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 Looks To Start Late-Season Run Against Arkansas State
Kickoff: Saturday, November 11, 4:00pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile, AL
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: Quentin Wilfawn
South Alabama finds itself in the midst of another two-game skid this season. The Jags (4-5, 2-3 SBC) return home after another stinging loss to Troy in their bitter rivalry game, the “Battle for the Belt”, for the sixth consecutive time.
The Arkansas State Red Wolves (5-4, 3-2 SBC) come into Mobile riding a two-game winning streak (ULM 34-24 and Louisiana-Lafayette 37-17).
In the 11 previous match-ups between the two teams, the Jags have a 5-6 record against Arkansas State. The Jags hold a 3-2 edge when playing the Red Wolves in Mobile and have also won the previous four meetings between the two, including a 31-3 win last season in Jonesboro.
Red Wolves head coach Butch Jones is in his third season at the helm in Jonesboro and has them on the verge of being bowl-eligible for the first time since 2019. Since taking over the Red Wolves they have improved their record every season. They have gone from 2-10, to 3-9, and now are 5-4 with three games to go.
The Jags hope to finish the season strong, needing at least two wins in order to gain bowl eligibility.
Interestingly the Jags and Red Wolves, like their win-loss record, have the same opponents just in a different order to finish out the season. USA will host Marshall then travel to Texas State while ASU hosts Texas State and travels to Marshall over the next two weeks.
But before that, we have the game on Saturday. If the Jags win, they are one game closer to bowl eligibility. If the Red Wolves win, they are bowl eligible.
Arkansas State (5-4, 3-2 SBC)
The Red Wolves have a -2 turnover margin. They have turned the ball over to opponents only nine times, six interceptions and three fumbles. Their defense has taken the ball away seven times, four by interception and three recovered fumbles.
Offense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 24.56 |
| Total Offense | 379.1 |
| Passing Offense | 226.22 |
| Rushing Offense | 152.9 |
| Time of Possession | 27:19 |
| Penalty Yards | 61.44 |
| Season Stat | |
| 3rd Downs | 44-of-120 (36.67%) |
| 4th Downs | 4-of-12 (33.3%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 25-of-30 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 16-of-15 |
| Penalties-Yards | 55-553 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 4-3 |
Jaylen Raynor is 102-of-172 (59.3%) for 1,648 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions in 7 games played. Jaxon Dailey is 17-of-33 (51.5%) for 137 yards in 4 games played. J.T. Shrout is 24-of-51 (47.1%) for 227 yards and two interceptions in two games played.
Courtney Jackson leads the Red Wolves with 480 yards on 25 catches with six touchdowns. Corey Rucker has 443 yards on 22 catches. Jeff Foreman has 367 yards on 17 catches with three touchdowns.
Ja’Quez Cross leads the team rushing with 470 yards on 83 carries with three touchdowns. Zak Wallace is next with 435 yards on 103 carries with four touchdowns. Jaylen Raynor is next on the team with 324 yards on 84 carries with five touchdowns in only seven games played.
Defense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 31.89 |
| Total Offense | 441.1 |
| Passing Offense | 268.33 |
| Rushing Offense | 172.8 |
| Time of Possession | 32:41 |
| Penalty Yards | 59.11 |
| Season Stat | |
| 3rd Downs | 52-of-130 (40.0%) |
| 4th Downs | 12-of-16 (75.0%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 34-of-38 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 22-of-34 |
| Penalties-Yards | 59-532 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 5-3 |
Javante Mackey leads the Red Wolves with 69 total stops, 44 solo, with 5 TFLs and two sacks. Charles Willekes has 62 total stops, 22 solo, with 5 TFLs and a sack.
Melique Straker adds 59 total stops, 29 solo, with two TFLs and an interception.
Keyron Crawford leads the team with 9.5 TFL’s and also 4.5 sacks. Thurman Geathers has 9 TFL’s and 3 sacks with 10 quarterback hurries under his belt.
Eddie Smith leads the team with two interceptions.
Special Teams
Dominic Zvada is 13-of-17 (76.47%) with a season long of 53 yards.
William Przystup is averaging 44.19 yards per punt with a long of 59 yards. He has 13 downed inside the 20, 13 kicks of 50+ yards, 8 fair catches and 5 touchbacks.
South Alabama (4-5, 2-3 SBC)
The Jags also have a -2 turnover ratio coming into the game against the Red Wolves. They have turned the ball over a total of 15 times, nine interceptions and six fumbles lost. The defense has taken the ball away from opponents 13 times, six interceptions and seven fumbles.
Offense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 30.89 |
| Total Offense | 431.8 |
| Passing Offense | 271.0 |
| Rushing Offense | 160.8 |
| Time of Possession | 29:30 |
| Penalty Yards | 58.44 |
| Season Stat | |
| 3rd Downs | 52-of-118 (44.1%) (T-29th) |
| 4th Downs | 10-of-17 (58.8%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 30-of-32 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 24-of-30 |
| Penalties-Yards | 61-526 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 10-6 |
Carter Bradley is 167-of-254 (65.75%) on the season with 2,156 yards, 13 touchdowns and 7 interceptions through eight games (did not play against Troy). Gio Lopez is 27-of-42 (64.29%) for 283 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions in four appearances, including the start last week against Troy.
Caullin Lacy became the first receiver in FBS football to eclipse the 1,000 yard receiving mark last week. He has 64 catches for 1,046 yards (2nd) with six touchdowns (T-33rd). Jamaal Pritchett has 41 catches for 600 yards and three touchdowns. Lincoln Sefcik has 17 catches for 165 yards and a touchdown. DJ Thomas-Jones has 14 catches for 150 yards. Kentrel Bullock has 14 catches for 111 yards and a touchdown.
La’Damian Webb set a new single-season rushing touchdown record against Troy with his 14th score of the season and ranks 2nd nationally. He has 727 yards (40th) on 134 carries for the season. Bullock has 380 yards on 76 carries with three touchdowns. Marco Lee Jr has 186 yards on 40 carries with two touchdowns.
Defense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 21.89 (40th) |
| Total Offense | 326.1 (26th) |
| Passing Offense | 200.33 (32nd) |
| Rushing Offense | 125.8 (37th) |
| Time of Possession | 30:29 |
| Penalty Yards | 50.22 |
| Season Stat | |
| 3rd Downs | 43-of-120 (35.83%) (43rd) |
| 4th Downs | 6-of-12 (50%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 18-of-24 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 11-of-18 |
| Penalties-Yards | 52-452 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 10-7 |
Quentin Wilfawn leads the defense with 61 total stops, 33 solo with a team leading 10.5 tackles for loss and a tie for team leading three sacks. James Miller has 57 total stops, 21 solo, with 2.5 TFLs. Trey Kiser has 55 total stops, 23 solo, with 8 TFLs and 2.5 sacks. Jaden Voisin adds 51 total stops, 20 solo, with ½ TFL, six pass breakups and a team-leading 2 interceptions.
Brock Higdon shares the sack lead with Wilfawn at 3 each.
Maurice Strong Jr., Yam Banks, Wesley Miller, Marquise Robinson each have an interception.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo is 10-of-14 on the season (71.4%), his long on the season is 46 yards and has missed both attempts from 50+ yards.
Jack Martin is averaging 39.86 yards per punt with a long of 53 yards. He has 15 fair catches, 10 downed inside the 20, and two kick of 50+ yards.
Injuries
The status of Carter Bradley will not be known until game time on Saturday. The coaches said that he made a lot of progress last week but they held him out because there were concerns about his mobility and his ability to protect himself in the game.
Meanwhile the coaches also said that Lopez and Desmond Trotter will split reps with the first and second-string offenses this week while Bradley continues to rehab and try to work out his injured left knee.
Is this some gamesmanship to make the Red Wolves prepare for up to three quarterbacks? Absolutely! Will it work? We’ll see on Saturday.
Gio Lopez has hit the threshold for the number of games he can play without burning his redshirt. So it’s safe to say that, if he goes into the game, it is because the coaching staff believes that he gives the team the best shot at winning.
Braylon McReynolds is getting closer to returning to action. He is likely not going to play this week, but he could see action before the end of the regular season. He has been working out with the team in non-contact gear.
Keys to the Game
Consistency
This has been an issue for this team all season, overall consistency. The Jags get a brush with it but it only seems to last about two games. They have the high-performing games like against Southeastern Louisiana and Oklahoma State, then ULM and Southern Miss. But then they have the low games like against Central Michigan and James Madison, then Louisiana-Lafayette and Troy.
But even in the losses, they had sparks where they played well but just couldn’t maintain it or found it too late.
That’s something that South Alabama has struggled with since transitioning into FBS. Though they have improved some over the last couple of seasons but clearly aren’t where they want to be. Hopefully after the success they tasted last season and how this season has gone so far, it will help them in working towards that collective goal: Consistency.
Offensive Line
Speaking of inconsistency, the offensive line has had its share of inconsistent play.
Over the last two games though, the ULL and Troy have both been able to dominate the line of scrimmage and pressure the quarterback and disrupt the Jags running game. It didn’t help that the Jags started true freshman Gio Lopez against the Trojans last week. While Lopez did show a lot of poise and potential, the Trojans were able to get pressure on him and didn’t allow him to try to stretch the field with some throws down the field.
However, last season the Jags offensive line led the way for La’Damian Webb to run for 163 yards and three touchdowns against the Red Wolves. Against a defense that allows an average 172.8 rushing yards per game, there’s an opportunity for USA to repeat that performance and earn their fifth win of the season and their fifth consecutive win in the series.
Stadium Presence
In the home game losses, the stadium feel has just been dead. Walking into the stadium for the Louisiana-Lafayette game it just felt like extremely low energy and I immediately had red flags go up. That was the next game after an extremely high-energy crowd for the Tuesday night Southern Miss game.
The two games could not have been any more polar opposites.
The closer I got to the stadium on that Tuesday evening, the air felt like it could just start crackling at any moment with the sheer energy that was present. During pre-game festivities, team entrances, and throughout the game the crowd was feeding and the team was eating.
While the program is still quite new, it’s time that the students and spectators made their presence felt more on gameday. It’s time to turn Hancock Whitney Stadium, aka ‘The Cock’, into the Jungle.
“Do you know where you are? You’re in the Jungle baby. You’re gonna die….watch it bring you to your…knees”
Prediction
I’ve written this out too many times this season already, but it really depends on which Jaguar team gets off that bus at the stadium on Saturday. But if you look above at my keys to the game, I believe it will also be determined by the stadium atmosphere.
Under head coach Kane Wommack, the Jags have not had a .500 or sub-.500 record at home. They currently are 2-2 with two home games remaining on their schedule.
Arkansas State has some momentum on their side with a stunning win over the Ragin’ Cajuns (who put a decent whipping on the Jags just two weeks ago. The Red Wolves seem to have found their quarterback of the future in freshman Jaylen Raynor. Raynor, a dual threat quarterback, has risen up the team rushing ranks. He’s sitting at third on the team in rushing yards and leads the pack with 5 rushing touchdowns. Also with a 3.25-to-1 touchdown to interception ratio, he is making pretty good decisions throwing the ball.
Dual-threat quarterbacks have plagued the Jags this season. But can the defense put enough pressure on him to force bad decisions while keeping contain?
I feel the Jags are coming into this game with a mission and with focus.
As an 11.5 point favorite, I feel that’s a bit high considering. But what do I know. Sometimes I feel that I might as well employ a magic 8-ball this year, but I’ll keep at it. I feel good about the Jags winning, but I don’t think they cover. Go ahead, prove me wrong. (Just don’t do it by losing, okay)
Go Jags!
Preview: Battle for the Belt 2023
Kickoff: Thursday, November 2, 6:30pm
Venue: Veterans Memorial Stadium, Troy, 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: Jamaal Pritchett
The 2023 edition of The Battle for the Belt is here.
South Alabama (4-4, 2-2 SBC) has come out on the wrong side of the scoreboard the last five meetings against troy (6-2, 3-1 SBC). Those five losses are the difference in the all-time record between the two teams, troy leads the series 8-3. The last time the Jags won, it was Joey Jones’ last season at the helm of the program and current head coach Kane Wommack was the defensive coordinator. That game was a 19-8 defensive struggle. Last year was another defensive struggle that finished with a low scoring 10-6 final.
In a short week after a 33-20 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette, the South Alabama players and coaches have to clear their minds, correct their issues, and treat their injuries for a 6:30 pm kickoff on Thursday night.
Some may think that’s a hard thing to do in such short time. Physically, that is true. Mentally, it may be easier that you think. Especially when you’re a talented team and you lose, you’re ready to get back on the field and prove yourself all over again.
They will have their opportunity Thursday night on national television.
South Alabama (4-4, 2-2 SBC)
As a team, the Jags have a -2 turnover margin. They have given the ball away 14 times in total, 8 passes intercepted and out of eight fumbles, they’ve lost 6 to their opponents.
Meanwhile the defense has forced nine fumbles, recovering 6 of them, and intercepted 6 passes.
South Alabama is averaging 7.125 penalties and 62.63 penalty yards per game. Their opponents are averaging 5.875 penalties and 50.88 penalty yards per game.
Offense
The Jaguars are averaging 33.5 points (31st nationally), 454.3 total offensive yards (20th nationally), 285.5 passing yards (25th), 168.8 rushing yards (50th), and 30:01 time of possession per game through eight games this season.
They are converting 52-of-108 on 3rd down and 9-of-16 on 4th down attempts.
The perfect run of red scoring came to an end against the Ragin’ Cajuns. After failing to score on two attempts, the Jags now have scored on 28 of their 30 trips into the red zone, with 23 of them being touchdowns. The Jags failed to score on their first red zone trip against the Cajuns when head coach Kane Wommack opted to keep the offense on the field for a 4th and 1 at the Cajuns 6-yard line. The other was an interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter.
Carter Bradley is 167-of-254 (65.75%) passing with 2,156 yards, 13 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Gio Lopez is the only other Jags with passing stats, he is 10-of-15 (66.67%) for 128 yards, a touchdown and an interception in three appearances.
Caullin Lacy leads the team with 55 catches for 957 yards and 6 touchdowns. He ranks 2nd in the nation in receiving yards, trailing LSU’s Malik Nabers by only 24 yards on the season.
Jamaal Pritchett had a career game against the Cajuns. His season total is 35 catches and 541 yards with three touchdowns. Lincoln Sefcik has 17 catches for 165 yards and a touchdown. DJ Thomas-Jones has 14 catches for 150 yards. Kentrell Bullock has 13 catches for 106 yards and a touchdown. La’Damian Webb has 17 catches for 106 yards to round out the pass catchers with 100+ yards on the season.
Webb leads the team rushing with 674 yards on 119 carries and 13 touchdowns (tied for the most in a season and tied for first in the nation) with a 5.7 yards per carry average. Bullock has 375 yards on 74 carries and three touchdowns with a 5.1 yards per carry average. Marco Lee Jr has 186 yards on 39 carries with two touchdowns and a 4.8 yards per carry average.
Defense
The defense is allowing an average of 21.13 points (T38th nationally), 316.9 total yards of offense (22nd nationally), 191.5 passing yards (22nd nationally), 125.4 rushing yards (40th nationally), and 29:58 time of possession per game this season.
Opponents are converting 38-of-106 (35.85%) on 3rd down and 3-of-8 (37.5%) on 4th down attempts.
The defense has had opponents in the red zone 22 times and they have scored on 17 of those trips with 10 of them being touchdowns.
James Miller has moved back into the top spot with 51 total stops, 18 solo. Quentin Wilfawn, with his career game against the Cajuns, has moved into second place with 50 total stops, 27 solo, and he leads the team with 8.5 Tackles for Loss. Trey Kiser is now third on the team with 46 total stops, 20 solo, with six TFLs (second on the team).
Brock Higdon continues to lead the team with 3 sacks. Wilfawn, Khalil Jacobs, Jamie Sheriff, and Maurice Strong Jr are all tied for second with two sacks each.
Jaden Voisin continues to lead the team with two interceptions. Strong Jr, Yam Banks, Wesley Miller, and Marquise Robinson each have an interception.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo is 9-of-12 (75%) on the season in field goals and is 30-of-32 on extra point attempts.
Jack Martin, after not seeing any action since September, is now averaging 39.41 yards per punt for his 22 attempts this season. His average took a plunge after the shanked punt from a bad snap and narrowly avoiding a block against the Cajuns.
troy (6-2, 3-1 SBC)
As a team, the Trojans have a turnover margin of +2 on the season. They have fumbled 15 time, losing possession on 9 of them, with 4 passes being intercepted. Defensively they have forced 13 fumbles and recovered 8 of them while also intercepting 7 passes.
Offense
The trojans are averaging 27.13 points (69th), 441.8 total yards of offense (31st), 275.88 passing yards (33rd), and 165.9 rushing yards (55th), and 32:14 time of possession per game.
They are converting 49-of-118 (41.53%) of their 3rd down attempts and 6-of-15 (40%) of their 4th down attempts on the season.
The Trojans are also doing well in the red zone. Out of their 30 trips, they have scored on 29 of them, however only 15 of them have resulted in touchdowns.
Gunnar Watson is 149-of-247 (60.32%) for 2,158 yards, 14 touchdowns and 4 interceptions on the season. Goose Crowder is 5-of-6 for 49 yards.
Jabre Barber leads the Trojans with 615 yards on 39 catches with three touchdowns. Chris Lewis has 415 yards on 18 catches with four touchdowns. Deshon Staudemire has 381 yards on 27 catches with a touchdown. Devonte Ross has 243 yards on 22 catches with two touchdowns. Finally, Kimani Vidal has 140 yards on 10 carries with a touchdown to round out the list of 100+ yard receivers.
Vidal leads the team with 994 rushing yards on 172 attempts with six touchdowns while averaging 5.8 yards per carry. Kamien Taylor has 247 yards on 45 carries with a touchdown and a 5.5 yard per carry average.
Defense
troy leans on their defense for their winning ways. They allow an average of 16.88 points (17th nationally), 301 total yards of offense (14th), 193.88 passing yards (28th), 107.1 rushing yards (20th), and 27:32 time of possession per game.
Opponents are converting 35-of-110 (31.82%) of their 3rd down attempts and 6-of-19 (31.58%) of their 4th down attempts.
Opponents have had the ball in the red zone 22 times and scored on 17 of those trips, with 10 of them being a touchdown.
Jayden McDonal leads the team with 52 total stops, 32 solo, with 7 tackles for loss. Dell Pettus is next in line with 43 stops, 26 solo, with a TFL. Caleb Ransaw has 34 total stops, 21 solo.
Javon Solomon leads the Trojans with 6 sacks. Richard Jibunor has 4.5 sacks for second place on the team.
Solomon and McDonald are tied for the lead with 7 TFLs. Jibunor has six. Ransaw has 4 TFLs.
Special Teams
Scott Taylor Renfroe is 16-of-19 (84.21%) on field goal attempts. His only misses have come from 40+ yards and his longest make of the season is 43 yards.
Robert Cole is averaging 39.71 yards per punt over 28 attempts. He’s had 9 downed inside the 20, 8 fair catches, 4 kicks of 50+ yards, and two touchbacks.
Injuries
The most obvious injury from the game against the Cajuns was Carter Bradley. Bradley went down on the last offensive play of the game, a two-point conversion try, when he was tackled from behind just after he threw the ball. He was in obvious pain on the ground.
In the Jags Monday press conference, one of the first questions was about Bradley’s availability on Thursday. Coaches said that he has had a lingering issue with his left knee for a few weeks now. The first question to Bradley during the player portion of the press conference was about him playing against Troy. He had a sly grin on his face when he answered, “You’ll find out on Thursday.”
Bradley explained “I kind of tweaked it a little bit during the week of practice, I just landed on it weird, nothing crazy.”
Offensive coordinator Major Applewhite said that Bradley’s rehab efforts are going well. “He moved around pretty good out at practice [Monday],” Applewhite said. “…We’re going to rep all of them. Dez has played in that game before and we feel comfortable with him running the offense and Gio has gotten some reps throughout the year. He’s still young in his development but he’s come a long way and he’s doing great things as well.”
Lopez, a true freshman, has appeared in three games so far this season and is the only other player with passing statistics this season other than Bradley. However Trotter was the starter in the 2020 season and has filled in as starter in games over the last two seasons with the program. He has in-game experience and will likely be the starter if Bradley is unable to go or if Bradley has to come out early.
Keys to the Game
Offensive Line
The Jags got whipped in the trenches by Louisiana-Lafayette. They allowed Carter Bradley to be sacked five times, he fumbled on three of those sacks. The rushing attack wasn’t able to get established consistently either. The Cajuns were able to set the line of scrimmage in the Jaguar backfield.
After a failed two-point conversion, we are now waiting to hear if Bradley will even be able to play against troy. If not, will Desmond Trotter get the start or could they turn to Gio Lopez, the true freshman, who’s already shown he can also bring more of a running threat to the position.
But no matter who is back taking the snaps, they need to the offensive line to get back to the way they’ve played against Oklahoma State, ULM and Southern Miss (and quickly).
No matter who is taking snaps, troy will be looking to pressure them to see how they react. If it’s Bradley, how well can he move. If it’s Trotter, how can they pressure him into mistakes. But if it’s Lopez, how can they capitalize on this inexperience.
No matter how you slice it, the offensive line has a big test ahead of them on Thursday.
Establishing the Run
South Alabama’s offense is much more effective when they have established the run well on opponents.
It’s also very beneficial with the new clock rules this season. The new rule that is making the most impact in games is having the clock run after first downs, except for the last two minutes of each half. If you can keep the ball on the ground and churn out first downs, teams can really limit their opponents’ opportunities to possess the ball and score.
I’ll just reiterate it, the Jaguar offense simply runs much more efficiently and effectively if they can run the ball consistently.
Turnovers and Penalties
Five turnovers doomed the Jags against Louisiana-Lafayette. Five turnovers will doom you against any opponent though.
It was an uncharacteristically bad game for the Jags, they rarely turn the ball over that much under coach Wommack and they rarely are on the negative side of the turnover margin.
Coach Applewhite mentioned in the press conference that, whenever the quarterback is on the move, they have to have both hands on the ball. Bradley also mentioned that he needs to do better at picking up the backside pressure, like what the Cajuns did against him.
In order to win the game, the Jags need to be in the positive side of the turnover margin. The defense has not generated a lot of takeaways so far this season and they need to change that, starting this week.
But also, they cannot commit penalties and give their opponent free first downs to extend drives. Whenever you play, you have to play clean. You have to assume when you are playing on the road, the officials will be calling in favor of the home team.
You can almost guarantee that emotions will be running high in the game. troy will try to bait Jaguars into committing penalties. South Alabama players will have to keep cool heads and focus on the game from snap to whistle and anything outside of that has to be shrugged off.
Prediction
If this game had been swapped with the ULL game on the schedule, we would be saying that both teams were coming into the game playing their best football.
troy may be playing some of their best football coming into the game. But after the game on Saturday, where the Jags committed five turnovers, they don’t seem to be playing their best football coming into this game.
But that doesn’t mean the Jags can’t find their mojo again.
After dropping back-to-back games against Central Michigan and James Madison, the Jags rolled to back-to-back wins while scoring 55-points per game. Let’s hope they Jags don’t need two games to get that mojo back.
troy is going to go after Bradley if he plays. They know he has a questionable knee and the offensive line has had their issues this season.
It all depends which team gets off the bus at Veteran’s Memorial Stadium on Thursday.
The Jags are a 6.5-point underdog to troy. Let’s bring that Belt back to Mobile.
Go Jags!
Preview: South Alabama Hosts Southern Miss Tuesday Night Nationally Televised Showdown
Kickoff: Tuesday, October 17, 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: Wy’Kevious “Bubba” Thomas
Half of the regular season schedule is in the books. Through the first six games of the season we’ve seen some of the best play from the Jaguars, but we’ve also seen some of the worst. They’re record is an even split across the board: they are 3-3 overall and 1-1 in Sun Belt Conference play.
After back-to-back losses, South Alabama went to Louisiana-Monroe. They had never won in Monroe but this time they did in emphatic fashion. They took the Warhawks out behind the woodshed by the score of 55-7.
The next test for the Jags will be the Southern Miss Golden Eagles. In the three meetings between the two programs, the Jags have yet to lose to USM. They’ve won two in Hattiesburg and one in Mobile.
Both teams come into the game on Tuesday night with a little extra rest. Both teams last played on October 7th and have a semi-bye week. They don’t get a full two weeks between games, since they were picked up by ESPN to play a nationally televised mid-week game.
Southern Miss (1-5, 0-3 SBC)
Southern Miss head coach Will Hall are in the midst of a five-game losing streak in his third season at the helm. They opened with a 40-14 win over Alcorn State then dropped games to #4 Florida State, Tulane, Arkansas State, Texas State and Old Dominion.
They come to Mobile for only the fourth meeting between these two programs looking for their first conference win of the season and their first win against the Jags.
Offense
Despite the record, Southern Miss remains a team that you cannot take lightly. Frank Gore Jr is one of the best all-around backs in the country. He has 3,288 career rushing yards and 58 career receptions to go along with seven career touchdown passes.
The Golden Eagles average 23.7 points, 356 total yards of offense, 213.8 passing yards, and 142.2 rushing yards per game.
They are converting 36-of-94 (38.3%) on 3rd down attempts and are 7-of-16 (43.8%) on 4th down attempts. They hold a 33:16 to 26:44 advantage on average time of possession per game too.
Of their 25 trips into the red zone, they have scored 22 times, but 11 (50%) have been field goals.
Sophomore Billy Wiles is 107-of-200 (53.5%) passing for 1,254 yards with 7 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. His rushing stats don’t look so good because of sack yardage, but he has gained 122 yards on the ground yet he only has a net yardage of 14 for the season with a touchdown run. Quarterbacks have been sacked 14 times on the season.
Frank Gore Jr has only attempted one pass on the season and it was incomplete.
Jakarius Caston leads USM with 334 yards on 21 catches with three touchdowns. Latreal Jones leads the team with 23 catches with 324 yards and a touchdown. Tiaquelin Mims has 18 catches for 209 yards and a touchdown. Chandler Pittman adds 13 catches for 111 yards to round out the list of receivers with over 100 yards on the season.
Gore has 10 catches for 50 yards and a touchdown as the last player with double-digit receptions on the season. He leads the team rushing with 397 yards on 103 carries with four touchdowns. Gore has rushed for over 100 yards in two of his last three games.
Rodrigues Clark has 356 yards on 50 carries with two touchdowns.
Defense
The ‘Nasty Bunch’ defense has not been as nasty as their predecessors.
They have allowed an average of 35.3 points, 395.3 total yards of offense, 207.2 passing yards, and 188.2 rushing yards per game.
Opponents are only converting 26-of-71 (36.6%) of their 3rd down attempts and 4-of-7 (57.1%) on 4th down attempts.
They have 17 sacks on opposing quarterbacks on the season for a loss of 105 yards though.
Safety Dylan Lawrence leads the team with 36 total stops, 13 solo, with a sack. Fellow safety Jay Stanley is right behind him with 34 total stops, 18 solo, with ½ sack, a team leading two interceptions, 3 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Linebacker Hayes Maples is third on the team in total stops with 24, 9 solo, with 1.5 sacks.
Linebacker Jalil Clemons leads the team with three sacks.
Special Teams
Placekicker Andrew Stein is 13-of-15 (86.7%) on the season with a long of 52. His only two misses have come in the 40 yard zone.
Bryce Lofton is averaging 38.5 yards per punt with 10 fair catches, 7 downed inside the 20, and a long of 50 yards.
South Alabama (3-3, 1-1 SBC)
The Jags put together a consistent game last time out. The offense consistently moved the ball and the defense didn’t allow any big plays to note.
Offense
The Jag offense is averaging 32.2 points, 414.8 total yards of offense, 257.1 passing yards, and 157.7 rushing yards per game.
They are converting on 39-of-83 (46.99%) on 3rd down and 7-of-12 (58.3%) on 4th down attempts. They hold a slight advantage in average time of passion with 30:36 to their opponents 29:23.
USA continues to hold a perfect record when getting into the red zone. They have scored on all 20 trips, with 16 of them coming as touchdowns.
Carter Bradley is 117-of-178 (65.7%) passing for 1,456 yards, 11 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Gio Lopez is 8-of-11 for 87 yards and a touchdown, with most of that work coming last time out against ULM.
Caullin Lacy has stepped up as the Jaguars leading receiver. He has 39 catches for 723 yards with 6 touchdowns. He is averaging just over 18.5 yards per catch. He is third nationally in receiving yards. He has a five-game streak of 100+ receiving yard games entering this game.
Jamaal Pritchett is next with 19 catches for 251 yards and a touchdown. Tight end DJ Thomas-Jones has 9 catches for 103 yards. Fellow tight end Lincoln Sefcik has 12 catches for 88 yards and a touchdown.
Kentrel Bullock has 84 yards on 10 catches with a touchdown while fellow running back La’Damian Webb has 12 catches for 66 yards.
Webb leads the team with 476 yards rushing on 83 carries with 8 touchdowns. His eight rushing touchdowns has him tied for 3rd in the national rankings, while his yards ranks him 33rd.
Bullock has 285 yards on 59 carries with two touchdowns. Marco Lee Jr has 160 yards on 33 carries with two touchdowns as well.
Defense
The Jag defense is allowing an average of 22.2 points, 339.7 total offensive yards, 223.5 passing yards, and 116.2 rushing yards per game. Opponents are converting 31-of-79 (39.2%) of their 3rd down attempts and 2-of-6 (33.3%) of their 4th down attempts.
Opponents have scored on 14 of their 19 trips into the Jags red zone, with only 9 of them scoring a touchdown.
Trey Kiser leads the defense with 39 total stops, 18 solo. He also leads the team with 6 tackles for loss too.
James Miller is second on the team with 37 total stops, 13 solo, with 1.5 sacks. Jaden Voisin has 34 total stops, 13 solo, with a team-leading two interceptions.
Brock Higdon leads the team with 2.5 sacks.
Yam Banks, Wesley Miller, and Marquise Robinson all have one interception each.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo is 7-of-9 on the season with a long of 46. He missed a 52 yard attempt in the season opener against Tulane and a 43 yard attempt last time out against ULM.
Jack Martin is averaging 40.7 yards per punt with 10 fair catches, 7 downed inside the 20, two kicks of 50+ yards and a long of 53.
Injuries
Outside of the players that were lost for the season, head coach Kane Wommack anticipates that the players that are banged up will potentially be available against USM. Josh McCulloch has missed the last four games with a knee injury. Safety Mike Harris didn’t play against ULM due to an undisclosed injury.
Braylon McReynolds, Devin Voisin, Keith Gallmon Jr and Ed Smith are all considered out for the season. McReynolds has an outside chance to return late in the regular season and/or potentially for post-season play.
Keys to the Game
Consistency
The Jags have only played consistent ball for all four quarters in two games this season. Both were big wins (33-7 over Oklahoma State and 55-7 over ULM). When they play with consistency, the Jags are a powerhouse. They can beat any team in the conference.
But they have yet to play consistent ball in back-to-back games. This is an opportunity to do just that on national television.
Offensive Line
This is one of the keys to the game for at least the last two games. Even though Southern Miss haven’t shown it on the scoreboard, their defense has caused a bit of havoc on the season. They’ve collected 17 sacks of opposing quarterbacks and 32 tackles for loss.
They know that they have to attack at the line of scrimmage. They also know that the Jags have had some games where the offensive line hasn’t played very well either.
They’ll try to draw up some schemes to limit the Jaguar rushing attack and apply pressure on Carter Bradley.
Composure on the National Stage
The Jags have a somewhat bad history with nationally televised games. They have played flat and haven’t brought the same energy that they’ve had in other games not broadcast on a national platform.
I don’t know if it’s something to do with preparing to be seen nationally or just that the extra pressure has resulted in them playing tight historically.
This could be one of those games that, if the Jags don’t come to play for all 60 minutes, they could be on the bad end of an upset.
Prediction
Coach Wommack said that he and his staff spent a lot of time before the season planning out how they would navigate their two mid-week games. Getting off the usual Saturday game cadence and adjusting the schedule for a Tuesday night game with a couple extra days between can disrupt the rhythm of a team.
Hopefully the attention to detail helps the team play to their standard and ability.
South Alabama is a 15.5 point favorite against the Golden Eagles.
I think coach Hall and Southern Miss will throw everything they have at the Jags in order to find that first elusive conference win of the season. They’d also love to break that winless streak against the Jags too.
I think the Jags win, but I also think that Southern Miss will fight and cover the spread as their window to bowl eligibility is closing quickly. A loss to the Jags leaves them needing to win out with games against Mississippi State and Troy to close out the regular season.
Go Jags!
Preview: South Alabama Heads To Louisiana-Monroe To Face Division Foe
Kickoff: Saturday, October 7, 6pm
Venue: Malone Stadium, Monroe, LA
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: Jaden Voisin
UPDATE:
Well, this was embarrassing. My day job had me sleep deprived and working long hours this week. South Alabama is a 10.5 point favorite over ULM. With this realization, I am concerned. As I wrote originally, it depends which South Alabama team gets off the bus. They could come out and play like they did at OSU and easily cover. But I could see a Jaguar team that gives up too many big plays, especially to Howell, and drop another game.
My heart tells me the Jags win, but don’t cover the spread.
South Alabama (2-3, 0-1 SBC) have dropped their last two games since their big 33-7 win over Oklahoma State in Stillwater. In those last two losses the Jags have allowed too many explosive plays on defense and the offense has struggled moving the ball consistently.
The Jaguar defense has already allowed more touchdown plays of over 40 through five games this season than they allowed all of last season. After allowing only six touchdowns of over 40 yards in 2022, they have given up seven already this season, with three of them coming last week at James Madison.
Last season the Jags held off Louisiana-Monroe 41-34 in Mobile. However the Warhawks scored on two explosive plays, a pair of touchdown passes that went for 75 and 83 yards. Those were the two longest plays that the Jags allowed in the 2022 season.
Tyrone Howell, the recipient of both of those touchdown passes, is coming off of a three-touchdown performance last week against Appalachian State. The Warhawks lost that game 41-40 on a walk-off field goal.
South Alabama is winless in their four trips to Malone Stadium. ULM tends to play good football at home, they generate their own energy on the sidelines and behind their fans.
Head coach Terry Bowden’s team looks to have improved from last season. Offensive Coordinator Matt Kubik returned to fill the position he left in 2019 after Rich Rodriguez left after just one season to assume the head coach position at Jacksonville State. Under Kubik’s direction the offense seems to have improved. They put up 471 yards of total offense against what is normally a strong defense in App State. They currently rank second in the conference with 205.5 yards rushing per game.
The Jags defensive woes have not come on the ground necessarily. That has been the strong point of the defense going back to last season even.
Tyrone Howell had 244 yards and three touchdowns last season against the Jags. So the Jags secondary know what they may be facing on Saturday in Monroe.
ULM (2-2, 0-1 SBC)
Offense
The Warhawks are averaging 21 points, 343.8 total yards, 138.3 passing yards, and 205.5 rushing yards per game.
They are converting 14-of-52 (26.9%) of their 3rd down attempts and 5-of-7 (71.4%) of their 4th down attempts.
Jiya Wright is 35-of-64 (54.7%) passing for 432 yards, 4 touchdowns and 3 interceptions on the season. Hunter Herring is 16-of-30 (53.3%) passing on the season with 121 yards and a touchdown in two games.
Howell leads the team with 23 receptions, the only receiver in double-digits receiving) for 234 yards and four touchdowns. Dariyan Wiley has nine catches for 136 yards and a touchdown.
“Tyrone Howell is probably the best receiver we faced a year ago and he had a career day against us,” defensive coordinator Corey Batoon said in the Jaguars Monday media day. “We understand how good he is, because we saw it live last year. So it will be a tremendous challenge for us.”
Hunter Smith leads the team with 258 yards rushing on 32 carries with two touchdowns. Isaiah Woullard has 247 yards on 39 carries with a touchdown. Jiya Wright has 143 yards on 33 carries and a touchdown. Hunter Herring has 68 yards on 13 carries in two games.
Defense
Michael Batton leads the team by a far margin with 35 total stops, 11 solo, with ½ sack and 1.5 tackles for loss. Simion Hines is second on the team with 23 total stops, 13 solo. Then four other Warhawks are bunched up with 22 stops each. James Smith leads the team with 2.5 sacks on the season, four TFLs, and three quarterback hurries.
AJ Watts and Ja’Terious Evans both lead the team with two interceptions each. Max Harris and Austin Goffney both have an interception as well.
Special Teams
Derek McCormick is 3-of-4 on the season placekicking. His only miss was a blocked kick.
Braxton Builbeau is averaging 38.96 yards per punt with a long of 59 yards, 7 fair catches, 6 downed inside the 20, two kicks of 50+ yards and one touchback.
South Alabama (2-3, 0-1 SBC)
Offense
The Jags are averaging 27.6 points, 380 total yards, 231.2 passing yards and 148.8 rushing yards per game.
They are converting 32-of-70 (45.7%) on 3rd down attempts and 4-of-9 (44.4%) on 4th down attempts on the season.
Carter Bradley is 97-of-149 (65.1%) passing with 1,153 yards, 8 touchdowns and 5 interceptions on the season.
Caullin Lacy leads the team with 32 catches for 567 yards and 5 touchdowns. Jamaal Pritchett has 17 catches for 226 yards and got his first career touchdown last week. Lincoln Sefcik has 9 catches for 65 yards and a touchdown.
La’Damian Webb leads the team with 376 yards on 64 carries with 7 touchdowns. Kentrel Bullock has 247 yards on 52 carries with a touchdown. Marco Lee Jr has 111 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown.
Defense
James Miller continues to pace the defense with 31 total stops, 12 solo, with 1.5 TFLs. Trey Kiser and Jaden Voisin are next with 30 stops each.
Jamie Sheriff and Brock Higdon are tied for the team lead with 2 sacks each. Trey Kiser leads the team with 5 TFLs.
Yam Banks, Marquise Robinson, and Jaden Voisin all lead the team with 1 interception each.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo is 5-of-6 on the season with a 42 yarder as his longest of the year. His only miss came in the season opener against Tulane from 52 yards.
Jack Martin is averaging 40.68 yards per punt with 10 fair catches, 7 inside the 20, two kicks of 50+ yards with a long of 53.
Keys to the Game
Explosive Plays
In all three of the Jaguar losses the defense gave up big, chunk plays or explosive plays as they are also referred as. The first two scored by James Madison were touchdown passes of 48 and 44 yards. Then their last touchdown was a 66 yard pass.
“You can’t give up explosive plays for touchdowns,” head coach Kane Wommack said in his Monday press conference. “I think that put us in a really challenging situation… We dug ourselves in a pretty deep hole, really defensively (against JMU) with those three explosive plays.”
“We’re not going to reach our potential as a football team until we stop doing that” he continued.
Against Central Michigan They only game up one explosive play touchdown, but it was huge 3rd down pass that went for 70 yards to start the fourth quarter. In that game it was more complicated than just explosive plays. It was a combination of that with poorly timed penalties, the inability to stop Jase Bauer running the ball, and 3rd down conversions.
But back to start the season at Tulane they had three touchdown passes of 47, 47 and 48 yards.
If the Jags want to get back into the win column more consistently this season, the explosive plays in the secondary must be reduced or eliminated.
Offensive Line
James Madison and Tulane both exposed the Jaguar offensive line. The Jags struggled to establish the run and Carter Bradley was consistently under pressure. The offense starts up front with the line, and right now they are struggling.
James Madison’s front seven lived up to their billing too. They got into the backfield and caused havoc. They consistently moved the line of scrimmage into the Jags backfield, they got a number of sacks, and Bradley had a number of passes batted at the line. One of the batted passes was caught and returned for a touchdown.
Hopefully the offensive line that showed up to play at Oklahoma State reemerges and reestablishes themselves as the Jaguar Standard beginning this week.
Consistency
This goes from top to bottom on both sides of the ball. Consistency in executing the offense, in tackling, in coverage, just in everything.
Against Central Michigan the Jags went down the field on their first two possessions and held a 14-0 lead early only to go cold on both sides of the ball.
Against James Madison the Jags went down 14-0 in the first quarter and were down 17-0 before they put points on the board. Even against Tulane the Jags opened the game with a turnover and were down 10-0 in the first quarter.
It looked like that in the second half of the Southeastern Louisiana game the Jags found their way. It seemed to be confirmed in the 33-7 thrashing of Oklahoma State. However the play in the last two games have shown that the problems still persist.
But it’s not a case where they’re not fixable. If anything, SLU and OSU show what this team is capable of when they play up to their standard.
Injuries
No major injuries of note came out of the James Madison game. It’s still unknown if Josh McCulloch will return to play this week but it’s looking doubtful. Adrien Strickland, who appeared to get a poked in the eye against James Madison, came back to play later in the game and will be ready to suit up on Saturday as well.
Several players seem to be banged up, which is a kind of expected after five consecutive weeks of play. So next week quasi bye week can get here fast enough.
Prediction
The Jags defense has been plagued this season by dual threat quarterbacks. Jase Bauer, Jordan McCloud and now they will face another in Jiya Wright leading a resurgent ULM offense. Add to that Tyrone Howell’s playmaking ability and the Jags defense has a big test ahead of them.
Additionally they are facing down starting conference play 0-2.
So far this series has been all about the home team. While South Alabama holds the advantage overall at 5-4, all 5 wins have come in Mobile while every loss has been in Monroe.
The Jags hold their destiny in their own hands in conference play. This is their first divisional game, if they can run the table in the division; they will have a spot in the conference championship game in December.
But it has to start this Saturday.
South Alabama is a 10.5 point underdog against the Warhawks. I think the Jags cover the points with a chance to win. But it all depends on which team gets off that team bus in Monroe.
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+.
Preview: South Alabama Faces Off Against Oklahoma State In Stillwater
Kickoff: Saturday, September 16, 6pm
Venue: Boone Pickens Stadium, Stillwater, Oklahoma
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: Trey Kiser
It took six quarters of football, but we finally saw the Jaguar team we expected this season make their real debut.
The Jags (1-1) first half of play against Southeastern Louisiana (0-2) was just the test we expected the Jaguars to face. SLU was able to move the ball on the Jags, but the defense wouldn’t break. The Jaguar offense also struggled to move the ball consistently early. But by the end of the opening quarter, it looked like the Jags had found their groove and were driving.
Penalties and negative plays completely derailed the drive and took them out of scoring position. They started the quarter at the Lions 25-yard line, but by the time 4th down arrived, they had given up 27 yards mostly due to penalties.
SLU scored first, but the Jaguars responded with a matching touchdown. The third quarter began with more adversity when Carter Bradley was intercepted on the fourth offensive play of the half. After the defense forced a three-and-out the Jags offense came alive with a spark by La’Damian Webb. South Alabama scored 21-straight points before the Lions stopped the bleeding with a field goal.
The next test for South Alabama is a familiar Power-5 foe, Oklahoma State (2-0).
Oklahoma State (2-0)
The Cowboys experienced a rather disappointing season in 2022 going 7-6. In 18 seasons as the head coach at OSU, Mike Gundy has had seven 10+ win seasons and two 12-win season. The 2021 season was one of those 12-win seasons. They were 12-2 with a win over Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl. They were ranked #5 in the nation and on the precipice of their first appearance in the College Football Playoff. However, 9th ranked Baylor upset the Cowboys 21-16 in the conference championship game and knocked them out of the playoff picture.
The 2022 season started off 5-0 before dropping 6 of their final eight games.
So far, the 2023 season has started off on the right foot with non-conference wins over Central Arkansas 27-13 and Arizona State 27-15. But this may be the most vulnerable Cowboy team the Jags have faced in their match-ups over the last few years.
In 2018 they defeated the Jags 44-7 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium and then they defeated the Jags 55-13 at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater 2018.
Offense
Head coach Mike Gundy and offensive coordinator Kasey Dunn have yet to settle on a single starting quarterback. They are currently rotating between three players: redshirt freshman Garret Rangel, senior Alan Bowman and sophomore Gunnar Gundy.
In the first two games each have seen action. Against Central Arkansas they played Rangel-Bowman-Gundy in that order. Then against Arizona State they went Bowman-Gundy-Rangel. All three are pretty equal athletically, neither one is more dynamic in the run game that the others. All three understand the offense and are efficient throwing the ball.
Rangel may be considered the most efficient of the three since he is 16-of-24 for 164 yards and two touchdowns with one interception and an additional 20 yards on four carries rushing. Bowman is 24-of-40 for 193 yards with -7 rushing yards on four carries. Gundy 12-of-16 for 138 yards, one touchdown, and has rushed for 12 yards on four carries.
Every year the Cowboys seem to have a deep stable of pass catchers and this season is no different. De’zhaun Stribling leads the team with 11 catches, 138 yards and a touchdown. Jaden Bray has nine catches for 118 yards. Brennan Presley has 10 catches for 78 yards and two touchdowns. They have eight other receivers who have caught passes so far this season.
Ollie Gordon II leads the rushing attack with 97 yards on 16 carries with a pair of touchdowns. Elijah Collins also has 16 carries for 71 yards and a touchdown. Jaden Nixon has 13 carries for 70 yards.
As expected the Cowboy offensive line are quite big. They average 306.6-pounds across their offensive line with the smallest listed starter at 296-pounds and the shortest is 6’4”. That size is probably a good reason why the Cowboys tend to rush the ball better later in the game.
The offense has only turned the ball over once and it was by interception.
Defense
The Cowboy defense is good at converging on the ball. The base defense is a 3-3-5 with three down linemen, three linebackers, two corners and three safeties.
They have allowed an average of 334 total yards of offense to opponents through two games. They give up an average of 116.5 yards rushing and 217.5 yards passing per game.
The defense has taken the ball away from opponents twice, once by interception and once by fumble recovery.
Safety Kendal Daniels leads the team with 15 total stops, 10 of them solo, with a fumble recovery. Linebacker Nickolas Martin is next with 13 total stops, eight solo, with three tackles for loss and two sacks. As a team, the defense has eight sacks and 17 tackles for loss.
Special Teams
The Cowboys have used two punters so far this season. Wes Pahl has 6 punts for an average of 47 yards per attempt, a long of 60 yards, three kicks of 50+ yards, three fair catches, two downed inside the 10, and one touchback. Hudson Kaak has four attempts for an average of 36.5 yards per attempt, a long of 42 yards, four downed inside the 20, and two fair catches.
Alex Hale is 4-of-5 on kicking duties with a season long of 52 yards.
South Alabama (1-1)
The Jaguar offense has taken a little time to find its identity this season. It wasn’t until the second half last week did we really see the offense play up to expectations. La’Damian Webb hasn’t fully gotten up to speed yet this season. He was limited in fall camp due to off-season surgery. He only had seven carries against SLU but he made them count by gaining 81 yards and scoring two touchdowns.
Kentrel Bullock and Marco Lee carried most of the load in the game with a brief appearance by true freshman PJ Martin. In all the Jags rushed for 248 yards and four touchdowns against the Lions.
Offense
The Jaguar offense is averaging 26 points, 387 total yards, 225.5 passing yards, and 161.5 rushing yards per game through the first two contests.
Carter Bradley is 42-of-56 (75%) for 448 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions.
Caullin Lacy leads the team in both catches (15) and yards (199) with a touchdown. His yardage stats are aided by the 84 yard touchdown catch and run against the Lions. Jamaal Pritchett has 8 catches for 99 yards. Devin Voisin has 5 catches for 77 yards with a touchdown. Bullock adds 5 catches for 22 yards out of the backfield. Tight end Lincoln Sefcik has 25 yards on four catches.
Webb leads running back corps with 121 yards on 16 carries (7.6 yards per attempt) with two touchdowns. Bullock leads the team with 26 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown. Marco Lee has 11 carries for 66 yards and a touchdown.
Across the offensive line the Jags are big. They average 322 yards per starter with left tackle Josh McCulloch being the lightest listed at 312-pounds. Which may also lend to why the Jags also tend to run the ball better later in the game.
Defense
The Jaguar defense is allowing an average of 27 points, 424 total yards of offense, 322 passing yards, and 102 rushing yards per game.
James Miller leads the defense with 12 total stops, six solo, with a fumble recovery. Yam Banks, Trey Kiser and Jaden Voisin are all right behind him with 10 total stops each. Banks has 7 solo tackles, a forced fumble and an interception on the season.
Quentin Wilfawn leads the defense with two tackles for loss. Khalil Jacobs and Maurice Strong Jr are tied with one sack each.
Special Teams
Jack Martin only has three punts on the season, two of them against SLU last week. He is averaging 42.7 yards per punt with a long of 45, two fair catches and one downed inside the 20.
Diego Guajardo is 1-of-2 on field goal attempts, both in the season opener against Tulane. His long on the season is 36 yards with his only miss from a 52-yard attempt.
Keys to the Game
Secondary Play
The Jaguar secondary made some big strides from game one where Tulane took advantage with three explosive touchdown plays (two of 47 and one of 48).
Against SLU the secondary played better and more consistent. They gave up only one long pass in the game, but they allowed some easy, short passes to be completed and third downs to be converted.
The Cowboys are a better passing team than SLU though.
They will attack the perimeter and look to create one-on-one matchups to their advantage. They’ll mix tempos during the game at what feels like random. Likely the Cowboys will favor how their personnel matches up with the defensive personnel or they see something that is immediately exploitable, so they go up tempo to dissuade subbing players in-and-out. Or they simply want to catch the defense off-guard.
Offensive Line
The offensive line has struggled protecting Bradley early in the season. They found some success against SLU but Oklahoma State will be another big test for this unit. The starting defensive front they’ll be facing will consist of a trio of redshirt seniors. Actually on their two-deep chart they have nine players listed on the defensive line and seven of them are all redshirt-seniors.
Bradley was unable to stretch the field against Tulane. He doesn’t have a big, tall receiver to really go up and contest passes like Jalen Wayne last season. While the Jags receiver corps is really good, they are a little undersized in some matchups.
If the offensive line can win their battles and give Bradley time to throw and the running backs openings to run, the Jags can play some keep-away and shorten the game, especially with the new clock rules this season.
Stay Healthy
With Braylon McReynolds out for an extended time with a broken collarbone and Devin Voisin looking doubtful with a knee injury, the Jags really need to stay healthy.
McReynolds was listed as the #2 running back behind Webb coming into the season. He also was a primary kickoff returner averaging 23.1 yards per return last season.
Voisin was the leading receiver last season with 64 catches, 871 yards and five touchdowns last season.
Jalen Jordan and Keith Gallmon Jr are likely to return to the defensive secondary this week. Jordan sat out last Saturday after suffering a foot injury against Tulane. Gallmon suffered an unspecified injury against SLU and didn’t return to the game.
With Sun Belt Conference play quickly approaching, staying healthy for a run at the conference championship will be paramount.
Prediction
According to odds sites, the Jags are mostly a 7.5 point underdog to the Cowboys. One site has the Cowboys as much as a 9 point favorite.
I don’t really know about this matchup. One moment I feel like the Jags really have a good opportunity. But then I think how they played the first six quarters this season and how we’ve historically played against OSU and doubts creep in.
I think I’ll go with the pessimistic side and say the Cowboys cover narrowly, but I’ll be hoping that they prove me wrong on the field.
Look for a passionate performance by Trey Kiser, he’s returning to his home state and will be wearing the honorary #5 Anthony Mostella jersey this week.
Go Jags!
Preview: South Alabama Opens Season At #24 Tulane
Kickoff: Saturday, September 2 7:00 PM
Venue: Yulman Stadium – New Orleans, LA
TV/Streaming: ESPNU
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
#5 Jersey: Devin Voisin
Thunderjags on X (Formerly Twitter): @USAThunderjags
Preface
The Thunderjags family have been going through a lot over the last few months and our coverage leading up to the season has been basically non-existent unfortunately. It’s been a struggle to get back into gear. We have and continue to be a partnership, but while my family life has calmed down a little bit lately and I am eager to get back to some normalcy, my partner is still going through his own family issues. However you send support, I would humbly ask you to keep my partner, his family (and also my family) in your thoughts, prayers, or however you support people in your personal belief system. Speaking for both Thunderjags, we appreciate it!
Now, on with the preview!
The Season Is Here
South Alabama will open their 2023 campaign with a top 25 matchup versus the Tulane Green Wave in New Orleans at Yulman Stadium.
Tulane was the darling of bowl season finishing with a 12-2 record, which included a win over UCF in the AAC championship game. That win vaulted Tulane into a New Years Day 6 bowl game as the top ranked team with the best record in the Group of Five conference. The Green Wave then defeated the top 10 ranked USC Trojans 46-45 in the Cotton Bowl.
South Alabama finished their 2022 campaign with a 10-3 record. Marking their best FBS season in program history with five straight wins to close out the regular season. However, their streak would come to an end in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl with a 23-44 loss and remain winless in three bowl game appearances over the program’s short history.
Between these two programs, there are lofty expectations for 2023.
But past performance does not guarantee future results, especially not in college football.
Tulane
Tulane finished 2022 ranked 9th in the nation in the AP poll. But you only have to look back to 2021 and the Green Wave’s 2-10 record to understand how preseason rankings don’t necessarily indicate how a new team and a new season will perform. But eighth-year head coach Willie Fritz hopes to maintain the standard set forth by the 2022 team.
Offense
The Green Wave returns three-year starter Michael Pratt who threw for 3,009 yards and 27 touchdowns last season. However, they have to replace running back Tyjae Spears, who was the Cotton Bowl MVP, that rushed for 1,581 yards and 19 touchdowns last season.
Coach Fritz has not said who will be replacing Spears, but that he had five good running backs and they will be testing them out over the first few games.
The likely starters on the offensive line are all senior or redshirt-seniors that have quite a bit of experience under their respective belts. They also weigh an average of 308lb.
At receiver they have a somewhat untested group of potential starters. A senior transfer from Notre Dame who only saw five snaps in the season opening game in 2021. His usage has trended down from 2019 when he played in 12 games with three starts until sitting out the remainder of the 2021 season.
Defense
The Tulane defense lines up in a base 4-2-5 package, similar to the Jags. The defensive line is experienced and deep but their likely starting linebackers seem to be less experienced.
The secondary is comprised of all upper classmen but the likely starters are mostly transfers into the program at one time or another.
Special Teams
Punter Casey Glover (R-Sr) returns from a season where he averaged over 41 yards per attempt with 20 fair catches, 20 downed inside the 20, 9 punts of 50+ yards and 0 blocks. His longest recorded punt was 65 yards. Glover is also the kickoff specialist and played in all 14 games last season with 45 touchbacks and only one kick out of bounds.
Also returning is placekicker Valentino Ambrosio (R-Sr). He transferred in from Rutgers last season. For the Green Wave he played in eight games going 10-of-11 with a long of 47 yards.
Ethan Hadak (R-Jr) played in 34 games over three seasons for the Green Wave, including all 13 last Fall.
South Alabama
The Jaguars enter the third season under the direction of head coach Kane Wommack with an unprecedented set of expectations. Despite the expectations from what some may consider a season where the Jags overachieved, the players and coaches, when they allow themselves to look back, they see both an amazing season with some undertones of slight underachievement.
They lost to UCLA on a last second field goal and lost to their rival Troy 6-10 in a defensive slug match. But many took the loss to Western Kentucky personal, include coach Wommack.
The Jags felt like they could have easily been in the Conference Championship game and could have been the Group of Five representative in the New Years Day 6 bowl games.
Offense
Coach Wommack and offensive coordinator Major Applewhite return nine starters on an offense that put up an average of over 31 points per game last season. Receiver Jalen Wayne was drafted by the Cleveland Browns but leaves a very talented and experienced pair of receivers for quarterback Carter Bradley to target.
Speaking of Carter Bradley (Sr) he set school records in passing yards (3,326), completions (276), and touchdowns (28) in his first season at USA. He ranked in the top 50 nationally in 11 different categories. He has been named to at least five different watch lists this season including: Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, the Manning Award, the Davey O’Brien Award, The Wuerffel Trophy, and the Maxwell Award Watch Lists.
Veteran Desmond Trotter will back up Carter and freshman Gio Lopez is listed as 3rd string, seemingly beating out redshirt-freshman Bishop Davenport, a Utah State transfer.
La’Damian Webb (R-Sr) returns after setting the regular season rushing yard mark with 1,015 yards in his first regular season with the program. He saw action in 12 games, missing only one with an injury but was held to minimal carries in two others due to injury. He ran for 152 yards and three touchdowns against Arkansas State and then for 247 yards and four touchdowns (both school records) against Georgia Southern in a game where he willed his team to victory. He ranked in the top 50 in seven categories nationally including 13th in rushing touchdowns and 10th in total touchdowns.
Webb is backed up by Braylon McReynolds (So) who played in 11 games as a true freshman with 326 yards on 59 carries. He was able to show his speed and explosiveness only a few times last season, but look for him to get more opportunities this season.
The staff added Kentrell Bullock (Jr), an Ole Miss transfer, and he will also factor into the rotation with McReynolds.
Marco Lee (Sr) returns after his first season with the Jags where he had 67 carries for 247 yards and four touchdowns, including a pair of touchdowns against UCLA. He will be the bruiser back they can send in for those tough goal line and short yardage situations.
Replacing Wayne as the starter in week one is Jamaal Pritchett (So). He saw action in eight games last fall but only has two catches to his resume. On the other side is Devin Voisin (R-Jr) who played in all 13 games. He was named an honorable mention All-SBC team and All-Conference by Phil Steele. He had 64 catches for 867 yards and five touchdowns on the season, including a season-high 11 catches and 153 yards in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl against Western Kentucky.
Caullin Lacy (Jr) started all 13 games last season in the slot with a team-high 65 catches for 816 yards and six touchdowns with a career high 12 catches for 133 yards against Louisiana-Monroe. He also serves as the primary punt returner with 21 returns for 189 yards and a touchdown return against Louisiana Tech.
What may be one of the more underrated positions of strength on the offense is at tight end. The Jags return five seasoned and talented players in Lincoln Sefcik (Sr), DJ Thomas-Jones (Sr), Brandon Crum (Sr), Jacob Hopper (Jr), and Todd Justice (R-Jr). While they haven’t been featured pass receivers over the last few seasons, they are excellent possession receivers and tend to come through when the ball is thrown their way and a catch is needed.
Sefcik and Thomas-Jones will likely split starting duties again this season.
But what allows the offense to do what it does, the offensive line returns all but one starter from last year. James Jackson is gone since his eligibility was exhausted. But Josh McCulloch (Sr), Dontae Lucas (Sr), Reggie Smith (Sr), and Adrein Strickland (So) all return. Reggie Smith will move over to center and James Robinson (R-Jr) will start at left guard. Robinson transferred in from Tennessee and saw action in eight games last year as a backup guard and also on special teams.
Defense
The defense returns their own fair share of starters from last year while returning some talented players from injury too.
Jamie Sheriff (R-Sr), Wy’Kevious Thomas (R-Jr), and Charles Coleman (Sr) all return as starters on the defensive line. Brock Higdon (R-Jr), Jamall Hickbottom (Sr), and Carlos Johnson (Jr), Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge (R-So), and Maurice Strong Jr. (Sr) all return with game experience from last season. Unfortunately it seems that Ed Smith (So) will miss this game and possibly the season with an injury in the last practice of fall camp.
James Miller (Sr), Trey Kiser (Sr), and Quentin Wilfawn (R-Jr) all return as starters at linebacker. Ke’Shun Brown (R-Jr) also has starting experience and returns to bolster the group as a reserve along with Khalil Jacobs (So) and LaMondre Brooks (So) are both listed on the two-deep with game experience from last season.
The coaching staff added Gavin Forsha (Jr) from Kansas State, Taylor Milton (Jr) from Texas A&M, Emauri Sibley (So) from JuCo ranks, and Eli Webb (So) from Belhaven to add some additional depth at linebacker.
Ricky Fletcher (So) and Marquise Robinson (Jr) return as starting corners with Reggie Neely (Jr) and Dallas Gamble (R-Jr) both return with game experience as reserves.
Keith Gallmon (R-Sr) returns at free safety after missing all of 2022 with an injury. He is backed up by Rickey Hyatt (R-Jr). Jaden Voisin (R-Jr) or Jalen Jordan (Jr) are listed as the starter at Rover. Yam Banks (Jr) is back to start at Husky after leading the team with six interceptions last season.
The coaching staff added a long list of players in the offseason to add quality depth in the secondary. Reggie Neely (Jr Juco), Eli Ntsasa (Jr community college), Cameron Rutledge (Jr Division II transfer), Wesley Miller (R-Fr Mississippi State), Jordon Buchanan (R-Fr Purdue), Jamarrien Burt (R-Fr Oklahoma), Brian Dillart (R-So West Georgia), and Mike Harris (R-Jr Baylor) all transferred.
Coach Wommack also hired former Southern Miss head coach Jay Hopson, who previously served two years as Director of High School Relations at Mississippi State to coach the cornerbacks along with defensive coordinator Corey Batoon, who coaches the safeties, but calls plays from the press box during games.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo (Sr) will handle placekicking duties, his fourth season as the starter. Desmond Trotter or Jack Martin are listed as serving as the holder. Jacob Meeks (Sr) will return to serve as kickoff specialist. With Jack Brooks deciding to depart the team, Jack Martin (Sr) who transferred from Alabama but didn’t see any action in 2022, is listed along with true freshman Aleksi Pulkkinen from Helsinki Finland as the punter.
Travis Drosos (Jr) will handle the long snapping duties with Anthony Zaccaro (Jr) backing him up.
Caullin Lacy will handle punt returns and Braylon McReynolds and Caullin Lacy will line up for kickoff returns.
Keys to the Game
Consistency
More often than not, the team that executes more consistently in the first game of the season tends to win the game.
Over the last two seasons with Coach Wommack and his staff, they have been pretty consistent in the early games of the season. In 2021 they defeated Southern Miss, now a fellow conference member, in the season opener. Then in 2022 they handled FCS Nicholls as expected, but they also went to Central Michigan and defeated the Jim McElwain coached Chippewas with consistent execution.
Quarterback Pressure
South Alabama was picked apart by a very talented and experienced quarterback at Western Kentucky. It really exposed and exploited the secondary as the weak point of the Jaguars defense.
Tulane is returning a three-year starter at quarterback who completed 62% of his passes last season for 2,684 yards while also rushing for 494 yards. They may not set off alarm bells, but Pratt has shown that he a player.
He is regarded enough to be named to the Maxwell Award Watch List in 2022 and again for this season.
Tulane will definitely test all aspects of the Jaguar defense. If the Jags defensive front can’t get pressure on Pratt and the Jag secondary struggles against the pass, it could be another long game in New Orleans.
Running Backs
The edited mantra for the Jags last season was “Run the Dang ball.” It was such a thing that strength and conditioning coach Matt Shadeed was, I believe, the first one to have a shirt made to wear at practice with….a version….of the saying prominently displayed on it.
And La’Damian Webb sure did his part!
This may be the deepest and most talented group of running backs, from top to bottom, that have all suited up for the Jags in one season. They may only be three listed on the two-deep chart, but there are five running backs who could easily be put in to start.
Last season the Jags averaged just over 155 yards per game rushing. They have a good opportunity with the talent they have to improve on that this season.
Meanwhile Tulane averaged just under 205 yards rushing per game. Their leading rusher, Tyjae Spears, is gone this season which leaves their top returning rusher as quarterback Michael Pratt.
Coach Fitz and his staff will undoubtedly find someone who fill Spears’ cleats.
The Jags defense held opponents to just over 92 yards rushing per game last season. So this could be a very interesting matchup on the field Saturday night.
Prediction
South Alabama is a 6.5 point underdog to Tulane in New Orleans.
The first game of a new season is often a tricky one. It can set the tone for the entire season to come. You find out quickly where you need to improve and likely where your strengths lie.
This couldn’t be truer than this season opener.
Two teams who exceeded expectations last season who now have higher expectations for this season. But we also have two teams that couldn’t be more opposite once the final whistle sounded last season.
Tulane held off a top 10 ranked USC, while the Jaguars suffered their worst loss of the season in their bowl game. Coach Wommack, his staff and the players all looked back at what the season could have been. A one-point loss on the road at UCLA on a field goal as time expired, a four-point loss at home against Troy in their lowest offensive output of the season, but then the 21-point loss to Western Kentucky in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
South Alabama still has the bitter taste of defeat fresh in their mouth. But they are also going back to the same city where that bitterness originated.
I can’t help but think that’s some extra motivation.
While I may be looking at this through my red, white and blue glasses, I think the Jags not only cover the spread, but they win outright 38-34.