South Alabama Falls To Troy In Season Finale 29-0
South Alabama dropped their third consecutive ‘Battle For The Belt’ to Troy 29-0. The Jaguars (4-7, 3-5 Sun Belt Conference) was stymied in the first half, particularly in the second quarter, by the Trojans (5-5, 3-3 SBC).
In the end the “battle” felt more like a flailing or a flogging depending on which side you were on.
Despite coming into the game missing a few players and with a few players banged up, the Jags expected to compete in the game. Missing linebacker Christian Bell, tight end Brandon Crum, and wide receiver Kawaan Baker the Jags were missing some key contributors. But they also had player banged up such as Riley Cole, Desmond Trotter, and backup quarterback Tanner McGee.
It was the first time in program history that the Jags have been held scoreless at home, in either Ladd-Peebles Stadium and in the first season at Hancock Whitney stadium. It’s also the first time in the series that a school has won three consecutive games.
It is only the second time in school history that the Jags have been shut out in a game. The only other time was a 52-0 loss at Georgia Southern that effectively ended Joey Jones’ tenure at head coach.
The first points of the game were not scored until there was 6:02 left in the opening quarter. Troy had converted all five 3rd down attempts prior to the failing to convert on 3rd and goal at the Jaguar 1 yard line. The Trojans settled for a 22 yard field goal for the early 3-0 lead.
It was the second quarter where the Trojans did their most damage and pretty much put the game away.
The Jags opened the second quarter with a punt and Troy converted both 3rd down attempts on the drive and finished the touchdown drive with a 15 yard pass from Gunnar Watson to Khalil McClain to grow their lead to 10-0 with 11:06 left in the second quarter.
After connecting with Jalen Wayne for 11 yards on 3rd down, Trotter would get sacked and fumble the ball which Troy would recover at the Jaguar 28 yard line. Three plays later the Trojans would score again on a 15 yard pass from Watson to Kaylon Geiger with 9:26 left in the first half.
South Alabama drove down to the Troy 37 before facing 4th and 5, instead of letting Diego Gujardo try to match this career long head coach Steve Campbell opted to leave the offense on the field down three scores. Trotter threw low and behind his intended receiver and TJ Harris picked him of on a diving catch to take over at the Troy 32.
Continuing to use their very up-tempo offense, the Trojans marched right down the field gashing the defense. On the eighth and final play of the drive, Watson found Tray Eafford for a 21 yard touchdown pass to go up 24-0 with 3:56 left in first half.
After starting at their own 35 yard line from a kickoff out of bounds, the Jags drove down to the Trojans 36 yard line. Facing 4th and 9, Trotter would hold onto the ball too long and get sacked to turn the ball over on downs at the Troy 44 with only 31 seconds left until halftime.
Yet Troy was still not done.
Watson connected on two quick passes for 12 and 11 yards before calling time out at the Jaguar 33 yard line with 15 seconds left in the half. Then Watson connected with Vidal again but for only 6 yards forcing the Trojans to use their final time out with 10 seconds left. Troy head coach Chip Lindsey opted to kick to try for the points with a 44 yard field goal. Coach Campbell called a time out just prior to the snap, but Evan Legassey went ahead and kicked it, missing it wide right. The following snap he would split the uprights to go up 27-0 with 8 seconds left.
When the teams finally headed to the locker room, Troy had put up 24 points in the quarter.
The second half was mostly just running the clock out for Troy. South Alabama moved the ball better but never could hit paydirt.
The Jags Devin Rockette blocked the only scoring attempt in the second half by the Trojans. However Troy also blocked Jack Brooks punt attempt a short time later. The ball went out of the back of the end zone for the only points in the second half, a safety, for the final score of 29-0.
Desmond Trotter went 15 of 28 for 144 yards and an interception. Freshman Eli Gainey lead the final possession and went 6 of 9 for 38 yards. Redshirt freshman Tanner McGee, who finished out last weeks win was unavailable to play due to a shoulder injury.
Caullin Lacy led the Jaguar rushers, I wouldn’t call it an attack, with 38 yards on four carries. Jared Wilson added 33 on eight carries. Carlos Davis was held to a single yard on four carries.
Jalen Tolbert caught 5 passes for 92 yards and because the first Jaguar to break 1,000 receiving yards in a season, ending the year with 1,085 yards. Jalen Wayne caught four passes for 32 yards.
Jaguar linebacker Riley Cole recorded 10 total tackles in his final game as a Jaguar. In a pre-game ceremony to honor seniors on Senior Day, he was surprised with his official invitation to the 2021 Reese’s Senior Bowl. Cole will get to play at Hancock Whitney Stadium once more on January 30.
Gunnar Watson went 34 of 41 for 297 yards and three touchdowns. Kaylon Geiger caught seven passes for 51 yards and a touchdown. Former Blound standout Reggie Todd caught six for 49 yards. Kimani Vidal caught five passes for 29 yards.
Vidal led all rushers with 76 yards on 22 attempts.
Linebacker Carlton Martial, a fellow Mobile native and McGill-Toolen standout, recorded a game-high 14 tackles.
The Trojans won every statistically category. Total yards: 414 to 239. Passing yards: 297 to 182. Rushing Yards: 117 to 57. First downs: 25 to 17. Third down conversions: 10 of 15 to 5 of 15. Sacks: Troy had 5, Jags recorded one sack. Turnovers: Troy recovered two turnovers, the Jags came away with just one. Time of possession: 31:47 to 28:13.
“It got away from us in the second quarter,” head coach Steve Campbell said. “They got on a little run and we had a hard time stopping them. We didn’t generate what we needed to offensively at all.”
“I’m very disappointed in the way it wound up,” Campbell said about ending the season with a loss. “I thought we had gotten over a little bit of a hump, but we didn’t play very well at all today. We didn’t play the way that we needed to, to finish up. We had a chance to finish strong. But I give Troy a ton of respect, they are a good football team. I thought we practiced well this week and the guys worked hard though a bunch of stuff. I thought we would come out and play better than we did today, and we didn’t.”
“It’s an ongoing problem, but it can be either side of the ball,” Jalen Tolbert said. “We should be able to pick each other up when one side is playing off, and today neither side was able to pick it up. Offense nor defense was doing good, it was just a poor performance by us today so we have to get that fixed.”
With the regular season over and the program shifting into post-season mode, there will be talks about the staff.
Through three seasons the Jags are 9-26 under Campbell.
After a 3-2 start the Jags limped to a 1-5 finish. The programs four wins this season came against teams with a cumulative 8-34 record.
Finally Campbell is now 0-3 against Troy which is one of South Alabama’s most competitive recruiting foe in the area. In those three losses, the Trojans have outscored the Jags 104-30 with the closest margin of defeat coming in 2018 in a 38-17 loss.
Campbell has one more season left in his 4 year contract with a buyout of $350,000. Campbell and Athletics Directory Joel Erdmann will be meeting in the coming days, as he always do with coaches at the conclusion of their seasons.
South Alabama Gets First-Ever Win At Arkansas State 38-31
South Alabama’s Jalen Tolbert set a new single game record with 252 yards receiving on 10 catches with three touchdowns leading the Jags to a 38-31 win over Arkansas State. This is the first win in Jonesboro in seven tries and the first road conference win since their 2017 win over Troy.
The Jaguars (4-6, 3-4 Sun Belt Conference) needed a defensive took it down to the final play but Jeremiah Littles sacked Layne Hatcher at the South Alabama 13 yard line to end the game. Arkansas State (3-7, 1-6 SBC) drops their fifth-straight game and their first losing season since 2010.
Arkansas State opened the game and scored on their first possession after the Jags were forced to punt. The Jags tied it with :35 left in the first quarter when Desmond Trotter ran it in from 2 yards out.
The Jags took the lead 14-7 in the second quarter when Trotter connected with Kawaan Baker for a 26 yard touchdown.
The Red Wolves tied the game up late in second quarter on a 25 yard touchdown pass by Logan Bonner to Brandon Bowling.
The Jags punt after a short 5 play possession using only 38 seconds off the clock. Arkansas State were not content to go into halftime tied and quickly marched down the field to the Jaguar 18 yard line with just 2 seconds left in the half and added a 35 yard field goal to go into halftime with a 17-14 lead over the Jaguars.
Arkansas State opened the second half with a 9 play, 75 yard touchdown drive to go up 24-14 with 9:55 left in the third quarter.
The Jags would respond with their own score. Trotter connected with Tolbert for a 42 yard touchdown with 6:39 left in the game to cut the Red Wolves lead to 24-21.
After Trotter had to leave with an injury, redshirt freshman Tanner McGee would have to come in and the Jaguar offense didn’t miss a beat. McGee would put the Jags ahead on a 37 yard touchdown pass to Tolbert 28-24.
Arkansas State scored early in the fourth quarter when Bonner connected with Jonathan Adams on a 3 yard touchdown pass with 12:03 left in the game to go up 31-28.
McGee plays throw and catch again with Tolbert covering 51 yards for another touchdown and taking a 35-31 lead with 4:56 left in the game.
Arkansas State turns the ball over on downs at their own 31 but the Jags can only manage to get a 30 yard field goal to extend their lead to 38-31 with 1:28 left in the game.
The Red Wolves behind Layne Hatcher drive down to the Jaguar 6 yard line after what looked like a game sealing interception by Keith Gallmon was overturned. With :16 seconds left in the game, Hatcher had three attempts to get into the end zone. Two incomplete passes followed by the game ending sack by Littles as the clock expired.
The Jags gained 486 total yards, 387 of them through the air and 99 on the ground. The Jags offense was only 5 of 15 on 3rd down.
Trotter went 16-of-22 for 242 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game with an injury. McGee came in and went 6-of-8 for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
Tolbert caught 10 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns. Kawaan Baker added five catches for 51 yards and a touchdown before also leaving the game with an injury.
Carlos Davis rushed 12 times for 31 yards. Caullin Lacy and Jared Wilson both ran for 26 yards on four and 13 carries respectively.
Arkansas State rolled up 494 yards of total offense, 324 of them through the air and 170 on the ground. The Red Wolves were 5 of 14 on 3rd down as well.
Logan Bonner went 11 of 16 for 183 yards and four touchdowns. Layne Hatcher went 8 of 14 for 141 yards.
Jonathan Adams caught 9 passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Jeff Foreman caught 5 passes for 111 yards. Brandon Bowling caught 4 passes for 64 yards and two touchdowns.
Jamal Jones carried the ball 19 times for 93 yards to lead all rushers. Marcel Murray carried it 13 times for 38 yards.
South Alabama will return home for the season finale and Senior Day game hosting Troy for the annual ‘Battle for the Belt’. Kickoff is scheduled for 1pm at Hancock Whitney Stadium and will be viewable on ESPN3.
Preview: South Alabama At Arkansas State
Kickoff: Saturday November 28, 2:00 pm
Venue: Centennial Bank Stadium Jonesboro, Arkansas
TV: ESPN3
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5FM, 96.1 The Rocket, iHeartRadio
South Alabama enter into their final road game of the season in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Their offensive line has turned into a sieve, leaking sacks at a frantic pace, 20 over the last four games and 33 for the season.
The Jaguars (3-6, 2-4 Sun Belt Conference) look to put an end to their losing streak and notch their second road win of the season. If successful, that would be the first time that the Jags have won two road games in a season since 2015.
The Arkansas State Redwolves (3-6, 1-5 SBC) have struggled this season well. Their biggest struggles have been on defense. Head coach Blake Anderson relieved his defensive coordinator of his duties earlier this season after a 59-52 win over Georgia State.
The Redwolves are coming off of a 47-45 loss at Texas State. This game against the Jaguars is the beginning of a three-game home stand and they would like nothing more than to start it off with a revenge win over the Jaguars and keep their hopes alive of getting back to .500 and get bowl eligible.
Arkansas State Offense
The Redwolves score an average of 31.4 points per game with 125.7 yards rushing and 352.6 yards passing per game. That’s an average of 478.2 yards per game of total offense.
With all that yardage, they are only converting 37.8% of their 3rd down attempts. However they have scored on 77% of their red zone trips with 63% of them being touchdowns. Not a bad stat to have.
They are also embracing their quarterback rotation. Layne Hatcher has gone 97-of-166 for 1,591 yards, 14 touchdowns and two interceptions. Logan Bonner has gone 139-of-229 for 1,495 for 13 touchdowns with 5 interceptions on the season.
Jonathan Adams Jr leads the receivers with 70 catches for 973 yards and 10 touchdowns. The next closest receiver has 34 catches for 436 yards and 5 touchdowns. Dahu Green has caught 32 passes for 542 yards and 5 touchdowns. Five other ASU players have caught double-digit passes on the season with six touchdowns combined.
Jamal Jones leads the running attack with 452 yards on 99 carries with three touchdowns. Lincoln Pare is next in line with 450 yards on 72 carries with a touchdown.
Against Texas State the Redwolves put up 654 yards of total offense. Jones rushed for 106 yards and wide receiver Jeff Foreman had 148 yards on three catches with a touchdown.
Arkansas State Defense
As mention above, the defense is a glaring deficiency on this team. So bad the coach Anderson let go of his defensive coordinator mid season.
The defense is allowing 39.6 points per game. They allow 316.6 yards passing and 168.1 yards rushing per game for an average of 484.7 total yards per game.
Opponents are converting 45.9% of their 3rd down attempts. They are also scoring 85% of the time when they reach the red zone. 67.5% of those red zone trips have been touchdowns. With numbers like that, will the Jags be able to put points on the board in the red zone?
Last weekend against Texas State they allowed 505 yards of total offense and could not prevent the game-winning score with :34 left in the game.
Linebacker Justin Rice is the leading tackler with 68 stops and also leads the team with seven sacks.
Keys to the Game
Offensive line
The offensive line play has been terrible. They haven’t been helped with the absence over the last two weeks by starters Jacob Shoemaker and Connor Estes due to Covid and contact tracing.
Last week Georgia State sacked Desmond Trotter seven times. They have allowed 20 sacks over the last four games and 33 sacks for the season.
If the offensive line continues to struggle to protect Trotter and establishing the run, then the Jags will likely add to their loss total.
Turnovers
Last week against the Panthers, the Jaguars as a team was +3 in turnover margin. They managed three interceptions and forced a fumble which they recovered. The Jags offense fumbled twice and only lost one of them.
On the season the Jags have only recovered 13 turnovers. So the four takeaways they recorded last Saturday is over 30% of their turnovers for the season! And despite being +3 last week, the Jags are -1 in turnover margin for the season.
The Jags need to keep generating turnovers. If they can keep up the positive numbers, then this can only give the offense more opportunities to put points on the scoreboard.
Points
The most obvious thing to win a game is to score points. Over the last four games the Jags have scored a measly 47 points, or an average of 11.75 points per game.
That’s not going to get it done.
The offense has to find a way to generate points and head coach Steve Campbell understands that. Arkansas State is a prime opportunity. Last year the Jags ended their nine-game losing streak with a 34-30 win over the Redwolves in their season finale.
It was a bit of a coming out party for Jalen Tolbert and Desmond Trotter. Tolbert caught 5 passes for 144 yards and four touchdowns. Trotter, in addition to the four touchdowns passes, rushed for 58 yards for an offense that ran for 216 yards on the ground.
Prediction
Arkansas State is a 7 point favorite and are able to score a lot of points.
The Jaguar defense hasn’t been playing bad, they just don’t get any offensive help. They held Coastal Carolina to well below their season average in the loss. They also held the Georgia State to 7 points through the most of three quarters. But down the stretch the defense allowing 24 points after the Jags had taken a 14-7 lead in the 3rd quarter.
Arkansas State and coach Anderson really need a win, the Redwolves want revenge for 2019, the Jags have never won in Jonesboro, and the Jags are struggling. I think the Redwolves win and unfortunately I also think they cover the spread.
But as always when I pick against South Alabama, I’d love to be proven wrong.
Go Jags!
Preview: Georgia State At South Alabama
Kickoff: Saturday November 21, 2:30 pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, Alabama
TV: ESPNU
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5FM, 96.1 The Rocket, iHeartRadio
The struggling South Alabama Jaguars (3-5, 2-3 Sun Belt Conference) are finally returning home to host a game after a three-game road trip. Next up on the schedule are the Georgia State Panthers (3-4, 2-4 SBC).
The Panthers have also been struggling but enter the game after hard-fought 17-13 loss to Appalachian State last week in Boone, NC. The Panthers had a great opportunity to upset the Mountaineers, leading 10-3 at halftime and had only allowed 89 yards. App State’s starting quarterback was injured late in the game, but their backup led the Mountaineers on a game-winning drive.
On the other hand, the Jags were soundly defeated by Louisiana-Lafayette 38-10 last week. Carlos Davis was limited to six carries for 18 yards. The offense was held to only 145 yards passing with Desmond Trotter being sacked three times with an interception.
The final three games of the season will determine the how we will look back on this odd year that is 2020. Three of the first five games came against the worst teams on the Jaguars schedule (Southern Miss, Texas State, ULM) which are a combined 3-21 and the Jags won all three of those games.
The last three games, all on the road, have been against three of the best teams in the Sun Belt Conference and all have been loses unfortunately.
Head coach Steve Campbell and his staff are searching for ways to put points on the board. The offense has regressed and has only scored an anemic 33 points in the last three games combined. Desmond Trotter has seen almost all of the snaps lately after he and JuCo transfer Chance Lovertich were essentially playing in a rotating time shares early in the season.
However, reports this week have seemingly been confirmed with the announcement that Lovertich would not be “out indefinitely” and that it was not related to Covid-19 in an al.com report. Rumors were circulating that he had ‘opted out’ of the remainder of the season, but has not officially left the program nor has entered his name into the transfer portal. However article noted that Lovertich “has not been present at practice the last two days,” when the report was published on Wednesday. Campbell was also quoted by al.com as saying “I doubt we will see him again this year,” after the Jaguars practice on Wednesday.
His status and future with the team continues to be unclear.
Red shirt sophomore wide receiver Mo Edwards Jr entered the transfer portal, he had made appearances in four of the Jags first five games this season but did not record any pass catches.
Georgia State Offense
The Panthers are a run-first team. They average 205.1 yards rushing, 191.4 yards passing, and 396.6 total yards per game this season while scoring an average of 33.3 points per game.
Destin Coates leads the Panthers on the ground with 581 yards on 126 carries with five touchdowns. Tucker Gregg has 347 yards on 51 carries with three touchdowns. Quarterback Cornelius Brown IV has rushed for 231 yards on 72 carries with five touchdowns.
Speaking of quarterback, Brown has gone 115 of 207 for 1,340 yards, 13 touchdowns and 5 interceptions on the season. He does a good job of spreading the ball around. His leading receiver is Sam Pinckney with 29 catches for 451 yards and six touchdowns. Next in line is Cornelius McCoy with 19 catches for 221 yards and two touchdowns. Roger Carter has 15 catches for 179 yards and four touchdowns.
The Jaguars have given up big yardage lately to the run. But it depends on which Georgia State team shows up. The Panther offense didn’t look like they came out of the locker room against Coastal Carolina when they lost 51-0 and only had 106 yards of total offense.
Georgia State Defense
Again, it depends on which team shows up on game day. They were sliced and diced by Coastal Carolina’s offense, but turned around and held Appalachian State to just 13 points and 310 yards of offense.
On the season they are allowing 122 yards rushing, 324.4 yards passing, and 446.4 total yards per game. They also allow an average of 36.9 points per game.
Their leading tackler Antavious Lane has 50 total tackles, 38 of them solo, from the safety position. He adds three interceptions, six pass breakups and a forced fumble. Right on his heels is Blake Carroll with 49 total tackles, 36 solo, from the inside linebacker position with four pass breakups, three quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
If USA is going to have a chance to get their offense back in gear and put some points on the board, Georiga State seems to be the team to do it against on paper.
Keys to the Game
Offense
Granted, this one is very broad. But when your offense has played this poorly over the last three or four games, improvement in just one key area on the offensive side of the ball is not going to make much of a difference.
Starting with the offensive line, they will be without Jacob Shoemaker and Connor Estes for the second-consecutive game due to covid and contact tracing. Desmond Trotter has been sacked 13 times in the last three games, the vertical passing game has been non-existent, and running game has been inconsistent. Hopefully the players and staff have worked on figuring out a scheme to help the offensive line play more effective this week.
The offense has not been converting 3rd downs attempts well. They have had trouble getting into the end zone. Play calling has been predictable.
All in all, the offense has to do something. It may take another pick-six by the defense to get the offense going. But at some point they have to figure something out on their own.
Red zone touchdowns
As mentioned before, the Jags offense has been in the red zone a number of times recently but only came away with field goals when they even got points. Over the last two games they have scored one touchdown in six red zone attempts and they’ve added three field goals in that same stretch.
One of those times they came away empty handed, the line of scrimmage was around the 1 yard line and Kawaan Baker lined up in the wild cat and five yards deep, but was stopped short of the goal line in an obvious play call.
They need to convert more of those red zone trips into touchdowns if they really want to contend in games and have a chance to win.
Stay healthy
Thankfully Covid has not caused a another cancellation or postponement in the program, however losing two starting offensive linemen for two games is not good.
Add in that Lovertich will not be available for this game and probably the remainder of the season. That leaves true freshman Eli Gainey as the second string quarterback if anything happens to Trotter.
Prediction
Georgia State is a 3 point favorite over the Jags at Hancock Whitney Stadium. The Panthers played well their last two games with a win over ULM and a near upset of App State. The Jags have lost their last three since their win over ULM themselves.
With the offensive line woes, missing players and general down trend in the team I think Georgia State will win outright. Will the Jags cover the 3 point spread? I think so, simply by being a home and not traveling.
Go Jags!
South Alabama End Touchdown Drought, But Not Enough Against Louisiana 38-10
South Alabama (3-5, 2-3 Sun Belt Conference) was never really in the game against the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns (7-1, 5-1 SBC) and fall 38-10 in Lafayette, Louisiana.
The Jags entered the game missing a few players due to Covid testing and contact tracing. Jacob Shoemaker and Connor Estes, both starting offensive linemen had to miss the game and may also have to miss the Jags next game against Georgia State as well.
The Cajun’s scored on their first possession. They did the heavy lifting with seven straight runs to start the drive, followed by an incomplete pass before quarterback Levi Lewis connected with Errol Rogers for a 5 yard touchdown.
After a 3-and-out, the Cajuns return the Jaguar punt 38 yards to the Jags 26 yard line. Three plays later Chris Smith scampers into the end zone from 22 yards out to go up 14-0 with 8:19 left in the opening quarter.
Jags finally get some offense going. They start out with five consecutive runs before Trotter started throwing, including a 12 pass to Kawaan Baker on a 3rd and 9 to keep the drive alive.
USA got all the way down to the 7 yard line before they ground to a halt. Head coach Steve Campbell opted to take the 26 yard field goal to make it 14-3.
The Cajuns would put together an 11 play, 75 yard drive early in second quarter ending with a side arm pass from Levi Lewis as he was rolling to the left to Errol Rogers for a 3 yard touchdown to go up 21-3.
Finally the Jags would end their touchdown drought with a 10 play, 75 yard drive of their own spanning 3:50. The drive started with a pass interference penalty on the first play and ended with a 7 yard touchdown pass from Desmond Trotter to Kawaan Baker.
The Cajuns would answer right back with a drive of their own.
Facing 3rd and 10 at their own 22, Lewis would find Kyren Lacy for 17 yards to extend their drive. Then Chris Smith would break loose up the gut of the Jaguar defense with a 47 yard run to the Jaguar 14. Two plays later Elijah Mitchell would take it in from 5 yards out for a 28-10 advantage.
Louisiana threatened to score again before halftime but a bobbled pass was intercepted by Nick Mobley to end the threat.
The second half was all Cajuns.
South Alabama needed touchdowns and came away empty. The only real scoring threat was on their first possession of the second half. They drove down to the 16 yard line but the 4th down pass to Baker went for six yards when they needed seven.
South Alabama was outgained 506 to 268 in the game. The Cajuns threw for 252 yards and rushed for 254 yards while going 6 of 13 on 3rd down. The Jags threw for 145 yards and rushed for 123 yards and went 6 of 18 on 3rd down.
Desmond Trotter went 15-of-28 for 133 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Chance Lovertich went 3-of-8 for 12 yards.
Kawaan Baker led the Jags with six catches for 43 yards and the only touchdown. Jalen Tolbert and Cade Sutherland both caught 5 passes for 64 and 37 yards respectively.
Terrion Avery led the Jags rushing attack with 14 carries for 62 yards. Carlos Davis only carried the ball 6 times for 18 yards.
Cajun quarterback Levi Lewis went 21-of-31 for 253 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception.
Peter LeBlanc led the Cajuns with 5 catches for 34 yards. Neal Johnson caught 3 for 40 yards. Three others caught three passes each and seven players caught one pass each.
Chris Smith led all rushers with 99 yards on 7 carries and a touchdown. Trey Ragas added 78 yards on 10 carries. Elijah Mitchell had 61 yards on 15 carries and a touchdown.
“I thought we would play better,” head coach Steve Campbell said in his post-game radio interview. “They played a lot better than we did. We had some opportunities to make plays and didn’t do it. Offensively, we didn’t stay on the field as much as we needed to, and defensively we had a hard time getting off the field.”
“We just didn’t play well,” he said.
“We just have to take each game one at a time,” Campbell said in his post-game remarks. “We have to practice well, but we practiced great this past week. For what all these guys have been through, then came out and practiced their butts off Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. We had some issues Wednesday and they overcame them and bounced back. I don’t feel that we blinked or backed down today. We need to find a way to have a good week of practice and take that and apply it on Saturday, so that we can find a way to beat a very good Georgia State team.”
When talking about the offense’s struggle he said, “Obviously we have not come up with the answer yet. We need to keep searching and find that answer and put the ball in the end zone.”
The Jags will return home to Hancock-Whitney Stadium after playing the last three contests on the road. South Alabama and Georgia State will kick off at 3pm on ESPNU on Saturday, November 21.
South Alabama Defeats Louisiana-Monroe 38-14 To Stay Unbeaten In Conference Play
The South Alabama Jaguars won its second consecutive Sun Belt Conference game in impressive fashion by a score of 38-14.
Desmond Trotter threw three touchdowns and ran for another. Kawaan Baker caught all three touchdown passes by Trotter as the Jags improve to 3-2 overall and 2-0 in SBC play.
This is the first time the Jags have ever started Sun Belt play 2-0 in program history and the first time to have a winning record since 2016.
Louisiana-Monroe fall to 0-6 on the season, 0-3 in conference play.
The Jags first offensive possession was a three-and-out and punted after only 1:09 off the clock.
Louisiana-Monroe then drove down to the Jaguar 14 yard line when quarterback Colby Suits threw a ball that went off his receivers fingertips but was caught by Devin Rockette who then returned it 95 yards for the games opening touchdown, putting the Jags up 7-0 with 10:07 left in the opening quarter.
After a Warhawk punt, the Jags drove the ball down to the ULM 31 yard line before the drive stalled. Diego Guajardo split the uprights from 50-yards out to extend the Jaguar lead to 10-0 with 3:01 left in the opening quarter.
But the Jags weren’t done in the first quarter.
After forcing another three-and-out the Jags took possession at their own 15 after the punt. On the second play, Trotter connected with Kawaan Baker down the left sideline for an 80-yard touchdown to go ahead 17-0 with :51 seconds left in the first quarter.
The Warhawks were driving again near the middle of the second quarter, but when the drive stalled at the Jaguar 31 yard line, they went for the 4th and short but came up short, turning the ball over on downs.
Chance Lovertich entered the game at quarterback and quickly drove the Jaguars down to the Warhawk 18 yard line, but was intercepted with 7:29 left in the half.
ULM then drove down the field and running back Josh Johnson scored on a 2-yard run. However the extra point attempt would sail wide right of the goal post to keep the score at 17-6.
Facing 4th and 5 with :02 left in the half, head coach Steve Campbell kept his offense on the field. Lovertich pulled the ball down and ran to the 24 before being brought down to end the half.
The Warhawks opened the second half by moving the ball down the field quickly. However the Jaguar defense finally stood their ground at their 7 yard line. Coach Viator opted for a 28 yard field goal attempt, but it too went wide right.
South Alabama, led by Desmond Trotter, marched the team down the field and was capped off by Trotter’s 5 yard touchdown run to make the score 24-6 with 4:35 left in the third quarter.
ULM attempted another 4th down conversion, but a bad snap gave the Jags the ball near midfield. Again the Jags drove the ball down the field and connected with Kawaan Baker for a 16 yard touchdown to go up 31-6.
The Warhawks got on the scoreboard one more time when Suits connected with Jordan Carroll for a 4 yard touchdown. They opted for the 2-point conversion after the two missed kicks and converted to make the score 31-14 with 12:26 left in the game.
The South Alabama offense then put together a 16 play, 71 yard drive that took 10:46 off the clock and ended with a one-handed circus catch by Kawaan Baker when he caught the ball one-handed and managing to get a foot down inbounds.
Carlos Davis led the Jaguar rushers with 17 carries for 58 yards.
Trotter went 8-of-12 for 184 yards, three touchdowns and was sacked three times. Lovertich went 3-of-5 for 62 yards, an interception and was sacked once.
Baker caught 6 passes for 154 yards and three touchdowns. Tolbert caught 2 passes for 68 yards.
Josh Johnson carried the ball 15 times for 49 yards to lead the Warhawks.
Suits went 22-of-33 for 282 yards, a touchdown and was sacked three times.
Josh Pederson caught 4 passes for 65 yards. Jahquan Bloomfield caught three for 69 yards. Tyler Lamm also caught three for 22 yards. Seven other players caught passes.
Keith Gallmon led the Jags with seven tackles, all solo, with one tackle for loss. Riley Cole, Jamie Sheriff and Shawn Jennings all recorded sacks.
“I’m very pleased with the way the guys plays tonight,” coach Campbell said after the game. “It wasn’t about (coaches) making a call, the guys went out and made plays. That’s what it takes.”
“That was fun to watch,” Campbell said. “We were down a couple of offensive linemen, but some young guys like Trey Simpson, Braden Moody, and Tyler Jernigan stepped up and got the job done. To see those guys put together a 10-minute, 16-play drive; I’m really proud of them.”
Devin Rockette spoke after the game, talking about his interception return early in the game. “For that type of momentum to come out to start the game, I think that was a big part in the game. But I’m real proud of the team. We practiced hard this week at practice… We were in zone coverage and I saw a receiver sit down in front of me and saw the quarterback throw it so I just sat down and waiting for a tipped ball, and it was tipped, and then I didn’t see nothing but green.”
South Alabama gained 415 yards of total offense, 169 yards rushing and 246 yards passing. They converted 8-of-14 3rd down attempts in the game and was a perfect 3-for-3 on 4th down attempts.
ULM gained 380 yards of total offense, 98 yards rushing and 282 yards passing. They only converted 3-of-10 of their 3rd down attempts and only converted 1-of-3 4th down attempts.
South Alabama has a short preparation this week as they travel to Statesboro, Georgia to take on Georgia Southern on Thursday night. The game will air on ESPN with a 6:30pm kickoff.
Preview: Texas State at South Alabama
Kickoff: 11:00 am, October 17
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, AL.
Television: ESPNU
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5 FM, 96.1 FM The Rocket, iHeartRadio app
23 days.
That’s how long it’s been since the South Alabama Jaguars (1-2, 0-0 Sun Belt Conference) have been on the field to play an opponent when they take the field on Saturday to play Texas State (1-4, 1-1 SBC).
After the 42-10 beat down at the hands of UAB, the Jags had players test positive for Covid-19 which lead to the postponement and eventual rescheduling of the October 3 rivalry game against Troy (now December 12).
The October 10 date was a scheduled bye date. The week leading up to it, the coaching staff started getting some players back, meeting in small position groups and reconditioning and focusing on fundamentals.
It’s basically a big reset button of sorts.
On Friday and Saturday the Jags were able to finally get back together for team exercises with pads. But without workouts and donning pads for a week and a half to two weeks, how can anyone not question the conditioning and preparation of the team?
It’s been a sad state of affairs in San Marcos. Over the past five and a half seasons the Texas State Bobcats have compiled a cumulative record of 14-51.
The Jags and the Bobcats have been battling each other for which team would finish in the Sun Belt Conference cellar. The loser of the head-to-head between the two teams has finished at the bottom of the conference standings the few seasons.
Texas State Offense
The Bobcats are predominately a passing team. They have been using two quarterbacks thanks to Covid-19, Tyler Vitt and Brady McBride. McBride won the job in fall camp and is 55-of-96 for 549 yards, 5 touchdowns and two interceptions on the season. McBride started the opener agianst SMU.
With McBride unavailable for their next two games, the incumbent Vitt took over duties. He is 40-of-64 for 602 yards, 6 touchdowns and two interceptions on the season. He has also added 89 rushing yards and a touchdown with his legs.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see both quarterbacks play on Saturday unless one or the other really has a hot hand.
The ball has been spread around pretty well. The leading receiver, Jeremiah Baydel has 18 catches for 241 yards and three touchdowns. Jah’Marae Sheread has 15 catches for 155 yards and a touchdown. Marcell Barbee and Trevis Graham Jr. both have 11 catches with Barbee leading with 173 yards and 4 touchdowns while Graham Jr has 120 yards and no touchdowns.
They have eight others who have caught passes on the season with three touchdowns spread about amongst them.
The Bobcats leading rusher is Calvin Hill with 308 yards on 55 attempts with three touchdowns. Brock Sturges has 61 carries for 251 yards and two touchdowns. But they also have Oklahoma State transfer Jahmyl Jeter who may see his role increase as the season progresses, but currently only has 80 yards and one touchdown on his stats sheet.
Overall, the offense averages 148.6 yards per game rushing and 230.8 yards passing per game for a total of 350 total yards per game.
Coach Stewart will look for his players to make more havoc plays in the game to try to yeild more negative plays and turnovers. So far this season the Jags only have two takeaways, both fumbles.
Haydel also does punt return duty and took one 91 yards for a touchdown against UTSA with under 2 minutes to go to tie the game. Unfortunately they missed the game-winning extra-point and lost the game in overtime.
Texas State Defense
Defensively the Bobcats have forced 5 turnovers on the season. Four of the turnovers are interceptions. Jarron Morris leads them with two picks, he also took one 100 yards for a touchdown in a win over Louisiana-Monroe. He also has three pass break ups, a quarterback hurry, a forced fumble, and a blocked kick.
For the season the Bobcats are allowing an average of 162 yards rushing, 292 yards passing, and 32 points per game.
Statistically the defense plays the best in the first and fourth quarters. They have only allowed 20 points in the first quarter and 30 points in the fourth quarter. The third quarter is only slightly worse with 38 points allowed on the season. But the second quarter is their worst, allowing 62 points on the season.
Despite their number of interceptions, the Bobcats are susceptible to the pass as the stats show. If the Jags can establish their running game enough to keep the defense honest, the passing game should open up for the adept pass catchers that the Jags field.
But that hinges on the offensive line.
They have had a shaky start to the season to say the least. Through three games they have allowed seven sacks and 20 tackles for loss. It’s encouraging that the probable return of Hadon Merchant to the offensive line will help solidify the group.
Keys to the Game
3rd Down
Offensively the Jags have regressed from the Southern Miss game. Their 3rd down conversion rate has dropped from 58% at USM to 47% against Tulane then plummeting to 25% against UAB. While the explosive plays have led the Jaguar offense to scoring more points so far this season, third downs extend drives, continue possessions, and generally helps to win games.
Oh yeah, and help the defense get some rest between possessions.
Defensively, the Jags have been pretty solid on 3rd downs against USM and Tulane with a 35% and 9% conversion rate. However UAB, in addition to their big plays, they also converted 63% of their 3rd down attempts.
Which leads us to…
Big Plays
UAB used big plays to keep the Jags on their heels and set that tone on the very first play from scrimmage. The Jags lost five players in the secondary from last season either to graduation or transfer. If defensive coordinator Greg Stewart and the defense can’t stop the big plays on defense, the remaining teams on the schedule will definitely notice and exploit it themselves.
Improved Second Half Play
In the Jags loss to Tulane, they put 10 points on the board early before the offense ground to a halt in the third quarter. They were simply unable to consistently move the ball again after that. The defense then allowed 21 points and the Tulane win.
Against UAB, the offense only really showed itself in the second quarter when they scored 10 unanswered points to draw within four of the Blazers. However the second half the Jags were simply unable to move the ball consistently and were unable to put any points on the board.
Prediction
The Jags are a mere 2.5 point favorite at home, where they have yet to win a game in the brand new Hancock Whitney Stadium. This is their opportunity to start their ‘second season’, the conference season, with a win. The last few games between the two has been won by the home team and that has been enough to lift them out of the Sun Belt Conference cellar.
USA will have Desmond Trotter back with his shoulder reportedly near 100% again. They’ve also reportedly been trying some new combinations and positions on the offensive line with some returning faces healthy.
I the pattern will continue itself with the Jags winning at home to finally celebrate a win at Hancock Whitney.
The Jags and the Bobcats will kickoff at 11am. The game can be seen on ESPNU or radio coverage will be available on Sports Talk 99.5 FM or 96.1 FM The Rocket or on iHeartRadio app.
Preview: UAB At South Alabama
Kickoff: 6:30 pm CDT Thursday, September 24th
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium
Television: ESPN2
Radio: 99.5 FM The Jag, 96.1 FM The Rocket, iHeartRadio App
The South Alabama Jaguars now have two games under their belt for the 2020 season. They upset Southern Miss to open the season in Hattisburg as a double-digit underdog. Then gave up 21 unanswered points in the final quarter and a half of play against Tulane to open Hancock Whitney Stadium with a loss.
Desmond Trotter injured his shoulder against Southern Miss, which gave Chance Lovertich an opportunity to show what he can do. Lovertich got another chance against Tulane when the offense needed a spark and helped lead the Jags to a 24-6 advantage before the offense ground to a halt in the second half.
Trotter returned early in the fourth quarter, but left the game after re-injuring his shoulder. Subsequently head coach Steve Campbell announced on Monday that Lovertich will start on against UAB.
During the open date last week, Campbell also indicated that both quarterbacks will continue to get playing time, “I thought both of them did some good things. Desmond did some good things early and Chance came in and gave us a lift. … We’ve got two good quarterbacks and I think it’s going to take both of them playing well and staying healthy.”
Trotter has started the first two games of the season going 20-of-35 for 373 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions (both against Southern Miss). Lovertich has gone 20-for-32 for 311 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions, but he was sacked five times and pressured numerous other times by Tulane.
With the announcement of Thursday’s starter, we’ll get to see what the offense looks like with Chance as the starter. It’s unknown if Trotter will be available if needed or if Tanner McGee would be the next man up should anything happen.
Speaking of quarterbacks, last week UAB head coach, and former South Alabama defensive coordinator, Bill Clark announced that Tyler Johnston III will be out indefinitely with a injury to his non-throwing shoulder. Johnston, a redshirt junior from Spanish Fort, was set to play basically in his back yard against the Jaguars.
The only other Blazer quarterback to have seen playing time other than Johnston this season has been Bryson Lucero who has gone 11-of-21 for 138 yards and a touchdown in two games played this season.
Probably one of the biggest concerns for South Alabama coming into the 2020 season, only slightly ahead of the quarterback position (which is always the most talked about position leading up to the season), was the offensive line.
Campbell, an offensive line guru, has struggled to get the Jaguar offensive line to play up to what is necessary to win week-in and week-out.
The offensive line played great against Southern Miss, though the Golden Eagle defensive front looked undersized compared to the Jags. But that was flipped when they took on Tulane. The Jag line looked good in the first half before the Tulane talent and size took over in the second half allowing five sacks and numerous pressures.
The Green Wave shut down the Jaguar rushing game to a tune of just 13 yards which allowed them to tee off on the 5’10” Lovertich. Potential returns of Hadon Merchant and Josh McCulloch may help the line against UAB.
One of my keys to the game against Tulane was turnovers. Last season the Green Wave forced lots of turnovers. The Jags only committed only one turnover in the game, but it was costly. Trotter fumbled on a QB keeper at the 2 yard line early in the game. Nether team would score any points in the first quarter. The Jags defense forced three fumbles, but only recovered one of them.
Meanwhile penalties became a problem again for the Jaguars. Tulane defensive end Cameron Sample drew a pair of holding penalties from veteran center Brian Ankerson, which hamstrung a potential scoring drive before halftime. A pass interference call aided the Green Wave to a touchdown in the third quarter. Roughing the quarterback in the fourth quarter allowed Tulane a second-chance at their two-point conversion attempt that put them up by three points.
However the penalty that hurt the most came with just over 1:30 left in the game. The Jags defense forced the Green Wave to punt. D.J. Exilhomme was flagged for leaping, which on the field at game speed it probably looked like that and may have met the letter of the rules, but in review it looked accidental. Either way the only penalty that is reviewable is targeting.
Another one of the keys to the game from last week was special teams. The place kicking improved with no issues on snaps or holds for extra-point or field goal attempts. Diego Guajardo even made a career-best 49-yard field goal in the third quarter.
While the return game was non-existent, there were some better decisions made on kickoff returns that did not pin the Jaguars inside their own 15 yard line.
The punting game was hit or miss. Jack Brooks had a 57 yard punt that rolled to the 1 yard line and another one that went inside the 15 yard line. But punts of 22 and 33 yards were the flip side of the coin. The punt coverage allowed a 19-yard return as well.
Despite the reduction in attendance, the fans were loud and a full Hancock Whitney Stadium will definitely be impressive in the future. Easy to navigate concourses, hand rails on the stairways, and much improved concessions made quite the impressions on fans. And that video board is the envy of the conference.
I could only find two things to “gripe” about with the new stadium. The first was a lack of airflow that made it feel much warmer than it was. But the enclosed endzones kept the sound in, which made 25% attendance sound louder than expected. You can’t really have it both ways unfortunately.
The other gripe was with the only speakers for the sound system seeming to be in the video board structure. The fans in the North end zone are BLASTED with sound. My advice is to bring some ear plugs if that is where your seats are located.
But if those are your only two complaints, I think you’ve done a pretty good job.
But seriously, those speakers can be REALLY loud in the end zone and as a proponent of proper hearing health, I cannot stress enough that a good pair of ear plugs is an invaluable investment.
Previewing UAB
So far this UAB Blazer team does not look like the same Blazer team you’ve seen over the last couple of years on the surface. Or is it?
Allowing 35 points to an FCS team is not the start to the season you really want. However not all FCS teams are alike.
Central Arkansas has one of the best offenses in the nation on their level. While they did load up on the points, the Blazers only allowed 293 offensive yards while forcing three turnovers and recording two sacks and five tackles for loss.
On the other hand, the Bears took advantage of three Blazer turnovers in the first half and, with the short fields, they cashed them in for points. Two of those turnovers were an interception that was returned to the 4 yard line and a mishandled fair catch that was recovered at the 15 yard line.
Against Miami, the Blazer defense was gashed by Miami’s run game. After taking a 7-0 lead, the Blazer defense forced a 4th & 1 at the Miami 34 yard line, then gave up a 66 yard touchdown run. Then an ineffectual offense led to a gassed defense that gave up 337 rushing yards in all.
Blazer running back Spenser Brown looks like he is already in mid-season form. Against Central Arkansas, he carried the ball 24 times for 127 and a touchdown.
He looked like he was going to have another good game against Miami before the yellow flags started flying. A 20-yard gain on the second play of the second drive was negated by an illegal motion penalty. He finished the game with 74 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown.
Behind Brown the Blazers have two more backs that look capable of getting playing time without too much of a production dropoff. Though they did not put up good numbers against the hurricanes.
With the announcement of Johnston’s injury, Bryson Lucero looks to be the starter for the Blazers. However, Dylan Hopkins started five games in 2018 for the Blazers and led them to a 3-2 record and a west-conference division title. But Hopkins is listed as 3rd on the depth chart. Is this some gamesmanship in game preparation?
Both teams are coming into the game after an off week. Though UAB has had a couple extra days since they played on a Thursday.
The Jags have what is considered one of the best group of wide receivers in the nation. Both Jalen Tolbert and Kawaan Baker are in the top five in the nation currently. However their rushing game just has not solidified yet.
The Jags defense has allowed 150.5 yards per game rushing with an average of 4.1 yards per carry. With wet and rainy conditions and UAB’s stable of running backs, the ground game may be the one of the deciding factors in the game.
Keys to the Game
Rushing defense
As mentioned previously, with wet and rainy conditions predicted up until kickoff and thunderstorms possible during the game while missing Tyler Johnston III at quarterback, look for UAB to lean heavily on Spencer Brown and the running back corps to grind it out on the ground.
That will put a lot of pressure on the Jaguar defense to stop the run. Brown may be one of the best running backs the team faces all season.
Turnovers
In wet conditions turnovers are always a huge concern. Hopefully the Jags have done their share of wet ball drills and then some.
Special teams
Against Southern Miss the Jags had issues in place kicking and some in kickoff returns. Against Tulane the Jags had issues punting.
What will the third game bring?
I keep going back to the weather conditions because it could play a huge role in the game. A kicker could slip, a punter shank one, a returner could fumble a return or muff a catch. Any one of those could make or break the game. The Jags need to be solid in all aspects of special teams.
Spread and Prediction
UAB is a 7 point favorite in Mobile. The Jags have been underdogs in 12 consecutive football games and are 8-2 against the spread in the last 10 overall. This includes the two games this season that the Jags have covered in both, winning outright against Southern Miss.
I think the trend continues with the Jags covering the spread but, again, I don’t think they win outright.
Go Jags!
South Alabama Falters In Second Half, Falls 27-24 To Tulane In Hancock Whitney Stadium Opener
South Alabama came out strong, but faltered down the stretch for a 27-24 loss to Tulane in their first-even game at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
The Jags didn’t get the start that they wanted. Desmond Trotter fumbled at the one yard line on their second play from scrimmage after recovering a fumble from the Green Wave. Then followed that by turning the ball over on downs on their second possession before their first punt of the season on the third possession.
But on the fourth possession, and their first of the second quarter, they struck paydirt for the first-ever score in Hancock Whitney Stadium history. Chance Lovertich connected with Kawaan Baker for a 34 yard touchdown to put the Jags in the lead.
Tulane quickly answered four plays later when Cameron Carroll took it in from six yard out. However a missed PAT left the Jags with a 7-6 advantage.
Lovertich would throw the Jags down the field with a pair of completions to Jalen Tolbert for 15 and 41 yards then a 13 yard touchdown toss to Jalen Wayne capped it off for a 14-6 advantage.
South Alabama took the opening kickoff of the second half and scored on a 2-yard run by Carlos Davis to go up 21-6 with 12:15 left in the quarter.
Trotter made an appearance in the third quarter, but after a hard hit he took himself out while holding his right shoulder. This was the same shoulder injured in the Jags win over Southern Miss.
Tulane turned the ball over on downs when Tyjae Spears was stopped on 4th and 1. The Jags got down to the Green Wave 22 before going backwards. Lovertich ran for a loss of 3, had a pass dropped, then was sacked for a loss of 6 more yards. Diego Guajardo added a 49-yard field goal to stretch the lead out to 24-6.
Tulane answered back with a 6 play, 60 yard drive taking 2:31 off the clock. Pass completions of 21 and 16 yards started the drive, then Carroll ended it with a 12 yard touchdown run with 5:07 left in the 3rd quarter.
Tulane opened the 4th quarter with a touchdown to cut the Jaguar advantage to 24-19.
After that, the Jaguar just couldn’t do anything.
Tulane’s offensive line manhandled the Jaguar defensive front and the Tulane defensive front did the same with offensive line and put pressure on Lovertich the rest of the game.
Tulane took the lead with 3:18 left in the game on Amare Jones’ 16 yard touchdown run. On the first 2-point attempt, Keon Howard’s pass would go incomplete but AJ DeShazor would be flagged for roughing the passer. On the second attempt, Howard would connect with an wide open Tyrick James to take a 27-24 lead.
The Green Wave dialed up the pressure and Lovertich threw two incomplete passes sandwiching an 11 yard sack.
The Jags forced a punt with 1:38 left, but the Jags were flagged for a personal foul when a defender illegally “leaped” over the offensive line. With no time outs left, the Green Wave kneeled three times and secured the win.
The Jags just couldn’t get their running game going consistently. USA gained a total of 419 yards of total offense to Tulane’s 394. But the Jags could only rush for 83 yards to the Green Wave’s 203 yards on the ground. But the Jags threw for 336 yards to Tulane’s 227.
Carlos Davis led the Jags rushing attack wtih 82 yards on 16 attempts with a touchdown. Caullin Lacy added 36 on four carries and AJ Phillips ran once for 11 yards. However Lovertich lost 43 yards to hurt rushing numbers.
South Alabama’s third down efficiency was a flashback to the 2019 season They only converted 4 of 14 attempts. Tulane only converted 1 of 11 attempts though.
Lovertich was 18-of-27 for 262 yards and two touchdowns in relief of Trotter, who went 4-of-8 for 74 yards.
Baker led the receiving corps with 129 yards on seven receptions with a touchdown. Tolbert caught six passes for 114 yards, his third consecutive 100+ yard game dating back to 2019. Carlos Davis caught four for 46 yards and Jalen Wayne caught three for 33 and a touchdown.
Keon Howard was 14-of-30 for 191 yards in his debut for the Green Wave.
Jha’Quan Jackson was his leading receiver with three catches for 44 yards. Three other players caught two passes each and five others caught one pass each.
Spears led the way rushing with 105 yards on 11 carries. Howard added 31 yards on 8 carries with a touchdown. Jones had 29 yards on four carries and a touchdown. Carroll had two scored on 10 carries with 26 yards.
“It’s a very disappointing loss,” head coach Steve Campbell said. “I thought the guys played extremely hard, but disappointed that we weren’t able to come away with the win. We came out ready to play, but there were some things we didn’t handle well, and that’s coaching. We’ve got to do a better job of putting our guys in position to win a close game.”
“I didn’t see it [personal foul for jumping]…” Campbell said. “You can’t jump the shield. We’ve gone over that… We don’t need to do that. Again, that’s coaching.”
“They started doing a couple of stunts. They changed their defense a little bit,” Lovertich said. “They started playing us soft, so we couldn’t beat them deep.”
“We didn’t finish when we needed to,” Lovertich said.
“It’s a bad loss,” Kawaan Baker said. “We came in thinking we were going to win, but we didn’t finish like we were supposed to. We’ve got to learn from it and move on.”
Baker added, “We were hurting ourselves with the penalties and mistakes. That’s what we’ve got to correct.”
South Alabama has a bye weekend coming up before a Thursday night rematch against UAB on September 24th. ESPN will be airing the game that is set to kickoff at 6:30pm.
Andrew Zink and his now famous beard. 
The Jags waiting to take the field for the first time at Hancock Whitney Stadium. 
Desmond Trotter fumble on the first possession. 
Trotter waiting for the snap. 
Caullin Lacy 
Kawaan Baker waiting for a kickoff. 
Chance Lovertich leading the Jaguar offense deep in their own territory 
Riley Cole looking to the sideline. 
Jalen Tolbert with a catch. 
Maurice Strong walking to the locker room after the game. 
Final Score
South Alabama Breaks Road Streak With 32-21 Upset Over Southern Miss
September 3rd is a good date in South Alabama football history.
10 years ago to the day was the announcement of the home-and-home series against Southern Miss. Four years ago was the biggest win in program history against Mississippi State.
Now they can add the upset of Southern Miss to that list.
South Alabama entered the game as a two-score underdog with a nation-leading 15-game road losing streak. They had not won a season-opening game since that defeat of Mississippi State in 2016.
Both of those streaks ended in Hattiesburg.
The Jags struck early, on the third offensive play to be exact. Desmond Trotter connected with Jalen Tolbert on the right sideline. Tolbert made two guys miss and he took it 73 yards for the score. However a bad snap on the point after attempt led to an incomplete pass and left the Jags with a six point advantage.
Southern Miss would score 10 unanswered points in the second quarter, with a field goal in the waning seconds of the opening half to make it a 13-10 game at the half.
Near the end of the half the officiating crew made a good call when Frank Gore Jr. had his momentum stopped but seemingly lateraled the ball back to Abraham who took it into the end zone. However the play was ruled dead much to the dismay of the Golden Eagles.
Part of the confusion was due to the new “electronic” whistles being used this season. They are not nearly as loud as conventional whistles.
South Alabama picked right back up in the second half by forcing a three-and-out to start then navigating a 10-play 56-yard scoring drive. Trotter found Tolbert on a key 3rd & 8 play for a 31 yard touchdown making it 20-10.
Trotter and the Jags may have been huge benefit of a huge call on the play before the touchdown pass though. Trotter was bottled up by the defense and he was trying to throw it but it appeared to go backwards. USM was quick to cover it. The call was upheld and is now history.
A 52 yard touchdown pass and run from Trotter to Kawaan Baker all but put the game away early in the fourth quarter. Yet another missed kick happened as the left footed Diego Guajardo pushed it wide left a second time.
The Jags held a 29-13 lead at the time.
Southern Miss wouldn’t go quietly though. They scored a touchdown with 5:42 left in the game then followed it up with a 2-point conversion cutting the lead to one score.
The Southern Miss defense just could not stop the Jags offense. Meanwhile the Jaguar defense would consistently get enough pressure on Abraham to keep him from getting comfortable in the pocket.
Carlos Davis reeled off a big 40 yard run which led to a field goal to ice the game but not without a little worry at the end.
The Golden Eagles got all the way down to the Jaguar 1 yard line at one point, but the defense held strong and refused to let them score again.
Desmond Trotter went 16 of 27 for 299 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
Carlos Davis led the Jaguar rushing attack with 85 yards on 15 carries. Trotter added 41 on nine carries.
Jalen Tolbert picked up where he left off against Arkansas State to end the 2019 season. Tolbert hauled in 6 passes for 169 yards and two touchdowns. Jalen Wayne also caught 6 for 101 yards. Kawaan Baker caught 4 for 82 yards, with the 52 yard touchdown.
Nick Mobley led the Jaguar defense with 15 total tackles. Riley Cole and Keith Gallmon added 12 each.
Jack Abraham went 22 of 32 for 314 yards and two touchdowns.
Frank Gore Jr. rushed for 32 yards on 12 carries. to lead the USM rush attack.
Tim Jones caught 6 passes for 139 yards.
South Alabama put up 526 yards of offense with 363 of them through the air and 163 on the ground. Meanwhile USM gained 409 yards total, 314 through the air and only 95 on the ground.
This was a very good win for South Alabama. A much needed win too.
The Jags lost the turnover battle 2-0 and had three special teams mishaps. Both will need to be cleaned up.
Notably they were only penalized four times for 38 yards and had zero punts, which is a first in program history.
South Alabama will host Tulane on Saturday, September 12 in the debut of Hancock Whitney Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30pm with tv coverage on ESPN2.