Preview: South Alabama Hosts Georgia Southern For Thursday Night Matchup
Kickoff: Thursday October 14, 6:30 pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, Alabama
TV: ESPNU
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5 fm, 96.1 fm The Rocket, iHeartRadio App
We saw another first from the South Alabama Jaguars on Saturday evening against Texas State. It was the first time under first year head coach Kane Wommack that the Jaguars faltered coming down the stretch.
Through the first four games the Jags (3-2, 0-2 SBC) have started slow but in each of them they rallied towards the final whistle. Three of them were wins and one was a loss.
While the Jags still opened slowly against the Bobcats, they took control and had a 17-7 lead at halftime.
They led 24-10 early in the fourth quarter.
Momentum shifted decisively into the Bobcats favor when a flea flicker attempt went awry. Running back Bryan Hill technically fumbled the ball away on the stats sheet, however his lateral intended for Jake Bentley was plucked out of the air by a Bobcat defender.
The Jags have quite a tough assignment this week.
They have to clear their minds, rest their bodies, and yet they still need to prepare to host Georgia Southern on Thursday night after that very physical game in San Marcos, Texas.
Georgia Southern
The Eagles (2-4, 1-2 SBC) dismissed head coach Chad Lunsford after a 28-20 loss to Louisiana in the fourth game of the season after starting the season 1-3. They then split the two games since then with a win over Arkansas State (59-33) and last Saturday a loss to Troy (27-24) on a very late field goal.
They fought back from a 24-3 deficit early in the third quarter to tie the game with 6:08 left in the game. Aided by an interception, Troy regained the lead with 1:46 left in the game. The Eagles had an opportunity tie or win the game, but quarterback Justin Tomlin threw his third interception near midfield with :32 left to seal the game.
They too have a short week but at least they have to travel to Mobile for the game.
Offense
As is normal for a Georgia Southern offense, they are a predominately running offense.
They average just under 381 yards of total offense per game. The running game accounts for an average of just over 253 yards per game and they pass for 127.5 yards per game on average.
However the script was flipped for the Eagles against Troy. Georgia Southern only managed to run for 82 yards against the Trojans but threw for 219 yards.
Georgia Southern scores an average of 24.8 points per game. They have only converted 27-of-86 3rd down attempts (31.4%) on the season. They have converted 9-of-17 4th down attempts (52.9%).
As a team they have thrown 5 interceptions and fumbled 7 times, but only lost 1 fumble to opponents.
In the red zone the Eagles have scored 14 times out of 16 trips. Of those 14 scores, 8 of them have been touchdowns.
Logan Wright leads the Eagles backfield with 66 carries for 481 yards and five touchdowns on the season. Gerald Green accounts for 342 yards on 48 carries with five touchdowns. Jalen White has ran 32 times for 210 yards and two touchdowns.
The Eagles have a bit of a two quarterback system going on. Justin Tomlin has carried the ball 50 times this season for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Passing he is 38-of-77 for 458 yards, no touchdowns but four interceptions. Cam Ransom is 25-of-49 for 242 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions.
The Eagles only have three receivers with over 100 yards receiving so far on the season. Khaleb Hood leads the receiver corps with 22 catches, the only receiver in double digits, for 230 yards. Running back Logan Wright is next with 9 catches for 102 yards. Derwin Burgess Jr has four receptions for 101 yards.
Defense
GSU allows an average of 32.7 points per game.
They allow an average of 483 yards per game. However they only allow 144.2 yards rushing per game. But they allow 338.8 yards passing per game.
Their 3rd down defense is pretty strong with opponents converting 31-of-78 (39.7%) on 3rd down. Opponents have only attempted 9 4th down attempts and only converted 2 (22.2%).
Safety Anthony Wilson leads the defense with 34 total tackles, 19 of them solo, with two tackles-for-loss, one sack, three pass break ups and a forced fumble.
Safety Justin Birdsong is second with 32 total tackles, 18 of them solo, with 1.5 tackles for loss, .5 sack, and a pass break up.
Gardner-Webb opened the season with only 50 yards rushing against the Eagles defense, but they threw for 365 yards. The Eagles squeaked out a 30-25 win over the FCS opponent.
Their only other win was against Arkansas State when they held the Red Wolves to 81 yards rushing but allowed 453 yards passing in route to the 59-33 victory.
When Georgia Southern holds their opponents to under 100 yards rushing they are 2-0 this season. But when they allow over 100 yards, they are 0-4.
Against Louisiana they only allowed 129 rushing yards and lost the game 28-20. Against Troy they allowed 139 yards and lost 27-24.
Special Teams
Anthony Beck averages just a hair under 45 yards per punt. His longest on the season is 60 yards and he has 12 downed inside the opponents 20 yard line.
Alex Raynor has converted 5-of-6 field goal attempts with a long of 42 yards. The one missed attempt was blocked. Raynor has 13 kickoffs with six touchbacks.
Freshman Britton Williams is 3-for-3 in field goal attempts with a long of 49 yards. Williams has handled 18 kickoffs with five touchbacks and two out of bounds.
South Alabama
The Jags have a laundry list of injured players that are in various stages of recovery from the game. Running back Kareem Walker, who has missed the last two games, should be able to return on Thursday. Running back Terrion Avery, wide receiver Caullin Lacy, offensive tackle Ja’Chai Baker, tight ends Trent Tyre and Lincoln Sefcik, and linebackers Chris Henderson, Shawn Jennings and Ke’Shun Brown are all trying to recover from being banged up against the Bobcats, but should be able to play.
Center James Jackson suffered an injury to this right knee and will not play on Thursday.
Add in A.J. DeShazor’s disqualification for targeting in the second half of the game in San Marcos, the Jags will be without him in the first half against Georgia Southern as well. With Jennings’ being banged up, that means Juco transfer Trey Kiser will likely see more action.
Offense
The Jags offensive line has been particularly hit by injuries, however Jackson’s injury is the most significant. This will be the sixth different starting offensive line configuration in six games. You’ll likely see Trey Simpson move over to play center with Josh McCulloch at left tackle, Hadon Merchant at left guard, Anterrious Gray at right guard and Antawn Lewis at right tackle.
After last weeks performance, Bryan Hill only managed to run for 17 net yards on 13 carries against the Bobcats. AJ Phillips was the Jags leading rusher with 19 carries for 72 yards and two touchdowns, his first career score as a Jaguar. Caullin Lacy ran four times for 23 yards.
The Jags have done a good job developing their run game so far this season. They entered the season with Walker and Avery as the top two backs. Now with the emergence of Hill and Phillips, the Jags have developed depth at a position that was lacking it somewhat.
But the running backs would not be having as much success if the offensive line had not continued to improve as well.
The run game success translated into play-action passing and increased vertical passing opportunities as seen against Louisiana two weeks ago.
Georgia Southern’s defense has been pretty good against the run but susceptible to the pass by allowing an average of 338.8 yards per game.
If the Jags run game can get some footing early then Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Wayne, Caullin Lacy, and Cade Sutherland should be able to find some success against the Eagles.
Defense
For the first time this season the Jags defense struggled coming down the stretch against Texas State. They allowed two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter. Up until that point the Jags only allowed one touchdown all season in the fourth quarter
Though they were missing AJ DeShazor due to disqualification and had three linebackers banged up.
They allowed 399 yards of total offense, the most so far this season, and 212 yards rushing, also the most allowed so far this season.
Maybe one of their toughest assignments yet is coming to town.
Georgia Southern runs the triple-option, an offense that has given the Jags fits historically.
So much so the Jags have yet to notch a win against the Eagles.
The first five meetings between the two were decided by 22, 38, 15, 52, and 35 points. However the last two meetings were decided by a field goal in overtime in 2019 and a touchdown last season.
Head coach Kane Wommack said that he and defensive coordinator Corey Batoon’s defense had facets built in that would naturally help defend against the triple option.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo made all of his extra points against Texas State and is now 13-of-15. He missed a 28 yard attempt attempt against the Bobcats but connected on a 35 yard attempt. He is now 5-of-7 on the season.
Jack Brooks averages 41.4 yards punt with 7 downed inside the opponents 20 yard line and no touchbacks.
Keys to the Game
Stopping the Run
Georgia Southern isn’t the traditional triple option team that they once were. But running the ball is still 100% their identity.
When they’ve been held to under 100 yards rushing this season they are 0-2. Over the last few years when their opponent out gains them on the ground, they have lost all 20-some-odd games.
The South Alabama defense has ranked very high in the nation in run defense. Coach Wommack said that their defensive scheme has elements to it that help to stop their type of rushing attack too.
Rushing Offense
Being a predominately run offense, the Eagles defense tends to be pretty good against the run themselves.
When they have been able to take away the run and force their opponents to be one dimensional with the pass, they have excelled.
However when the opponent has success on the ground, gets favorable down and distances, and can use play-action passing to their advantage their opponents have done well.
The Jags have tall, athletic receivers in Jalen Tolbert and Jalen Wayne. The Jags have an average height advantage over the defensive backs of 3 inches. Tolbert has shown that he is one of the best receivers in the Sun Belt and possibly in the nation too.
If they can establish that run game and use play-action to get some man-to-man coverage on the outside with either Wayne or Tolbert then they could have a field day with the Eagles secondary.
Offensive Line
The Jags offensive line is a banged and bruised up group right. They’ve been that way all season though.
They have yet to start the same five guys in the same five positions twice this season.
Trey Simpson is slated to move over to center while while James Jackson will miss the game with a right knee injury. Thankfully it doesn’t look too serious or season ending.
Left tackle Ja’Chai Baker missed some time last Saturday due to injury.
They’ll need to be ready to go come Thursday evening.
Prediction
South Alabama is only a few plays away from being 5-0. But they are also only a few plays away from being 1-4 as well.
As an article a couple weeks ago pointed out, the Jags have a run of four games that should be very winnable. The first was Texas State.
Next up is Georgia Southern.
This may not be a must-win game in order to keep hope alive to get bowl-eligible. But the difficulty increases week by week. The last three game will be against the three most difficult teams on the schedule. The game before that three-game stretch is at Troy. Need I say more?
The time to win is now.
Also, let’s get that first win against Georgia Southern. Having that big zero staring at you from the win column each and every year is really old.
The Jags are a 3 point favorite according to the different odds sites. I think the Jags win but I’m not sure if they will cover. It may be yet another nail biter decided late in the game.
Let’s get to 4-2 and a win closer to bowl eligibility.
Go Jags!
South Alabama Falls On The Road in 4OT To Texas State 33-31
The South Alabama Jaguars lose their second-consecutive game in heart breaking fashion. The Jags (3-2, 0-2) squander a 14-point lead then falls to Texas State (2-3, 1-0) 33-31 in the 4th overtime.
The Jags offense was moving the ball with a 14 point lead, but a flea flicker attempt went awry. After the handoff, the running back Bryan Hill turned to toss it back to quarterback Jake Bentley but a Texas State defender was there to catch the lateral.
Texas State seized the momentum with the turnover and the touchdown cutting the Jaguar lead to 24-17 with 7:17 left in the game.
The Jags offense were able to get a couple first downs, but stalled after a negative play. The Jags punt was fair caught at the Bobcat 15 yard line with 3:17 left in the game.
However the Jaguar defense was tired and dinged up.
Texas State was able to drive down the field and score with 17 seconds left in the game.
In overtime the Jags went on offense first after Texas State won the toss. After converting a gutsy 4th and 1, Jake Bentley found Jalen Tolbert for a touchdown.
Texas State matches the Jags score sending it to a second overtime.
South Alabama’s defense dug deep and forced a field goal attempt. The kick from the right hashmark went off the right upright no good.
The Jaguars only needed a field goal to win the game, however tragedy struck when the running back fumbled the ball on 3rd down and the Bobcats recovered.
In the third overtime due to the new rules both teams start going for only 2pt conversions. Neither team converts.
In the fourth overtime, Texas State’s quarterback runs right up the middle for two points. The Jags first attempt was a pass for Tolbert in the back of the end zone which went incomplete, but pass interference put the ball at the 1 1/2 yard line for another attempt.
The second attempt Bentley threw towards the middle of the field into traffic and it was deflected. Bentley had an open receiver towards the right sideline but didn’t see him.
The Jags started the game slow yet again. Texas State only needed three plays to get on the board first with a 57 yard touchdown pass.
South Alabama returns home to Hancock Whitney Stadium to host Georgia Southern on Thursday night.
Preview: South Alabama Travels To Texas State For First Road Conference Game Of The Season
Kickoff: Saturday October 9, 6 pm
Venue: Bobcat Stadium, San Marcos, Texas
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5 fm, 96.1 fm The Rocket, iHeartRadio App
All eyes are on South Alabama this week. Not because of any national implications (not yet anyway). But because fans are eager to see how the Jaguars respond after the first loss under first year head coach Kane Wommack.
The Jags (3-1, 0-1 SBC) have spent the week preparing for their first conference road game of the season at Texas State (1-3, 0-0).
Last Saturday the Jags dropped their game to Louisiana 20-18 despite having two opportunities to take the lead late in the game. The first was a 4th and 1 at the 4 yard line where Jake Bentley’s pass was ruled incomplete, though Lincoln Sefcik insists that it was a catch. The other was a 37-yard field goal attempt that was missed wide right with 1:06 left.
This all transpired after the Jags fought back from a 20-0 deficit early in the second quarter. The Jags scored 18 unanswered points after that point giving themselves the opportunity to win the game. This was against the Sun Belt Conference West Division Champion for the last three seasons and the preseason choice to win it again.
As coach Wommack said in the post game press conference, the Jags played some of their best football in the last 40 minutes of the Louisiana game.
All the focus has shifted to Texas State though.
The Louisiana game is over and in the past. The Jags control their future and have to approach each game as if their record is 0-0.
A neutral mindset.
Texas State
Despite playing four games, the Bobcats are still quite a mystery.
They opened the season with a 29-20 loss to Baylor and an overtime win over Florida International. However the team was without more than a dozen players in their last two games due to injuries and Covid protocols. They lost to FCS Incarnate Word 42-34 and to Eastern Michigan 59-21.
They’ll host the Jags coming off a well-timed bye week.
Offense
The Texas State offense is led by quarterback Brady McBride, a 2020 transfer from Memphis. He’s thrown seven touchdowns so far this season.
McBride is another dynamic running quarterback. After facing Alcorn State and Louisiana, hopefully this will only help the Jags to be prepared for his style of play.
The Bobcats average 24.5 points and just under 333 yards of total offense per game. They average 196.5 through the air and 136.3 on the ground per game.
Calvin Hill has 239 yards rushing on 49 carries, appearing in all four games. Brock Sturges is next with 151 yards on 33 carries with two touchdowns in three games. Jahmyl Jeter has 96 yards on 17 carries with three touchdowns in four games. McBride has 36 rushing yards, but that is after 87 yards has been deducted from his total gain to account for runs for loss and sacks.
McBride is 79-of-137 passing on the season for 786 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions.
Marcell Barbee leads the Bobcats with 209 yards receiving on 20 catches with three touchdowns. Javen Banks is next with 13 catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Ten other receivers have caught passes on the season, the highest among them has 84 yards on 7 catches.
In addition to the three interceptions McBride has throw, the offense has fumbled the ball six times and lost two of them to the opponent.
Texas State is converting 38% of their 3rd down attempts (21-of-56). But have converted 5-of-7 4th down attempts (71%).
The Bobcats have been very efficient in the red zone so far this season. In all 14 trips they have come away with points, 10 trips they came away with touchdowns.
Defense
The Bobcats allow an average of 36.8 points and 435 total yards of offense per game. That breaks down into an average of 175 yards rushing and 260 yards passing per game.
Opponents are completing over 60% of their passing attempts. They are 85-of-140 for 1,040 yards with 10 touchdowns. Texas State has only picked off one opponents passes.
Opponents have converted 31-of-58 3rd down attempts (53%) and 2-0f-3 4th down attempts (67%).
When opponents get into the red zone they are scoring 80% of the time (16-of-20). Of those 16 scoring trips, 13 of them have been touchdowns.
Along with the one interception, the defense has forced nine fumbles and recovered five of them.
Defensive back Troy Lefeged Jr leads the defense with 28 total stops, 12 of them solo. Zion Childress, a safety, is next with 26 total stops, 16 solo along with the lone interception and two forced fumbles. In all three of the top four tacklers all come from the secondary, the lone exception is a linebacker.
Texas State’s pass rush ranks 107th in the nation with only three sacks this season.
Special Teams
Placekicker Seth Keller is perfect on the season, he is 5-for-5 on field goals with his longest being 48 yards. He has also made all 11 extra point attempts.
Punter Seamus O’Kelly is averaging 38.4 yards per kick. He only has two that have gone 50 yards or more and only three have been downed inside the 20.
Jacob Bates had handled all but two of the kickoffs with nine touchbacks and one kick out of bounds.
The kick returners have returned 11 kicks for an average of 19.4 yards. One has gone for a 60 yard return but there have been no kickoff returns for a touchdown.
South Alabama
Offense
The Jags offense had another sputtering start to the game last Saturday. Each of their first offensive possessions this season have been three-and-outs.
Often the problems are self-inflicted with negative-yardage plays and getting behind the down and distance schedule.
It’s possible the Jags get their leading rusher, Kareem Walker, back this week after sitting out last game with a quad issue. However Bryan Hill stepped in and ran the ball great in Walker’s absence.
Offensive stats wise, the Jags are averaging 24.8 points with 363 yards of total offense per game. That breaks down to 131.8 yards rushing and 231.8 yards passing per game.
They have converted 21-of-60 3rd down attempts (35%) and 5-of-10 4th down attempts (50%) through four games.
Kareem Walker not only leads the team in rushing yards (208) but also in carries (53) and touchdowns (4). Terrion Avery has 142 yards on 45 carries and a touchdown in four games. Bryan Hill already has 132 yards rushing on 31 carries with three touchdowns in only two games.
Jake Bentley is 79-of-122 (65%) for 927 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Jalen Tolbert leads the team with 20 catches for 460 yards. Caullin Lacy has 19 catches for 152 yards and Jalen Wayne has 15 catches for 153 yards. The only receivers to catch touchdown passes have been Walker and Trent Tyre.
Along with the one interception, the offense has fumbled the ball six times and lost five of them.
Defense
The Jags defense continues to rank high nationally.
South Alabama is third in the nation in Stop Rate (percentage of possessions that end in a punt, turnover, or turnover on downs). The Jags stop rate is 84.6% which only trails Georgia (93.4%) and Iowa (85.7%) on the list.
In numerous categories they rank in the top 20 nationally like Total Defense, Scoring Defense, Rushing Defense, and Pass Efficiency Defense. They lead the country in third-down conversion rate (19%), is 3rd in the nation in total first downs allows per game (14.8), and opponent’s red-zone scoring percentage (54.5%).
Statistically on the season they allow 16.8 points and 288.8 yards of total offense per game. That breaks down to 191 passing yards and 97.8 yards rushing per game.
As you can see, its a very stingy defense.
Jamal Brooks and Yam Banks lead the defense with 16 total stops each. Banks has 10 solo stops and Brooks has nine.
Wy’Kevious Thomas, Tre Young, and AJ DeShazor each have 15 stops with Young coming in with the most solo at 11.
The defense has forced five fumbles and recovered four. They also have 4 interceptions on the season for a total of eight takeaways.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo missed his first field goal attempt near the end of the Louisiana game, however he has made his four other attempts on the season. Of the four he’s made, three of them have been in the 40 yard range with the longest coming from 48 yards out.
Guajardo also missed two extra points. The sure-footed kicker had his first attempt blocked then a second one hit off the right upright on a very wet night at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
Jack Brooks is averaging 41 yards per punt, three of them have gone over 50 yards with the longest traveling 53 yards. He’s had six downed inside the opponents 20 yards line with no touchbacks. One of his 22 attempts was blocked (Bowling Green).
Guajardo had handled 20 kickoffs with eight touchbacks.
Keys to the Game
Fast Start Offensively
The Jags offense has started each of the four games with a three-and-out. They’ve been marred by negative plays and played behind the chains each time.
They could really use at least a few first downs on their opening possession. Even better, take the opening possession down the field for a touchdown.
Turnovers
I always hate to use turnovers as a key to the game, because they always are. It’s common sense. But sometimes it just needs to be spotlighted.
With five lost fumbles on six overall fumbles through the first three games, the Jags did an excellent job of protecting the ball against Louisiana. Despite the often rainy conditions and wet field, the Jags didn’t put the ball on the ground once in the game.
Nor did they throw an interception.
They are +2 in turnover margin on the season after forcing the Cajun fumble.
First Down Production
The Jags were able to establish the run fairly early in the game against Louisiana. Bryan Hill and the Jags running backs were able to get some big chunks on first down.
They were giving offensive coordinator Major Applewhite 2nd and short. As a play caller, your offensive playbook is wide open in those situations.
You saw what they can do too.
Bentley was able to throw deep down field off play-action for Tolbert and Wayne. Some of them turned into some big gains and flipped field position.
Tolbert will out jump just about anyone to make a catch. If the defender doesn’t keep Wayne in front of him, he is a danger to take one to the end zone any play.
Prediction
The Jags have yet to win a game in San Marcos, Texas. They have come close a couple of times. This is a great time to end that shutout.
They also haven’t won back-to-back road games since 2015 (San Diego State & Troy).
Last year the Jags put up season-high numbers in first downs, rushing attempts, total plays and time of possession. The offense didn’t turn the ball over a single time. The defense allowed their fewest rushing yards and fewest average gain per play on the season. Basically it was the best game, statistically, the Jags played last season.
So far this season, Texas State has one of the nations worst pass rushes with only three sacks thus far. The Jags offensive line have been pretty good protecting Bentley with most the sacks allowed have been coverage sacks. Also the Jags average over 9 yards per pass attempt (24th in the nation) while the Bobcats allow 7.4 yards per pass (79th in nation).
There’s just a lot that stacks up in the Jags favor, but are those numbers actually reflective of the Bobcats considering the injuries and Covid protocols?
South Alabama enters as a 3.5 point favorite in most odds sites.
As I highlighted during the Jags bye week, this should be one more winnable games on the Jags remaining schedule. It would also get them 2/3rds of the way to bowl eligibility as well.
I think the sting of a loss will motivate the players and coaches. They will use it as a bit of a get-right game. The Jags win and they will cover.
Go Jags!
South Alabama’s Comeback Falls Short In 20-18 Loss To Louisiana
South Alabama went toe to toe with Louisiana-Lafayette but came up short in their upset bid, falling by a score of 20-18.
The Jags (3-1, 0-1 SBC) had opportunities late to take the lead over the Ragin’ Cajuns (3-1, 2-0 SBC). Diego Guajardo just barely missed a 37-yard field goal with 1:06 left in the game.
In the previous offensive drive, the Jags had the ball 4th and 1 at the Cajuns 4 yard line. Head coach Kane Wommack opted to keep the offense on the field. The snap to quarterback Jake Bentley was low and rolled on the ground. Bentley picked it up and rolled to his right and tossed the ball towards a diving Lincoln Sefcik however the ball was just too short and incomplete.
Two missed extra points and a failed two-point conversion attempt also left points on the field for the Jags.
Cajuns’ Chris Smith took the opening kickoff to the Jaguars 13 yard line. Smith would get the touchdown a couple plays later to put Louisiana on top 7-0 with under a minute off the clock.
The Jags offense was stuck in reverse and went three-and-out.
The Cajuns kept the ball on the ground and gashed the defense for second touchdown on only four plays. Runs of 13, 8, 14 and capped off by quarterback Levi Lewis’ 22 yard touchdown run. USA then trailed 14-0 with 11:10 left in the opening quarter.
The Cajuns got down to the Jaguar 23 at the end of the first quarter. The defense stood their ground and forced a 43 yard field goal attempt by Nate Snider, however sailed wide right.
Coach Wommack and the Jags special teams were looking to catch Louisiana off guard with a fake punt early in the second quarter. However Jack Brooks couldn’t get to the edge and ended up losing 3 yards and giving the ball back to the Cajuns at the Jags 31 yard line.
Two Emani Bailey’s runs later and the Cajuns were back in the end zone. However Nate Snider missed the extra point leaving the Cajuns with a 20-0 lead with 11:23 left in the second quarter.
South Alabama finally put points on the board just before halftime. Bryan Hill ran the ball and Bentley connected with Jalen Wayne to move the ball down the field. Hill finally punched it in on 3rd and goal at the 1. Guajardo’s extra point was blocked leaving the Jags trailing 20-6 with 1:33 left in the half.
The Jags came out in the second half with a completely different air about them. They had an air of confidence about them.
South Alabama looked to Bryan Hill and Jalen Tolbert to jump start the offense. Hill was the workhorse, but it was a pass to Tolbert for 49 yards that flipped the field. Hill capped off the drive with a two yard touchdown. The extra point attempt by Guajardo missed to the right leaving the Jags trailing 20-12 at the 4:20 mark in the third quarter.
USA got the ball back after the defense forced a three-and-out on the ensuing possession.
It looked like the Jags were going to go three-and-out themselves but a snap to Keith Gallmon, the up man, who took it 38 yards to the Louisiana 13 yard line. Jake Bentley carried it in for the touchdown with 12:51 left in the game.
The coaches opted for the two-point conversion since they trailed by two points. Bentley was pressured and rolled to his left and missed seeing a wide open Terrion Avery on the right side of the field and took a sack.
Jags get the ball at their own 20 yard line with 9:58 left in the game. Their second offensive play Bentley went deep for Jalen Tolbert, who high pointed the ball perfectly, and came down with a 61 yard catch at the Cajuns 13 yard line.
Facing 4th and 1 at the 4, the ill-fated snap occurred where the ball rolled to Bentley then the throw was short for Sefcik and giving the Cajuns the ball at their own 4 yard line with 6:20 left in the game.
The Jags offense got the ball back at their own 35 yard line with 3:20 left in the game. On the second offensive play again, Bentley went deep to Jalen Wayne for 34 yards and flipped the field once more.
Terrion Avery put the ball on the left hashmark at the 19 yard line with 1:11 left in the game for the potential game-winning field goal from 37 yards out. Guajardo’s kick looked like it was going to slip inside the upright, but instead it barely slipped outside the right upright.
The Jags put up 387 yards of total offense, 144 rushing and 243 passing.
Bryan Hill led the Jags with 81 rushing yards on 22 carries with two touchdowns. Gallmon had 38 yards on the one run. Avery added 27 yards on 10 carries.
Bentley went 19-of-29 for 243 yards.
Tolbert led all receivers with 6 catches for 143 yards. Wayne added 5 catches for 56 yards. Lacy had 5 catches as well for 19 yards.
USA was 6-of-17 on 3rd down attempts and 3-of-5 on 4th down attempts. USA also led the way in time of possession with 36:47.
The South Alabama defense held the Cajuns to 283 total yards of offense, 225 rushing and 58 passing.
Emani Baily rushed for 81 yards on seven carries. Quarterback Levi Lewis rushed for 61 yards on 10 carries.
Lewis went 9-of-20 for 49 yards. Chandle Fields came in for one play and completed his only pass attempt for 9 yards.
Cajuns had three receivers who all caught two passes each and four players with one catch each.
The Cajuns only converted 2-of-10 3rd down attempts and converted their only 4th down attempt.
Next Up
South Alabama will travel to San Marcos, Texas to face Texas State on Saturday, October 9 with kickoff scheduled for 6pm. The game will be streamed online on ESPN+.
South Alabama Hosts Alcorn State In Final Non-Conference Home Game
Kickoff: Saturday September 18, 7:00 pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadiumn, Mobile, Alabama
TV: ESPN3
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5FM, 96.1FM The Rocket, iHeartRadio
South Alabama (2-0) returns home to face Alcorn State (1-1) from Lorman, Mississippi. The Braves are members of the Football Championship Subdivision Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Alcorn State is the fourth time in the last five seasons that the Jags have hosted a member of the SWAC conference. Previously the Jags have earned wins over Alabama A&M, Alabama State, and Jackson State from 2017-2019.
Grambling was scheduled to officially open Hancock Whitney Stadium last season on September 12, however the game was cancelled when the SWAC moved their season to the spring due to Covid-19.
Overall the Jags are 4-0 against SWAC teams with the 2011 win over Mississippi Valley State.
South Alabama has outscored SWAC opponents by a combined score of 162-24 while averaging 40.5 points per game and scoring no fewer than 35 points. The Jaguars last defensive shutout came against Alabama A&M on September 16, 2017 in a 45-0 decision.
The Jags set a single-game rushing record with 413 yards against Jackson State on Sept. 7, 2019. Tra Minter led the Jags with 189 rushing yards and 275 all-purpose yards, both rank #2 in single-game school record history.
Alcorn State
The Braves are led by fifth-year head coach Fred McNair. He has a 31-20 record with the the Braves. He played football professionally in the Canadian Football League, the World League of American Football, and the Arena Football League. His brother was Steve McNair, the most notable Brave to play in the NFL.
Offense
The Braves offense score an average of 13.5 points per game. Their offensive production is pretty balanced with an average of 179 yards per game passing and 155.5 yards per game rushing for a total of 311 total yards per game.
Of their three touchdowns scored this season, two have been through the air and one on the ground.
The offense is only converting 25% of their 3rd down attempts but they have converted four of their seven 4th down attempts.
Through their two games they have allowed four sacks. They have fumbled the ball twice, and lost one of them.
They are 4-of-8 in red zone scoring attempts. Three of those were touchdowns.
They have a pair of running backs with over 100 yards rushing on the season. Niko Duffy has 131 yards on 26 carries with an average of 5 yards per carry. Stadford Anderson has 128 yards on 11 carries with an 11 yard per carry average and a 68 yard long in only one game appearance. Quarterback Felix Harper has 50 yards rushing on 18 attempts with a touchdown.
Harper is the only quarterback with stats for the Braves. He is 30-of-50 for 358 yards on the season.
J. Anthony leads the team in receiving yards with 95 on 6 pass receptions. LeCharles Pringle leads the team in receptions with 8 for 84 yards. Manny Jones has 78 yards on his four catches. Seven other receives have caught passes this season.
Defense
Defensively the Braves have allowed an average of 16.5 points per game.
Opposing teams have rushed for an average of 139 yards per game and passed for an average of 188 yards per game.
They have three takeaways on the season. Two interceptions and one fumble recovery out of three fumbles.
Opponents have converted 13-of-31 3rd down attempts and only 1-of-4 4th down attempts on the season.
They have collected 11 tackles for loss with five sacks.
Their leading tackler is Juwan Taylor, a defensive back, with 18 total tackles, 11 solo. Keyron Kinsler has 16 total, 5 solo with an interception as another defensive back.
South Alabama
The Jaguars are off to a fast start win-wise under first year head coach Kane Wommack. However you cannot really say the same for the offense in those two games.
Against Bowling Green some early miscues led to Falcon scores, however some luck and great defensive play kept the Jags from being in a keeper hole than they faced.
The opening possession was a three-and-out, but a high snap led to a blocked punt that happened to go out of the back of the end zone for a safety.
The Jags second possession was another three-and-out, but Jack Brooks’ punt only went 23 yards and gave the Falcons great field position at the Jaguar 38 yard line.
The Jaguar defense stuffed the 4th and 1 run to get the ball back on downs at the Jaguar 29.
Later in the opening quarter the Falcon defense was gifted with an interception thrown right at the linebacker dropping back in coverage. It was returned 27 yards for a touchdown, however the PAT was wide right leaving the Jaguars in only an 8-0 deficit.
After weathering the terrible first quarter, the offense started to come alive.
Offense
Through two games the Jags average 335.5 yards per game of total offense. They average 72.5 yards rushing and 263 yards passing per game.
They have converted 10-of-30 3rd down attempts (33%) and 1-of-2 4th down attempts.
The offense has only turned the ball over twice, one fumble and one interception.
Jake Bentley has been the only Jaguar to take snaps at the quarterback position. He is 46-of-68 for 526 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
Terrion Avery leads the Jaguar rushing attack with 94 yards on 30 attempts. Kareem Walker has 58 yards on 30 attempts.
Jalen Tolbert leads the receiver group with 263 yards on 12 catches. Caullin Lacy has hauled in 13 passes for 130 yards. Walker and Trent Tyre are the only Jags to have been on the receiving end of touchdown passes so far this season.
Defense
In both games the defense has started the game ready to play. Although against Bowling Green, they allowed several explosive plays to occur. Explosive plays are considered passes that go 15 yard or longer and run that go 12 yards or longer.
The stiff Jaguar defense has allowed an average of 13 points per game so far this season.
Opponents are averaging 220.5 passing yards, 67 rushing yards, and 287.5 total yards per game.
The defense has a total of 6 takeaways so far this season. They have recovered 3 of the six fumbles by opponents and also intercepted three passes.
Opponents have converted 4-of-27 3rd down attempts (15%) and 2-of-4 4th down attempts.
The defense has 10 total tackles for loss with seven sacks.
Tre Young and Yam Banks lead the defense with 10 total tackles each. Young has 7 solo and Banks with 6 solo.
Keys to the Game
Focus
When an FBS team takes on an FCS team, one of the big concerns by the coaching staff is focus. Teams have been caught “looking ahead” to the next game and either greatly struggled or outright lost to FCS teams.
Just this past weekend Florida State was upset by Jacksonville State. Earlier this season Montana upset #20 Washington and East Tennessee State defeated Vanderbilt (23-3). Appalachian State defeated #5 Michigan back in 2007 when they were an FCS program before they joined the Sun Belt and FBS.
The focus this week is paramount as the offense really needs come out of the tunnel with some fire early.
Running the Ball
Major Applewhite called a good game and continued to pound the ball on the ground. While it seemed ineffective in the first half, it began to pay dividends in the second half.
Terrion Avery was the workhorse on the game tying drive late in the fourth quarter. Kareem Walker also started finding holes in the second half.
This would be a great week to make major strides in running the ball heading into the teams bye week before starting conference play.
Staying Healthy
Another big concern when playing FCS teams is remaining healthy. No one wants to lose a player due to injury any time. But you especially don’t want to when you’re playing an opponent you should defeat handily.
But this also ties back into the first point, focus.
Maintaining focus and playing fundamentally sound football reduces chances of injury. With rain chances looking to be anywhere from 25% to 50% on Saturday, playing fundamentally sound football will go a long way in keeping players off the injury report.
Prediction
The expectation is that South Alabama should win this game easily.
The Braves have a fairly good sized team. The offensive line particularly stands out, size-wise, as being larger than most FCS schools.
However, they had to miss two days of practice due to Covid. Their part-time athletic trainers tested positive prior to their game last Saturday. On Tuesday, they had a walk-through aided by campus nurses and by Wednesday they were able to actually practice normally.
I think Alcorn has had a lot of distractions this week and they have missed out on a lot of preparation.
Jags win this and go 3-0 on the season by a wide margin. It depends on how well coach Wommack and his staff have been able to keep the team focused on this week as to what kind of product we’ll see on the field. I expect they will have cleaned up some stuff from the first two games and will head into the bye week ready to start preparation for the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns and conference play.
Go Jags
South Alabama Defeat Bowling Green With Field Goal As Time Expires
It wasn’t pretty, but the Jags pulled out the 22-19 win over Bowling Green with Diego Guajardo’s 44 yard field goal as time expired.
The Jaguars start the season 2-0 for the first time since 2011 and for the first time as a FBS team. Bowling Green falls to 0-2 on the season.
The Jaguar defense kept the team in the game. But Terrion Avery and Caullin Lacy took the team on their shoulders to tie the game.
Avery carried the ball seven times on the touchdown drive and caught a pass too. However it was Lacy who stepped up on 4th and 8 to convert a first down at to the Bowling Green 16 yard line. Then Avery would cap the drive off with a 3 yard gain and then a 13 yard touchdown.
The Jags defense, after getting a much needed rest when the offense put together the touchdown drive, set their cleats in the turf and were not going to bend or break again.
On 3rd and 11 at their own 24, Falcon quarterback Matt McDonald found Christian Sims open but Shawn Jennings came in and punched the ball loose and Quentin Wilfawn fell on it giving the Jaguar offense the ball at the Falcon 33 yard line with just 1:21 left in the game.
Major Applewhite kept the ball on the ground with Avery setting up Diego Guajardo for the game-winning kick.
The game started off terrible, but it could have been worse.
Bentley was sacked for a 2 yard loss, Bentley then threw it to Lacy for a 4 yard loss and Kareem Walker was dropped for a 2 yard loss. The snap to Jack Brooks on 4th down was high and he luckily pulled it down but it gave the Falcons the time to get in and block the punt. Fortunately the ball went out of the back of the end zone to give Bowling Green a 2-0 lead.
With 4:53 left in the first quarter, Jake Bentley dropped back to pass and didn’t see linebacker Darren Anders drop into coverage and threw it right to him. Anders would return it 27 yards for a touchdown. The point-after was missed wide right and the Jags then trailed 8-0.
South Alabama got the ensuing kickoff and methodically drove down the field to the 9 yard line when the first quarter ended. Walker got the ball down to the 4 yard but the Jags settled for a 22 yard field goal for their first points of the game.
The Jaguars used their time outs wisely and forced the Falcons to punt with with under a minute left in the half.
USA took over on the Falcon 48 yard line. A pair of passes later the Jags were down to the 16 yard line. Fortunately a pass intended for Lacy was not caught as time would have expired witout a chance to kick a field goal most likely. Instead Guajardo drills a 41 yard field goal with 6 seconds left in the half to cut the Falcons lead to 8-6. Which the Falcons would be content to take to the locker room.
Bowling Green opened the second half with a 51 yard pass play on their third play from scrimmage. Aided by a holding penalty on what would have been a 1st down at the Jaguar 5 yard line, the Jags defense would force the Falcons to settle for a 40 yard field goal for an 11-6 lead.
The Jags punched right back with a 5 play, 75 yard touchdown drive. Bentley completed passes to Jalen Wayne for 15 yards then Jalen Tolbert for 42 yards to open the drive. Three plays later Kareem Walker pushes his way into the end zone to give South Alabama their first lead of the game at 12-11 with 10:11 left in the third quarter.
A 2-point conversion attempt looked to be good, but was ruled an incomplete pass. After review the play stood.
It was then Bowling Green’s turn though.
They quickly shredded the Jaguar defense with a 3 play, 83 yard drive. They opened the possession with a 47 yard pass play. Followed by a 3 yard run. But McDonald found Andrew Bench for a 33 yard touchdown to regain the lead.
The Falcons converted their 2-point conversion attempt to take a 19-12 lead with 9:08 left in the third quarter.
Bowling Green threatened to increase their lead with under a minute left in the third quarter but double-pass by Jaedyn McKinstry was overthrown and an easy interception by Keith Gallmon for a touchback.
The Jaguar defense kept bending but not breaking in the fourth quarter. A few times they looked like they were holding on by just a thread or a shoelace.
That was until the Jaguars offense with Avery and Lacy took over.
Stats
South Alabama
The Jags put up 371 yards of total offense, 114 on the ground and 257 through the air. They had 21 first down but converted 7-of-18 on 3rd down. The Jags were a perfect 3-for-3 in red zone scoring, converting two touchdown.
Bowling Green gained 317 yards, only 9 yards rushing with 308 passing. They only had 10 first down and were 2-of-12 on 3rd down. The Falcons only scored a field goal on their only red zone attempt.
Jake Bentley was 29-of-46 for 257 yards and an interception.
Caullin Lacy led the receivers with 8 catches for 63 yards. Jalen Tolbert had 7 catches for a game high 95 yards. Six other Jaguars caught passes in the game.
Terrion Avery led all rushers with 82 yards on 20 carries with a touchdown. Walker carried 12 times for 32 yards and a touchdown.
Yam Banks led the Jags with 6 total tackles, 3 of them solo. The defense had five tackles for loss and three sacks.
Bowling Green
Matt McDonald went 23-of-32 for 308 yards and a touchdown.
Christian Sims led the Falcons with 8 catches for 76 yards. Austin Osborne caught 7 passes for 38 yards. Tyrone Broden caught 3 passes for 76 yards. All six players who caught passes had a reception for 26 yards or longer in the game.
Terion Stewart led the Falcons with 16 yards rushing on 5 carries.
Next Game
South Alabama returns home to face Alcorn State on Saturday, September 18. Kickoff is scheduled for 7pm at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
Go Jags!
South Alabama Travels To Bowling Green For First Road Game Of The Season
Kickoff: Saturday September 11, 3 pm
Venue: Doyt L. Perry Stadium, Bowling Green, Ohio
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5 fm, 96.1 fm The Rocket, iHeartRadio
South Alabama has spent the week gearing up for their first road trip under first-year head coach Kane Wommack.
I don’t think many will argue against the idea that it’s easier to prepare after a win than it is after a loss. However coach Wommack made sure, as soon as the Southern Miss game was over, to start pointing out that the team needs more urgency and that it was no where near the standard he wants to hold his team to.
Coach Wommack pointed out the teams poor execution at times, how he didn’t think they finished well, and that it was not a convincing win in his mind.
Next up for the Jaguars are the Bowling Green Falcons.
It’s an opportunity for some payback for the Jags 33-28 loss on December 20, 2014 in the Camellia Bowl in Montgomery. It was the Jags first bowl game appearance.
Third year Bowling Green head coach Scot Loeffler is 3-15 and coming off a 38-6 loss at Tennessee to open their season. The Falcons were 0-5 in a short 2020 season.
While the Jaguars offensive production, numbers wise, was not very impressive, it definitely felt different.
The Jags continued to struggle to run the ball. But the Southern Miss defensive front is arguably their strongest defensive unit. Any way you look at it, there is definitely room to grow on their 31 rushing yard outing.
Kareem Walker gained 26 yards on 18 carries. He got a significant chunk of carries in the later stages of the game with little effectiveness. Terrion Avery added 12 yards on 10 carries.
On the other hand the Jags passing game was quite efficient. Bentley went 17-of-22 for 269 yards and two touchdowns. Jalen Tolbert led the way with 168 yards on just five receptions (an average of 33.6 yards per catch with a long of 49 yards). Caullin Lacy added 67 yards on five catches and Jalen Wayne caught three passes for 20 yards. Walker and Trent Tyre caught the two touchdown passes.
Offensively the Jags had 11 tackles for loss accounting for 31 lost yards. Of those 11, three of them were sacks for a loss of 17 yards. The Jags fumbled the ball away to Southern Miss once in the game.
Defensively the Jags used the SwarmD and caused disruptions all night. The team racked up five tackles for loss for a loss of 33 yards, four of them sacks for 31 yards. They collected two interceptions, one of them returned 48 yards for a touchdown. They also forced two fumbles and recovered both of them.
The secondary had three pass breakups. Keith Gallmon led the team in tackles with 7, 5 of them were solo.
In all, seven of the nine top tacklers in the game came from the defensive front. That helps show that Jags did a good job getting stops before players got to the secondary.
Bowling Green
Offense
The Falcons ran into a Tennessee defense that caused them a lot of problems. They were only able to rush for 32 yards. Nick Mosley led the way with 26 yards on the ground on eight carries. His longest run was 24 yards.
Matt McDonald was 25-of-38 for 187 yards through the air while being sacked twice. He spread the ball around pretty well. The leading receiver, Austin Osbourne, had eight catches for 46 yards. Cavon Croom added five catches for 45 yards. Three other receivers caught three passes each.
Defense
The Falcon run defense was shredded for 326 yards on 64 carries. That still averaged out to 5.1 yards per carry. Two Tennessee running backs went over 100 yards in the game and the quarterback had two rushing touchdowns.
The defense only allowed 145 yards passing and one passing touchdown to the Vols. Michigan transfer quarterback Joe Milton went 11-of-23 for 140 yards and a touchdown while adding 44 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 14 carries. The Falcons did sack him three times though.
Bowling Green’s defense recovered two fumbles, one of them forced.
South Alabama
Offense
As mentioned previously, the offense struggled running the ball. They only managed to gain 31 yards on 34 carries.
However the blame doesn’t solely rest on the offensive line.
After reviewing the game film, head coach Kane Wommack said that the Jaguar running backs showed some hesitancy. That hesitancy, however slight, against the quality and experienced defensive front of Southern Miss meant that the holes that the offensive line opened for the backs closed quickly.
But there were breakdowns in blocking by the receivers as well.
In short, the running backs hesitation and blocking mishaps by receivers all contributed to allowing the defense to fill the gaps.
Which circles back to coach Wommack’s post-game talk about playing with urgency. Which is fixable. And you better believe they will be working on that this week.
Going up against Bowling Green’s defense may give them a great opportunity to take this week’s work in practice and translate it into success on the field.
The Falcon defense allowed 326 yards to Tennessee. But going back to the 2020 season, they allowed over 310 rushing yards per game on average.
Defense
The Jaguar defense played better than expected.
During preseason camp coach Wommack said that installing the defense had gone quicker and easier than expected.
It sure came out to shine on Saturday night.
Overall the Jags only allowed 258 yards of total offense. Only 125 yards rushing and 2.9 yards per carry to coach Will Hall, who is known for his power rushing attack offense.
The defense was in the backfield all game long causing havoc.
They recorded 11 tackles for loss, three of them sacks, and many more quarterback hurries. They also forced two interceptions, some near interceptions, and three pass breakups.
The stat that I liked was that of the top 9 tacklers on the Jaguar defense, 7 of them came from the defensive front. Only two were players in the secondary.
That means that the front 6, and sometimes just the front 5 (as one of the ends may situationally drop into coverage), did not allow their opponents to get into the second level of the defense. Additionally they did not needing safeties to come up and help stop the run. It also means that they weren’t completing a lot of passes either.
The longest run allowed was 5 yards and the longest pass completion was 23 yards to Frank Gore Jr., the running back.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo had a solid outing connecting on a 48 yard field goal in the third quarter. He had six kickoffs and half of them were touchbacks.
Jack Brooks also had a solid night. He averaged 43.9 yards across his eight punts. His longest of the night was 54 yards and he had three punts downed inside the 20.
Keys to the Game
Rushing Offense
With improved offensive line play, the running game needs to pick up to help balance the offense. This will be needed as the season progresses as we get into conference play.
Coach Wommack said that there would be a focus this week on urgency and also said he thought he saw hesitancy by the running backs. This would be a great opportunity for the Jags running backs to have a break out performance against a somewhat historically weak run defense.
Since Saturday coach Wommack and also offensive coordinator Major Applewhite have both pointed out that all 11 players have roles to play each and every play. They pointed out some missed blocks by the wide receivers and missed checks by the quarterback that would have put them into better situations.
Penalties
I definitely noticed a difference in penalties.
When the game started getting chippy in the first quarter and ramped up after Southern Miss scored to take their only lead of the game, the Jags maintained composure in the moment. They didn’t get frustrated and they didn’t get baited into penalties.
They got some effort-based penalties that will be addressed. Yet they still got some penalties that there are no excuses for. A personal foul on a kickoff that goes for a touchback. A targeting call for a tackler leading with the crown of the helmet.
While these are improved, they need continual reinforcement and improvement.
Winning on the Road
Over the last several seasons the Jags have been a terrible road team. Including the win against Southern Miss this season, the Jags have won only 5 road games dating back all the way to the 2016 season.
There were two seasons in there where the Jags were winless on the road.
The season opening win over Southern Miss in 2020 ended a drought where the Jags had not won a road game since the Troy game on October 11, 2017.
A road win will go a long way towards giving the Jags some of their swagger back from the early days of the program.
The Jags have not started a season 2-0 since the 2011 season, before they were a FBS Transitional team.
Prediction
South Alabama enters as a double-digit favorite against Bowling Green. The line started at 14.5 and has dropped to 13.5.
This will definitely be a game to watch for any Jaguar fan. Just to see how the team performs on the road under coach Kane Wommack and his staff.
I definitely think the Jags will win, but flirting with the spread is an interesting conundrum. 13.5 points is quite a bit, I think the Jags will cover but just barely (like a 14 point win).
Go Jags!
South Alabama Defense Dominates Southern Miss in 31-7 Win
South Alabama may have spotted the Southern Miss Golden Eagles a touchdown lead, but that was all they gave them. The Jags would score the next 31 points to claim a season-opening win at Hancock Whitney Stadium 31-7.
The Jags (1-0) triumphantly used the Swarm D to shut down the Golden Eagles (1-0) to give first year head coach Kane Wommack the first win of his career as a head coach.
The Jaguar defense turned away the Golden Eagles three times inside the 10-yard line. They also produced five turnovers in the game, the final coming on a pick-six with under a minute left.
Southern Miss put the first points on the board with 3:55 left in the first quarter. The Jags defense had seemingly stopped the Golden Eagles on a 4th and 8 play when AJ DeShazor put a big hit on Trey Lowe. However after review for targeting, DeShazor was disqualified and USM had a first down at the Jaguar 15 yard line. They scored three plays later.
The Jags answered with 12:27 left in the second quarter when Bentley connected with tight end Trent Tyre for a 1-yard touchdown.
Southern Miss fumbled the ensuing kickoff for the Jags first takeaway of the game. This time Bentley connected with running back Kareem Walker for a 5-yard touchdown with 10:29 left in half to take a 14-7 lead.
The Jags took the opening possession of the second half and drove 75 yards for another score. The first play from scrimmage was a 28 yard yard pass completion to Caullin Lacy. What looked like a Jalen Tolbert touchdown was taken off the board after a review determined he stepped out of bounds at the 3 yard line. A couple of plays later Bentley punched it in on a quarterback sneak to put the Jags ahead 21-7 at the 11:48 mark of the third quarter.
Diego Guajardo added a 48-yard field goal with 9:51 left in the third quarter to put the Jags ahead 24-7.
Shawn Steele picked off Lowe on the next Southern Miss possession but the Jags couldn’t capitalize on it with more points.
Late in the third quarter the Golden Eagles had the ball at the Jags 4 yard line, but turned the ball over on downs.
Tolbert had 4 catches for 137 yards in the third quarter alone.
After a Jaguar punt to start the fourth quarter, Southern Miss again had the ball in the Jaguar red zone. The Jaguar defense forced a fumble to end the threat.
With time winding down, Davyn Flenord stepped in front of a pass by Lowe and returned it 45 yards for the final points of the game with just 44 seconds left.
Jalen Tolbert caught four passes for 147 yard and narrowly missed having a touchdown.
Jake Bentley went 14-of-19 for 253 yards and two touchdowns.
“It was fun for me to see coordinators up in the box making adjustments with our players, having real adversity — whether it was self-inflicted adversity or from the other side,” Wommack said. “We trailed early and we were able to respond to that adversity. We need to keep playing to get this team to where we want to go.”
“Just overall, I thought it was not nearly to the standard we want to hold this team to,” Wommack said. “I thought we had poor execution at times, I didn’t think we finished well. … There’s just a number of things we have to get better and every single person in our building has to have an urgency to move the dial forward in this program. … I want to enjoy wins, but you have to have an urgency to get this program better. That was not a convincing win in my mind.”
Next up for the Jaguars is Bowling Green on Saturday, September 11. Kickoff is scheduled for 3pm at Doyt L. Perry Stadium in Bowling Green, Ohio.
Former head coach Joey Jones, who started the Jaguar football program, with Riley Cole. 
Former head coach Joey Jones with former Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele. 
Captains 
Southern Miss head coach Will Hall. 
Preview: Southern Miss at South Alabama
Kickoff: Saturday September 4, 7:00 pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, Alabama
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5FM, 96.1FM The Rocket, iHeartRadio
The new era of South Alabama football gets underway Saturday, September 4, 2021 with the 7pm kickoff at Hancock-Whitney Stadium against Southern Miss.
Gone is Steve Campbell after three seasons and only nine wins to show for it.
In a homecoming of sorts, Kane Wommack was hired after being a finalist for the Broyles Award last season as defensive coordinator at Indiana University. The hire makes Wommack the youngest head coach in FBS football at 34 years old.
Just like his previous stint at South Alabama, Wommack brings a tremendous amount of energy and enthusiasm to the field and locker room. Few get more excited about a big play than he does.
Coach Wommack brought in Corey Batoon, who is well versed in his 4-2-5 SwarmD system. The SwarmD system was developed by Coach Wommack’s father, Dave Wommack, and is the scheme that coach Kane Wommack has implemented and improved throughout his coaching career. The same system produced 18 takeaways last season for Indiana.
Wommack also brought in Major Applewhite as offensive coordinator to give the Jaguars struggling offense a makeover.
Applewhite spent the last two seasons on the Alabama staff as an analyst. Prior to that he was head coach at Houston where he took over after being Tom Herman’s offensive coordinator.
Additionally, two offensive assistant coaches hired were Rob Ezell and Gordon Steele who were also analysts at Alabama. Steele is the son of former Auburn defensive coordinator Kevin Steele.
Newcomers Making Impact
Coach Wommack and his staff brought in a total of 19 newcomers intent to make an immediate impact. After taking over as head coach in December, the Jags brought in 13 Division I scholarship transfers, three junior college transfers as well as a few walk-ons. Additionally they brought in a healthy number of high school signees, which are the foundation of the Jaguars future.
Out of those newcomers, eight of them are expected to start against Southern Miss on Saturday. Six of those starters are on the offensive side of the ball.
Leading that group, and arguably the most high-profile, is quarterback Jake Bentley. Bentley started his collegiate career at South Carolina in 2016 being redshirted. They removed his redshirt and in his second start he led the Gamecocks to an upset win over nationally ranked Tennessee. He started the remainder of that season. In 2018 he set the single-game passing record with 510 yards in a loss to eventual national champion Clemson in Death Valley.
Over four seasons at South Carolina and one at Utah, Bentley has a 62.4% completion rate with 61 touchdowns to 38 interceptions. He won the starting job in spring practice over Desmond Trotter.
Another high-profile transfer is Kareem Walker. He comes to USA from Mississippi State and won the starting job in preseason camp.
The offensive line, which has been a serious problem the last couple of seasons, sees three newcomers slated to start. Also a true freshman is listed as second string at left and right guard. This group may be impacted the most by the newcomers.
Defensively Jamal Brooks (Missouri) is the only newcomer slated to start. He beat out a number of returning players for the position and will be tasked with calling the defensive signals this fall as well. Six other newcomers are listed on the defensive depth chart though.
Travis Drosos (Colorado) is listed as the starting long snapper on special teams.
Most of these new faces are not on their last year of eligibility either. Of the 19 brought in, 14 of them have at least two years of eligibility left. Some have four years of eligibility remaining.
Injuries
Linebacker Nick Mobley, a three-year starter for the Jaguars, was medically disqualified prior to fall camp. The team doctors detected a condition to the neck and spine area and for his wellbeing he is not allowed to play. Mobley had 94 tackles for the Jaguars last season.
The only significant injury the Jaguars have suffered in preseason camp was defensive end Jamie Sheriff. Sheriff sustained a torn LCL in his left knee which will require surgery and will sideline him until spring. Sheriff was practicing with the first-team defense at the Bandit position.
Charles Coleman III, a sophomore from Huntsville, AL, is listed as the projected starter against the Golden Eagles in place of Sheriff.
Southern Miss
The Jags defeated Southern Miss in the 2020 season opener in Hattiesburg. That led to the resignation of Jay Hopson after the “highly disappointing home loss.”
USM hired Will Hall, the former Tulane offensive coordinator, to helm the program. Hall got his first head coaching position when he was promoted from offensive coordinator at West Alabama after the retirement of Bobby Wallace. He spent three seasons there before taking the head coaching position at West Georgia for three years. He then served as offensive coordinator at Louisiana-Lafayette and Memphis for one season each before spending the last two at Tulane again as an OC.
In his six seasons as a Division II head coach he compiled a 56-20 record, losing no more then four games in a season.
USM has a veteran offense returning 10 starters from last season. The receiving corps could possibly be one of the better groups in Conference USA. However the Golden Eagles were plagued with turnovers a year ago. They committed 16 turnover, which was 35th most in the nation.
The difference in these two teams match up last season was the Jaguar defensive front tackling and applying pressure on the quarterback. It was one of the few times they were able to do that last year.
USM has Frank Gore Jr and Darius Maberry as a formidable 1-2 punch in the backfield and will be featured in Coach Hall’s power running attack. Add in running quarterback Trey Lowe III, a West Virginia transfer who started three games last season, you have another dimension USM didn’t have last season.
South Alabama Offense
USA allowed 40 sacks last season which was 126th in the nation. Running backs only averaged 2.9 yards per carry last season. Those were two big reasons why it was a priority to bring in some help on the offensive line.
To help bolster the running back position, the Jags brought in Kareem Walker. Carlos Davis, the Jags leading rusher a year ago, was indefinitely suspended prior to spring practice and entered the transfer portal.
The Jaguar offense only converted 39.1% of their 3rd down attempts ranking in at 71st in the nation last season. They also averaged 358.5 yards of offense per game (95th in the nation). Most of that yardage came through the air as they averaged 247.2 yards per game (46th in the nation).
But what matters most, the Jags averaged 19.9 points per game which was 112th in the nation.
The Jags have had inconsistent quarterback play for a number of years now. Bentley and offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Major Applewhite look to turn that around. Going against a young defensive coordinator may help that effort.
It also helps when you have a receiver like Jalen Tolbert, probably among the best in the nation, on the receiving side of your passes. Then add Jalen Wayne, Caullin Lacy, and Cade Sutherland into the mix and you really have some downfield targets to throw to.
South Alabama Defense
Defensively the Jags only allowed 27.3 points per game (53rd in the nation) and forced 14 turnovers (49th).
However they allowed 436.4 yards per game (92nd), 261.9 yards passing per game (104th), and 8.7 yards per pass (114th).
Expecting an immediate turnaround in the defense may be unreasonable. The players have been learning the 4-2-5 SwarmD system and haven’t been put that system into practice under game conditions.
However between coach Wommack and coach Batoon, I feel they will be as prepared as they can be come game time. The fundamentals they have been building through spring practice and preseason camp will only be reinforced as the season progresses.
As mentioned previously, Jamal Brooks will be calling the defensive signals for the Jags from the Mike position. He will be tasked as the primary defender of USM’s running backs, primarily Frank Gore Jr. Gore Jr. rushed for 708 yards and two touchdowns on 121 carries as the leading rusher for the Golden Eagles. Gore Jr.
Devin Rockette enters his third season as a starting cornerback for USA. He and the Jags secondary will have to cover Jason Brownlee, the Golden Eagles leading receiver from a year ago. But throw in sophomore quarterback Trey Love III adding a running dimension to the offense and you have more to prepare for.
Golden Eagle head coach Will Hall has installed his power running attack offense but that goes against the strength of the Jaguars defense from last season.
Jag nose tackle Gi’Narious Johnson will be lining up opposite sixth-year senior center Arvin Fletcher. Fletcher has started 47 games as a Golden Eagle and is truly the anchor of the USM offensive line. Johnson, a freakishly strong player, can make it a very long night if he is able to consistently disrupt the center of the USM offensive line.
Keys to the Game
Offensive Line
The new staff identified the offense line as a position of need and addressed it in the offseason. Three newcomers will be starting on the offensive line. Getting good play out of this position will be key to get the Jaguar offense in gear and scoring points.
Quarterback
Jake Bentley brings a wealth of experience to the team. The sixth-year senior has started at South Carolina and Utah. He set the single-game passing record at South Carolina with 510 yards against Clemson.
While Desmond Trotter was not a bad player, he was simply beat out for the position. In a real competition for the starting position, Trotter looked much improved and ready to step in if needed.
Defense
This one is quite broad. The Jaguar secondary had problems last season. They will have to play better in order to have an improved season. But with a Broyles Finalist as your head coach along with coach Batoon’s experience with the SwarmD system he has improved, I think it will happen.
While the rush defense for the Jags was their strong point, they will be tried by Southern Miss on Saturday. Coach Hall has implemented his signature power rushing attack in Hattisburg. With a veteran and physical offensive line, they will present a serious challenge for the Jags.
Taking away the rushing attack and forcing USM into a one-dimensional offense with a young starting quarterback could be key to a Jags win.
Prediction
Both coaches are full of energy and are looking to start their tenure with a win. Hall the first has a FBS head coach and Wommack the first as a head coach, period.
The cultural change at South Alabama is quite evident and the players have bought into what the coaches have teaching. The defense picked up the system faster than anticipated, which is quite promising.
Southern Miss is a 1.5 point favorite in Mobile.
I think the Jags will start the season with a homefield win in what feels like the real debut of Hancock Whitney Stadium.
Preview: Troy At South Alabama (Battle for the Belt)
Kickoff: Saturday December 5, 1:00 pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, Alabama
TV: ESPN3
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5FM, 96.1 The Rocket, iHeartRadio
The Battle for the Belt.
After having their annual match up, that was scheduled for October 3 postponed due to Covid, the Jaguars (4-6, 3-4 Sun Belt Conference) will finally host the Trojans (4-5, 2-3 SBC) at 1pm on Saturday, December 5.
This Rivalry Game will be played late in the season rather near the beginning of their conference schedules for the first time in this series. This is what many South Alabama fans have wanted for some time. They have felt that, like fellow in state rivals Alabama and Auburn, that South Alabama and Troy should be played at the end of the season. Thanks to Covid, their wish has finally come true.
Well, mostly.
The game was first rescheduled to be December 12 and would have been the ending of the season for both schools. However, again thanks to Covid, Troy will take on Coastal Carolina on December 12 and thus the Battle for the Belt needed a new date, and December 5 was it.
The Jags enter the game after breaking their four game losing streak and getting their first win ever in Jonesboro, Arkansas against the Arkansas State Red Wolves last Saturday. The Jags had to fight down to the last second for the win. They clinched it on a quarterback sack as time expired with the ball inside their own 10 yard line.
The Trojans travel to Mobile in the midst of a three game losing streak. Last Saturday the Trojans were dominated by Appalachian State 47-10 in Boone, North Carolina. They allowed 275 yards rushing and were held to just 106 yards rushing themselves in the loss.
But nothing can get a pair of football rivals up for a game like a rivalry game.
Troy Offense
Troy head coach Chip Lindsey is still searching for his guy at quarterback. Quarterback Gunnar Watson is 152-of-223 passing for 1,584 yards, 12 touchdowns and six interceptions on the season. Last week against App State he went 13-of-20 for 125 yards, a touchdown and an interception.
Jacob Free, a 6’5″ 217 pound junior is 79-of-134 for 957 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions on the season. Free last saw action against Georgia Southern on November 7th when he struggled going 21-of-47 with two interceptions. He was unable to play last week due to an illness.
Lindsey was quoted during fall camp saying that their quarterback will be the one who, “can lead the team up and down the field and score.” So its possible that the Trojan may utilize him on Saturday.
On the season Troy is averaging 282.3 yards passing, 102.6 yards rushing, and 384.9 total yards of offense per game. They are scoring an average of 26 points per game, which is a bit un-Troy like.
The leading Trojan runner, true freshman Kimani Vidal, has missed the last two games. Despite that he had 393 yards on 67 attempts for the season with three touchdowns. BJ Smith is behind him with 277 yards on 73 attempts with three touchdowns.
Kaylon Geiger is the favorite receiver with 48 catches and 598 yards on the season with two touchdowns. Reggie Todd and Khalil McClain both have 29 catches and five touchdowns each, they have 380 and 350 yards receiving respectively.
Despite the numbers, Troy can still put points on the board. Especially when you’re talking about a rivalry game with an in-state opponent.
Troy Defense
Overall the Troy defense is allowing 233.7 yards passing, 177.8 yards rushing, 411.4 total yards of offense, and 26.8 points per game.
As previously mentioned, the Trojans allowed 275 yards rushing last week. So defensively they are having trouble stopping the run and the Jags have had problems running the ball in their in games they lost.
Their third down numbers look pretty good too. Defensively opponents are only converting 36% of their 3rd down attempts (48-of-132). The Jaguar offense is converting 40% of their 3rd down attempts (61-of-152) on the season.
The defense is led by linebacker Carlton Martial who has 78 total stops, 40 of them solo, with 7.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups, and two quarterback hurries. Next in line behind him statistically is fellow linebacker Jayden McDonald, who has 59 total stops, 36 solo, four tackles for loss, a pass breakup and two quarterback hurries himself.
On the season, the Trojans have 15 sacks defensively.
Keys to the Game
Offensive Line
Last week the Jaguar offensive line held their own against an Arkansas State defense that, lets face it, is pretty terrible.
The Jaguar offense only netted 99 yards on the ground with Carlos Davis leading the way with 31 yards on 12 carries. So I wouldn’t go out and say it was a great performance by the offensive line, but it was an improvement for sure.
They were able to protect the quarterback and only allowed two sacks (25 over the last 6 games but who’s counting). That protection and the poor secondary play by the Red Wolves allowed the Jags to throw for 387 yards for the game and allowed Jalen Tolbert to set a single game record with 252 yards on 10 catches with three touchdowns.
It was good enough to earn him a helmet sticker on ESPN for his effort.
However that game is now the past and the offensive line will have to do it again this week.
Trotter should be back for the game, but will he be 100% and be mobile? Kawaan Baker seems to have suffered a partially torn MCL and does not look good to play. Brandon Crum, the most prolific pass catcher at tight end, will miss the game due to contact tracing precautions concerning Covid.
Turnovers
The Jags have been pretty good over the last couple of games concerning turnovers.
Turnovers are always big in rivalry games. There’s nothing better at shifting momentum or breathing fresh life into a team than forcing a turnover from a bitter rival.
While the Jags are still negative for the season in turnover margin, they have been +2 in turnover margin for the last two games (+3 in the loss to Georgia State). They need to keep that trend going this week and stay in the positive side of the margin.
And better yet, not giving the ball to the Trojans would be even better.
Scoring Points
The Jags found a way to put points on the board last week.
And it wasn’t field goals either!
Three of the touchdown passes went to Tolbert, the shortest of which was a 37 yard score. The only other passing touchdown went to Kawaan Baker. Tolbert scored on the ground with a designed quarterback run from 2 yards out.
With Crum out and Baker likely missing as well, that could allow Troy to focus more on Tolbert and Jalen Wayne. Could this allow the Jaguar runners to find some space to run?
Prediction
Troy opened at a 1 point favorite and the spread has grown to 4.5 points now.
As mentioned above, Crum will be out and Baker will likely be out. Trotter could have some lingering injury issues as well.
That’s just on offense.
Defensively we don’t know if Riley Cole will play, even though he has indicated that he will be ready come Saturday. But Cole has always been eager to play, but will he be cleared and able to? Christian Bell will probably miss the game as well.
The Jags have lost the last two games to the Trojans and would like nothing else than to end the season with win over their rivals as they are likely not going to get an invite to a bowl game. Plus it would be the second season in a row that the team and coaching staff took some momentum into the off-season with a season ending win.
Could this be a team getting better? Could they improve their win total by TWO games this year? A win just might save Steve Campbell his job too.
I think so! Jags not only cover, but they win outright.
Go Jags!