame. Previous to Notre Dame, Parker served as the offensive coordinator at West Virginia for 2020-2021. Before that he had stops at Penn State, Duke, Purdue, Marshall, and UT Martin. He served as interim head coach for six games at Purdue in 2016.
The Trojans entered the season with only 11 seniors and only returned a few starters.
Offense
The offense is led by Sean Reagan who returns to Troy for his 11th season overall as a coach. He returns after a 5-year stint at West Virginia under former Troy head coach Neal Brown. Prior to his first stint at Troy, he served as a graduate assistant at Texas Tech.
In 2018 he was Co-offensive coordinator before leaving with Brown for West Virginia. He worked in varying capacities until he was named passing game coordinator for the 2023 season.
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 20.7 |
| Total Offense | 334.2 |
| Passing Offense | 202.3 |
| Rushing Offense | 131.8 |
| Time of Possession | 28:32 |
| Penalty Yards | 69 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 38-of-79 (48.1%) |
| 4th Downs | 3-of-7 (42.9%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 13 of 13 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 8 of 13 |
| Penalties – Yards | 44 – 414 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 8 – 3 |
Goose Crowder is the Trojans starting quarterback but he’s missed time due to injury, including their previous game against Louisiana-Monroe. He is 43 of 62 (69.4%) for 543 yards and 5 touchdowns in five games played. Tucker Kilcrease, who started last week against the Warhawks, is 26 of 44 (59.1%) for 383 yards and three touchdowns. Matthew Caldwell has seen action in four games and is 27 of 45 (60%) for 288 yards with a touchdown and an interception but he too was injured.
Devonte Ross leads the Trojans with 31 catches for 556 yards and 7 touchdowns. Peyton Higgins has 20 catches for 187 yards. Zeriah Beason has 13 catches for 172 yards.
Damien Taylor leads the Trojan rushing attack with 399 yards on 68 carries with 2 touchdowns. Gerald Green has 201 yards on 47 carries with a touchdown. Kilcrease is third on the team with 118 yards on 34 carries.
Defense
The defense is under the direction of Dontae Wright, who also comes to Troy from West Virginia where he coached safeties from 2020-23. Before WVU he coaches safeties at Western Michigan 2018-19.
He previously served as defensive coordinator at Tennessee Tech in 2017 and at Morehead State in 2015.
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 27.8 |
| Total Offense | 380.7 |
| Passing Offense | 198.8 |
| Rushing Offense | 181.8 |
| Time of Possession | 31:28 |
| Penalty Yards | 54.3 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 30-of-70 (42.9%) |
| 4th Downs | 2-of-6 (33.3%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 19 of 21 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 13 of 21 |
| Penalties – Yards | 35 – 326 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 4 – 1 |
Jordan Stringer (Jr LB) leads the team with 43 total stops, 20 solo, with 3 TFL’s, a sack and an interception. Justin Powe (Sr S) has 37 total stops, 23 solo, with a TFL and an interception.
Phillip Lee leads the team with 5 TFL’s. Six different players have one sack each as well as three different players have one interception each.
Special Teams
Robert Cole is averaging 40.4 yards per punt with 12 fair catches, 3 downed inside the 20, a touchback and a long of 59 yards.
Scott Taylor Renfroe is 7 of 8 on field goal attempts with a long of 49 yards and is also 13 of 14 on extra point attempts.
Ross leads the Trojans with an average of 36 yards per return across his 3 punt returns, with one returned for a touchdown.
South Alabama
The Jaguar offense and defense played out of character last time out against Arkansas State. The offense couldn’t move the ball consistently or well enough to score for most of the game. The defense, who played poorly over the first two games and LSU, played great holding the Red Wolves to only 18 points. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get a stop when it mattered most though. Arkansas State marched right down the field on their final drive to set up the game winning field goal.
But what plagued the Jags the most last week were penalties. When you are penalized 11 times for a total of 100 yards, it’s hard to win a game.
While South Alabama has a very favorable turnover margin (+6), their only turnover last week was an interception at a terrible time. The interception thrown by Gio Lopez was the first interception thrown on the season by any Jaguar quarterback. They have fumbled six times but only lost the ball twice. Meanwhile the defense has recovered three fumbles and picked off opposing quarterbacks six times.
Offense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 36.5 |
| Total Offense | 466.2 |
| Passing Offense | 263.7 |
| Rushing Offense | 202.5 |
| Time of Possession | 31:16 |
| Penalty Yards | 65.7 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 31 of 74 (41.9%) |
| 4th Downs | 6 of 10 (60%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 24 of 28 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 19 of 28 |
| Penalties – Yards | 48 – 394 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 6 – 2 |
Gio Lopez is 94 of 149 (63.1%) for 1,306 yards, 12 touchdowns and one interception in five games. Bishop Davenport is 27 of 46 (58.7%) for 276 yards and a touchdown.
Jamaal Pritchett leads the receiving corps by a wide margin, he has almost 3x the catches as the next receiver on the team. He has 36 catches for 531 yards and 6 touchdowns. Devin Voisin has 18 catches for 221 yards. Jeremiah Webb has 12 catches for 224 yards and a touchdown. Anthony Eager has 6 catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns.
Fluff Bothwell leads the Jags with 408 rushing yards on 56 carries with 6 touchdowns. Kentrel Bullock has 326 yards on 52 carries with 3 touchdowns. Lopez has 258 yards on 41 carries with 2 touchdowns.
Defense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 27.2 |
| Total Offense | 442.3 |
| Passing Offense | 310.3 |
| Rushing Offense | 132 |
| Time of Possession | 28:44 |
| Penalty Yards | 55.7 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 32 of 79 (40.5%) |
| 4th Downs | 2 of 5 (40%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 19 of 24 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 12 of 24 |
| Penalties – Yards | 31 – 283 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 6 – 3 |
Blayne Myrick paces the team with 50 total stops, 20 solo, with 4 Tackles for Loss, 2 pass breakups and a forced fumble. Jordan Scruggs is next in line with 30 total stops, 13 solo, with 2.5 TFL’s, and interception and a pass breakup.
Courtney McBride Jr and Tyler Thomas shared the lead with 2 sacks each.
Jaden Voisin leads the team with two interceptions. Scruggs, Amarion Fortenberry, Lardarius Webb Jr., and Chrystyile Caldwell have one pick each.
Special Teams
Aleksi Pulkkinen continues to be the team’s punter with an average of 41.2 yards per attempt across his 20 punts with 11 downed inside the 20 and 8 fair catches.
Laith Marjan is 7-of-8 on field goal attempts this season with a long of 49 yards and his only miss was from about 52 yards and has made 19 of his 20 extra point attempts.
Pritchett is averaging 24.5 yards per punt return including a 62-yard touchdown return against Northwestern Louisiana.
Keys to the Game
Injuries
The Jag offensive line dictate how the offense goes. Reed Buys missed about half or more of the Arkansas State game and the offense floundered outside of the two touchdown drives. It’s affected both the running and passing game.
It seemed fairly obvious that Gio Lopez was being affected by the turf toe some. He was moving around differently and was off on his deep throws.
With the additional time since the last game hopefully the Jags have been able to get a little rest and treatment so they can get back to closer to full strength again.
Quarterback Pressure
The defense was able to get plenty of pressure on App State’s quarterback but couldn’t generate much against LSU or Arkansas State. On the final drive by the Red Wolves they just couldn’t generate anything, and they got picked apart with the cushion they gave the receivers.
Troy has had plenty of injuries but the quarterback position has been affected a lot this season. In six games they have had to start three different signal callers due to injury. But no matter who is starting behind center, the Jags have to generate pressure.
Penalties
The Jags can’t beat themselves with penalties. They were flagged several times offensively for various infractions last game. Offensive penalties hurt you in two key ways: they put you behind the sticks and they rob you of momentum. The Jags had it 2nd and 10 at the ASU 11 yard line late in the game. They were then flagged for a false start and a hold over the next three plays which made it 3rd and 25 at the 26-yard line. Fortunately, Lopez was able to find Pritchett for a touchdown on the next play, but they didn’t make it any easier on themselves with those two penalties.
Cleaning up those penalties will be key this week. Also making sure they stay disciplined mentally heading into a rivalry game should be a focus for the players and coaches. They can’t allow themselves to lose focus and get drawn into committing penalties if they encounter any adversity or jawing back and forth.
Prediction
It’s dangerous to play a rival when they’re licking their wounds with their backs against the wall.
While Troy’s record is bad, South Alabama’s record isn’t much better. Both teams need a win if they want to get bowl eligible and they both are seeing the number of games remaining dwindling. Both teams could easily have two more wins than their current records reflect.
But if South Alabama plays up to their capabilities, they can beat anyone left of their schedule. It just depends which team shows up at Hancock Whitney Stadium Tuesday night.
It’s times to bring the belt back to Mobile.
The Jags are a 13.5-point favorite in the game. I think the Jags win, but I don’t think they cover. Jags win a close game to get the belt back against a Troy team that’ll pull out all the stops.
Go Jags!
South Alabama Falls 18-16 At Arkansas State On Late Field Goal
South Alabama fell to Arkansas State on a late field goal at Arkansas State 18-16 in a mistake-riddle game. The Jags had retaken the lead with 1:49 left but was unable to stop the Red Wolves when it mattered the most.
The Jags (2-4, 1-1 SBC) couldn’t get out of their own way, committing 11 penalties for 100 penalty yards. Lopez was picked off inside the 10-yard line in the second quarter ending a promising drive. They were also stopped short on a 4th and 2 play from the Red Wolves 20-yard line.
South Alabama took their first lead of the game with 1:09 left in the third quarter when Gio Lopez and Jamaal Pritchett hooked up for a 75-yard touchdown. The score was the first touchdown of the game and gave the Jags a 10-9.
The Red Wolves (3-2, 1-0 SBC) drove down the field on a 10 play, 58-yard drive to regain the lead when Jaylen Raynor connected with Tyler Little for a 5-yard touchdown. The 2-point attempt failed leaving the Jags trailing 15-10 with 5:58 left.
South Alabama started driving and got down to the Red Wolves 11-yard line before penalties set them back. After flags for a false start and holding the Jags were facing 3rd and 25 at the ASU 26-yard line. Gio Lopez rolled out and tossed the ball into the end zone with Jamaal Pritchett coming down with it to retake the lead. The ensuing 2-point conversion failed with Jeremiah Webb couldn’t haul in Lopez’s pass.
Arkansas State started their drive at their own 23 with 1:45 left on the clock.
The Jaguar defense allowed three consecutive pass completions on the same offensive play to quickly move out near mid field. It was like the defense had set a line in the sand that the Red Wolves were not going to complete a pass down the field but they would allow anything that gained 7 to 11 yards with little contention.
The defense finally tightened up, but it was too little too late.
Clune Van Andel made the 34-yard field goal with only 10 seconds left in the game to go up 18-16.
After a 14-yard pass completion to Devin Voisin, the Jags had one last show but the pass intended for Pritchett was broken up at the Arkansas State 27 to end the game.
“It was a difficult one to lose,” head coach Major Applewhite said after the game. “There were so many opportunities early – turnovers in the red area, tons of penalties on offense – It finally got us and I’m just really disappointed from that standpoint.”
“I’m very proud of our defense, the way they played the entire ball game,” Applewhite said. “I know we gave up the field goal to lose the football game, but they kept us in the ball game, and I’m proud of the way were are improving on that side of the ball.”
The first half was a defensive struggle as the Jaguar offense started slow but the defense kept forcing stops and leaving Arkansas State having to settle for field goals. When the first half ended the Jags trailed 6-3.
Stats
| South Alabama | Arkansas State | |
| Total Yards | 453 | 411 |
| Passing Yards | 292 | 345 |
| Rushing Yards | 161 | 66 |
| 3rd Downs | 6 of 13 | 5 of 15 |
| 4th Downs | 1 of 2 | 1 of 1 |
| Penalties – Yards | 11 – 100 | 6 – 51 |
South Alabama
Gio Lopez was 21 of 35 for 292 yards with 2 touchdowns and his first interception of the season.
Jamaal Pritchett led the Jags with 7 catches for 137 yards and both of the Jags touchdowns. Kentrell Bullock added 41 yards on 3 catches, Jeremiah Webb had 38 yards on one catch.
Kentrel Bullock led the Jags running game with 66 yards on 13 carries. Lopez added 54 yards on 10 carries. Fluff Bothwell was held to only 32 yards on 9 carries.
Blayne Myrick led the Jags with 13 stops, 8 solo, and led the team with 3 tackles for loss. Courtney McBride Jr and Tyler Thomas both had a sack in the game.
Laith Marjan only field goal attempt was good from 42 yards out.
Arkansas State
Jalen Raynor was 30 of 39 for 345 yards and a touchdown
Corey Rucker led all receivers with 8 catches for 172 yards. Ja’Quez Cross had 6 catches for 38 yards.
Zak Wallace led ASU with 30 yards on 11 carries. Cross added 29 yards on 7 carries.
Clune Van Andel connected on all four attempts, including the final attempt from 34 yards out. The first three kicks were good from 20, 21 and 25 yards out.
Next
South Alabama will finally return home after traveling the last three weeks on the road. They’ll have a couple extra days to prepare to host in-state rival Troy the Battle for the Belt on Tuesday, October 15 at 6:30pm at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
South Alabama have lost their last 6 to Troy but look to bring the Belt back to Mobile.
Preview: South Alabama Visits #14 LSU For Nighttime Showdown In Death Valley
Kickoff: Saturday, September 28, 6:45pm
Venue: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA
TV/Streaming: SEC Network
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
Thunderjags on X (formerly known as Twitter): @USAThunderjags
#5 Jersey: TBA
South Alabama travels to Baton Rouge to play in one of the toughest environments in college football: Tiger Stadium. The Jags (2-2) are in the second game of a three-game road swing after their 48-14 dismantling of Appalachian State on Thursday, September 19th in Boone, NC. The #14 ranked LSU Tigers are looking to handle business and get to their bye week to rest and heal up.
The Jags are considered one of the hottest teams in the nation right now. Over the last two weeks they have outscored their opponents by a combined score of 135-24. Head coach Major Applewhite and offensive coordinator Rob Ezell have been making all the right calls offensively and defensive coordinator Will Windham has been doing the same on the opposite side of the ball.
Meanwhile LSU (3-1) enters the game in the second game of a three-game homestand by welcoming USA. Last week the Tigers held UCLA scoreless in the second half to pull away for a 34-17 win after taking a 17-all tie into halftime. The Tigers opened the season with a narrow loss to USC in the Vegas Kickoff Classic then followed with a closer-than-expected game against Nicholls (44-21) and a narrow victory on the road at South Carolina (36-33).
This will be the highest ranked opponent the Jags have faced since they took the field against #10 ranked Oklahoma State in 2017 and the first ranked opponent since playing #25 Louisiana-Lafayette in 2020.
LSU
LSU is led by third-year head coach Brian Kelly, who LSU hired away from Notre Dame after 12 seasons as the head guy there. He was 92-40 with the Fighting Irish after vacating 22 wins in the 2012 and 2013 seasons due to academic misconduct. He also had a record of 4-6 in bowl games after a vacated win in the 2013 Pinstripe bowl.
So far Kelly is 23-8 and 13-4 in SEC games at LSU. His career record is 286-104-2 in his 34th year as a head football coach.
Before Notre Dame, he spent 13 seasons at Grand Valley State (118-35-2 from 1991-2003), three seasons at Central Michigan (19-16 from 2004-2006), and four seasons at Cincinnati (34-6 from 2006-2009).
Getting into the stats, the Tigers have been able to generate six turnovers defensively and have forced nine fumbles overall. They have a +3-turnover margin through the first four games of the season.
Offense
Garrett Nussmeier is the Tigers’ starting quarterback going 113-of-160 (70.6%) with 13 touchdowns and two interceptions on the season.
Mason Taylor is the leading pass catcher on the team with 25 receptions for 237 yards and a touchdown. Aaron Anderson leads the team in receiving yards with 298 on 21 catches with a touchdown. Kyren Lacy is the teams leading scoring receiver with 5 touchdowns on 20 catches with 245 yards. CJ Daniels adds 199 yards on 17 catches while Zavion Thomas rounds out the double-digit receptions with 10 catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns.
The Tigers have two 100-yard rushers on the season. Josh Williams has 134 yards on 36 carries with two touchdowns while averaging 3.7 yards per carry. Caden Durham has 116 yards on 22 carries with two touchdowns while averaging 5.3 yards per carry.
Keleb Jackson has 95 yards on 26 carries while John Emery Jr has 61 yards on 10 carries.
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 33.5 |
| Total Offense | 418.5 |
| Passing Offense | 239.8 |
| Rushing Offense | 119 |
| Time of Possession | 27:54 |
| Penalty Yards | 83.3 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 25-of-51 (49%) |
| 4th Downs | 2-of-5 (40%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 17-of-20 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 13-of-20 |
| Penalties – Yards | 31 – 237 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 1 – 1 |
Defense
Whit Weeks leads the defense with 30 total stops, 17 solo, with 1.5 tackles for loss. Greg Penn III is second on the team with 24 stops, 10 solo, with 1 TFL and a forced fumble.
As a team the Tigers have 12 sacks with Bradyn Swinson leading the team with 5 for a loss of 45 yards with two quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles. Sai’vion Jones is right behind him with 4 sacks (19 yards) with two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
The defense only has two pass interceptions. Zy Alexander and Jardin Gilbert each have one pick each.
However, the Tigers have lost Harld Perkins Jr for the season due to an ACL tear. While he hasn’t put up flashy numbers, he has been a player offenses have had to account for every play. Could that be a factor in this game?
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 24.5 |
| Total Offense | 358.8 |
| Passing Offense | 321.3 |
| Rushing Offense | 134.7 |
| Time of Possession | 31:57 |
| Penalty Yards | 64.7 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 17-of-46 (37%) |
| 4th Downs | 2-of-6 (33%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 11-of-12 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 8-of-12 |
| Penalties – Yards | 36 – 333 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 9 – 4 |
Special Teams
Peyton Todd has handled the majority of the punting duties with an average of 40.7 yards per kick, five fair catches and two downed inside the 20. Blake Ochsendorf is averaging 37.7 yards per attempts with one fair catch and all three of his attempts downed inside the 20.
Damian Ramos is 5-of-6 on field goals this season with a long of 45.
South Alabama
After a pair of losses to begin the season, the Jags have gelled as a team and found their footing in their last two games. The offensive line, who lost a few players in summer camp for various reasons, have improved leaps and bounds over the first four games. They controlled the line of scrimmage against Appalachian State. They’ll face their toughest test yet when they take on LSU Saturday night.
Similarly, the defense has matured a lot over the first four weeks. After only returning two starters, the Jags started the season with a bit of a learning curve experience wise. They’ve improved each and every week. Over the first two weeks the defensive front couldn’t get any pressure on the quarterback, then last week they were harassing Joey Aguilar on pretty much every play.
The Jags have a +5-turnover margin on the season with only two fumbles lost while the defense has a total of 7 take-aways (4 interceptions and 3 fumble recoveries).
Offense
The offense starts with Gio Lopez, who showed that his turf toe injury is not bothering him anymore. He is 57-of-92 (62%) with nine touchdowns and no interceptions on the season.
Jamaal Pritchett continues to lead the receiving corps in receptions (26), yards (354), and touchdowns (4). Devin Voisin has 16 catches for 206 yards on the season. Jeremiah Webb adds 10 catches for 185 yards with a touchdown. DJ Thomas-Jones has 6 catches for 52 yards with three of them being touchdown receptions.
True freshman Fluff Bothwell has emerged as the Jags leading back with 359 yards on 37 carries with six touchdowns through four games. Kentrel Bullock has 204 yards on 30 carries with three touchdowns.
Both Bothwell and Bullock have recorded 100-yard games the last two games.
Gio Lopez is third on the team with 171 yards on 21 carries with a pair of touchdowns.
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 48.3 |
| Total Offense | 502.8 |
| Passing Offense | 267.3 |
| Rushing Offense | 235.5 |
| Time of Possession | 31:24 |
| Penalty Yards | 64.8 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 21-of-47 (44.7%) |
| 4th Downs | 4-of-5 (80%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 23-of-24 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 18-of-24 |
| Penalties – Yards | 32 – 259 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 4 – 2 |
Defense
Blayne Myrick continues to pace the defense with 34 total stops, 11 solo, with two pass breakups and a forced fumble. Jordan Scruggs and Jaden Voisin are next with 21 stops each, Voisin with 13 solo while Scruggs has 9 solo and 1.5 Tackles for loss.
The Jags defense has intercepted four passes on the season, Scruggs earned the Sun Belt Player of the Week honor with his 96-yard interception return, it would have been a 100-yard touchdown return however an App State defender pulled him down from behind with a horse collar tackle. Voisin, Amarion Fortenberry, and Chrystyile Caldwell each have one interception each.
Defensively the Jags only have four sacks on the season. Jordan Norman, Maurice Strong Jr, Courtney McBride Jr, and Tyler Thomas have collected one sack each.
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 25.8 |
| Total Offense | 394 |
| Passing Offense | 271.8 |
| Rushing Offense | 122.3 |
| Time of Possession | 28:36 |
| Penalty Yards | 60.8 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 21-of-55 (38%) |
| 4th Downs | 1-of-4 (25%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 10-of-14 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 7-of-14 |
| Penalties – Yards | 27 – 243 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 5 – 3 |
Special Teams
Aleksi Pulkkinen has handled most of the punting duties, he’s averaging 38 yards per kick across his nine punts with five downed inside the 20-yard line and three fair catches. Jack Martin is averaging 45 yards per kick across his three punts with one touchback.
Laith Marjan is 5-of-6 on field goals this season with a long of 39. His only miss came from over 50 yards. He’s only missed one of this 18 extra point attempts, his first attempt after halftime last week went off the left upright.
Pritchett is averaging 28 yards per return in seven punt return opportunities with one 62-yard touchdown return.
Keys to the Game
Communication
When playing in big games on the road in a hostile environment, communication is at a premium. Death Valley at night is notoriously loud with Tiger Stadium actually registering on the seismograph a couple of times in big games. When the game is on the line, the Tiger fans can get loud and raucous.
But South Alabama just played in front of a loud crowd in Boone, NC. Are they the same? No, but the team knows what to expect and they can be prepared.
With the new in-helmet communications from the sideline, getting the play onto the field is a bit easier but any pre-snap adjustments still need to be communicated. Hopefully they can stay on the same page in all phases of the game because LSU will take advantage of any miscue.
Fundamentals
Defensively the Tigers have taken the ball away from opponents six times in four games. But they have forced 9 fumbles through those same four games. But the Jags have been very surehanded on the season with only two turnovers, one of them on a muffed punt. Continuing to keep possession of the ball will be big fundamentally.
Tackling will be a big factor. The Jags cannot let LSU run through arm tackles and pick up additional yards after contact. In the first two games the Jags had problems tackling but in the last two games have been more fundamentally sound.
The offense needs to stay on schedule because the LSU defense is blitz happy on 3rd down.
“A little Magic”
Something unexpected needs to go South Alabama’s way.
South Carolina had a pick-six that would have given them the lead late, but it was called back in a poor flag on what should have been a good play (that’s a discussion for another day).
LSU hasn’t looked the best this season and struggled against Nicholls. The Tigers narrowly led 23-21 early in the third quarter before finally pulled away from the FCS program.
If the Jags can get an unexpected play or two to go their way at an opportune time it will quiet the crowd and energize the Jaguars. A little voodoo magic if you will.
Prediction
LSU opens as a 21.5-point favorite over the Jags across most of the betting odds websites.
The Tigers are thought to have better players top-to-bottom because they are an SEC program. They should, shouldn’t they?
Perhaps the Jags can catch the Tigers asleep and looking ahead to having a week off to prepare for Ole Miss. But having a week off after the Jags will perhaps keep the Tigers focused enough for a little G5 Sun Belt team from Mobile.
As much as I want to pick the Jags to win or even to cover the spread, my head tells me that the Tigers in Tiger Stadium is a very tough draw. Then play it at night after the Tiger fans have had all day to marinade and it’s a very tough draw.
I think LSU wins and covers at home but maybe the score to cover comes late so it looks like a better win than it actually was. But I would LOVE to have South Alabama prove me wrong. They’ve been doing it all season so far, why not another week…
Go Jags!