Preview: South Alabama Looking For First Win In San Marcos Against Texas State
Kickoff: Saturday, November 25, 6:00pm
Venue: Bobcat Stadium, San Marcos, TX
TV/Streaming: NFL Network
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
Thunderjags on X (formerly known as Twitter): @USAThunderjags
#5 Jersey: Carter Bradley
With the Jags back-to-back wins over the last two weeks, they have achieved bowl-eligibility with one game left in the season. These last two games have been won on the defensive side of the ball.
South Alabama (6-5, 4-3 Sun Belt) forced two takeaways on Marshall’s first two possessions last Saturday. Though the Jaguar offense was only able to capitalize with a pair of field goals, they set the tone for the game. The defense shut down the run game and the entire Marshall offense for most of the game.
Texas State (6-5, 3-4 SBC) started the season 4-1 but have sense gone 2-4 and dropped their last two games. Two weeks ago they fell to Coastal Carolina 31-23 but last week they were routed by Arkansas State 77-31. The Bobcats allowed 7 rushing touchdowns in the game. They allowed three defensive touchdowns (in the second half), and a 93-yard kick return touchdown in the third quarter.
The Bobcats gave up three scores of 40+ yard runs in the first half. Then allowed three touchdowns over a seven-minute span early in the third quarter to fall behind 56-17. The Red Wolves has back-to-back pick-sixes to go up 77-24 with 10:39 left in the game. The Red Wolves didn’t take a snap between 8:20 mark in the third quarter and the 6:19 mark in the fourth quarter.
Both teams are bowl eligible, but ending the season with a win has some huge upside. It helps secure a winning season, is more enticing for a bowl game to choose them, and gives momentum into post-season play.
The all-time record is even between South Alabama and Texas State. Homefield advantage is strong in this series. Each school is a perfect 4-0 playing at home. Half of the games have been decided by seven points or less. The Jags would love to break through and get their first road win against the Bobcats, like they were able to do against ULM a few weeks ago.
Texas State (6-5, 3-4 SBC)
Head coach GJ Kinne is in his first season as head coach of the Bobcats and only his second season as a head coach in his career. His first season as a head coach was at FCS Incarnate Word where he led the team to a 12-2 record (5-1 Southland Conference) with a season-ending loss in the FCS Division I semifinals and a #7 national ranking. The offense was ranked #1 in all of NCAA Division I – FBS and FCS – with 51.5 points and 581.2 yards per game.
Kinne came into Texas State and put together a newcomer class of 53 scholarship players which was rated by 247Sports as the program’s best in its FBS history. Kinne and the Bobcats grabbed attention in their season opener when they upset Baylor 42-31 for the program’s first win over a Power 5 program. They then scored 77 points in the home opener against Jackson State, which was one point shy of tying the program record for most points in a game.
The Bobcats have a turnover margin of -8 on the season. They’ve given the ball away 21 times total; eight interceptions and 13 fumbles lost. Defensively they’ve had 13 takeaways; they’ve intercepted five passes and recovered eight fumbles.
Offense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 34.55 |
| Total Offense | 471.1 |
| Passing Offense | 272.91 |
| Rushing Offense | 198.2 |
| Time of Possession | 29:08 |
| Penalty Yards | 65.91 |
TJ Finley is 245-of-357 (68.63%) for 2,919 yards with 21 touchdowns to 7 interceptions on the season.
Joey Hobert leads the team with 71 catches for 847 yards and 8 touchdowns in 10 games. Ashtyn Hawkins has 688 yards on 47 catches with two touchdowns. Kole Wilson has 55 catches for 595 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Ismail Mahdi leads the team with 1,112 yards on 176 attempts with nine touchdowns. Donerio Daveport has 423 yards on 84 carries with two touchdowns. Malik Hornsby has 229 yards on 35 carries with 6 touchdowns. Finley sixth on the team with 101 yards on 65 carries with five touchdowns.
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 69-of-154 (44.81%) |
| 4th Downs | 19-of-30 (63.33%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 45-of-53 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 35-of-53 |
| Penalties – Yards | 77-725 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 20-13 |
Defense
| Stat | Average Allowed per Game |
| Points | 32.91 |
| Total Offense | 408.7 |
| Passing Offense | 244.0 |
| Rushing Offense | 164.7 |
| Time of Possession | 30:52 |
| Penalty Yards | 46.64 |
Brian Holloway leads the defense with 83 total stops, 45 solo, with a team leading 12.5 Tackles for Loss (TFL) and also a team leading two interceptions, with ½ sack, 8 quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles and two forced fumbles. Shawn Holton is next in line with 74 total stops (53 solo) with an interception, two pass breakups, and four forced fumbles. Kaleb Culp is third on the team with 64 total stops, 42 solo, with 1.5 TFS, five pass breakups, three fumble recoveries and a forced fumble.
Ben Bell is second on the team with 12 TFLs and leads the team with 7 sacks.
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 78-of-164 (47.56%) |
| 4th Downs | 13-of-30 (43.33%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 40-of-48 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 32-of-48 |
| Penalties – Yards | 61-513 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 22-8 |
Special Teams
Mason Shipley is a perfect 13-of-13 placekicking this season. His long on the year is 47 yards and hasn’t attempted a kick of 50+ yards on the season.
Seamus O’Kelly is averaging 41.33 yards per punt with a long of 55, 15 fair catches, five downed inside the 20 and five that have gone 50+ yards.
South Alabama (6-5, 4-3 SBC)
After having a turnover margin of +2 last week against Marshall, the Jags are no even for the season through 11 games. The Jags have given the ball away 17 times in total, nine interceptions and eight fumbles. Meanwhile the Jag defense has 17 total takeaways with 10 interceptions and seven fumble recoveries.
Offense
| Stat | Average per Game |
| Points | 29.73 |
| Total Offense | 420.3 |
| Passing Offense | 252.73 |
| Rushing Offense | 167.5 |
| Time of Possession | 30:26 |
| Penalty Yards | 57.64 |
Carter Bradley is 203-of-302 (67.22%) for 2,477 yards with 17 touchdowns to 7 interceptions for the year.
Caullin Lacy leads the team with 1,222 yards on 80 catches with 6 touchdowns. Jamaal Pritchett has 675 yards on 45 catches with 6 touchdowns as well. DJ Thomas-Jones has 165 yards on 17 catches.
La’Damian Webb became the first Jaguar to rush for over 1,000 yards in two seasons in program history. He has 1,007 yards on 186 carries with 16 touchdowns. Kentrel Bullock has 380 yards on 77 carries with three touchdowns. Marco Lee Jr has 216 yards on 49 carries with 2 touchdowns.
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 65-of-150 (42.67%) |
| 4th Downs | 15-of-24 (62.5%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 34-of-38 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 28-of-38 |
| Penalties – Yards | 74-634 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 13-8 |
Defense
| Stat | Average Allowed per Game |
| Points | 19.18 |
| Total Offense | 312.5 |
| Passing Offense | 195.27 |
| Rushing Offense | 117.3 |
| Time of Possession | 29:34 |
| Penalty Yards | 46.18 |
Quentin Wilfawn continues to lead the team with 75 total stops, 44 solo stops, 13.5 TFLs, and 5.5 sacks. Trey Kiser is next with 63 total stops, 28 solo stops, and 8.5 TFLs with 2.5 sacks.
Jamie Sheriff and Brock Higdon are tied for 2nd on the team with 3 sacks each.
Khalil Jacobs is third on the team with 6.5 TFLs. Jamie Sheriff has 6 TFLs.
Jaden Voisin leads the team with 4 interceptions. Marquise Robinson has two interceptions. Yam Banks, Maurice Strong Jr, Jalen Jordan, and Wesley Miller each have one interception each.
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 48-of-147 (32.65%) |
| 4th Downs | 7-of-17 (41.18%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 19-of-26 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 11-of-26 |
| Penalties – Yards | 62-508 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 13-7 |
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo is 12-of-16 (75%) placekicking for the Jags. He made a season-long 47-yard kick last week against Marshall. Two of his misses have been in the 40–49-yard distance and the other two have been both of his 50+ yard attempts.
Jack Martin is averaging 39.71 yards per punt. That average is skewed by a punt he had to quickly get off after a bad snap that was very nearly blocked. Of his punts his long on the season is 54 yards, 18 have been fair caught, 11 downed inside the 20, three have gone 50+ yards, one being a touchback.
Injuries
DJ Thomas-Jones left the game on the first drive of the second half after the officials indicated he needed to be checked out. After he came off the field, he entered into the concussion protocol and did not return. Concussions are impossible to forecast a timeline to return, each one is different.
Jacob Hopper also left the Marshall game with an injury. Since Lincoln Sefcik will miss remainder of the season the once deep tight end position could be pretty thin if Thomas-Jones or Hopper are unable to play on Saturday. However both have reportedly been practicing this week.
Jordan Davis was helped to the sideline and was eventually carted to the locker room before halftime. It’s unknown the extent of his injury or if he may be available this week. I would not expect him to be able to go as a hunch. Josh McCulloch, who Davis replaced, may be ready to return to action after suffering a knee injury in practice leading up to the Oklahoma State game.
Dontae Lucas also missed some game time last week but is likely to play against Texas State.
Keys to the Game
Jaguar Defensive Front vs Texas State’s Offensive Line
Texas State has a potent offense. They roll up a lot of yards both through the air and on the ground. But it all starts at the line of scrimmage. The Bobcats like to run the ball in order to open up the passing game. The Jags defensive front needs to stop the run first then they need to attack and pressure Finley to make him uncomfortable. He’s not really known for running the ball all that much. He is just 81 yards short of passing for 3,000 yards on the season and has 21 touchdowns. Getting pressure on him will be key.
But they cannot simply sell-out to pressure Finley either because the Bobcats average close to 200 yards rushing per game themselves. The Jags have been caught blitzing and the opposing offense found some success running into the blitz.
Honestly it will take an entire defense effort with good coverage in the secondary, attacking defensive front to pressure the quarterback, and containment of the running backs.
Turnovers
Similar to Marshall, Texas State tends to turnover the ball quite a bit. The Jags need to challenge the Bobcats and force some turnovers. The Red Wolves were able to score on a pair of pick-sixes in the second half when they forced the Bobcats to throw the ball a lot due to game script.
But the Bobcats suffer more from ball security than interceptions. They have fumbled 20 times on the season and lost 13 of them to their opponents.
Offensive Efficiency
Though the Jags have won the last two weeks, they have done so more though defense than offense. They have struggled converting third downs and taking advantage of short fields or takeaways.
The offense had great field position after two takeaways from Marshall and were only able to turn them into a pair of field goals. They were also unable to punch the ball in from the 1-yard line on multiple tries too. The final try was a leap by La’Damian Webb where he was marked inches short of the goal line.
With Texas State’s productive offense, the Jags defense will have their work cut out for them. The offense needs to be able to convert more on third down to extend drives and keep the ball away from the Bobcat offense.
While the Jag offense is clearly better when Bradley is at quarterback, the defenses have turned up their pressure to try to get to him. He’s made good decisions with the ball and has shown that he can move to protect himself but he hasn’t tucked the ball and ran with it much since the injury against Louisiana that caused him to sit out against Troy.
Prediction
South Alabama opened as a 5.5-point favorite against the Bobcats.
The Jags have never won in San Marcos. Some of the losses have been heartbreaking too. Texas State has already improved their win totals by two games over their records the last two seasons. They enter this game after a disastrous second half against Arkansas State where they had 28 points scored off of four turnovers and also allowed seven rushing touchdowns. Three of those rushing touchdowns were runs of 40+ yards.
The Jags have been an inconsistent team this season that goes in cycles, generally in twos.
After a season-opening loss at Tulane, they started the two-game pattern. Wins over Southeastern Louisiana and Oklahoma State. Losses to Central Michigan and James Madison. Blowout wins over ULM and Southern Miss. Losses to Lafayette and Troy. Defensive wins over Arkansas State and Marshall.
Now what.
Complete the cycle with a loss? Or break the cycle with a win?
As I joke every game day, it depends on which team gets off the bus on gameday. If the right team shows up, they can definitely win.
I’m going to roll with the Jags to win and cover this week. I think they are motivated and ready to make some more program history. The first win in San Marcos and securing back-to-back winning seasons for the first time in the FBS.
Go Jags!
Preview: South Alabama Opens Conference Play At James Madison
Kickoff: Saturday, September 30, 11am
Venue: Bridgeforth Stadium, Harrisonburg, VA
TV/Streaming: ESPNU
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
Thunderjags on X (formerly known as Twitter): @USAThunderjags
#5 Jersey: Caullin Lacy
The South Alabama Jaguars coaches and players are still seeking that key ingredient that breeds continued success: consistency. They will need to play their type of football consistently from the opening kickoff until the final buzzer if they want to get to 1-0 in conference play this week.
When the Jags are on, they are on, but when they’re not they’re not….but still aren’t too bad.
Two weeks ago the Jags played arguably one, if not the, best games in program history. The 33-7 win over Oklahoma State was never in doubt. Even though many Jaguar fans were bracing for the Cowboys to at least make a run in the second half. It never really came though.
The Jaguar offense hit a little lull in the third quarter, but responded urgently when the Cowboys scored their only points of the game. Most of the first quarter against Central Michigan it looked like the Jags were just picking up where they left off in Stillwater.
However it came to a screeching halt near the end of the first quarter.
When Jase Bauer came in at quarterback the defense was put on their heels and the offense went cold. It was a one-two punch that stunned the Jags. The Chippewa’s scored 20 unanswered before the Jags managed to stop the Chippewa scoring run. They mustered a field goal and cut the lead to three points very late in the third quarter.
It looked like the Jaguar defense had gotten a stop on the first play of the fourth quarter. However, Bauer avoided a sack, managed to kept his balance, and delivered a pass that went for a 70-yard touchdown. Then the Jaguar offense finally responded. They came alive, and got the crowd back into the game as well, by scoring a pair of touchdowns to regain the lead with just 2:42 left in the game. The defense was playing with momentum again.
The defense looked to have the Chippewa’s stopped for a 4th and 7 at the Jaguar 35 when a little yellow flag was tossed. A momentary, and uncharacteristic, mistake by Quentin Wilfawn drew an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty. With it came a fresh set of downs at the Jaguar 20-yard line. A couple of plays later Bauer punched it in and the Chippewa’s were able to hold on for the final 13 seconds and defeat the Jags 34-30.
It’s a new week and a new season is being ushered in with it. The Jags are 0-0 this week and looking to go 1-0 on Saturday.
James Madison (4-0, 1-0 SBC)
The Dukes joined the Sun Belt last season and by looking at their poise and the results on the field, you wouldn’t have known that 2022 was their first season in the FBS ranks. They have long been a powerhouse program in FCS and now join the ranks of fellow Sun Belt members that have found success early in their transition to FBS. Programs like Georgia Southern, Appalachian State, and Coastal Carolina.
James Madison went 8-3 last season, 6-2 in conference play. They hit a mid-season slump with losses at Georgia Southern, vs Marshall, and at Louisville. However they rebounded to end the season with three wins, including a 47-7 spanking of then #23 ranked Coastal Carolina Chanticleers.
JMU has picked up right where they left off so far in 2023.
They added to the conference’s list of wins over Power 5 programs with a 36-35 decision over Virginia. They knocked off the defending conference champion Troy 16-14 in Troy, AL. Last week they held off a pesky Utah State team on the road for a 45-38 win.
South Alabama will travel to Virginia for their first-ever game between the two programs on Saturday.
Offense
The Dukes are averaging 33.75 points, 408.3 total yards, 238.5 rushing yards, and 169.8 rushing yards per game on the season. They are converting 17-of-54 (31.5%) on 3rd down and 2-of-5 (40%) on 4th down on the season.
Out of 21 trips to the red zone, they have scored on 17 of those trips, with 11 of them being touchdowns.
They have a slight edge in time of possession by averaging 30:30 while their opponents are averaging 29:30 per game.
They’ve turned the ball over six times on the season, three fumbles lost out of five total fumbles, and three interceptions. The defense has forced six fumbles, recovering one, but they have gotten five interceptions to make them even on the year in turnover margin.
Jordan McCloud is 67-of-101 (66.3%) on the season for 919 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions.
Reggie Brown leads an experienced group of receivers with 15 catches for 354 yards and three touchdowns. Elijah Sarratt is right behind him with 14 catches for 188 yards and a touchdown. Kaelon Black is the only other receiver with over 100 yards receiving though. He has 12 catches for 103 yards and a touchdown. Phoenix Sproles is the only other receiver with double-digit receptions at 11 for 62 yards and two touchdowns.
Kaelon Black leads the team rushing with 304 yards on 54 attempts. Ty Son Lawton has 191 yards on 32 carries with three touchdowns. Latrele Palmer has 102 yards on 24 carries with a touchdown. McCloud has run for a pair of touchdowns himself.
The offensive line returned intact from last season. They were averaging about 30 starts each across the line. However, College Football Network Preseason Sun Belt Offensive Lineman of the Year, redshirt senior right tackle Nick Kidwell suffered a season-ending injury on the first play against Utah State. Junior Tyler Stephens, who has previously started at left guard this season, will move over to right tackle to fill in in his absence.
The Dukes are capable of marching down the field quickly. They don’t really grind out a lot of 3rd downs and do a good job of limiting negative plays or getting off-schedule on offense.
Defense
The JMU defense is allowing an average of 22.5 points, 356 total yards, 314.5 passing yards, and a mere 41.5 rushing yards per game. Part of the rushing defense is that they have 18 sacks for a loss of 133 yards on the season. They are averaging 4.5 sacks per game through the first four games.
Opponents are converting 17-of-62 (27.4%) of their 3rd down attempts and 5-of-11 (45.5%) of their 4th down attempts. Teams have been in the red zone only 10 times on the season, they’ve scored 8 times with 7 of them being touchdowns.
They lead the FBS in rushing defense and yards per rush allowed (1.39 per carry). They are tied for the lead nationally with an average of 10.2 TFL’s per game, and are tied for second nationally with 4.5 sacks per game.
Aiden Fisher leads the team with 28 total stops, 11 solo, with three pass breakups, three quarterback hurries and an interception from his linebacker position. Jalen Green has 22 total stops, 8 solo, with 7.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, a forced fumble and a pass breakup on the defensive line.
Kikail Kamara has 19 total stops, 11 solo, and a team leading 8.5 tackles for loss on the season with three sacks and a pair of forced fumbles from the defensive lineman.
Green is tied with Jamree Kromah for the team lead in sacks (4). Kromah has 19 total tackles, 9 solo, with 6.5 TFLs two quarterback hurries, and a fumble recovery.
The Dukes defensive front seven generate lots of pressure and havoc. As previously mentioned they have 18 sacks on the season, but they also have a total of 41 tackles for loss. They rotate a lot of players in their front seven so they do a good job of keeping players fresh and getting experience down the depth chart. They play very complimentary to each other too.
But they have also allowed some explosive plays downfield.
Special Teams
Camden Wise is a perfect 6-of-6 on the season placekicking, however his longest kick has been from 38 yards.
Ryan Hanson is averaging 40.4 yards per punt, his longest being 59 yards his only kick of 50+ yards, with 10 fair catches, 7 downed inside the 20, and one touchback.
South Alabama (2-2, 0-0 SBC)
Consistency, that’s the objective of the coaches this week. It’s also been the objective for the entire season through four games.
If the Jags can play with more consistency, then last Saturday’s game would have turned out completely different. The Tulane game would have been a very different game too. I’m not going to say that the Jags would have definitely defeated the Green Wave, but allowing three touchdown passes of 47, 47 and 48 yards definitely changes the dynamic of the game.
Offense
The Jags are averaging 28.8 points, 393.6 total yards, 214.3 passing yards, and 179.3 rushing yards per game. They are converting 27-of-52 (51.9%) of their 3rd down attempts and 3-of-5 (60%) of their 4th down attempts on the season.
They’ve made the most of their red zone trips this season. They’ve scored on all 12 trips with 9 of them being touchdowns.
Last week the Jags didn’t commit any turnovers on offense, but the defense didn’t get any take-away’s either so the Jags continue to be +1 in the turnover margin. They’ve lost three of the four fumbles they’ve committed and have thrown three interceptions. The Jag defense has forced and recovered five fumbles and has gathered a pair of interceptions.
The offense is averaging 29:36 on time of possession on the season.
Carter Bradley is 69-of-99 (69.7%) for 854 yards, six touchdowns and three interceptions on the season.
Caullin Lacy has emerged as the leading receiver with 26 catches for 435 yards and five touchdowns, all from 35 yards or more. He is the only receiver in the nation with five touchdown receptions of 35 yards or more.
Jamaal Pritchett has added 14 catches for 161 yards as the only other receiver with either double-digit catches or over 100 yards receiving.
Lincoln Sefcik has 7 catches for 46 yards. Kentrel Bullock has 7 catches for 40 yards.
La’Damian Webb leads the team with 340 yards on 52 carries with six touchdowns. He’s averaging 6.5 yards per attempt and has only lost 3 yards on the season. That loss came in the last game on a 4th down attempt when the offense rushed to the line and Central Michigan sold out to stop the run.
Kentrel Bullock has 255 yards on 49 carries with a touchdown. Marco Lee Jr has 21 carries for 106 yards and a touchdown. Both are averaging 5 yards or more per carry.
Jordan Davis filled in for Josh McCulloch again last week as Josh was still recovering from a knee injury sustained in practice prior to the Oklahoma State game.
Defense
The Jaguar defense is allowing an average of 23.8 points, 352.8 total yards, 247 passing yards and 105.8 rushing yards per game. Opponents are converting 22-of-50 (44%) of their 3rd down attempts and 2-of-2 (100%) of their 4th down attempts.
Out of 15 trips to the red zone, the Jags have allowed opponents to score 12 times and only 8 of them resulting in a touchdown.
James Miller is still on top of the defensive statistics with 26 total stops, 12 solo, with 1.5 tackles for loss a quarterback hurry and a fumble recovery. Jaden Voisin is next with 24 total stops, 11 solo, with a forced fumble and a pass breakup.
Trey Kiser has 21 total stops, 10 solo, also with 1.5 tackles for loss, a pass breakup, and a quarterback hurry.
Quentin Wilfawn has 19 total stops on the season, 14 solo, with a sack and a team leading 3 tackles for loss.
Brock Higdon leads the team with 2 sacks. Yam Banks and Marquise Robinson both have an interception.
After starting the season allowing big plays in the secondary, the Jags have been able to make adjustments. They are playing with more of that key word head coach Kane Wommack keeps talking about: consistency.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo is 4-of-5 on field goal attempts for the season. His long is 42 and his only miss was in the season opener against Tulane from 52 yards out.
Jack Martin is averaging 41.9 yards per punt with a long of 53 yards. He has 7 fair catches, 5 downed inside the 20, and two kicks of 50+ yards.
Keys to the Game
Offensive Line
The JMU defense is going to bring pressure and cause havoc. Their sheer number of sacks and tackles for loss show it. When Bradley and the offense struggle, it has been because protection has broken down and Bradley is under pressure. JMU is going to generate some negative plays, but how the team responds will be a storyline of this game.
The offensive line has shown that they can play at a high level. Just look at the second half against Southeastern Louisiana, Oklahoma State, and the first quarter against Central Michigan.
If they play with consistency and up to their potential, which we’ve seen, the Jags can play with anyone.
They need to set the line of scrimmage, because the JMU defensive line will be determined to set the line of scrimmage in the Jaguar backfield. If they are able to give Bradley time, he has Lacy, Pritchett, Ivory, Sefcik and others that are talented pass-catchers that can make plays downfield. Which leads to…
Establish the Run
Utah State showed how a team can get a foothold establishing the run on them. Between Webb and Bullock, the Jags have two players with great vision that can find the hole and make positive yardage. They have turned plays that seemed to be destined for a loss into gains or even big plays. They just need the opportunity.
Between the two they have less than 20 yards of negative plays between them this season. If the line can give them a lane, they’ll find it.
The matchup between the Dukes proficiency is generating negative plays and Webb and Bullock’s ability to avoid losing yardage will make for some interesting viewing on Saturday.
Play Responsive Football
South Alabama has been very “responsive” after an opponent has scored. This means that, when the opponent scores, the offensive has not responded with a score of their own on the next possession.
Responsiveness really takes the air out of the stadium. When the opponent scores just to get the ball back and answer with your own score really seizes any momentum back away from the other team.
The Jags didn’t respond to several of the Chippewa’s scores in the game last Saturday. You could feel the small contingent of fans who traveled for the game as their presence became more and more prominent with each score.
When the Jags had closed within 3 points in the fourth quarter and the Chippewa’s scored to stretch it out to a 10-point lead, they seized the opportunity. USA responded with a 3 play 75-yard drive, with a 72-yard touchdown pass, that electrified the crowd.
The Jaguar fans got loud and really got into the game.
That’s what a response will do for you at home. On the road it will do similar to what Central Michigan did, it will quiet the crowd.
Injuries
Braylon McReynolds, Devin Voisin, and Keith Gallmon Jr are all out for the season with injuries. McReynolds has not been ruled out for potential post-season play.
Josh McCulloch has been improving since his non-season threatening knee injury. It’s unknown if he may be back for the game on Saturday.
The Jags came out of the game against Central Michigan pretty healthy, no major injuries.
Prediction
This is a big game for the Jaguars. You only have eight conference games and each one looms large, especially if you lose one.
The Jags only lost one conference game last season, their head-to-head matchup against Troy. Troy also only lost one conference game but held the tiebreaker due to the head-to-head victory. The Trojans were the preseason favorite to win the western division again, but they’ve already have a loss in conference play…to James Madison.
In that game, the Dukes got six sacks and held the Trojans to -12 yards rushing. Prior to Troy, they held Virginia to just 18 rushing yards. Last week Utah State was able to rush for 98 yards, the most the Dukes have allowed during their current seven game winning streak, dating back to 2022.
The Dukes opened at a 5 point favorite and the line has moved down to just 3.5 points.
What was once a thorn in the Jags side, they have turned around their fortunes when playing on the road. They are now 10-4 over the last 14 games away from Hancock Whitney Stadium.
On one hand, my predictions have not turned out too accurate this season. Which makes me want to pick against the Jags this week to see if that helps them win. But I think the players and coaches understand what this game means and will get back focused on the task at hand.
I think the Jags win outright in a close game.
Go Jags!
Preview: South Alabama Hosts Central Michigan For Homecoming, Final Non-Conference Game
Kickoff: Saturday, September 23, 4pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, Alabama
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: Desmond Trotter
This is an important game for the South Alabama Jaguars.
No, it’s not a flashy game against another Power-5 program. It’s not a conference game. It may be homecoming, but that’s not the reason either.
It’s an important game for two reasons: one, it’s next game on the schedule, and two, we get to see how the team responds after the last game.
You may be reading this thinking “man, you make it sound like they lost last week. But they won arguably the biggest game in program history last week against Oklahoma State.” But that’s exactly it. They won the biggest game in program history, now how do they respond?
The Greek philosopher Epictetus wrote, “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
Head Coach Kane Wommack took over the program in 2021 and he has consistently spoken about getting his players to have a neutral mindset. You cannot get too high on emotion, but you cannot get to low either. This week will be a big test for his team to see if they have that neutral mindset nailed down, at least from the emotional high that was last week.
The Jags (2-1) earned a program-defining win last Saturday in dominating fashion. They took a 23-0 lead into halftime and by the time the final whistle blew, they posted a stunning 33-7 beat-down of a Power-5 program in their own stadium. One of the intriguing stats we noted was that the Jags rushed for more yards (248) than Oklahoma State gained in total offense (208) for the entire game.
South Alabama has been showered with praise since the game ended. They were named the Cheez-It’s team of the week (which brought them a big delivery of assorted boxes of Cheez-It’s on Monday). They were honorably mentioned in Matt Mitchell’s “SEC Roll Call”, a weekly comedy sketch he does recapping the previous weeks performances. But they also have Homecoming festivities this coming week.
How they turn around and respond in this game could really define the remainder of the season.
This paragraph may induce PTSD, so be warned. In 2016, South Alabama traveled to Starkville, MS and earned their first win over a Power-5 and SEC program with a 21-20 win. Coincidentally, it happened to be coach Wommack’s first game with the Jaguars as defensive coordinator too. However the Jags lost the following week to Georgia Southern 24-9 as well as the next week at Louisiana-Lafayette 28-23. Then they needed overtime to survive an upset bid by Nicholls 41-40. Similarly in the 2016 season, they were able to defeat the then #19 ranked San Diego State Aztecs 42-24, but lost back-to-back games to Arkansas State (17-7) and Troy (28-21) afterwards.
Coach Wommack keeps stressing “consistency.” This game will be a big measuring stick for how much consistency the coaching staff has been able to instill into this program.
South Alabama (2-1)
In a way the Oklahoma State game was a carry-over from the second half of the Southeastern Louisiana game. The Jaguar offense scored on their first three possessions and four of their six first-half possessions, not counting the last possession with a mere 18 seconds left before halftime.
The defense kept the Cowboys off the scoreboard until early in the fourth quarter, and the longest plays from scrimmage was a 21 yard quarterback run and a 15 yard pass completion.
The Jags are +1 in turnover margin for the season. They have thrown three interceptions and lost three of the four fumbles they’ve committed. Defensively the Jags have forced five fumbles and recovered all of them while also collecting a pair of interceptions.
Offense
South Alabama’s mantra ‘Run The Damn Ball’ was on full display in Stillwater. La’Damian Webb, even on a play-count, rolled up an impressive 151 yards rushing on 18 carries with a pair of touchdowns. It was highlighted by a 65 yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that put the final dagger in the Cowboy’s heart.
Kentrel Bullock also had 18 carries for 71 yards and Marco Lee Jr had 6 carries for 30 yards.
Carter Bradley was 10-of-16 for 152 yards and two touchdowns, including a beautify placed 57-yard strike to Caullin Lacy.
Lacy led the Jags receivers with 5 catches for 104 yards and both of Bradley’s touchdown passes. Lincoln Sefcik had three catches for 21 yards. Javon Ivory and Bullock had one catch each for 17 and 10 yards respectively.
Lacy has really elevated his play after Devin Voisin was lost for the season to a knee injury last week. He was already a big-time playmaker before!
Josh McColloch suffered a knee injury mid-week and did not play, however the offensive line had their best outing so far this season with Jordan Davis stepping up and starting in McCulloch’s place.
The Jags are averaging 389.7 total yards of offense, 201 yards passing and 188.7 yards rushing per game. The running back corps are averaging 5 yards per attempt through three games.
The offense is converting 20-of-39 (51%) of their 3rd down attempts and 3-of-4 (75%) of their 4th down attempts. In the red zone they have scored on all 9 of their trips, with seven of them being touchdowns.
However, Bradley has been sacked 7 times on the season for 50 yards, but only twice last week by the Cowboys.
Defense
Coach Wommack, defensive coordinator Corey Batoon, and assistant coach Jay Hopson seemed to have really turned around the secondary after Tulane exploited them for several explosive plays. They only allowed 208 total yards of offense, 114 passing yards and 94 rushing yards to the Cowboys.
Through three games the defense is allowing an average of 352 yards of total offense, 252.7 passing yards and 99.3 rushing yards per game.
Opponents are converting just 13-of-34 (38%) of their 3rd down attempts. Of the 11 trips into the red zone for opponents, they have scored on 8 of them with only 4 coming as touchdowns.
James Miller leads the defense with 19 total stops, 10 solo, with a fumble recovery. Jaden Voisin is next behind him with 16 total stops, nine solo, with a forced fumble. Trey Kiser is third with 15 total stops, eight solo, with a tackle for loss, a pass breakup, and a quarterback hurry.
Brock Higdon leads the defense with 2 sacks on the season. Jamie Sheriff, Quentin Wilfawn, Khalil Jacobs, and Maurice Strong Jr have one sack each.
Yam Banks and Marquise Robinson both have one interception each.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo made good on both of his attempts against OSU last weekend and is 3-of-4 on the season with a long of 42. His only miss was from 52 in the season-opener against Tulane.
Jack Martin is averaging 43.4 yards per attempt, with a long of 53 yards. He has four fair catches, four downed inside the 20.
Central Michigan (1-2)
Despite the Chippewa’s record, they have been playing some pretty good football on the season. Both of their two losses come at the hands of Power-5 programs. The season opener was a 31-7 loss at Michigan State and last week they kept it close in the first half at Notre Dame before the Fighting Irish pulled away in the second half for a 41-17 win.
Between the two losses, the Chippewas earned a win against #11 ranked FCS New Hampshire 45-42 on a field goal as time expired. They led 42-28 with under six minutes left in the game. New Hampshire tied the game with a 71-yard catch-and-run with just over three-minutes left in the game.
Last week against Notre Dame, the Chippewas cut the lead to 7 before halftime before the Irish pulled away in the second half. The Irish, who put up 578 yards of total offense, took back any momentum with a 74 yard touchdown drive in only 7 plays to start the third quarter and never looked back.
Overall they are -1 on turnover margin. Offensively they have fumbled three times but recovered them all, however they have thrown three interceptions. Defensively they have one interception and a forced fumble that they’ve recovered.
Offense
The Chippewa offense is averaging 23 points, 309 yards of total offense, 145.7 passing yards, and 163.3 rushing yards per game. They are only converting 11-of-44 (25%) of their 3rd down attempts but they have converted 4-of-5 (80%) of their 4th down attempts.
Quarterback Bert Emanuel Jr missed the Notre Dame game with an illness but is expected to return and presumably start on Saturday. He is 18-of-36 (50%) for 280 yards, three touchdowns and three interceptions in those two games. Jase Bauer is 13-of-29 (44.9%) for 157 yards.
The top two receivers both have five catches. Chris Parker has 142 yards on his 5 catches with a touchdown. Tyson Davis has 92 yards with his five catches.
They have five players with three catches each. Jesse Prewitt III has 91 yards and a touchdown, Mitchel Collier has 30 yards, Marion Lukes has 28 yards, Myles Bailey has 11 yards, and Sam Hicks has 7 yards.
Myles Bailey leads the Central Michigan rushing attack with 186 yards on 38 carries with two touchdowns. Emanuel Jr is the next leading rusher, even with sack-adjusted yardage figured in, with 142 yards on 38 carries with two touchdowns in two games played. Marion Lukes has 75 yards on 19 carries. Quarterback Jase Bauer has 43 yards on 15 carries with a touchdown. BJ Harris has 11 carries for 32 yards, the last back with double-digit carries on the team.
Defense
Central Michigan runs multiple fronts. They will switch between 3 and 4 down linemen which give an even and odd look to the offensive line. So the Jaguar offensive line will need to stay on the same for their protection schemes. They have played pretty well against the run, but have been quite susceptible to explosive passing plays.
They are allowing an average of 38 points, 507.3 total yards of offense, 371.3 passing yards, and 136 rushing yards per game.
Opponents are converting 16-of-39 (41%) of their 3rd down attempts and 3-of-6 (50%) of their 4th down attempts.
Donte Kent leads the defense with 26 total stops, 18 of them solo, with a tackle for loss (TFL) from the secondary. Kyle Moretti is right behind him with 25 total stops, 14 solo, with two TFLs from his linebacker position. It drops off to 16 total, 7 solo, stops for Trey Jones from the secondary. Then Justin Whiteside has 13 total stops, 11 solo, for the highest ranking defensive lineman.
Jacques Bristol leads the team with three TFL’s with a sack, as part of his 11 total tackles. He is tied with Michael Heldman and Maurice White for sack leader. Heldman leads the team with 4 quarterback hurries.
Elijah Rikard is the only player on the defense with an interception.
Special Teams
Tristan Mattson, a redshirt-junior transfer from Arkansas State, is 2-of-3 on the season. His long is 47 yards, which was his first attempt of the season and came against New Hampshire as time expired. He also handles kickoff duty and has nine touchbacks on his 13 kickoff attempts.
Jake Walrath is averaging 45.1 yards across his 21 punt attempts. His longest kick was 63 yards. He has two touchbacks, five fair catches, five downed inside the 20 and seven kicks of 50+ yards. He can really flip field position in a hurry.
Keys to the Game
Neutral Mindset
The Jags will be coming off a big win over a Power-5 opponent. It’s also Homecoming week. This is a textbook upset script for the Chippawa’s. It also doesn’t help that they want revenge for last season and to get back to .500 on the season.
Coach Wommack speaks about having a neutral mindset. There are several keys to the neutral mindset. He doesn’t want players to get too emotionally high nor too emotionally low after a game, or even after a play. The players need to approach each play as its own entity, when the play is over it’s time for the next play. It doesn’t matter if the previous play was a big loss or a huge gain; you have to line up for the next play just the same. Each time you line up for a play, just do your job and trust your teammate to do his.
Taking what the defense gives
The Chippewa defense has been quite good against the run. While their passing numbers aren’t that good to observe, they haven’t been that bad against the pass either. Their biggest problem is explosive plays through the air, similar to what the Jags had trouble with against Tulane. They will be working to make similar adjustments this week and hope they show on the field when they arrive in Mobile on Saturday.
Carter Bradley may have to put the ball in the air more than he did against Oklahoma State for the Jags to win. If the Chippewa’s continue to be susceptible to the pass, that’s what the Jags need to exploit.
But a productive running game will also help loosen up the secondary too.
Offensive Line
Last Saturday, the Jags offensive line played arguably the best game of football in program history. They opened running lanes for the Jaguar running backs and they were pretty good in pass protection. Bradley was sacked twice in the game, but did not have a single quarterback hurry on the stat sheet.
Consistency is stacking one good game after another. They could really use another outing like that this week.
Not to keep repeating it, but Central Michigan has been good against the run. If they are able to get success stopping the Jags rushing game, they will turn up the pressure on Bradley and try to get him to force the ball downfield. Two of his three interceptions this season can be contributed to him trying to force the ball under pressure.
Injuries
Reggie Smith was injured late in fall camp and will miss the season. Braylon McReynolds suffered a broken collarbone against Tulane and will likely miss the entire regular season.
Before the game last Saturday, we found out that both Devin Voisin and Keith Gallmon Jr will also miss the rest of the season as well.
Gallmon Jr suffered a torn pectoral muscle early in the game against Southeastern Louisiana. This is the second time in as many seasons he has suffered the same injury and missed an entire season. However this time it’s the opposite pectoral as the one injured in 2022.
Voisin suffered a knee injury in the second half against SLU.
Thankfully, the Jags stayed pretty healthy against Oklahoma State last week.
Prediction
The Jags are pretty much a 14.5 point favorite across the board on most odd-maker sites. I was glad my prediction last week was completely wrong. When I pick against the Jags, I’m more than happy to be wrong.
It may be early for the Chippewa’s to circle the wagons, but I’m sure they feel an urgency for a win before they start conference play. They had 12 players out with Covid last Saturday and was within one score of Notre Dame at halftime (21-14). Thankfully the game will be at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
The Jags offensive strengths play into some of the strengths of Central Michigan’s defense. It will be interesting to watch how it plays out.
I’m going with the Jags to win, but maybe they don’t cover the 14.5 spread but barely. I think a strong second half leads to a Jags win 31-17, just under the spread.
Go Jags!
South Alabama Puts On A Football Clinic, Dominates Oklahoma State 33-7 In Stillwater
South Alabama went to Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma on a mission.
Mission Completed: 33-7.
The South Alabama Jaguars (2-1) completely dominated Oklahoma State (2-1) in every phase of the game, from beginning to end. The offensive line protected Carter Bradley and they opened holes for the running backs. The defense shut down the Cowboys rushing attack and the secondary played up to their talent level. The Jags dominated the time of possession. They didn’t turn the ball over. The special teams played flawlessly and even got a takeaway on a muffed punt late in the game to seal the win.
This is only the second win by South Alabama over a Power-5 team. It was by far the most decisive win. The previous Power-5 win was over Mississippi State in Starkville by a score of 21-20.
Carter Bradley threw two touchdown passes to Caullin Lacy in the first half, including a 57 yard touchdown with just over a minute left before halftime. La’Damian Webb rushed for 151 yards and two touchdowns, the second touchdown a 65 yard scamper right up the gut of the Cowboy defense midway through the fourth quarter to seal the game.
They took a commanding 23-0 lead into the halftime locker room.
The Cowboys offense finally showed signs of life late in the third quarter. They finally got on the scoreboard to avoid a shutout with 12:14 left in the game.
The Jaguar offense went three and out, but Jack Martin’s punt was muffed and recovered by Travis Drosos at the OSU 24 which led to a field goal and a 26-7 advantage.
When Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy was faced with a 4th and 12 with about eight minutes left, he all but signaled it was over by sending in the punt team.
Then on the second play from scrimmage Webb broke free on his final carry of the game and took it 65 yards and the final score of the game.
Stats
South Alabama
South Alabama put up 395 yards of total offense, 243 yards rushing and 152 passing. They were 6-of-14 on 3rd down for the game, with most of their failures to convert coming in the second half. They held the ball for 34:35 and were flagged eight times for only 40 yards.
Bradley was 10-of-16 for 152 yards and two touchdowns. Desmond Trotter came in late but didn’t attempt a throw.
La’Damian Webb led all rushers with 151 yards on 18 attempts with two touchdowns. He averaged 8.4 yards per carry.
Kentrel Bullock had 18 carries for 71 yards. Marco Lee had 30 yards on six carries.
Caullin Lacy led all receivers with 104 yards on 5 catches with a pair of touchdowns. Lincoln Sefcik had three catches for 21 yards. Javon Ivory had one catch for 17 yards.
Oklahoma State had 208 yards of total offense, 114 passing and 94 rushing. They were only 4-of-15 on 3rd down attempts and only held the ball for 25:20. They were flagged seven times for 64 yards.
Diego Guajardo was perfect on two attempts from 39 and 42 yards respectively. Jack Martin averaged 43.8 yards across his five punts with one going 53 yards and three of them being downed inside the 20.
Oklahoma State
Alan Bowman started the game and went 6-of-12 for 42 yards and an interception. Gunnar Gundy came in and went 9-of-18 for 64 yards. Garret Rangel came on late and was 1-of-5 for 8 yards.
Jaden Bray caught 5 passes for 42 yards. Josiah Johnson caught two for 25 yards. Ollie Gordon had two catches for 13 yards.
Elijah Collins led the Cowboys with 31 yards rushing on 9 carries. Gundy added 27 yards on 10 carries. Jaden Nixon had 23 yards on five carries with the only Cowboy score.
Wes Pahl punted eight times with an average of 43 yards.
Final Analysis
This was the type of play that we’ve been looking for this season. It was also the type of play coach Wommack was looking for too.
“I thought our guys are starting to play to the level we’re capable of.” Said coach Kane Wommack. “We really haven’t played well the first two weeks, particularly in the first half. We were able to establish the run early, which gave us some one-on-one shots. We liked some matchups against a couple of their DBs, and we were able to get those matchups early. I think the nice thing is we knew we were very capable of coming in here and executing at a high level and physically putting a team away.”
Tulane exposed similar deficiencies that Western Kentucky exploited in the bowl game to finish the 2022 season. Some adjustments were evident last week against Southeastern Louisiana. But this week the Jags secondary locked all but locked down the Cowboys usually prolific receiving corps.
Before the game we found out that wide receiver Devin Voisin had torn his ACL against SLU and will miss the season. It was also released that Keith Gallmon tore his right pectoral muscle, the opposite one that caused him to miss the entire 2022 season and will miss the rest of the 2023 season.
Braylon McReynolds suffered a broken collarbone against Tulane and had surgery to correct it. He will likely miss most if not all of the Jags regular season. But coach Wommack left it open that he could possibly return before the end of the season or in postseason play.
Jordan Davis started at left tackle in place of Josh McCulloch after he suffered a knee injury in practice. McCulloch’s injury is not considered season-ending though.
Next
South Alabama returns home for their final non-conference game to host Central Michigan on homecoming. The game is scheduled to kickoff at 4pm at Hancock Whitney Stadium and will be streamed on ESPN+.