Jags Win The Battle For The Belt, 25-9
Major Applewhite did what his two predecessors could not: defeat Troy and get the Belt back. Tonight, his team did just that behind a stifling defense and three turnovers at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
“I’m just very excited for our players, for our campus, for our city,” coach Applewhite said. “This is a big game, a rivalry game, that we haven’t been as competitive in, in years past. To see our staff, our players and our fans pull together, it was awesome.”
“I’m so happy for our seniors, and so proud of them, to get the Belt back this year,” Applewhite said.
South Alabama (3-4, 2-1 Sun Belt Conference) earned their first win over the Trojans (1-6, 0-3) in the last seven tries dating back to 2017. It was also the first win over them in Mobile since the Jags faced them at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in 2014, the first-ever game officially dubbed the “Battle for the Belt.” It also marks the first win over Troy on-campus.
The Jaguar defense held the Trojans to under 100 yards until very late in the fourth quarter. They would have kept them out of the end zone had it not been for a very puzzling call by the officials deep in the fourth quarter. On a deep pass to the near sideline an official “inadvertently” whistled the play dead. After the officials convened, they allowed the catch and run to stand as well as a penalty for roughing the passer to move them into the red zone.
Tucker Kilcrease started the game for the Trojans, but was pulled after an interception and a flubbed snap that led to a safety. Matthew Caldwell came in and led the Trojans to most of their success in the game.
After a couple possessions by each team with very little success, the Jags finally got in gear when the defense forced and incompletion on a 4th and 2 at the Jags 49. From there Gio Lopez led the offense down to the 17-yard line before the offense shot themselves in the foot with a holding penalty. Coach Applewhite settled for a 36-yard field goal to go up 3-0 late in the first quarter.
South Alabama broke the game open in the second quarter.
Kilcrease was picked off by Jaden Voisin at the Trojans own 22-yard line. Two plays later Lopez connected with Jeremiah Webb for a 24-yard touchdown to put the Jags up 10-0.
One the subsequent kickoff, Devonte Ross chose to return the kick from the goal line and was cut down at the 10-yard line. Kilcrease dumped the ball all to Mojo Dortch at the 6-yard line on the right side of the field. As he was going towards the sideline with several Jags bearing down on him, he retreated towards the end zone trying to reverse the field but would be brought down by Voisin at the 1-yard line. After Kilcrease ducked in behind his line and pushed forward for 4 yards, the ball would be snapped over his head and out of the back of the end zone for a safety and a 12-0 lead midway through the quarter.
After the Jags got the ball back on the free kick, it didn’t take long for the offense to get back on the board. On the 5th play of the drive, facing 4th & 2 Lopez would call his own number and, with the defense selling out for the run, once he broke through the line of scrimmage, he was off to the races for a 49-yard touchdown run for a 19-0 lead with 4:34 left in the opening half.
Troy then put together their best drive of the game at that point behind Matthew Caldwell coming in at quarterback. It led to the Trojans settling for a 36-yard field goal with only 18 seconds left in the half.
Troy got the ball to start the second half but the Jags forced a turnover on downs. Lopez connected with Javon Ivory for 57 yards to get into the Trojan red zone, but they couldn’t punch it in and had to settle for the first of two 42-yard field goals by Laith Marjan.
Late in the third quarter, Lardarius Webb picked off a deep pass at the Jags 6-yard line and returned it 72 yards to the Troy 22. But after a sack on Lopez, the Jags couldn’t get into the end zone again. Marjan added his second 42-yard field goal to make it 25-3.
Stats
| South Alabama | Troy | |
| Total Yards | 318 | 172 |
| Passing Yards | 158 | 136 |
| Rushing Yards | 160 | 36 |
| 3rd downs | 4-of-13 (30.8%) | 5-of-15 (33.3%) |
| 4th Downs | 0-of-2 | 0-of-0 |
| Penalties – Yards | 9 – 100 | 3 – 34 |
South Alabama
Gio Lopez finished 16-of-21 (76%) for 158 yards and a touchdown.
Jamaal Pritchett led the Jags with 42 yards receiving on 3 catches. Jeremiah Wedd also had 3 catches but for 29 yards and a touchdown.
Lopez finished at the Jags leading rusher with 67 yards on 11 carried with the other Jag touchdown. Fluff Bothwell, wearing the honorary #5 jersey, finished with 53 yards on 12 carries. Kentrel Bullock had 38 yards on 15 carries.
Jordan Scruggs led the Jags with 6 total tackles, 4 solo.
Dalton Hughes and Courtney McBride Jr each had a sack as well as Jayln Durgan and Aakil Washington both had ½ a sack.
Jaden Voisin, Lardarius Webb jr, and Wesley Miller each had an interception in the game, Jaden’s 3rd pick of the season and Webb Jr’s second of the season.
Troy
Starting quarterback Tucker Kilcrease went 2-of-6 for -6 yards and an interception. Matthew Coldwell went 17-of-30 (57%) for 142 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
Devonte Ross led the Trojans receivers with 70 yards on 7 catches with a touchdown. Peyton Higgins had 21 yards on 4 catches.
Damien Taylor led the Trojans rushing with 23 yards on 6 carries. Gerald Green had 14 yards on 6 attempts.
Jordan Stringer led the Trojans with 11 total stops, 5 solo, with 2 TFL’s. Brendan has 10 total stops, 5 solo with 4. 5 tackles for loss.
“We were sputtering so much offensively the whole night,” Applewhite observed. “For the defense to do what they did, it’s a testament to how they’ve continued to improve throughout the year.”
There’s two, maybe three, guys on that side that have played a lot of football,” Applewhite continued. “But you’ve seen steadily game-after-game, guys getting better, more confident.”
“I’m just very proud of these guys,” Applewhite finished.
Next
The Jags will have a long break, 11 days to be exact, before they host Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday, October 26 for a 4pm kickoff at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
Preview: Battle For The Belt 2024
Kickoff: Tuesday, October 15, 6:30pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, AL
TV/Streaming: ESPN2
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
Thunderjags on X (formerly known as Twitter): @USAThunderjags
#5 Jersey: Fluff Bothwell
Battle for the Belt.
The yearly renewal of the in-state rivalry between South Alabama and Troy has been fairly one sided over the last few years but the animosity between the two remains as heated as ever. Troy has won the last six meetings between the two, including a 28-10 victory last season that saw Gio Lopez get his first career start as a true freshman.
The Jags (2-4, 1-1 Sun Belt Conference) and the Trojans (1-5, 0-2 SBC) both enter the game with something to prove and two-game losing streaks each. The Jags dropped a lopsided game at LSU then just over a week ago they lost a heart breaker at Arkansas State on a field goal with under a minute to go. Troy fell to Louisiana-Monroe and Texas State at home and see their path to a bowl game shrinking.
Both teams enter with a sense of urgency on top of the drive of playing in a rivalry game.
South Alabama hasn’t defeated Troy since the 19-8 defensive battle at Troy in 2017. Six consecutive losses. Steve Campbell went 0-3 and Kane Wommack went 0-3 in their coaching careers in the Battle for the Belt. Now head coach Major Applewhite gets to see how we fares in the rivalry.
The Jag seniors have never held the belt after a win while the Troy seniors have never had it leave their possession.
With two new head coaches, what does the 2024 renewals have in store for us?
Troy
The Trojans are led by first-year head coach Gerad Parker. He was selected to fill the position left vacant when Jon Sumrall left to take the head job at Tulane. He posting a 23-4 record overall and 16-2 in conference play during his time at Troy.
Parker previously served as offensive coordinator at Notre Dame for the 2023 season, where the Fighting Irish ranked 8th national averaging 39.1 points per game, 12th nationally in passing efficiency, and 29th in total offense. The Irish finished with a 9-3 record.
The 2022 season he was the tight ends coach at Notre Dame. Previous to Notre Dame, Parker served as the offensive coordinator at West Virginia for 2020-2021. Before that he had stops at Penn State, Duke, Purdue, Marshall, and UT Martin. He served as interim head coach for six games at Purdue in 2016.
The Trojans entered the season with only 11 seniors and only returned a few starters.
Offense
The offense is led by Sean Reagan who returns to Troy for his 11th season overall as a coach. He returns after a 5-year stint at West Virginia under former Troy head coach Neal Brown. Prior to his first stint at Troy, he served as a graduate assistant at Texas Tech.
In 2018 he was Co-offensive coordinator before leaving with Brown for West Virginia. He worked in varying capacities until he was named passing game coordinator for the 2023 season.
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 20.7 |
| Total Offense | 334.2 |
| Passing Offense | 202.3 |
| Rushing Offense | 131.8 |
| Time of Possession | 28:32 |
| Penalty Yards | 69 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 38-of-79 (48.1%) |
| 4th Downs | 3-of-7 (42.9%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 13 of 13 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 8 of 13 |
| Penalties – Yards | 44 – 414 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 8 – 3 |
Goose Crowder is the Trojans starting quarterback but he’s missed time due to injury, including their previous game against Louisiana-Monroe. He is 43 of 62 (69.4%) for 543 yards and 5 touchdowns in five games played. Tucker Kilcrease, who started last week against the Warhawks, is 26 of 44 (59.1%) for 383 yards and three touchdowns. Matthew Caldwell has seen action in four games and is 27 of 45 (60%) for 288 yards with a touchdown and an interception but he too was injured.
Devonte Ross leads the Trojans with 31 catches for 556 yards and 7 touchdowns. Peyton Higgins has 20 catches for 187 yards. Zeriah Beason has 13 catches for 172 yards.
Damien Taylor leads the Trojan rushing attack with 399 yards on 68 carries with 2 touchdowns. Gerald Green has 201 yards on 47 carries with a touchdown. Kilcrease is third on the team with 118 yards on 34 carries.
Defense
The defense is under the direction of Dontae Wright, who also comes to Troy from West Virginia where he coached safeties from 2020-23. Before WVU he coaches safeties at Western Michigan 2018-19.
He previously served as defensive coordinator at Tennessee Tech in 2017 and at Morehead State in 2015.
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 27.8 |
| Total Offense | 380.7 |
| Passing Offense | 198.8 |
| Rushing Offense | 181.8 |
| Time of Possession | 31:28 |
| Penalty Yards | 54.3 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 30-of-70 (42.9%) |
| 4th Downs | 2-of-6 (33.3%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 19 of 21 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 13 of 21 |
| Penalties – Yards | 35 – 326 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 4 – 1 |
Jordan Stringer (Jr LB) leads the team with 43 total stops, 20 solo, with 3 TFL’s, a sack and an interception. Justin Powe (Sr S) has 37 total stops, 23 solo, with a TFL and an interception.
Phillip Lee leads the team with 5 TFL’s. Six different players have one sack each as well as three different players have one interception each.
Special Teams
Robert Cole is averaging 40.4 yards per punt with 12 fair catches, 3 downed inside the 20, a touchback and a long of 59 yards.
Scott Taylor Renfroe is 7 of 8 on field goal attempts with a long of 49 yards and is also 13 of 14 on extra point attempts.
Ross leads the Trojans with an average of 36 yards per return across his 3 punt returns, with one returned for a touchdown.
South Alabama
The Jaguar offense and defense played out of character last time out against Arkansas State. The offense couldn’t move the ball consistently or well enough to score for most of the game. The defense, who played poorly over the first two games and LSU, played great holding the Red Wolves to only 18 points. Unfortunately, they couldn’t get a stop when it mattered most though. Arkansas State marched right down the field on their final drive to set up the game winning field goal.
But what plagued the Jags the most last week were penalties. When you are penalized 11 times for a total of 100 yards, it’s hard to win a game.
While South Alabama has a very favorable turnover margin (+6), their only turnover last week was an interception at a terrible time. The interception thrown by Gio Lopez was the first interception thrown on the season by any Jaguar quarterback. They have fumbled six times but only lost the ball twice. Meanwhile the defense has recovered three fumbles and picked off opposing quarterbacks six times.
Offense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 36.5 |
| Total Offense | 466.2 |
| Passing Offense | 263.7 |
| Rushing Offense | 202.5 |
| Time of Possession | 31:16 |
| Penalty Yards | 65.7 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 31 of 74 (41.9%) |
| 4th Downs | 6 of 10 (60%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 24 of 28 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 19 of 28 |
| Penalties – Yards | 48 – 394 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 6 – 2 |
Gio Lopez is 94 of 149 (63.1%) for 1,306 yards, 12 touchdowns and one interception in five games. Bishop Davenport is 27 of 46 (58.7%) for 276 yards and a touchdown.
Jamaal Pritchett leads the receiving corps by a wide margin, he has almost 3x the catches as the next receiver on the team. He has 36 catches for 531 yards and 6 touchdowns. Devin Voisin has 18 catches for 221 yards. Jeremiah Webb has 12 catches for 224 yards and a touchdown. Anthony Eager has 6 catches for 122 yards and two touchdowns.
Fluff Bothwell leads the Jags with 408 rushing yards on 56 carries with 6 touchdowns. Kentrel Bullock has 326 yards on 52 carries with 3 touchdowns. Lopez has 258 yards on 41 carries with 2 touchdowns.
Defense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 27.2 |
| Total Offense | 442.3 |
| Passing Offense | 310.3 |
| Rushing Offense | 132 |
| Time of Possession | 28:44 |
| Penalty Yards | 55.7 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 32 of 79 (40.5%) |
| 4th Downs | 2 of 5 (40%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 19 of 24 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 12 of 24 |
| Penalties – Yards | 31 – 283 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 6 – 3 |
Blayne Myrick paces the team with 50 total stops, 20 solo, with 4 Tackles for Loss, 2 pass breakups and a forced fumble. Jordan Scruggs is next in line with 30 total stops, 13 solo, with 2.5 TFL’s, and interception and a pass breakup.
Courtney McBride Jr and Tyler Thomas shared the lead with 2 sacks each.
Jaden Voisin leads the team with two interceptions. Scruggs, Amarion Fortenberry, Lardarius Webb Jr., and Chrystyile Caldwell have one pick each.
Special Teams
Aleksi Pulkkinen continues to be the team’s punter with an average of 41.2 yards per attempt across his 20 punts with 11 downed inside the 20 and 8 fair catches.
Laith Marjan is 7-of-8 on field goal attempts this season with a long of 49 yards and his only miss was from about 52 yards and has made 19 of his 20 extra point attempts.
Pritchett is averaging 24.5 yards per punt return including a 62-yard touchdown return against Northwestern Louisiana.
Keys to the Game
Injuries
The Jag offensive line dictate how the offense goes. Reed Buys missed about half or more of the Arkansas State game and the offense floundered outside of the two touchdown drives. It’s affected both the running and passing game.
It seemed fairly obvious that Gio Lopez was being affected by the turf toe some. He was moving around differently and was off on his deep throws.
With the additional time since the last game hopefully the Jags have been able to get a little rest and treatment so they can get back to closer to full strength again.
Quarterback Pressure
The defense was able to get plenty of pressure on App State’s quarterback but couldn’t generate much against LSU or Arkansas State. On the final drive by the Red Wolves they just couldn’t generate anything, and they got picked apart with the cushion they gave the receivers.
Troy has had plenty of injuries but the quarterback position has been affected a lot this season. In six games they have had to start three different signal callers due to injury. But no matter who is starting behind center, the Jags have to generate pressure.
Penalties
The Jags can’t beat themselves with penalties. They were flagged several times offensively for various infractions last game. Offensive penalties hurt you in two key ways: they put you behind the sticks and they rob you of momentum. The Jags had it 2nd and 10 at the ASU 11 yard line late in the game. They were then flagged for a false start and a hold over the next three plays which made it 3rd and 25 at the 26-yard line. Fortunately, Lopez was able to find Pritchett for a touchdown on the next play, but they didn’t make it any easier on themselves with those two penalties.
Cleaning up those penalties will be key this week. Also making sure they stay disciplined mentally heading into a rivalry game should be a focus for the players and coaches. They can’t allow themselves to lose focus and get drawn into committing penalties if they encounter any adversity or jawing back and forth.
Prediction
It’s dangerous to play a rival when they’re licking their wounds with their backs against the wall.
While Troy’s record is bad, South Alabama’s record isn’t much better. Both teams need a win if they want to get bowl eligible and they both are seeing the number of games remaining dwindling. Both teams could easily have two more wins than their current records reflect.
But if South Alabama plays up to their capabilities, they can beat anyone left of their schedule. It just depends which team shows up at Hancock Whitney Stadium Tuesday night.
It’s times to bring the belt back to Mobile.
The Jags are a 13.5-point favorite in the game. I think the Jags win, but I don’t think they cover. Jags win a close game to get the belt back against a Troy team that’ll pull out all the stops.
Go Jags!
South Alabama Falls 18-16 At Arkansas State On Late Field Goal
South Alabama fell to Arkansas State on a late field goal at Arkansas State 18-16 in a mistake-riddle game. The Jags had retaken the lead with 1:49 left but was unable to stop the Red Wolves when it mattered the most.
The Jags (2-4, 1-1 SBC) couldn’t get out of their own way, committing 11 penalties for 100 penalty yards. Lopez was picked off inside the 10-yard line in the second quarter ending a promising drive. They were also stopped short on a 4th and 2 play from the Red Wolves 20-yard line.
South Alabama took their first lead of the game with 1:09 left in the third quarter when Gio Lopez and Jamaal Pritchett hooked up for a 75-yard touchdown. The score was the first touchdown of the game and gave the Jags a 10-9.
The Red Wolves (3-2, 1-0 SBC) drove down the field on a 10 play, 58-yard drive to regain the lead when Jaylen Raynor connected with Tyler Little for a 5-yard touchdown. The 2-point attempt failed leaving the Jags trailing 15-10 with 5:58 left.
South Alabama started driving and got down to the Red Wolves 11-yard line before penalties set them back. After flags for a false start and holding the Jags were facing 3rd and 25 at the ASU 26-yard line. Gio Lopez rolled out and tossed the ball into the end zone with Jamaal Pritchett coming down with it to retake the lead. The ensuing 2-point conversion failed with Jeremiah Webb couldn’t haul in Lopez’s pass.
Arkansas State started their drive at their own 23 with 1:45 left on the clock.
The Jaguar defense allowed three consecutive pass completions on the same offensive play to quickly move out near mid field. It was like the defense had set a line in the sand that the Red Wolves were not going to complete a pass down the field but they would allow anything that gained 7 to 11 yards with little contention.
The defense finally tightened up, but it was too little too late.
Clune Van Andel made the 34-yard field goal with only 10 seconds left in the game to go up 18-16.
After a 14-yard pass completion to Devin Voisin, the Jags had one last show but the pass intended for Pritchett was broken up at the Arkansas State 27 to end the game.
“It was a difficult one to lose,” head coach Major Applewhite said after the game. “There were so many opportunities early – turnovers in the red area, tons of penalties on offense – It finally got us and I’m just really disappointed from that standpoint.”
“I’m very proud of our defense, the way they played the entire ball game,” Applewhite said. “I know we gave up the field goal to lose the football game, but they kept us in the ball game, and I’m proud of the way were are improving on that side of the ball.”
The first half was a defensive struggle as the Jaguar offense started slow but the defense kept forcing stops and leaving Arkansas State having to settle for field goals. When the first half ended the Jags trailed 6-3.
Stats
| South Alabama | Arkansas State | |
| Total Yards | 453 | 411 |
| Passing Yards | 292 | 345 |
| Rushing Yards | 161 | 66 |
| 3rd Downs | 6 of 13 | 5 of 15 |
| 4th Downs | 1 of 2 | 1 of 1 |
| Penalties – Yards | 11 – 100 | 6 – 51 |
South Alabama
Gio Lopez was 21 of 35 for 292 yards with 2 touchdowns and his first interception of the season.
Jamaal Pritchett led the Jags with 7 catches for 137 yards and both of the Jags touchdowns. Kentrell Bullock added 41 yards on 3 catches, Jeremiah Webb had 38 yards on one catch.
Kentrel Bullock led the Jags running game with 66 yards on 13 carries. Lopez added 54 yards on 10 carries. Fluff Bothwell was held to only 32 yards on 9 carries.
Blayne Myrick led the Jags with 13 stops, 8 solo, and led the team with 3 tackles for loss. Courtney McBride Jr and Tyler Thomas both had a sack in the game.
Laith Marjan only field goal attempt was good from 42 yards out.
Arkansas State
Jalen Raynor was 30 of 39 for 345 yards and a touchdown
Corey Rucker led all receivers with 8 catches for 172 yards. Ja’Quez Cross had 6 catches for 38 yards.
Zak Wallace led ASU with 30 yards on 11 carries. Cross added 29 yards on 7 carries.
Clune Van Andel connected on all four attempts, including the final attempt from 34 yards out. The first three kicks were good from 20, 21 and 25 yards out.
Next
South Alabama will finally return home after traveling the last three weeks on the road. They’ll have a couple extra days to prepare to host in-state rival Troy the Battle for the Belt on Tuesday, October 15 at 6:30pm at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
South Alabama have lost their last 6 to Troy but look to bring the Belt back to Mobile.
Preview: South Alabama Visits #14 LSU For Nighttime Showdown In Death Valley
Kickoff: Saturday, September 28, 6:45pm
Venue: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA
TV/Streaming: SEC Network
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
Thunderjags on X (formerly known as Twitter): @USAThunderjags
#5 Jersey: TBA
South Alabama travels to Baton Rouge to play in one of the toughest environments in college football: Tiger Stadium. The Jags (2-2) are in the second game of a three-game road swing after their 48-14 dismantling of Appalachian State on Thursday, September 19th in Boone, NC. The #14 ranked LSU Tigers are looking to handle business and get to their bye week to rest and heal up.
The Jags are considered one of the hottest teams in the nation right now. Over the last two weeks they have outscored their opponents by a combined score of 135-24. Head coach Major Applewhite and offensive coordinator Rob Ezell have been making all the right calls offensively and defensive coordinator Will Windham has been doing the same on the opposite side of the ball.
Meanwhile LSU (3-1) enters the game in the second game of a three-game homestand by welcoming USA. Last week the Tigers held UCLA scoreless in the second half to pull away for a 34-17 win after taking a 17-all tie into halftime. The Tigers opened the season with a narrow loss to USC in the Vegas Kickoff Classic then followed with a closer-than-expected game against Nicholls (44-21) and a narrow victory on the road at South Carolina (36-33).
This will be the highest ranked opponent the Jags have faced since they took the field against #10 ranked Oklahoma State in 2017 and the first ranked opponent since playing #25 Louisiana-Lafayette in 2020.
LSU
LSU is led by third-year head coach Brian Kelly, who LSU hired away from Notre Dame after 12 seasons as the head guy there. He was 92-40 with the Fighting Irish after vacating 22 wins in the 2012 and 2013 seasons due to academic misconduct. He also had a record of 4-6 in bowl games after a vacated win in the 2013 Pinstripe bowl.
So far Kelly is 23-8 and 13-4 in SEC games at LSU. His career record is 286-104-2 in his 34th year as a head football coach.
Before Notre Dame, he spent 13 seasons at Grand Valley State (118-35-2 from 1991-2003), three seasons at Central Michigan (19-16 from 2004-2006), and four seasons at Cincinnati (34-6 from 2006-2009).
Getting into the stats, the Tigers have been able to generate six turnovers defensively and have forced nine fumbles overall. They have a +3-turnover margin through the first four games of the season.
Offense
Garrett Nussmeier is the Tigers’ starting quarterback going 113-of-160 (70.6%) with 13 touchdowns and two interceptions on the season.
Mason Taylor is the leading pass catcher on the team with 25 receptions for 237 yards and a touchdown. Aaron Anderson leads the team in receiving yards with 298 on 21 catches with a touchdown. Kyren Lacy is the teams leading scoring receiver with 5 touchdowns on 20 catches with 245 yards. CJ Daniels adds 199 yards on 17 catches while Zavion Thomas rounds out the double-digit receptions with 10 catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns.
The Tigers have two 100-yard rushers on the season. Josh Williams has 134 yards on 36 carries with two touchdowns while averaging 3.7 yards per carry. Caden Durham has 116 yards on 22 carries with two touchdowns while averaging 5.3 yards per carry.
Keleb Jackson has 95 yards on 26 carries while John Emery Jr has 61 yards on 10 carries.
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 33.5 |
| Total Offense | 418.5 |
| Passing Offense | 239.8 |
| Rushing Offense | 119 |
| Time of Possession | 27:54 |
| Penalty Yards | 83.3 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 25-of-51 (49%) |
| 4th Downs | 2-of-5 (40%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 17-of-20 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 13-of-20 |
| Penalties – Yards | 31 – 237 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 1 – 1 |
Defense
Whit Weeks leads the defense with 30 total stops, 17 solo, with 1.5 tackles for loss. Greg Penn III is second on the team with 24 stops, 10 solo, with 1 TFL and a forced fumble.
As a team the Tigers have 12 sacks with Bradyn Swinson leading the team with 5 for a loss of 45 yards with two quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles. Sai’vion Jones is right behind him with 4 sacks (19 yards) with two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
The defense only has two pass interceptions. Zy Alexander and Jardin Gilbert each have one pick each.
However, the Tigers have lost Harld Perkins Jr for the season due to an ACL tear. While he hasn’t put up flashy numbers, he has been a player offenses have had to account for every play. Could that be a factor in this game?
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 24.5 |
| Total Offense | 358.8 |
| Passing Offense | 321.3 |
| Rushing Offense | 134.7 |
| Time of Possession | 31:57 |
| Penalty Yards | 64.7 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 17-of-46 (37%) |
| 4th Downs | 2-of-6 (33%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 11-of-12 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 8-of-12 |
| Penalties – Yards | 36 – 333 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 9 – 4 |
Special Teams
Peyton Todd has handled the majority of the punting duties with an average of 40.7 yards per kick, five fair catches and two downed inside the 20. Blake Ochsendorf is averaging 37.7 yards per attempts with one fair catch and all three of his attempts downed inside the 20.
Damian Ramos is 5-of-6 on field goals this season with a long of 45.
South Alabama
After a pair of losses to begin the season, the Jags have gelled as a team and found their footing in their last two games. The offensive line, who lost a few players in summer camp for various reasons, have improved leaps and bounds over the first four games. They controlled the line of scrimmage against Appalachian State. They’ll face their toughest test yet when they take on LSU Saturday night.
Similarly, the defense has matured a lot over the first four weeks. After only returning two starters, the Jags started the season with a bit of a learning curve experience wise. They’ve improved each and every week. Over the first two weeks the defensive front couldn’t get any pressure on the quarterback, then last week they were harassing Joey Aguilar on pretty much every play.
The Jags have a +5-turnover margin on the season with only two fumbles lost while the defense has a total of 7 take-aways (4 interceptions and 3 fumble recoveries).
Offense
The offense starts with Gio Lopez, who showed that his turf toe injury is not bothering him anymore. He is 57-of-92 (62%) with nine touchdowns and no interceptions on the season.
Jamaal Pritchett continues to lead the receiving corps in receptions (26), yards (354), and touchdowns (4). Devin Voisin has 16 catches for 206 yards on the season. Jeremiah Webb adds 10 catches for 185 yards with a touchdown. DJ Thomas-Jones has 6 catches for 52 yards with three of them being touchdown receptions.
True freshman Fluff Bothwell has emerged as the Jags leading back with 359 yards on 37 carries with six touchdowns through four games. Kentrel Bullock has 204 yards on 30 carries with three touchdowns.
Both Bothwell and Bullock have recorded 100-yard games the last two games.
Gio Lopez is third on the team with 171 yards on 21 carries with a pair of touchdowns.
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 48.3 |
| Total Offense | 502.8 |
| Passing Offense | 267.3 |
| Rushing Offense | 235.5 |
| Time of Possession | 31:24 |
| Penalty Yards | 64.8 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 21-of-47 (44.7%) |
| 4th Downs | 4-of-5 (80%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 23-of-24 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 18-of-24 |
| Penalties – Yards | 32 – 259 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 4 – 2 |
Defense
Blayne Myrick continues to pace the defense with 34 total stops, 11 solo, with two pass breakups and a forced fumble. Jordan Scruggs and Jaden Voisin are next with 21 stops each, Voisin with 13 solo while Scruggs has 9 solo and 1.5 Tackles for loss.
The Jags defense has intercepted four passes on the season, Scruggs earned the Sun Belt Player of the Week honor with his 96-yard interception return, it would have been a 100-yard touchdown return however an App State defender pulled him down from behind with a horse collar tackle. Voisin, Amarion Fortenberry, and Chrystyile Caldwell each have one interception each.
Defensively the Jags only have four sacks on the season. Jordan Norman, Maurice Strong Jr, Courtney McBride Jr, and Tyler Thomas have collected one sack each.
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 25.8 |
| Total Offense | 394 |
| Passing Offense | 271.8 |
| Rushing Offense | 122.3 |
| Time of Possession | 28:36 |
| Penalty Yards | 60.8 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 21-of-55 (38%) |
| 4th Downs | 1-of-4 (25%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 10-of-14 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 7-of-14 |
| Penalties – Yards | 27 – 243 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 5 – 3 |
Special Teams
Aleksi Pulkkinen has handled most of the punting duties, he’s averaging 38 yards per kick across his nine punts with five downed inside the 20-yard line and three fair catches. Jack Martin is averaging 45 yards per kick across his three punts with one touchback.
Laith Marjan is 5-of-6 on field goals this season with a long of 39. His only miss came from over 50 yards. He’s only missed one of this 18 extra point attempts, his first attempt after halftime last week went off the left upright.
Pritchett is averaging 28 yards per return in seven punt return opportunities with one 62-yard touchdown return.
Keys to the Game
Communication
When playing in big games on the road in a hostile environment, communication is at a premium. Death Valley at night is notoriously loud with Tiger Stadium actually registering on the seismograph a couple of times in big games. When the game is on the line, the Tiger fans can get loud and raucous.
But South Alabama just played in front of a loud crowd in Boone, NC. Are they the same? No, but the team knows what to expect and they can be prepared.
With the new in-helmet communications from the sideline, getting the play onto the field is a bit easier but any pre-snap adjustments still need to be communicated. Hopefully they can stay on the same page in all phases of the game because LSU will take advantage of any miscue.
Fundamentals
Defensively the Tigers have taken the ball away from opponents six times in four games. But they have forced 9 fumbles through those same four games. But the Jags have been very surehanded on the season with only two turnovers, one of them on a muffed punt. Continuing to keep possession of the ball will be big fundamentally.
Tackling will be a big factor. The Jags cannot let LSU run through arm tackles and pick up additional yards after contact. In the first two games the Jags had problems tackling but in the last two games have been more fundamentally sound.
The offense needs to stay on schedule because the LSU defense is blitz happy on 3rd down.
“A little Magic”
Something unexpected needs to go South Alabama’s way.
South Carolina had a pick-six that would have given them the lead late, but it was called back in a poor flag on what should have been a good play (that’s a discussion for another day).
LSU hasn’t looked the best this season and struggled against Nicholls. The Tigers narrowly led 23-21 early in the third quarter before finally pulled away from the FCS program.
If the Jags can get an unexpected play or two to go their way at an opportune time it will quiet the crowd and energize the Jaguars. A little voodoo magic if you will.
Prediction
LSU opens as a 21.5-point favorite over the Jags across most of the betting odds websites.
The Tigers are thought to have better players top-to-bottom because they are an SEC program. They should, shouldn’t they?
Perhaps the Jags can catch the Tigers asleep and looking ahead to having a week off to prepare for Ole Miss. But having a week off after the Jags will perhaps keep the Tigers focused enough for a little G5 Sun Belt team from Mobile.
As much as I want to pick the Jags to win or even to cover the spread, my head tells me that the Tigers in Tiger Stadium is a very tough draw. Then play it at night after the Tiger fans have had all day to marinade and it’s a very tough draw.
I think LSU wins and covers at home but maybe the score to cover comes late so it looks like a better win than it actually was. But I would LOVE to have South Alabama prove me wrong. They’ve been doing it all season so far, why not another week…
Go Jags!
Jaguars Dominate App State 48-14 In Big Conference Opening Road Win
South Alabama picked up right where they left off last week in their 48-14 win. But this week it was against an Appalachian State football team in a sold-out Kidd Brewer Stadium that was the preseason favorite to win the Sun Belt Conference championship instead of an FCS program.
It was the first win against Appalachian State since 2014 and breaks a 4-game losing skid against them.
The Jags (2-2, 1-0 Sun Belt) took the opening possession right down the field to establish their dominance. Gio Lopez took the second snap of the game and slashed the Mountaineer defense for 50 yards. Then a couple plays later he connected with DJ Thomas-Jones over the middle for a 10-yard touchdown.
One of the questions entering the game was answered quickly.
The Jag defense allowed one first down and forced App State to punt on their opening possession. Jamaal Pritchett’s 21-yard punt return gave the offense the ball near midfield. But it was Fluff Bothwell’s turn to make some fireworks. He had runs of 20, 7, and then the final 22 yards on three-consecutive carries to make it 14-0 in the first quarter.
The Mountaineers thought they had pinned the Jags back at their 5-yard line early in the 2nd quarter. A flag for a hold set them back to the 3-yard line, but the Jags were not going to be deterred. A steady mix of Lopez and Bothwell moved the ball down the field. Kentrel Bullock gave Bothwell a rest but didn’t let the running production fall off. Lopez covered the final 31 yards on his own to put the Jags up 21-0.
It was probably the Jags best drive of the game. They ran 13 plays and burned over half of the quarter off the clock.
When it looked like App State was going to put points on the board, Jordan Scruggs intercepted the pass in the end zone and was off to the races. It took a horse collar tackle to bring him down from behind at the 5-yard line to save a touchdown. Kentrel Bullock got to benefit from the tackle and penalty to get a 2-yard touchdown for a 28-0 lead.
The Mountaineers ended the shutout with a hail Mary touchdown as time expired for a halftime score of 28-7.
The Jaguar defense got a turnover on downs near midfield and the offense only needed three plays to get back on the scoreboard. Two passes to Jamaal Pritchett with a Bullock run in between and the Jags were up 34-7 after Laith Marjan saw his PAT go off the left upright no good.
Bothwell added another touchdown in the third quarter showing his excellent balance and ability to stay on his feet to put the Jags up 41-7.
Bishop Davenport took over at quarterback in the fourth quarter and led a scoring drive of his own. Davenport and Iverson Celestine kept the ball on the ground the entire drive for a 9 play, 55-yard drive using up six minutes.
App State added a trash-time score against the second- and third-string defense with 52 seconds left in the game.
“I think everybody on our team knew they were capable of this, but to be able to come do it on the road against a quality opponent – a traditionally really good program, kind of the standard bearer for our conference along with a couple of other schools – there’s a lot of excitement in our locker room,” head coach Major Applewhite explained. “There is a lot of time left in the season, but it’s great that we all came tonight and had this type of win.”
Stats
| Stat | South Alabama | App State |
| Total Yards | 474 | 385 |
| Passing Yards | 154 | 266 |
| Rushing Yards | 320 | 119 |
| Penalties – Yards | 9 – 69 | 6 – 47 |
| 1st downs | 26 | 23 |
| 3rd downs | 6-of-10 | 4-of-13 |
| Avg Yards per Play | 7.1 | 5.7 |
| Red Zone | 5-of-5 | 1-of-4 |
| Time of Possession | 34:12 | 25:48 |
| Turnovers (points off) | 1 (0) | 2 (7) |
The 320 yards rushing is the 4th most in program history against Division I teams.
South Alabama
Gio Lopez was 16-of-24 passing for 154 yards and 2 touchdowns through the air. He added 105 yards rushing on 7 carries with another touchdown.
“It means a lot, going into somebody else’s house and not just winning, but executing all game,” Lopez said. “It was a good team win for our first road win of the season.”
Fluff Bothwell led all rushers with 116 yards on 14 carries with two touchdowns. Bullock added 46 yards on 11 carries with a touchdown.
Jamaal Pritchett led the Jags receivers with 68 yards on 6 catches with a touchdown. Jeremiah Webb added 38 yards on 4 catches. Devin Voisin, wearing the #5 jersey, had 22 yards on three catches. DJ Thomas-Jones had one catch for a 10-yard touchdown.
Blayne Myrick led the Jags with 9 total stops, 2 solo, with .5 tackles for loss and a pass breakup. Courtney McBride Jr had the only sack of the game for USA.
Jordan Scruggs had the only Jaguar take-away in the game. “We were in a zone, where I have to play in between the Number 1 and Number 2 receiver,” he explained. “I just read the quarterback’s eyes and made a play. I tried to score, but I got too tired and he caught me.”
App State
Joey Aguilar was held to 21-for-40 passing with 266 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Maquel Haywood rushed for 47 yards on 7 attempts with a touchdown. Kanye Roberts had 38 yards on 8 carries.
Kaedin Robinson led with 85 yards receiving on 6 catches. Christian Horn had 47 yards on 4 catches. Dalton Stroman had 2 catches for 60 yards, including the hail Mary reception at the end of the half to put the first points on the board for App State. Six Jaguars combined for 9 quarterback hurries.
Jordan Scruggs got his first interception of the season and returned it 96 yards before he was taken down from behind.
Next
The Jags will travel to Baton Rouge, LA to take on a nationally ranked LSU squad for a 6:45 kickoff on the SEC Network on Saturday, September 28. This will be the second game of three-consecutive road games for the Jags.
Preview: Jags Open Conference Play At App State On National TV
Kickoff: Thursday, September 19th, 6:30pm
Venue: Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, NC
TV/Streaming: ESPN
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
Thunderjags on X (formerly known as Twitter): @USAThunderjags
#5 Jersey: Devin Voisin
South Alabama earned their first win of the season and under new head coach Major Applewhite in record breaking fashion last Thursday night. The Jags (1-2) scored in all three phases of the game while setting a new single-game scoring record for the program as well as the Sun Belt Conference. It was also the highest scoring college football game since 1991, even with the fourth quarter shortened to only six minutes.
This week the Jags have an entirely new challenge when they travel to Boone, NC to take on Appalachian State (2-1) in the conference opening game for both programs.
App State
Head coach Shawn Clark is in his fifth season as head coach of the Mountaineers. He returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach for two seasons under Scott Satterfield before Satterfield left for Louisville after the 2018 season. Clark was retained by newly hired head coach Eliah Drinkwitz. But Drinkwitz would be a one-and-done as he was hired away after a 12-1 season, including a win over Power-5 North Carolina and winning the SBC Championship game, the fourth-consecutive for the Mountaineers at the time.
Clark was promoted and made his debut in the 2019 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl with a 31-17 win over UAB. Since becoming the head coach, he has a 37-19 record with the Mountaineers overall and 22-10 in conference play.
Clark can also boast three consecutive seasons with a win over ranked opponents: 2021 vs #14 Coastal Carolina, 2022 vs #6 Texas A&M, and 2023 vs #18 James Madison.
Last season they were 9-5 overall, 6-2 in conference play, and represented the East Division in the SBC Championship Game, though they finished 2nd in the division because newcomer James Madison was ineligible due to FBS transition rules.
Before coaching at App State, Clark served as offensive line coach for Kent State, Purdue, and Eastern Kentucky.
Offense
The Mountaineers base offense is a Pro-Tempo scheme. It has pro-style concepts with a tempo base. They will dial up and down their tempo based on their success. If they hit a big play, they will go with tempo in order to prevent the defense from substituting. They will also turn down the tempo and play methodically during some parts of the game. It’s similar to what Drinkwitz ran while in Boone.
Joey Aguilar is 72-of-124 (58.1%) for 964 yards and 5 touchdowns on the season at quarterback. He was selected as the preseason Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
Kaedin Robinson leads the receiver corps with 18 catches for 290 yards but no touchdowns. Makai Jackson isn’t far behind with 14 catches but with 164 yards and two touchdowns. Christian Horn has 11 catches for 244 yards and a touchdown. Horn also has the longest reception with 83 yards. Eli Wilson rounds out the receivers with double-digit catches with 10 for 122 yards and two touchdowns.
Anderson Castle leads the Mountaineers rushing attack with 148 yards on 33 carries with a touchdown, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Makai Jackson has 71 yards on three carries with a touchdown. Kanye Roberts has 63 yards on 19 carries, averaging 3.3 yards per carry. Ahmani Marshall has 49 yards on 14 carries, averaging 3.5 yards per carry. Aguilar is next in line with 44 yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns.
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 26.3 |
| Total Offense | 456 |
| Passing Offense | 321.3 |
| Rushing Offense | 134.7 |
| Time of Possession | 31:57 |
| Penalty Yards | 64.7 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 16-of-39 (41%) |
| 4th Downs | 1-of-2 (50%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 10-of-12 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 5-of-12 |
| Penalties – Yards | 18 – 194 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 3 – 2 |
Defense
The defense is listed as a 3-4 base but tends to run more 3-3-5 and relying more on their Star safety. The Star position can be explained like a hybrid linebacker-safety position.
Linebacker Caden Sullivan (R-Jr) leads the team with 20 total stops, 9 solo, with a quarterback hurry. Safety Ronald Clarke is next on the team with 18 total stops, 9 solo.
Outside linebacker Thomas Davis leads the team with 1.5 sacks ahead of five other players each with one sack each.
Senior cornerback Seth Robertson has the only interception on the defense.
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 31.7 |
| Total Offense | 447 |
| Passing Offense | 269.3 |
| Rushing Offense | 177.7 |
| Time of Possession | 27:35 |
| Penalty Yards | 64 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 14-of-38 (37%) |
| 4th Downs | 2-of-6 (33%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 7-of-8 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 4-of-8 |
| Penalties – Yards | 21 – 192 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 5 – 2 |
Special Teams
Mitchell Lake handled the punting duties through the first two games with an average of 38.2 yards per kick, three fair catches, two downed inside the 20 and a long of 61 yards. Connor Maynard handled the punting duties in their latest game with an average of 44.8 yards per kick, two touchbacks, one downed inside the 20 and a long of 50.
Michael Hughes is a perfect 5-of-5 on the season with a long of 36 yards. He is also a perfect 8-of-8 on extra points.
South Alabama
After starting the season with two losses, the Jags took the opportunity to have a get-right game against FCS Northwester State last Thursday. The game was moved back to Thursday to allow for a full week of preparation for this game after it was picked up by ESPN for national broadcast.
Offense
Gio Lopez started against Northwestern State after missing the previous game with a turf toe injury. On the season he is 41-of-68 (60.3%) for 689 yards and seven touchdowns. Bishop Davenport is 23-of-37 (62.2%) for 228 yards and a touchdown.
Jamaal Pritchett leads the receivers with 20 catches for 287 yards and three touchdowns. Devin Voisin has 13 catches for 184 yards. DJ Thomas-Jones has two touchdowns on 5 catches for 42 yards. Shamar Sandgren, Jeremiah Webb, and Anthony Eager each have one touchdown catch each on the season.
Fluff Bothwell in his first career 100-yard rushing game continues to lead the Jaguars rushing attack with 243 yards on 23 carries, averaging 10.6 yards per carry, with four touchdowns. Kentrel Bullock, also coming off a 100-yard rushing game himself, has 157 yards on 19 carries, averaging 8.3 yards per carry, with two touchdowns. PJ Martin, Gio Lopez, and Jarvis Durr all have one rushing touchdown each.
Pritchett also leads the team in all-purpose yards with 416 thanks to his punt return yardage of 129 yards added in. He also has a 62-punt return touchdown.
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 48.3 |
| Total Offense | 514.7 |
| Passing Offense | 305.7 |
| Rushing Offense | 209 |
| Time of Possession | 30:28 |
| Penalty Yards | 63.3 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 15-of-36 (42%) |
| 4th Downs | 3-of-4 (66.7%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 18-of-19 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 13-of-19 |
| Penalties – Yards | 23 – 190 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 4 – 1 |
Defense
Blayne Myrick continues to lead the defense with 25 total stops, 9 solo, with .5 tackles for loss, a pass breakup, and a forced fumble. Jordan Scruggs has 17 total stops, 7 solo, with 1.5 TFLs and a pass breakup. Jaden Voisin has 16 total stops, 10 solo, with an interception.
Amarion Fortenberry and Chrystyile Caldwell each have one interception on the season.
Jordan Norman, Maurice Strong Jr, and Tyler Thomas all have one sack each.
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 29.7 |
| Total Offense | 394.3 |
| Passing Offense | 273.7 |
| Rushing Offense | 120.7 |
| Time of Possession | 29:32 |
| Penalty Yards | 65 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 17-of-42 (40%) |
| 4th Downs | 1-of-2 (50%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 9-of-10 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 6-of-10 |
| Penalties – Yards | 22 – 195 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 4 – 2 |
Special Teams
Aleksi Pulkkinen has served as the punter the last two games with an average of 37.6 yards per kick with four downed inside the 20 and two fair catches. Jack Martin averages 44 yards per kick on two punts.
Laith Marjan is 5-of-6 on the season with a long of 39 yards. He is also a perfect 12-of-12 on extra point attempts.
Keys to the Game
Pass Defense
The Mountaineers have a prolific pass offense, and it all starts with quarterback Joey Aguilar.
Aguilar was named the Sun Belt Player of the Week after throwing for 424 yards and two touchdowns in their come-from-behind 21-19 win over East Carolina.
Despite all of their yards, they aren’t putting up the points that one would expect looking at the stats sheet.
The Jags secondary hasn’t been the best in coverage this season and the defense has struggled to get pressure on the quarterback in the first two games of the season. They also allowed a 75-yard touchdown pass in the first half to Northwestern State in the 87-10 blowout.
If the Jags want to win, they have to generate pressure on Aguilar and tighten their coverage on the receivers.
Special Teams
In both losses, the Jags had miscues on special teams. Against North Texas a punt went off one of the blockers for the punter after a bad snap, that was recovered for a touchdown. A muffed punt by Pritchett gave Ohio a short field, which they turned into points as well.
Pritchett made amends for his special teams play with a punt return touchdown in the big win.
Solid special teams play may not win the game, but poor special teams play sure can lose a game.
Offensive Line
What can be said here that we haven’t already said before? Games are won on the line. Pass protection and run blocking are the fundamentals for an offense to function.
The Jags were able to get some good in-game reps for lots of players last week. Hopefully it builds confidence in the starters as well as depth on the bench.
They’ll be tested by the Mountaineers.
Prediction
South Alabama enters probably their toughest three-game stretch of football this season. With all three being road contests too.
But the goal this week is do what they need to do to go 1-0. The other games have to wait.
The Mountaineers are 7.5-point favorite at home. South Alabama took the first matchup between the two schools back in 2014 but have lost each of the four subsequent meetings, including a 31-7 loss in 2021.
The game will be nationally broadcast on ESPN and it will be the only college football game available on Thursday night. This is a huge opportunity for the program to shine and playing a good, exciting game will go a long way to further the Jaguar brand of football.
If the Jags are healthy, and they look to mostly be back healthy, they can score points. With over a 60% chance of rain and thundershowers Thursday evening, that could favor the Jags running game with Bothwell, Bullock, Braylon McReynolds, PJ Martin, and Jarvis Durr.
I think the Jags cover but fall in a very close game.
Go Jags!
South Alabama Rewrites Record Books In 87-10 Trouncing Of Northwestern State
South Alabama took the opportunity to exorcise some demons on Thursday night at Hancock Whitney Stadium in a historic 87-10 win over Northwestern State.
The Jags (1-2) set a new Sun Belt Conference record for points as they get their first win of the season and the first under new head coach Major Applewhite. Despite a short week and the threat of a hurricane, the Jags never let the game be in doubt against Northwestern State (0-3).
Jamaal Pritchett got the party started a mere 1:36 into the game when he took the first punt of the game 62 yards to the house. They would take a 14-0 lead on their first offensive snap after Jaden Voisin intercepted JT Fayard’s pass. Gio Lopez got the start after missing last week with a turf toe injury, connected with Jeremiah Webb for a 39-yard touchdown.
They weren’t even four full minutes into the game with only eight seconds of possession and were up two scores.
The Jags were up 24-3 in the first quarter after a 28 yard field goal by Laith Marjan when the Jags defense gave up their only touchdown of the night. The defense bit on a screen pass allowing Myles Kitt-Denton to get behind the defense. JT Fayard laid a perfect pass to him and 75 yards later the Demons had a touchdown.
South Alabama added four touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 52-10 lead into halftime.
They would score four more touchdowns in the third quarter, one a pick-six by redshirt sophomore Chrystyile Caldwell, before the coaches would mutually agree to a 6 minute fourth quarter. And yet redshirt freshman Jarvis Durr still tacked on one last touchdown.
The 87 points put on the scoreboard by the Jags eclipsed the previous record by a Jaguar team (64 three times against Division II or NAIA opponents in the program’s infancy). It also beats the 59 points scored last season in the 68 Ventures Bowl against a fellow FBS school.
It also set a new scoring record in Sun Belt Conference history, beating out Arkansas State’s 83 points scored against Texas Southern in 2008 and Georgia Southern against Savannah State in 2014.
Stats
The stats read like playing EA College Football on easy mode.
| South Alabama | Northwestern State | |
| Total Yards | 620 | 237 |
| Passing Yards | 257 | 171 |
| Rushing Yards | 363 | 66 |
| Penalties – Yards | 7 – 60 | 7 – 60 |
| 1st Downs | 22 | 8 |
| 3rd Downs | 4-of-7 | 3-of-15 |
| Avg Yards per Play | 11.7 | 4.2 |
| Red Zone | 9-10 | 1-1 |
| Time of Possession | 33:13 | 26:47 |
South Alabama
Gio Lopez got one possession in the second half and ended the night going 15-of-19 for 257 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Devin Voisin led the Jag receivers with 47 yards on three catches. DJ Thomas-Jones had 3 catches for 34 yards and two touchdowns. Jeremiah Webb and Jamaal Pritchett both had a touchdown each.
True freshman Fluff Bothwell ended the night with 143 yards on just 7 carries with two touchdowns, averaging 20.4 yards per carry. Kentrel Bullock broke the century mark with 102 yards on 8 carries with 2 touchdowns as well. Bothwell and Bullock are the fourth duo in school history to each rush for over 100 yards in a game.
PJ Martin came up short of making it three 100 rushers with 72 yards on 6 carries with a touchdown. Jarvis Durr got the final rushing touchdown of the game.
Maurice Strong Jr led the defense with 7 total stops, 4 solo, with two TFL’s and a sack. Jaden Voisin had 5 total stops, 3 solo, with an interception. Freshman Amarion Fortenberry and Chrystyile Caldwell both came away with an interception each.
In all, the Jags forced four turnovers with Julian Demby recovering a fumble.
“I’m proud of the way our guys played, the way they responded coming off a loss,” head coach Major Applewhite said after the game. “In a short week, the staff did an outstanding job. I know people say that a lot, it sounds cliché, but they did. Our practices were good, we went a little bit more Wednesday that we normally do the day before a game and there was no complaining. I was proud of the guys and the way the coaches got them to play today.”
While Pritchett’s receiving numbers weren’t very high, he finished the game with 124 punt return yards with a touchdown. He led the team in All-Purpose yards with 146, just edging out Bothwell’s 143.
“It was definitely a big win for us to get the ball rolling and move on to the next game and keep it rolling,” Pritchett said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been on a team that scored 87 points, even in basketball.”
Northwestern State
JT Fayard led the way for the Demons going 9-of-23 for 165 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
Kitt-Denton led the Demons with 80 yards on three catches with the lone touchdown. Twon Hines had 59 yards on three catches.
Zay Davis led the team in rushing with 32 yards on 9 carries. Kennieth Lacy added 14 yards on 10 carries.
Christian Williams led the Demons with 6 total stops, 4 solo. Caesar Magee III was next with 5 total stops, all solo.
Next
South Alabama will have a full week to prepare for their road trip to Boone, NC to face Appalachian State on Thursday, September 19 to open their Sun Belt Conference schedule. The game is set for a 6:30pm kickoff on ESPN.
South Alabama Earns First-Ever Bowl Victory; Dominates Eastern Michigan 59-10 To Win 68 Ventures Bowl
South Alabama entered the 68 Ventures Bowl with a chip on their shoulder and only one goal in mind: Win.
And win they did.
The game was never in doubt as they dominated Eastern Michigan in every phase of the game, but most importantly on the scoreboard by a score of 59-10. This set a new program record for the most points scored in an FBS game for the Jags.
With the win the Jags earn their first win in a bowl game and are now 1-3 all time in bowls. They also finish with a winning record (7-6) in consecutive seasons for the first time as a member of FBS.
The Jags entered the game without their top receiver, Caullin Lacy, without their top running back La’Damian Webb, and their starting quarterback Carter Bradley. Bradley attempted to recover from a nagging knee injury to be ready for the game, but he was unable to go in the end.
Unexpectedly they were without Dontae Lucas, who was injured in pregame warmups. But they also did not have James Miller due to an injury in one of the final practices.
Without Bradley, head coach Kane Wommack and offensive coordinator Major Applewhite went with a rotation between the official starter senior Desmond Trotter and freshman Gio Lopez. But it was Lopez who earned the Bowl MVP as he threw for 192 yards and three touchdowns while adding 88 yards rushing and a touchdown.
“It was fun just rotating, seeing Dez ball out,” Lopez said after the game. “I was feeding off his energy. So that was fun. It meant a lot to be out there with everybody. … It was awesome.”
“It means a lot, man,” Trotter said. “And to be able to do it with the guys I came in with, it makes it even more special. And just doing it here at the University of South Alabama, in our city, and our stadium, it means a lot to the city and to the team. I’m just glad we were able to come out with the win.”
“A lot of work goes into a moment like this,” coach Wommack said. “It goes way beyond just our players this season. There were young men who came here over a decade ago to build something special. They ran on hills on what is now Hancock Whitney Stadium. They came here with nothing, knowing that they were going to build a foundation for us to walk upon. At some point, you have a group of young men who take ownership and actualize those dreams, and that’s what exactly these guys up here with me and those guys celebrating in the locker room have done. … We’ve had a great past, great moments in our present and certainly our best days are ahead of us and that’s really exciting. This is a great moment to build upon and that’s exactly what we’re doing. We’re continuing to lay the foundation of a great program that years from now will come back and remember those moments. Because they’re truly special, and we’re excited to be here.”
Jamaal Pritchett, who was selected the offensive MVP, caught eight passes for 127 yards and a pair of touchdowns. DJ Thomas-Jones also caught a pair of touchdowns among his three catches for 23 yards in the game.
Defensive end Jamie Sheriff was named the defensive MVP in his final game as a Jaguar. He earned it with four tackles, two TFLs, and two quarterback hurries. He was an even bigger force in the game than the stat sheet indicates.
“To come from where we came from, a losing program, to where we are now is truly incredible,” Sheriff said. “It’s something that me and (Trotter), we’ve worked hard for. We’ve been for a long time and we want to set the standard for the future. We want to have a legacy behind it and start a new tradition here.”
South Alabama scored in each of their first three possessions. The first possession ended with a 46-yard field goal by Diego Guajardo. But the next two possessions ended in the end zone. Trotter connected with Jeremiah Webb for 49 yards to set up a 3-yard touchdown pass to DJ Thomas Jones. The following possession was capped off when Lopez connected with Pritchett for a 4-yard touchdown pass to put the Jags up 17-0.
After Eastern Michigan had gone three-and-out on each of their first two possessions, their defense set them up for their first score of the game. Linebacker Joe Sparacio stepped back and timed a perfect jump to intercept a pass by Trotter to give the Eagles the ball in Jaguar territory. Though they were unable to move the ball, Kenyon Bowyer split the uprights from 49 yards out to make it a 17-3 game at the 14:50 mark of the second quarter.
USA answered with three more scores before halftime.
Kentrel Bullock scampered in from 17 yards out for the first one. Marquise Robinson’s interception set up Lopez to connect with Thomas-Jones for a 20-yard touchdown pass. Then an interception by Jalen Jordan set up Lopez to connect with Pritchett for a 41-yard touchdown pass. It was ruled down at the 1 yard line before being overturned and ruled a touchdown upon review to go up 38-3 late in the second quarter.
The Jaguar defense forced the Eagles to punt but the Jags were unable to sustain their drive. The EMU returner muffed the punt which the Jags jumped on at the 11 yard line with :06 left until halftime. However Diego Guajardo pushed the 29 yard field goal attempt wide left to end the half.
The Jags first possession of the second half was capped off by Trotter running in a touchdown from three yards out for a 45-3 advantage. Lopez added a 27-yard touchdown run at the 7:50 mark of the third quarter to put the Jags up 52-3.
Freshman PJ Martin finished off the Jaguar scoring with a 6-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter for a 59-3 lead.
With almost all of the Jaguar defensive starters out of the game, the Eagles were able to pad their offensive stats and score a touchdown with only :58 left in the game. Cam’Ron McCoy, a freshman, ran it in from 10 yards out for the final score of 59-10.
Team Statistics
| Stat | South Alabama | Eastern Michigan |
| Total Offensive Yards | 627 | 150 |
| Passing Yards | 307 | 73 |
| Rushing Yards | 320 | 77 |
| 3rd Down Conversions | 4-of-9 | 6-of-17 |
| 4th Down Conversions | 0-of-1 | 0-of-3 |
South Alabama
Lopez finished 14-of-19 for 192 yards and three touchdowns. Trotter was 9-of-17 for 115 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Lopez also finished as the Jags leading rusher with 88 yards on 7 carries with a touchdown. Braylon McReynolds had 71 yards on 13 carries. Kentrel Bullock finished with 68 yards on 6 carries with a touchdown. Freshman PJ Martin had 3 carries for 47 yards and a touchdown. Trotter has 27 yards on 5 carries with a touchdown. Tanner McGee had two carries for 21 yards as well.
Jamaal Pritchett picked up where Lacy left off. He had 127 yards on 8 catches with two touchdowns. Javon Ivory had 51 yards on 4 catches. Jeremiah Webb has 49 yards on just one catch. McReynolds had 40 yards on three catches.
Jaden Voisin led the Jag defense with 5 total stops, 2 solo. Sheriff, Dallas Gamble, Wesley Miller, and Blayne Myrick each had four stops.
Sheriff led the way with 2 TFLs. Myrick, Yam Banks, Quentin Wilfawn, Khalil Jacobs, Marquise Robinson, and Christopher Wallace Jr each had a TFL in the game.
Robinson and Jalen Jordan had interceptions in the game. Robinson had 3 pass break ups.
Eastern Michigan
Ike Udengwu started the game and did not complete any of his three passing attempts before being pulled from the game. Cam’Ron McCoy went 12-of27 for 73 yards and two interceptions.
McCoy was also the leading rusher for the Eastern Michigan with 73 yards on 13 attempts with the only touchdown for the Eagles. Dontae McMillan had 8 yards on 5 carries. Jaylon Jackson added 2 yards on 11 carries. Udengwu has -2 yards and Max Reese had -4 yards.
Terry Lockett finished with 29 yards on two catches. Joseph Walker had 3 catches for 22 yards. Jaylon Jackson had 13 yards on 2 catches.
Final Thoughts
Despite losing their three top offensive players from the regular season in Webb, Lacy and Bradley, the Jaguars showed that their success wasn’t just because of the play of their two best offensive players.
Trotter stepped in as the starter for the bowl game and showed poise and maturity. He could have left over the last couple of seasons but decided to stay.
Gio Lopez showed what the Jags have to look forward to at the quarterback position. He will enter spring practice as QB1 by default with the departure of Bradley, Trotter, and Tanner McGee.
Braylon McReynolds returned from his broken collarbone and started the final regular season game and the bowl game in place of La’Damian Webb. Webb rushed for over 1,000 yards in back-to-back seasons for the Jags. McReynolds showed he has what it takes to be starting running back.
Pritchett stepped into the WR1 role after Lacy hit the transfer portal. He showed that he is capable of similar performances.
The Jaguar defense came to play. The defensive line and linebackers set up camp in the Eastern Michigan backfield. Quentin Wilfawn, Jamie Sheriff, and Khalil Jacobs were all over the quarterback and really any player holding the ball it the backfield.
South Alabama will have to reload in their defensive front with the graduation of several Jaguar players. But their early signing class on the defensive line and linebacker consist of a talented group of players whose names you will hear soon and often.
Jags Win In Dominant Fashion Over ULM 55-7 For First Win At Malone Stadium
This is the South Alabama team we thought would show up this season.
They went into Monroe Louisiana and dominated from beginning to end in a 55-7 drumming of the Warhawks. Carter Bradley threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns and La’Damian Webb ran for 100 yards and a score.
Caullin Lacy added to him impressive season and extended his streak of 100-yard games. He finished with 7 catches, 156 yards and a touchdown.
South Alabama (3-3, 1-1 SBC) took the opening kickoff 75 yards in 10 plays and 4:03 for the opening touchdown and just never looked back. At the end of the first quarter the Jags had more points (14) than ULM (2-3, 0-2 SBC) had total yards (8).
The Warhawks, down 31-0, took the ensuing kickoff and drove 75 yards in 11 plays to score with no time remaining in the half for their only points of the game.
The second half was all Jags in a shutout. The only time the Warhawks really got a scent of points in the second half, they got to the Jags 16, but they would turn the ball over on downs after a sack.
South Alabama kept burning the clock but the Warhawks couldn’t stop the Jags. Gio Lopez tossed a touchdown pass to Jeremiah Webb the first touchdowns in both players careers.
Stats
South Alabama
The Jaguar offense put on an offensive display. They had 589 total yards of offense, 387 yards passing and 202-yard rushing. They converted 7-of-13 of their 3rd down attempts and all three of their 4th down attempts.
They kept their red-zone scoring streak this season intact with six scores on six trips, though one of them was a field goal.
The offense possessed the ball 36:30 to ULM’s 23:30.
Carter Bradley went 20-of29 for 303 yards and three touchdowns. Gio Lopez was 7-of-10 for 84 yards and a touchdown.
Caullin Lacy led all receivers with 7 catches for 156 yards and a touchdown. Brandon Crum had 1 catch for a 3-yard touchdown. Jeremiah Webb also had one catch for a 3-yard touchdown. Nine other Jags caught passes in the game.
As mentioned earlier, La’Damian Webb ran 19 times for 100 yards and a touchdown. Marco Lee Jr added 49 yards on 11 carries for a touchdown. Kentrell Bullock had seven carries for 38 yards and a touchdown.
Trey Kiser led the Jags with nine total stops, 3 solo with ½ sack. James Miller and Khalil Jacobs both finished with six total stops.
Jaden Voisin and Wesley Miller both had interceptions in the game.
Louisiana-Monroe
The Warhawks only managed 250 yards of total offense, 112 yards passing and 138 yards rushing. They converted 7-of-15 on 3rd down and were 0-for-2 on 4th down attempts.
Jiya Wright was 13-of-28 for 112 yards, a touchdown, two interceptions, and five sacks.
Tyrone Howell was held to only four catches for 41 yards with the Warhawks only touchdown. However, Howell missed some time after getting shaken up on the second play of the game that ended with a Jaguar interception. Nolan Quinlan caught three passes for 29 yards.
Wright finished as the leading rusher with 53 yards on 13 carries. Bennett Galloway had 45 yards on six carries. Hunter Smith had 19 yards on six carries.
Next
South Alabama has a few extra days to rest and prepare for their next game. They’ll host Southern Miss at Hancock Whitney Stadium on Tuesday, October 17th.
The Golden Eagles fell to 1-5 and 0-3 in conference play and enter the game with a five-game losing streak.