Preview: South Alabama Visits #14 LSU For Nighttime Showdown In Death Valley
Kickoff: Saturday, September 28, 6:45pm
Venue: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA
TV/Streaming: SEC Network
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
Thunderjags on X (formerly known as Twitter): @USAThunderjags
#5 Jersey: TBA
South Alabama travels to Baton Rouge to play in one of the toughest environments in college football: Tiger Stadium. The Jags (2-2) are in the second game of a three-game road swing after their 48-14 dismantling of Appalachian State on Thursday, September 19th in Boone, NC. The #14 ranked LSU Tigers are looking to handle business and get to their bye week to rest and heal up.
The Jags are considered one of the hottest teams in the nation right now. Over the last two weeks they have outscored their opponents by a combined score of 135-24. Head coach Major Applewhite and offensive coordinator Rob Ezell have been making all the right calls offensively and defensive coordinator Will Windham has been doing the same on the opposite side of the ball.
Meanwhile LSU (3-1) enters the game in the second game of a three-game homestand by welcoming USA. Last week the Tigers held UCLA scoreless in the second half to pull away for a 34-17 win after taking a 17-all tie into halftime. The Tigers opened the season with a narrow loss to USC in the Vegas Kickoff Classic then followed with a closer-than-expected game against Nicholls (44-21) and a narrow victory on the road at South Carolina (36-33).
This will be the highest ranked opponent the Jags have faced since they took the field against #10 ranked Oklahoma State in 2017 and the first ranked opponent since playing #25 Louisiana-Lafayette in 2020.
LSU
LSU is led by third-year head coach Brian Kelly, who LSU hired away from Notre Dame after 12 seasons as the head guy there. He was 92-40 with the Fighting Irish after vacating 22 wins in the 2012 and 2013 seasons due to academic misconduct. He also had a record of 4-6 in bowl games after a vacated win in the 2013 Pinstripe bowl.
So far Kelly is 23-8 and 13-4 in SEC games at LSU. His career record is 286-104-2 in his 34th year as a head football coach.
Before Notre Dame, he spent 13 seasons at Grand Valley State (118-35-2 from 1991-2003), three seasons at Central Michigan (19-16 from 2004-2006), and four seasons at Cincinnati (34-6 from 2006-2009).
Getting into the stats, the Tigers have been able to generate six turnovers defensively and have forced nine fumbles overall. They have a +3-turnover margin through the first four games of the season.
Offense
Garrett Nussmeier is the Tigers’ starting quarterback going 113-of-160 (70.6%) with 13 touchdowns and two interceptions on the season.
Mason Taylor is the leading pass catcher on the team with 25 receptions for 237 yards and a touchdown. Aaron Anderson leads the team in receiving yards with 298 on 21 catches with a touchdown. Kyren Lacy is the teams leading scoring receiver with 5 touchdowns on 20 catches with 245 yards. CJ Daniels adds 199 yards on 17 catches while Zavion Thomas rounds out the double-digit receptions with 10 catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns.
The Tigers have two 100-yard rushers on the season. Josh Williams has 134 yards on 36 carries with two touchdowns while averaging 3.7 yards per carry. Caden Durham has 116 yards on 22 carries with two touchdowns while averaging 5.3 yards per carry.
Keleb Jackson has 95 yards on 26 carries while John Emery Jr has 61 yards on 10 carries.
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 33.5 |
| Total Offense | 418.5 |
| Passing Offense | 239.8 |
| Rushing Offense | 119 |
| Time of Possession | 27:54 |
| Penalty Yards | 83.3 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 25-of-51 (49%) |
| 4th Downs | 2-of-5 (40%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 17-of-20 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 13-of-20 |
| Penalties – Yards | 31 – 237 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 1 – 1 |
Defense
Whit Weeks leads the defense with 30 total stops, 17 solo, with 1.5 tackles for loss. Greg Penn III is second on the team with 24 stops, 10 solo, with 1 TFL and a forced fumble.
As a team the Tigers have 12 sacks with Bradyn Swinson leading the team with 5 for a loss of 45 yards with two quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles. Sai’vion Jones is right behind him with 4 sacks (19 yards) with two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery.
The defense only has two pass interceptions. Zy Alexander and Jardin Gilbert each have one pick each.
However, the Tigers have lost Harld Perkins Jr for the season due to an ACL tear. While he hasn’t put up flashy numbers, he has been a player offenses have had to account for every play. Could that be a factor in this game?
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 24.5 |
| Total Offense | 358.8 |
| Passing Offense | 321.3 |
| Rushing Offense | 134.7 |
| Time of Possession | 31:57 |
| Penalty Yards | 64.7 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 17-of-46 (37%) |
| 4th Downs | 2-of-6 (33%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 11-of-12 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 8-of-12 |
| Penalties – Yards | 36 – 333 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 9 – 4 |
Special Teams
Peyton Todd has handled the majority of the punting duties with an average of 40.7 yards per kick, five fair catches and two downed inside the 20. Blake Ochsendorf is averaging 37.7 yards per attempts with one fair catch and all three of his attempts downed inside the 20.
Damian Ramos is 5-of-6 on field goals this season with a long of 45.
South Alabama
After a pair of losses to begin the season, the Jags have gelled as a team and found their footing in their last two games. The offensive line, who lost a few players in summer camp for various reasons, have improved leaps and bounds over the first four games. They controlled the line of scrimmage against Appalachian State. They’ll face their toughest test yet when they take on LSU Saturday night.
Similarly, the defense has matured a lot over the first four weeks. After only returning two starters, the Jags started the season with a bit of a learning curve experience wise. They’ve improved each and every week. Over the first two weeks the defensive front couldn’t get any pressure on the quarterback, then last week they were harassing Joey Aguilar on pretty much every play.
The Jags have a +5-turnover margin on the season with only two fumbles lost while the defense has a total of 7 take-aways (4 interceptions and 3 fumble recoveries).
Offense
The offense starts with Gio Lopez, who showed that his turf toe injury is not bothering him anymore. He is 57-of-92 (62%) with nine touchdowns and no interceptions on the season.
Jamaal Pritchett continues to lead the receiving corps in receptions (26), yards (354), and touchdowns (4). Devin Voisin has 16 catches for 206 yards on the season. Jeremiah Webb adds 10 catches for 185 yards with a touchdown. DJ Thomas-Jones has 6 catches for 52 yards with three of them being touchdown receptions.
True freshman Fluff Bothwell has emerged as the Jags leading back with 359 yards on 37 carries with six touchdowns through four games. Kentrel Bullock has 204 yards on 30 carries with three touchdowns.
Both Bothwell and Bullock have recorded 100-yard games the last two games.
Gio Lopez is third on the team with 171 yards on 21 carries with a pair of touchdowns.
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 48.3 |
| Total Offense | 502.8 |
| Passing Offense | 267.3 |
| Rushing Offense | 235.5 |
| Time of Possession | 31:24 |
| Penalty Yards | 64.8 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 21-of-47 (44.7%) |
| 4th Downs | 4-of-5 (80%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 23-of-24 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 18-of-24 |
| Penalties – Yards | 32 – 259 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 4 – 2 |
Defense
Blayne Myrick continues to pace the defense with 34 total stops, 11 solo, with two pass breakups and a forced fumble. Jordan Scruggs and Jaden Voisin are next with 21 stops each, Voisin with 13 solo while Scruggs has 9 solo and 1.5 Tackles for loss.
The Jags defense has intercepted four passes on the season, Scruggs earned the Sun Belt Player of the Week honor with his 96-yard interception return, it would have been a 100-yard touchdown return however an App State defender pulled him down from behind with a horse collar tackle. Voisin, Amarion Fortenberry, and Chrystyile Caldwell each have one interception each.
Defensively the Jags only have four sacks on the season. Jordan Norman, Maurice Strong Jr, Courtney McBride Jr, and Tyler Thomas have collected one sack each.
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 25.8 |
| Total Offense | 394 |
| Passing Offense | 271.8 |
| Rushing Offense | 122.3 |
| Time of Possession | 28:36 |
| Penalty Yards | 60.8 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 21-of-55 (38%) |
| 4th Downs | 1-of-4 (25%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 10-of-14 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 7-of-14 |
| Penalties – Yards | 27 – 243 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 5 – 3 |
Special Teams
Aleksi Pulkkinen has handled most of the punting duties, he’s averaging 38 yards per kick across his nine punts with five downed inside the 20-yard line and three fair catches. Jack Martin is averaging 45 yards per kick across his three punts with one touchback.
Laith Marjan is 5-of-6 on field goals this season with a long of 39. His only miss came from over 50 yards. He’s only missed one of this 18 extra point attempts, his first attempt after halftime last week went off the left upright.
Pritchett is averaging 28 yards per return in seven punt return opportunities with one 62-yard touchdown return.
Keys to the Game
Communication
When playing in big games on the road in a hostile environment, communication is at a premium. Death Valley at night is notoriously loud with Tiger Stadium actually registering on the seismograph a couple of times in big games. When the game is on the line, the Tiger fans can get loud and raucous.
But South Alabama just played in front of a loud crowd in Boone, NC. Are they the same? No, but the team knows what to expect and they can be prepared.
With the new in-helmet communications from the sideline, getting the play onto the field is a bit easier but any pre-snap adjustments still need to be communicated. Hopefully they can stay on the same page in all phases of the game because LSU will take advantage of any miscue.
Fundamentals
Defensively the Tigers have taken the ball away from opponents six times in four games. But they have forced 9 fumbles through those same four games. But the Jags have been very surehanded on the season with only two turnovers, one of them on a muffed punt. Continuing to keep possession of the ball will be big fundamentally.
Tackling will be a big factor. The Jags cannot let LSU run through arm tackles and pick up additional yards after contact. In the first two games the Jags had problems tackling but in the last two games have been more fundamentally sound.
The offense needs to stay on schedule because the LSU defense is blitz happy on 3rd down.
“A little Magic”
Something unexpected needs to go South Alabama’s way.
South Carolina had a pick-six that would have given them the lead late, but it was called back in a poor flag on what should have been a good play (that’s a discussion for another day).
LSU hasn’t looked the best this season and struggled against Nicholls. The Tigers narrowly led 23-21 early in the third quarter before finally pulled away from the FCS program.
If the Jags can get an unexpected play or two to go their way at an opportune time it will quiet the crowd and energize the Jaguars. A little voodoo magic if you will.
Prediction
LSU opens as a 21.5-point favorite over the Jags across most of the betting odds websites.
The Tigers are thought to have better players top-to-bottom because they are an SEC program. They should, shouldn’t they?
Perhaps the Jags can catch the Tigers asleep and looking ahead to having a week off to prepare for Ole Miss. But having a week off after the Jags will perhaps keep the Tigers focused enough for a little G5 Sun Belt team from Mobile.
As much as I want to pick the Jags to win or even to cover the spread, my head tells me that the Tigers in Tiger Stadium is a very tough draw. Then play it at night after the Tiger fans have had all day to marinade and it’s a very tough draw.
I think LSU wins and covers at home but maybe the score to cover comes late so it looks like a better win than it actually was. But I would LOVE to have South Alabama prove me wrong. They’ve been doing it all season so far, why not another week…
Go Jags!
Preview: Jags Open Conference Play At App State On National TV
Kickoff: Thursday, September 19th, 6:30pm
Venue: Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, NC
TV/Streaming: ESPN
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
Thunderjags on X (formerly known as Twitter): @USAThunderjags
#5 Jersey: Devin Voisin
South Alabama earned their first win of the season and under new head coach Major Applewhite in record breaking fashion last Thursday night. The Jags (1-2) scored in all three phases of the game while setting a new single-game scoring record for the program as well as the Sun Belt Conference. It was also the highest scoring college football game since 1991, even with the fourth quarter shortened to only six minutes.
This week the Jags have an entirely new challenge when they travel to Boone, NC to take on Appalachian State (2-1) in the conference opening game for both programs.
App State
Head coach Shawn Clark is in his fifth season as head coach of the Mountaineers. He returned to his alma mater as an assistant coach for two seasons under Scott Satterfield before Satterfield left for Louisville after the 2018 season. Clark was retained by newly hired head coach Eliah Drinkwitz. But Drinkwitz would be a one-and-done as he was hired away after a 12-1 season, including a win over Power-5 North Carolina and winning the SBC Championship game, the fourth-consecutive for the Mountaineers at the time.
Clark was promoted and made his debut in the 2019 R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl with a 31-17 win over UAB. Since becoming the head coach, he has a 37-19 record with the Mountaineers overall and 22-10 in conference play.
Clark can also boast three consecutive seasons with a win over ranked opponents: 2021 vs #14 Coastal Carolina, 2022 vs #6 Texas A&M, and 2023 vs #18 James Madison.
Last season they were 9-5 overall, 6-2 in conference play, and represented the East Division in the SBC Championship Game, though they finished 2nd in the division because newcomer James Madison was ineligible due to FBS transition rules.
Before coaching at App State, Clark served as offensive line coach for Kent State, Purdue, and Eastern Kentucky.
Offense
The Mountaineers base offense is a Pro-Tempo scheme. It has pro-style concepts with a tempo base. They will dial up and down their tempo based on their success. If they hit a big play, they will go with tempo in order to prevent the defense from substituting. They will also turn down the tempo and play methodically during some parts of the game. It’s similar to what Drinkwitz ran while in Boone.
Joey Aguilar is 72-of-124 (58.1%) for 964 yards and 5 touchdowns on the season at quarterback. He was selected as the preseason Conference Offensive Player of the Year.
Kaedin Robinson leads the receiver corps with 18 catches for 290 yards but no touchdowns. Makai Jackson isn’t far behind with 14 catches but with 164 yards and two touchdowns. Christian Horn has 11 catches for 244 yards and a touchdown. Horn also has the longest reception with 83 yards. Eli Wilson rounds out the receivers with double-digit catches with 10 for 122 yards and two touchdowns.
Anderson Castle leads the Mountaineers rushing attack with 148 yards on 33 carries with a touchdown, averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Makai Jackson has 71 yards on three carries with a touchdown. Kanye Roberts has 63 yards on 19 carries, averaging 3.3 yards per carry. Ahmani Marshall has 49 yards on 14 carries, averaging 3.5 yards per carry. Aguilar is next in line with 44 yards on 15 carries with two touchdowns.
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 26.3 |
| Total Offense | 456 |
| Passing Offense | 321.3 |
| Rushing Offense | 134.7 |
| Time of Possession | 31:57 |
| Penalty Yards | 64.7 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 16-of-39 (41%) |
| 4th Downs | 1-of-2 (50%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 10-of-12 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 5-of-12 |
| Penalties – Yards | 18 – 194 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 3 – 2 |
Defense
The defense is listed as a 3-4 base but tends to run more 3-3-5 and relying more on their Star safety. The Star position can be explained like a hybrid linebacker-safety position.
Linebacker Caden Sullivan (R-Jr) leads the team with 20 total stops, 9 solo, with a quarterback hurry. Safety Ronald Clarke is next on the team with 18 total stops, 9 solo.
Outside linebacker Thomas Davis leads the team with 1.5 sacks ahead of five other players each with one sack each.
Senior cornerback Seth Robertson has the only interception on the defense.
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 31.7 |
| Total Offense | 447 |
| Passing Offense | 269.3 |
| Rushing Offense | 177.7 |
| Time of Possession | 27:35 |
| Penalty Yards | 64 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 14-of-38 (37%) |
| 4th Downs | 2-of-6 (33%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 7-of-8 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 4-of-8 |
| Penalties – Yards | 21 – 192 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 5 – 2 |
Special Teams
Mitchell Lake handled the punting duties through the first two games with an average of 38.2 yards per kick, three fair catches, two downed inside the 20 and a long of 61 yards. Connor Maynard handled the punting duties in their latest game with an average of 44.8 yards per kick, two touchbacks, one downed inside the 20 and a long of 50.
Michael Hughes is a perfect 5-of-5 on the season with a long of 36 yards. He is also a perfect 8-of-8 on extra points.
South Alabama
After starting the season with two losses, the Jags took the opportunity to have a get-right game against FCS Northwester State last Thursday. The game was moved back to Thursday to allow for a full week of preparation for this game after it was picked up by ESPN for national broadcast.
Offense
Gio Lopez started against Northwestern State after missing the previous game with a turf toe injury. On the season he is 41-of-68 (60.3%) for 689 yards and seven touchdowns. Bishop Davenport is 23-of-37 (62.2%) for 228 yards and a touchdown.
Jamaal Pritchett leads the receivers with 20 catches for 287 yards and three touchdowns. Devin Voisin has 13 catches for 184 yards. DJ Thomas-Jones has two touchdowns on 5 catches for 42 yards. Shamar Sandgren, Jeremiah Webb, and Anthony Eager each have one touchdown catch each on the season.
Fluff Bothwell in his first career 100-yard rushing game continues to lead the Jaguars rushing attack with 243 yards on 23 carries, averaging 10.6 yards per carry, with four touchdowns. Kentrel Bullock, also coming off a 100-yard rushing game himself, has 157 yards on 19 carries, averaging 8.3 yards per carry, with two touchdowns. PJ Martin, Gio Lopez, and Jarvis Durr all have one rushing touchdown each.
Pritchett also leads the team in all-purpose yards with 416 thanks to his punt return yardage of 129 yards added in. He also has a 62-punt return touchdown.
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 48.3 |
| Total Offense | 514.7 |
| Passing Offense | 305.7 |
| Rushing Offense | 209 |
| Time of Possession | 30:28 |
| Penalty Yards | 63.3 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 15-of-36 (42%) |
| 4th Downs | 3-of-4 (66.7%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 18-of-19 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 13-of-19 |
| Penalties – Yards | 23 – 190 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 4 – 1 |
Defense
Blayne Myrick continues to lead the defense with 25 total stops, 9 solo, with .5 tackles for loss, a pass breakup, and a forced fumble. Jordan Scruggs has 17 total stops, 7 solo, with 1.5 TFLs and a pass breakup. Jaden Voisin has 16 total stops, 10 solo, with an interception.
Amarion Fortenberry and Chrystyile Caldwell each have one interception on the season.
Jordan Norman, Maurice Strong Jr, and Tyler Thomas all have one sack each.
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 29.7 |
| Total Offense | 394.3 |
| Passing Offense | 273.7 |
| Rushing Offense | 120.7 |
| Time of Possession | 29:32 |
| Penalty Yards | 65 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 17-of-42 (40%) |
| 4th Downs | 1-of-2 (50%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 9-of-10 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 6-of-10 |
| Penalties – Yards | 22 – 195 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 4 – 2 |
Special Teams
Aleksi Pulkkinen has served as the punter the last two games with an average of 37.6 yards per kick with four downed inside the 20 and two fair catches. Jack Martin averages 44 yards per kick on two punts.
Laith Marjan is 5-of-6 on the season with a long of 39 yards. He is also a perfect 12-of-12 on extra point attempts.
Keys to the Game
Pass Defense
The Mountaineers have a prolific pass offense, and it all starts with quarterback Joey Aguilar.
Aguilar was named the Sun Belt Player of the Week after throwing for 424 yards and two touchdowns in their come-from-behind 21-19 win over East Carolina.
Despite all of their yards, they aren’t putting up the points that one would expect looking at the stats sheet.
The Jags secondary hasn’t been the best in coverage this season and the defense has struggled to get pressure on the quarterback in the first two games of the season. They also allowed a 75-yard touchdown pass in the first half to Northwestern State in the 87-10 blowout.
If the Jags want to win, they have to generate pressure on Aguilar and tighten their coverage on the receivers.
Special Teams
In both losses, the Jags had miscues on special teams. Against North Texas a punt went off one of the blockers for the punter after a bad snap, that was recovered for a touchdown. A muffed punt by Pritchett gave Ohio a short field, which they turned into points as well.
Pritchett made amends for his special teams play with a punt return touchdown in the big win.
Solid special teams play may not win the game, but poor special teams play sure can lose a game.
Offensive Line
What can be said here that we haven’t already said before? Games are won on the line. Pass protection and run blocking are the fundamentals for an offense to function.
The Jags were able to get some good in-game reps for lots of players last week. Hopefully it builds confidence in the starters as well as depth on the bench.
They’ll be tested by the Mountaineers.
Prediction
South Alabama enters probably their toughest three-game stretch of football this season. With all three being road contests too.
But the goal this week is do what they need to do to go 1-0. The other games have to wait.
The Mountaineers are 7.5-point favorite at home. South Alabama took the first matchup between the two schools back in 2014 but have lost each of the four subsequent meetings, including a 31-7 loss in 2021.
The game will be nationally broadcast on ESPN and it will be the only college football game available on Thursday night. This is a huge opportunity for the program to shine and playing a good, exciting game will go a long way to further the Jaguar brand of football.
If the Jags are healthy, and they look to mostly be back healthy, they can score points. With over a 60% chance of rain and thundershowers Thursday evening, that could favor the Jags running game with Bothwell, Bullock, Braylon McReynolds, PJ Martin, and Jarvis Durr.
I think the Jags cover but fall in a very close game.
Go Jags!
South Alabama Rewrites Record Books In 87-10 Trouncing Of Northwestern State
South Alabama took the opportunity to exorcise some demons on Thursday night at Hancock Whitney Stadium in a historic 87-10 win over Northwestern State.
The Jags (1-2) set a new Sun Belt Conference record for points as they get their first win of the season and the first under new head coach Major Applewhite. Despite a short week and the threat of a hurricane, the Jags never let the game be in doubt against Northwestern State (0-3).
Jamaal Pritchett got the party started a mere 1:36 into the game when he took the first punt of the game 62 yards to the house. They would take a 14-0 lead on their first offensive snap after Jaden Voisin intercepted JT Fayard’s pass. Gio Lopez got the start after missing last week with a turf toe injury, connected with Jeremiah Webb for a 39-yard touchdown.
They weren’t even four full minutes into the game with only eight seconds of possession and were up two scores.
The Jags were up 24-3 in the first quarter after a 28 yard field goal by Laith Marjan when the Jags defense gave up their only touchdown of the night. The defense bit on a screen pass allowing Myles Kitt-Denton to get behind the defense. JT Fayard laid a perfect pass to him and 75 yards later the Demons had a touchdown.
South Alabama added four touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 52-10 lead into halftime.
They would score four more touchdowns in the third quarter, one a pick-six by redshirt sophomore Chrystyile Caldwell, before the coaches would mutually agree to a 6 minute fourth quarter. And yet redshirt freshman Jarvis Durr still tacked on one last touchdown.
The 87 points put on the scoreboard by the Jags eclipsed the previous record by a Jaguar team (64 three times against Division II or NAIA opponents in the program’s infancy). It also beats the 59 points scored last season in the 68 Ventures Bowl against a fellow FBS school.
It also set a new scoring record in Sun Belt Conference history, beating out Arkansas State’s 83 points scored against Texas Southern in 2008 and Georgia Southern against Savannah State in 2014.
Stats
The stats read like playing EA College Football on easy mode.
| South Alabama | Northwestern State | |
| Total Yards | 620 | 237 |
| Passing Yards | 257 | 171 |
| Rushing Yards | 363 | 66 |
| Penalties – Yards | 7 – 60 | 7 – 60 |
| 1st Downs | 22 | 8 |
| 3rd Downs | 4-of-7 | 3-of-15 |
| Avg Yards per Play | 11.7 | 4.2 |
| Red Zone | 9-10 | 1-1 |
| Time of Possession | 33:13 | 26:47 |
South Alabama
Gio Lopez got one possession in the second half and ended the night going 15-of-19 for 257 yards and 4 touchdowns.
Devin Voisin led the Jag receivers with 47 yards on three catches. DJ Thomas-Jones had 3 catches for 34 yards and two touchdowns. Jeremiah Webb and Jamaal Pritchett both had a touchdown each.
True freshman Fluff Bothwell ended the night with 143 yards on just 7 carries with two touchdowns, averaging 20.4 yards per carry. Kentrel Bullock broke the century mark with 102 yards on 8 carries with 2 touchdowns as well. Bothwell and Bullock are the fourth duo in school history to each rush for over 100 yards in a game.
PJ Martin came up short of making it three 100 rushers with 72 yards on 6 carries with a touchdown. Jarvis Durr got the final rushing touchdown of the game.
Maurice Strong Jr led the defense with 7 total stops, 4 solo, with two TFL’s and a sack. Jaden Voisin had 5 total stops, 3 solo, with an interception. Freshman Amarion Fortenberry and Chrystyile Caldwell both came away with an interception each.
In all, the Jags forced four turnovers with Julian Demby recovering a fumble.
“I’m proud of the way our guys played, the way they responded coming off a loss,” head coach Major Applewhite said after the game. “In a short week, the staff did an outstanding job. I know people say that a lot, it sounds cliché, but they did. Our practices were good, we went a little bit more Wednesday that we normally do the day before a game and there was no complaining. I was proud of the guys and the way the coaches got them to play today.”
While Pritchett’s receiving numbers weren’t very high, he finished the game with 124 punt return yards with a touchdown. He led the team in All-Purpose yards with 146, just edging out Bothwell’s 143.
“It was definitely a big win for us to get the ball rolling and move on to the next game and keep it rolling,” Pritchett said. “I don’t think I’ve ever been on a team that scored 87 points, even in basketball.”
Northwestern State
JT Fayard led the way for the Demons going 9-of-23 for 165 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions.
Kitt-Denton led the Demons with 80 yards on three catches with the lone touchdown. Twon Hines had 59 yards on three catches.
Zay Davis led the team in rushing with 32 yards on 9 carries. Kennieth Lacy added 14 yards on 10 carries.
Christian Williams led the Demons with 6 total stops, 4 solo. Caesar Magee III was next with 5 total stops, all solo.
Next
South Alabama will have a full week to prepare for their road trip to Boone, NC to face Appalachian State on Thursday, September 19 to open their Sun Belt Conference schedule. The game is set for a 6:30pm kickoff on ESPN.
Preview: South Alabama Travels To Ohio University For First Road Test Of Season
Kickoff: Saturday, September 7th, 6:00pm
Venue: Frank Solich Field at Peden Stadium, Athens, OH
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: Not announced yet (Last week Christopher Wallace Jr.)
South Alabama (0-1) came up on the short side of the scoreboard against North Texas. The 52-38 decision spoiled head coach Major Applewhite’s debut as the top Jaguar and their home opener. The Jags held a 19-14 lead at halftime but allowed four touchdowns in the third quarter as the Mean Green seized control of the game behind an up-tempo, big-play offense. They were also aided by a mishap in special teams that led to one of the scores.
Let’s start with the good things we saw.
Gio Lopez had a record-setting performance further showing why he was so hyped inside the program all last season. Lopez and his skill guys pretty much picked up right where they left off from the 68 Ventures Bowl. Jamaal Pritchett has elevated his game and has become the next playmaking wide receiver for the Jaguar offense. Devin Voisin was second on the team receiving and in targets in his first game back after missing almost all of 2023 with a knee injury. Braylon McReynolds, Kentrel Bullock and Fluff Bothwell are going to be a fun running back trio.
This could be the most productive offense in South Alabama history. They may need it with the way the defense played though.
Speaking of defense, the line played pretty well. They kept the UNT running game bottled up and only allowed them 104 yards and an average of 3.1 yards per attempt.
What we didn’t like.
The offensive line played better than expected but they still have a lot of work to put in. This week of practice will show us a lot about what this group can do.
While the defensive line was great against the run, they couldn’t generate any pressure on the quarterback. That allowed North Texas to pick apart the secondary for 446 yards and three touchdowns.
Going into the season, the linebackers were an area of concern.
They played decently considering the concerns but they, too, have a lot of work to put in and this week of practice will give us some insight at their ability to improve this season. Blayne Myrick had his name called a few times from his linebacker position. Most notably when the Jags turned away the Mean Green on a goal line stand.
Similar to last season’s opening game, the secondary had trouble in coverage. Hopefully the similarities to last season doesn’t stop there. Last season the secondary made a big adjustment after the first game and played much better.
It’s a cat fight!
We’ll see which cat comes out on top in a match between Jaguars and Bobcats.
The Bobcats (0-1) enter the game coming off of a season-opening loss of their own. They also had an early lead in the game but was unable to keep up with Syracuse, falling 38-22 on the road.
Ohio head coach Tim Albin is in his fourth season at the helm in Athens, OH. He was promoted to the position on July 15, 2021 after joining the program as the offensive coordinator in 2005 with former head coach Frank Solich. Previously Albin and Solich coached together at Nebraska.
The Bobcats defeated Georgia Southern in the Myrtle Beach Bowl to earn their second consecutive 10-win season, a first for the program. The bowl win was also the fifth-consecutive for the program.
Ohio University
Offense
| Stat | Stat total |
| Passing Completions – Attempts – Interceptions | 18-30-1 |
| Points | 22 |
| Total Offensive Yards | 436 |
| Passing Yards | 181 |
| Rushing Yards | 255 |
| Time of Possession | 31:28 |
| Penalties – Yards | 1 – 5 |
| 3rd Downs | 2 of 11 |
| 4th Downs | 1 of 2 |
| Red Zone Scores – Chances | 4 – 5 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 1 – 0 |
Quarterback Parker Navarro was 18-of-30 for 181 yards, one interception and sacked four times.
Coleman Owen led the receivers with 10 catches for 137 yards. Chase Hendricks had 3 for 27 yards. Four other receivers caught passes in the game with minimal yards.
Anthony Tyus III led the team with 203 yards rushing on 16 attempts with two touchdowns. Navarro added 33 yards on 16 carries of his own.
Defense
| Stat | Stat total |
| Passing Completions – Attempts – Interceptions | 27-40-1 |
| Points | 38 |
| Total Offensive Yards | 480 |
| Passing Yards | 354 |
| Rushing Yards | 126 |
| Time of Possession | 28:32 |
| Penalties – Yards | 6 – 47 |
| 3rd Downs | 9 of 15 |
| 4th Downs | 1 of 1 |
| Red Zone Scores – Chances | 5 – 5 |
| Fumbles – Recovered | 0 – 0 |
Austin Brawley led the team with 12 total stops, 9 solo, from the safety position. Blake Leake was next with seven total stops, three of them solo. Two players have one tackle for loss each, Bradley Weaver’s TFL was the teams only sack.
Pearson Tank is the only Bobcat on the season with an interception through the first game.
Special Teams
Punter Jack Wilson logged three kicks with an average of 45.3 yards per kick, a long of 50, and one downed inside the 20. Gianni Spetic went 3-for-3 on field goal attempt in the opening game with a long of 43, and made the one point after attempt.
South Alabama
Offense
| Stat | Stat total |
| Passing Completions – Attempts – Interceptions | 26-49-0 |
| Points | 38 |
| Total Offensive Yards | 582 |
| Passing Yards | 432 |
| Rushing Yards | 150 |
| Time of Possession | 30:28 |
| Penalties – Yards | 9-80 |
| 3rd Downs | 6 of 14 |
| 4th Downs | 2 of -3 |
| Red Zone Scores – Chances | 5 of 5 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 0 – 0 |
Gio Lopez was 26-of-49 for 432 yards and three touchdowns in the season opener. His longest pass completion was for 52 yards but he was sacked twice. He added 62 yards on the ground, leading the Jaguar rushing attack. His 494 all-purpose yards put him in the national lead. It should have propelled him to the Offensive Player of the Week honors for the Sun Belt, however that honor went to another player in an odd choice.
Jamaal Pritchett caught 10 of his 15 targets for 197 yards and a touchdown. Devin Voisin added 5 catches on 8 targets for 60 yards. Shamar Sandgren caught 3 passes for 37 yards and a touchdown. Anthony Eager had one catch for a 23-yard touchdown.
Fluff Bothwell was the leading rusher from the running back position with 30 yards on 6 carries with a touchdown.
Defense
| Stat | Stat total |
| Passing Completions – Attempts – Interceptions | 33-42-0 |
| Points | 52 |
| Total Offensive Yards | 550 |
| Passing Yards | 446 |
| Rushing Yards | 104 |
| Time of Possession | 29:32 |
| Penalties – Yards | 6-50 |
| 3rd Downs | 8-of-12 |
| 4th Downs | 0-of-1 |
| Red Zone Scores – Chances | 5-of-6 |
| Fumbles – Recovered | 0 – 0 |
Blayne Myrick led the team with 12 total stops, 3 solo. Jordan Scruggs was next with nine total stops, three solo as well, with a pass breakup. Maurice Strong Jr and Carlos Johnson Jr both had ½ tackle for loss in the game.
Special Teams
Jack Martin had two recorded punts in the game with an average of 44 yards per kick. However, he did have a bad snap that he dropped, then when he tried to pick it up and kick it, the ball ricocheted off of one of his blockers that led to a defensive touchdown.
Laith Marjan made both of this field goal attempts, the longest was from 39 yards out, as well as both of his point after attempts.
Keys to the Game
Defense
The defense, as a whole, needs to make a big improvement going into game two.
Point: While the rush defense looked good on paper against North Texas, how much of that was due UNT’s success through the air and not needing to run the ball?
Counter Point: The Mean Green had 34 rushing attempts for only 104 yards, an average of 3.1 yards per attempt, and the longest run was 13 yards. Did the Jags just take away the run and force a passing team to throw the ball more?
I would like to see them get more pressure on the quarterback. They need to play better in coverage (seriously, how many times have we been burned by inside slants over the last several seasons?!). I hope the linebackers get coached up some more because they have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders.
Offensive Line
I feel the offensive line played decently well overall, but they played at their best in the first half. Gio’s speed and escapability allows him to get out of the pocket and extend plays. What would have been sacks with Carter Bradley at quarterback are now running throws or scrambles for yardage.
I think they’ll improve. They’ll need to as the schedule gets increasingly difficult. With only two returning starters in the group, including a new center, it was a given that the offensive line may need some time to settle in.
Speaking of center, I lost count how many times I saw high snaps that Gio had to really reach to catch. I hope that’s just some first-game jitters
Health
I think the team came out pretty healthy from the game. The only player that appeared to get banged up was Gio Lopez. There were several runs and scrambles where he took the hit instead of sliding.
At one point he had a visible limp after some tackles. Afterwards he had some deep throws that came up a little short. He may have just put too much air underneath his throws, but you can’t help to wonder if he was having problems setting and throwing off of his plant foot.
Lopez also took a hit to the ribs and stayed down for a moment in the second half of the game.
Gio is definitely one of the linchpins in the Jaguars offense, he needs to stay healthy because there’s a lot of football left to be played this season.
Prediction
South Alabama will be tested in their first road game of the season in Ohio. While the sample size is only one game for each program, it looks like the offensive and defensive strengths for the Jags match up well against Ohio University.
The Bobcats is a predominately running team, they had 255 yards on the ground against Syracuse on the road. The Jags defense only allowed 104 yards to UNT. I don’t expect that kind of performance against Ohio, I think the Bobcats are going to get theirs. But can the defense get some stops? Can they get some pressure in the backfield? Can they cause more chaos?
The Jags roll into Ohio a 2.5-point favorite over the Bobcats.
I think this is a chance for coach Applewhite and gang to show that they’ve corrected some of the issues from the first game. But they also aren’t facing such a high-powered, fast-tempo offense this week.
I think the Jags win and cover.
Go Jags!
Preview 68 Ventures Bowl: Eastern Michigan vs South Alabama
Kickoff: Saturday, December 23, 6:00pm
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: Khalil Jacobs
The 2023 postseason is here and it’s full of firsts for South Alabama.
USA is playing in a bowl game in back-to-back seasons for the first time. They’re playing for their first bowl win, and their first back-to-back winning seasons. They are playing in the hometown bowl game, the 68 Ventures Bowl, for the first time. But they are also facing Eastern Michigan for the first time in program history.
That’s a lot firsts.
The 68 Ventures Bowl went out on a limb and chose the Jags to play at home. They are banking on JagNation to show up for a bowl game when their college football watching is limited. While Saturday, December 23rd has a few games scheduled throughout the day, the 68 Ventures Bowl and the Las Vegas Bowl (Northwestern vs Utah on ABC) are the only two games scheduled during the evening time slot.
It’s very important for South Alabama fans to buy tickets and show up to show their support for both the program and for the bowl game itself. If you cannot go, it’s just as important to tune in to watch the game and to post on social media about the game throughout it.
In the previous three bowl games the Jags have been invited to the Jags just haven’t broken through and got their first win. Yet.
A win will be a huge accomplishment for the program. It’ll get the monkey off their back for bowl losses. But it will secure their first winning season in consecutive seasons.
Now for the final “first” in this game, let’s take a look at Eastern Michigan. (Or skip down to the TL;DR section)
Eastern Michigan (6-6, 4-4 MAC)
The Eagles earned bowl eligibility in their season finale with a 24-11 win at Buffalo. It was their only road win for the season. They were 5-1 at home and 1-5 on the road.
The Eagles are +3 on turnover differential this season. They’ve given the ball away 15 times (10 INTs, 5 fumbles lost) while the defense has taken the ball away 18 times (11 fumble recoveries, 7 INTs).
Offense
| Stat | Average per Game |
| Points | 20.33 |
| Rushing Yards | 115.0 |
| Passing Yards | 158.58 |
| Total Offense | 273.6 |
| Time of Possession | 29:02 |
| Penalty Yards | 60.83 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 57-of-163 (34.97%) |
| 4th Downs | 10-of-16 (62.5%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 32-of-37 (86.5%) |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 22-of-37 (59.5%) |
| Penalties – Yards | 76-730 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 12-5 |
| Passing Attempts-Completions-TD-Interceptions | 328-185-10-10 (56.4% completion rate) |
Austin Smith was the leading passer for the Eagles going 171-of-298 for 1,775 yards, nine touchdowns, and seven interceptions. However Smith entered the transfer portal.
Junior Ike Udengwu III is 13-of-28 (46.63%) for 100 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns. Freshman Cam’Ron McCoy only attempted one pass this year.
Tanner Knue leads the team with 479 yards on 50 catches with three touchdowns. JB Mitchell III has 398 yards on 35 catches with a touchdown. Hamze El-Zayat has 370 yards on 25 catches with two touchdowns. Jaylon Jackson has 221 yards on 22 catches with two touchdowns.
Samson Evans leads the Eagles running back corps with 635 yards on 142 carries with 12 touchdowns. Jaylon Jackson has 574 yards on 125 carries with two touchdowns. Austin Smith had 134 yards on 101 carries with two touchdowns.
Defense
| Stat | Average Allowed per Game |
| Points | 24.0 |
| Rushing Yards | 177.8 |
| Passing Yards | 205.17 |
| Total Offense | 382.9 |
| Time of Possession | 30:55 |
| Penalty Yards | 57.0 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs Allowed | 64-of-163 (39.26%) |
| 4th Downs Allowed | 12-of-33 (36.36%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Defense | 40-of-52 (76.9%) |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 27-of-52 (51.9%) |
| Penalties-Yards | 77-684 |
| Fumbles-Recovered | 19-11 |
| Passing Attempts-Completions-TD-Interceptions | 351-205-13-7 (58.4% completion rate) |
Linebacker Chase Kline leads the defense with 143 total stops, 48 solo, with 5 TFLs, 2 sacks, and 10 quarterback hurries. Fellow linebacker Joe Sparacio has 131 total stops, 57 solo, with 6.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks and 5 quarterback hurries. Then third on the tackles list is defensive back Quentavius Scandrett with 56 total tackles, 30 solo, and two interceptions.
Mikah Coleman leads the team with 4.5 sacks but entered his name into the transfer portal in the offseason. Peyton Price is second on the team with 4 sacks and Justin Jefferson is third with 3.5 sacks.
Three players lead the team with 6.5 TFLs each, Mikah Coleman, Justin Jefferson, and Joe Sparacio.
Special Teams
Mitchell Tomasek averages 45.31 yards per punt with 24 downed inside the 20, 17 fair catches, 17 punts of 50+ yards with a long of 72 yards.
Jesus Gomez was 11-of-15 on the season with a long of 55 yards. Kenyon Bowyer attempted one kick and was successful in converting it from 25 yards.
South Alabama (6-6, 4-4 SBC)
The 2023 may not have played out the way they were hoping after a 10-3 record last season. But they’ve had several bright spots during the season. They went to Oklahoma State and completely whipped the Cowboys in their home stadium in Stillwater 33-7. They scored 55 points in back-to-back conference games against Louisiana-Monroe and Southern Miss. When they needed to win two of their final three games to get bowl eligible, they stepped up. They shut out Marshall 28-0 to get their sixth win with a game to go in the season.
The story of the 2023 season was inconsistency. Games came in batches of two. Whenever they won two games, they lost two games. Plus the whole season was book-ended with a season-opening loss at Tulane and a season-ending loss at Texas State.
Let’s delve into the Jaguars stats for the season.
The Jags are even in turnover differential this season. They have given the ball away 19 times on the season (10 INTs, 9 fumbles lost) while the defense has taken the ball away from their opponents 19 times as well (11 INTs, 8 fumble recoveries).
Offense
| Stat | Average per Game |
| Points | 30.92 |
| Rushing Yards | 160.0 |
| Passing Yards | 264.92 |
| Total Offense | 424.9 |
| Time of Possession | 30:30 |
| Penalty Yards | 57.25 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs | 71-of-165 (43.03%) |
| 4th Downs | 17-of-26 (65.38%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 39-of-43 (90.69%) |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 33-of-43 (76.74%) |
| Penalties – Yards | 80-687 |
| Fumbles – Lost | 18-9 |
| Passing Attempts-Completions- TD-Interceptions | 392-268-24-10 (68.36% Completion Rate) |
Carter Bradley started 11 games this season and threw for 221-of-326 (67.79%) for 2,660 yards, 19 touchdowns with 7 interceptions. Bradley has 83.16% of the passing attempt, 83.67% of the passing yards, and 79.16% of the touchdowns thrown on the season.
True freshman Gio Lopez appeared in four games, with on start against Try when Bradley was out with a knee injury. He went 27-of-42 (64.29%) for 283 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
Trotter went 20-of-24 (83.33%) for 236 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. Trotter was 18-of-21 for 220 yards and four touchdowns in the season finale against Texas State when Bradley had to leave after aggravating his knee.
Caullin Lacy by and far led the Jaguar receiving corps with 91 catches for 1,316 yards and seven touchdowns. However, Lacy opted for the transfer portal after the season.
Jamaal Pritchett is the top returning receiver with 49 catches for 756 yards and six touchdowns. DJ Thomas-Jones has 24 catches for 212 yards and three touchdowns. Javon Ivory has 16 catches for 183 yards with a touchdown.
La’Damian Webb also by and far led the Jags rushing attack with 1,007 yards on 186 carries with 16 touchdowns. He missed the season finale against Texas State with turf toe. Webb will also miss the 68 Ventures Bowl as he continues to heal the turf toe and prepare to enter the NFL draft.
Kentrel Bullock is the leading returning rusher with 380 yards on 77 carries with three touchdowns. He also missed the season finale with an injury. Marco Lee has 220 yards on 53 carries and two touchdowns. Braylon McReynolds, who left the season opener with a broken collarbone, has 161 yards on 33 carries and will be the starter for the 68 Ventures Bowl.
Defense
| Stat | Average Allowed per Game |
| Points | 21.92 |
| Rushing Yards | 116.8 |
| Passing Yards | 209.67 |
| Total Offense | 326.4 |
| Time of Possession | 29:29 |
| Penalty Yards | 46.17 |
| Stat | Cumulative for Season |
| 3rd Downs Allowed | 54-of-160 (33.75%) |
| 4th Downs Allowed | 8-of-18 (44.44%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Defense | 23-of-30 (76.66%) |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 14-of-30 (46.66%) |
| Penalties-Yards | 69-554 |
| Fumbles-Recovered | 14-8 |
| Passing Attempts-Completions-TD-Interceptions | 323-195-19-11 (60.37% completion rate) |
Quentin Wilfawn leads the team with 81 total stops, 46 solo, with a team-leading 6.5 sacks and a team leading 15 tackles for loss with six quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and a pass breakup. Trey Kiser is next in line with 68 total stops, 29 solo, with 9.5 TFLs and 2.5 sacks. James Miller has 67 total stops, 26 solo, and four TFLs.
Jaden Voisin has 66 total stops, 29 solo, two TFLs, and a team-leading four interceptions. Marquise Robinson adds two interceptions while Yam Banks, Khalil Jacobs, Jalen Jordan, Maurice Strong Jr, and Wesley Miller each have one interception each.
Special Teams
Jack Martin averaged 40.05 yards per punt with 21 fair catches, 12 down inside the 20, four punts of 50+ yards with a long of 54 yards.
Diego Guajardo was 13-of-18 on the season with a long of 51 yards. He was perfect inside 40 yards. He was 5-of-7 from 4-49 yards and was 1-of-4 from 50+ yards.
Injuries/Transfer Portal
The new landscape of college football with the transfer portal and Name, Image, and Likeness has affected both teams coming into the 68 Ventures Bowl.
Eastern Michigan was hit pretty hard.
The Eagles have seen their starting quarterback, Austin Smith, enter the transfer portal. But he wasn’t the only one. Tight ends Andreas Paaske (4 catches, 39 yards) committed to the University of Arkansas, and CJ Horton. Offensive lineman Zach Conti committed to Southern Miss. Most recently wide receiver Javon Swinton entered the portal on Monday, December 18.
Defensive end Micah Coleman (38 tackles, 4.5 sacks, 6.5 TFLs, and 8 quarterback hurries) committed to Cincinnati while defensive tackle Alex Merritt (27 tackles, 4.5 TFLs) entered his name into the portal but does not currently show up in the portal.
Starting running back Samson Evans may not play due to injury. He has reportedly made the trip with the team, but he is not a guaranteed play as of the time of this writing. Evans ran for 127 yards and a touchdown against Buffalo to help the Eagle get bowl-eligible.
South Alabama wasn’t immune either.
Caullin Lacy, the Jags First Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection, 5th nationally wide receiver nationally, and the Jags leading receiver, entered his name into the portal and has committed to Louisville.
Defensive lineman Nathan Rawlins-Kibonge decided to enter the portal in order to play somewhere closer to home. Linebacker Gavin Forsha, a transfer from Kansas State, initially entered his name into the portal but has reportedly decided to withdraw it shortly afterwards.
Offensive lineman Dontae Lucas has reportedly decided to enter the portal after playing in the bowl game. Lucas transferred from Florida State in 2022 and started 11 of 13 games at left guard. He has started 11 of 12 games this season after moving to right guard.
La’Damian Webb will not play in the game either. He missed the regular season finale against Texas State due to turf toe. He continues to treat his injury and will focus on getting ready for the NFL draft since his collegiate eligibility has been exhausted.
Carter Bradley has been going through some drills to get ready for the game. However his knee injury needs rest so Desmond Trotter and Gio Lopez have been getting lots of practice reps in case Bradley is unable to play. Bradley had to miss the Troy game after being knocked out near the end of the Louisiana-Lafayette game. He also exited the Texas State game early with the same injury with Trotter nearly leading a comeback that fell just short.
Keys to the Game
Who Steps Up
With two key pieces to the Jaguar offense this season missing from the lineup, who will be the next man up to fill their production?
Caullin Lacy had a consistent presence all season long. He had explosive plays down field, but he also served as a key possession receiver when the Jags needed to move the chains. Jamaal Pritchett came on as the season unfolded. He was able to occasionally flash his speed down the stretch, especially when team began to focus their attention on Lacy. This leads the way for freshman Anthony Eager and redshirt-junior Jeremiah Webb to step in.
Eager is listed as the starter in place of Lacy on the depth chart released earlier this week. Eager does not have any stats for this season. Behind him they have listed Jeremiah Webb, he has one catch for 3 yards recorded this season.
In place of La’Damian Webb, Braylon McReynolds is listed as the starter. He started in the Texas State game when Webb missed due to the same injury that’s keeping him out of this game. McReynolds hasn’t missed a step since coming back from his broken collarbone suffered in season opener. Kentrel Bullock is also making his return to the lineup after missing a couple of games due to injury himself. They make a good one-two punch in the backfield.
Capitalizing on Opportunities
Eastern Michigan’s offense takes a methodical approach. They don’t necessarily make a lot of big plays, but they will eat clock, shorten the game, and will keep moving the ball down the field. When the Jags possess the ball, they really need to take advantage and put points on the board. Because if the Eagles can play their style of game, the Jags opportunities will be limited.
However EMU has their own question marks leading into the game with injuries and the transfer portal. The Jaguar defense will need to be ready for anything. With a few weeks to scheme for a bowl game and their question marks, they may dial up some offensive changes and trick plays to catch the Jags on their heels.
Playing Fundamentally Sound
What you’ll often see in bowl games is some lapses in fundamentals. It can be attributed to a couple of things. The long layoff between games and, especially now with the transfer portal and opt-outs, limited depth.
Losing players to the portal or even to opt-outs for some (thankfully not something USA has experienced) can limit depth at positions that may already be razor thin after a long, grueling regular season schedule and the injuries suffered therein.
Coaches can be apprehensive to let their team get too physical during bowl practice due to the fear of losing key player leading up to the game.
These and other factors converge and can lead to a lack of fundamentals in a bowl game. Poor tackling, issues with ball security, and others have already shown themselves again this bowl season. The team with the strongest fundamentals in the game will definitely have an easier path to victory.
Prediction
South Alabama is a 16.5 point favorite according to handicapper websites. It’s the second-largest spread this bowl season (Oregon is a 17.5 favorite over Liberty in the Fiesta Bowl).
Comparing the stats between the two teams, it seems logical that the Jags are a big favorite. If you add in the transfer portal and injuries, it further bolsters the spread.
EMU have lost their starting quarterback, best pass rusher, and their best interior offensive and defensive linemen to the portal. Additionally their top running back may miss the game with an injury.
Without Webb, the Jags will be starting Braylon McReynolds and running back. Kentrel Bullock is back healthy and will rotate in for playing time as well. Even without Webb, the Jags should be able to move the ball well on the ground against the Eagles rushing defense.
If Bradley is unable to play, either Trotter or Lopez will get the start or could also come in and play if Bradley is unable to finish the game. Lopez could play without burning his redshirt even though he’s already appeared in three games this season thanks to a rules change over the last couple of years.
Even if Bradley is healthy and ready to go, head coach Kane Wommack said that they plan on using multiple quarterbacks in the game. I would expect to see all three in the game at some point.
I feel that the Jags get the win at home, even if they are designated the away team.
Do they cover the spread? I think the Jags are more talented and are more hungry for the win. As long as they don’t get in their own heads, I think they win and cover the spread.
TL;DR (“Too long; didn’t read” for those wondering)
I think we’ve over analyzed this game by this point if you’ve read this entire article.
South Alabama is the better team in this match-up. They would have been the better team in the regular season and, even after the transfer portal subtractions, the Jags remain the better team. If the South Alabama plays up to their capabilities, they will get their first bowl win. Even if they don’t play up to their capability, they should win.
In my Lee Corso moment, I turn and grab Southpaw’s headgear and put it on. I say “South Alabama big in this one. Go Jags. South in your Mouth!” as the credits roll and the camera goes into the next scheduled program.
Go Jags!
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 Hosts Marshall For Senior Day With Bowl Eligibility Implications
Kickoff: Saturday, November 18, 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: Jamie Sheriff
South Alabama (5-5, 3-3 Sun Belt Conference) will look to give their departing seniors one last win at Hancock Whitney Stadium on Saturday when they host Marshall (5-5, 2-4 SBC). If they accomplish the task, they will be the first senior class to earn back-to-back bowl berths in program history.
Both teams enter needing just one win to earn bowl eligibility.
Marshall snapped a five-game losing streak last week behind redshirt freshman Cole Pennington’s first career start. They started the season 4-0 with wins over Albany (21-17), East Carolina (31-13), Virginia Tech (24-17) and Old Dominion (41-35).
Then they hit the rough patch in their season. They lost to @ NC State (41-48), @ Georgia State (24-41), vs James Madison (9-20), @ Coastal Carolina (6-34), and @ App State (9-31).
Marshall head coach Charles Huff is in his third season at the helm. He went 7-6 in his first season with a loss in the New Orleans Bowl against Louisiana-Lafayette. The Herd was still in Conference USA at the time.
Last season Huff lead the Herd to a 9-4 and a 5-3 conference record in their first year in the Sun Belt. They made waves in with a 26-21 win at then #8 Notre Dame and finished the season with a 28-14 win over UConn in the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
Prior to Marshall, Huff was an assistant coach at Alabama for two years.
The Jags were able to break their two-game losing streak themselves with the return of Carter Bradley behind center, an offensive line that were determined to set the line of scrimmage, and a stingy defense.
With two games left for both teams to earn bowl eligibility, both squads would like to go ahead and get that done this week.
Marshall (5-5, 2-4 SBC)
Marshall has a -11 turnover margin on the season. They’ve given the ball away a total of 23 times, 14 interceptions and have lost 9 out of 18 total fumbles. Meanwhile the defense has taken the ball away 12 times, they have 10 interceptions and have recovered 2 out of 9 fumbles.
Offense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 24.4 (83rd) |
| Total Offense | 359.9 (85th) |
| Passing Offense | 230.9 (T-59th) |
| Rushing Offense | 129.0 (97th) |
| Time of Possession | 29:13 |
| Penalty Yards | 55.8 |
Cam Fancher is the leader passer on the team going 186-of-287 (64.8%) for 1,948 yards with eight touchdowns to 11 interceptions on the season. Redshirt freshman Cole Pennington is 27-of-43 (62.8%) for 278 yards with no touchdowns to three interceptions in two game appearances. Pennington made his first career start last week in Marshall’s 38-33 win over Georgia Southern.
The Herd has many receivers involved in their passing game. Five receivers have 20 or more catches on the season and 10 receivers in all have 100+ receiving yards. Caleb Coombs leads the team in catches with 33 catches and receiving touchdowns with two, for 287 yards. DeMarcus Harris leads the receiving corps with 362 yards on 21 catches with a touchdown. In all, eight receivers have touchdowns receptions on the team.
Jaden Harrison has 238 yards on 19 catches with a touchdown. Darryle Simmons has 226 yards on 22 catches.
Rasheen Ali leads the team with 932 yards rushing on 173 carries with 14 touchdowns in nine games played. Ali is tied for 7th in the nation in rushing touchdowns, one TD behind Webb. Ethan Payne has 183 yards on 50 carries. Fancher is third on the team in rushing with 173 yards on 102 carries with two touchdowns in the nine games he’s played in.
| Season Stat | |
| 3rd Downs | 40-of-130 (31%) |
| 4th Downs | 6-of-21 (29%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 26-of-34 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 17-of-34 |
| Penalties-Yards | 61-558 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 18-9 |
Defense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 28.9 (T-94th) |
| Total Offense | 381.5 (72nd) |
| Passing Offense | 216.3 (50th) |
| Rushing Offense | 165.2 (94th) |
| Time of Possession | 30:47 |
| Penalty Yards | 62.5 |
JJ Roberts leads the team with 73 total stops, 39 solo, with two interceptions, a forced fumble, a pass breakup and a quarterback hurry in nine games played. Eli Neal has 64 total stops, 20 solo, with 6.5 Tackles for Loss, 2 sacks, an interceptions and three quarterback hurries.
Owen Porter leads the team with 13 sacks, is tied for the team lead with 5 sacks, with 50 total stops, 20 solo, 11 quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and two pass breakups.
Elijah Alston is second on the team with 9.5 TFLs, 4 sacks, 15 quarterback hurries, two pass breakups, and an interception with an 85 yard return for a TD.
Sam Burton co-leads the team with 5 sacks, he has 5.5 TFLs and 8 quarterback hurries.
| Season Stat | |
| 3rd Downs | 44-of-143 (31%) |
| 4th Downs | 9-of-21 (43%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 29-of-37 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 15-of-37 |
| Penalties-Yards | 68-625 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 9-2 |
Special Teams
Rece Verhoff is 10-of-13 (76.9%) placekicking with a long of 44 with one kick blocked. Kameron Lake is 1-of-2 with a long of 20.
John McConnell is averaging 43 yards per punt, a long of 74 yards, with 16 fair catches, 13 downed inside the 20, 5 kicks of 50+ yards, and one touchback.
South Alabama (5-5, 3-3 SBC)
The Jags continue to have a turnover margin of -2 on the season. They have turned the ball over a total of 16 times, nine interceptions and seven fumbles lost. The defense has taken the ball away from opponents 14 times, seven interceptions and seven fumbles. The Jags gave the ball away once to Arkansas State last week, but took the ball away once as well.
Offense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 29.9 (T-49th) |
| Total Offense | 423.0 (40th) |
| Passing Offense | 258.4 (42nd) |
| Rushing Offense | 164.6 |
| Time of Possession | 29:50 |
| Penalty Yards | 59.70 |
Carter Bradley’s is 186-of-279 (66.7%) for 2,301 yards and 15 touchdowns to 7 interceptions in nine games played. Gio Lopez, with one start but four game appearances, is 27-of-42 (64.3%) for 283 yards with 1 touchdown to 2 interceptions on the season.
Caullin Lacy leads the team with 71 catches, 1,096 yards, and six touchdowns. Lacy ranks 4th in the nation in receiving yards after a 50-yard game last week. Jamaal Pritchett has 650 yards on 44 catches with 5 touchdowns. Lincoln Sefcik has 165 yards on 17 catches with a touchdown. DJ Thomas-Jones has 156 yards on 15 catches.
La’Damian Webb leads the team with 890 yards rushing on 162 carries with 15 touchdowns and an average of 5.5 yards per carry. Webb is 31st in the nation in rushing yards and tied for 2nd in the nation in rushing touchdowns. Kentrel Bullock, despite missing last week in the concussion protocol, has 380 yards on 76 carries with three touchdowns and a 5 yard per carry average. Marco Lee Jr has 186 yards on 41 carries with two touchdowns and a 4.5 yards per carry average.
| Season Stat | |
| 3rd Downs | 57-of-133 (42.9%) (29th) |
| 4th Downs | 12-of-20 (58.8%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 32-of-34 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 26-of-32 |
| Penalties-Yards | 69-597 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 12-7 |
Defense
| Stat | Average per game |
| Points | 21.1 (37th) |
| Total Offense | 323.7 (25th) |
| Passing Offense | 198.9 (31nd) |
| Rushing Offense | 124.8 (35th) |
| Time of Possession | 30:09 |
| Penalty Yards | 46.7 |
Quentin Wilfawn’s tear over the last three weeks continues to have him pace the defense with 71 total stops, 40 solo, with a team leading 13.5 TFLs and also a team leading 5.5 sacks. He also has 5 quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, and a pass breakup.
James Miller has 61 total stops, 23 solo, with 4 TFLs, a quarterback hurry and a fumble recovery.
Trey Kiser has 60 total stops, 26 solo, with 8.5 TFLs, 2.5 sacks, two pass breakups and a quarterback hurry.
Jamie Sheriff is third on the team with 6 TFLs and is tied for second on the team with 3 sacks. He leads the team with 7 quarterback hurries with a forced fumble.
Jaden Voisin leads the team with 3 interceptions to go with his 6 pass breakups and a forced fumble.
Ricky Fletcher leads the defense with 11 pass breakups.
| Season Stat | |
| 3rd Downs | 45-of-1330 (33.83%) (43rd) |
| 4th Downs | 7-of-15 (46.67%) |
| Red Zone Scoring Attempts | 19-of-26 |
| Red Zone Touchdowns | 11-of-26 |
| Penalties-Yards | 55-467 |
| Fumbles-Lost | 11-7 |
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo is 10-of-14 (71.4%) placekicking with a long of 46 yards.
Jack Martin is averaging 39.06 yards per punt with a long of 53 yards, 16 fair catches, 10 downed inside the 20 and two kicks of 50+ yards.
Injuries
Carter Bradley returned and played the entire game. At times it looked like he may have been favoring his left knee, but he moved around in the pocket well and even ran a few times. There was a strong northern wind during most of the game which affected his deep passes a bit. Some sailed long on him when the wind was at his back.
Overall Bradley looked good in his return.
Braylon McReynolds returned to the lineup for the first time since his injury suffered against Tulane in the season opener. The coaching staff said they were limiting how much playing time he got in the game. His first time touching the ball he gained 10 yards, so it’s safe to say he is ready to go. The coaching staff will evaluate him throughout the week and may “significantly” increase it workload this Saturday.
McReynolds return came at the perfect time. Kentrel Bullock missed the game after being unable to clear the concussion protocol prior to the game against Arkansas State. Each player and each concussion is different so the timetables to return are completely different each time. Hopefully Bullock will completely recover in time for the game.
Lincoln Sefcik will miss the remainder of the season due to breaking unspecified team rules, not due to injury.
Keys to the Game
Turnovers
Marshall averages 2.3 turnovers a game this season. Last week they gave the ball away twice to Georgia Southern, an INT and a fumble, yet still won the game. Over the five game losing streak they had a total of 14, or nearly three per game.
The Jags defense has not generated as many turnovers this season as they have over the last two seasons. I’m sure the team will look at this game as an opportunity to improve on the turnover margin with some takeaways
Meanwhile the Jaguar offense wants to protect the ball more. Webb had a very uncharacteristic fumble last week against the Red Wolves. It looked as though he was slipping on the turf as the defender knocked the ball loose. Bradley has cut down his interceptions after what looked like he was trying to force the ball downfield into bad coverage.
Turnover margin in a game is one of those key stats teams want to win as it increases their likelihood to win.
Offensive Line
The guys up front did a great job against the Arkansas defense. They limited the Red Wolves to only two sacks and led the way for La’Damian Webb to rush for 163 yards.
That kind of play is exactly what the team needed to help defeat the Red Wolves.
Marshall’s rushing defense is 94th in the nation, so if the offensive line can set the line of scrimmage the Jaguar backfield could have a field day running the ball.
But it all starts up front.
Stadium Presence
South Alabama still has a fan problem. Despite on-campus students not having far to go to view the game, they just didn’t turn out very well against Arkansas State.
It was the Jaguar Marching Band along with the Honor Band that provided most of the crowd noise in the game. They did a very good job of it too!
Everyone in the stadium last week could take a lesson from them.
The stadium was rocking for the Southern Miss game. We need that each and every week at Hancock Whitney Stadium. We need to “Rock the ‘cock” every home game. Whoever programs the in-game music really needs get off their personal playlist and look for some music to energize the crowd. The “Stand up and Shout” on 3rd down needs to go away for the foreboding chimes of “Hell’s Bells.” We need to settle on one good sing-along song to play early in the fourth quarter.
Give Thunderjags a crack at the in-game musical choices!
Senior Recognition
A strong group of seniors will be honored before the game on Saturday. They are in no particular order: Jamie Sheriff, Jamall Hickbottom, Maurice Strong Jr, Carter Bradley, Desmond Trotter, Tanner McGee, La’Damian Webb, Marco Lee Jr, Reggie Smith, Josh McCulloch, Brandon Crum, Jacob Hopper, Lincoln Sefcik, Ke’Shun Brown, Trey Kiser, James Miller, Quentin Wilfawn, Keith Gallmon, Jalen Jordan, Jacob Meeks and Diego Guajardo.
Many of those names you’ve heard mentioned on this site, while watching on television or streaming, or on the radio broadcast. Thank you for what you have done as a Jaguar and for being outstanding ambassadors of the team and the school. We wish you the best in whatever comes next in your journey.
Prediction
The Jags are another double-digit favorite this week with a 10.5 point favorite to win. Every time the Jags have been favored this season I have cringed a bit just because of the uncertainty and the inconsistency.
But I think South Alabama will be ready for Marshall. If the Jag defense can pick up where they left off last week, they should hold Marshall in check like they did Arkansas State no matter who starts at quarterback.
Though the Jaguar offense did just enough to win, we’d like to see them do a bit more.
The weather was a factor last week though. A strong northerly wind with mist doesn’t make for the best playing conditions, particularly throwing the ball. The weather on Saturday looks good, so hopefully that means lots of fireworks and light display for South Alabama.
I think the Jags win and they squeak out a cover while they’re at it.
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!
South Alabama Hosts Ragin’ Cajuns In SBC West Showdown
Kickoff: Saturday, October 28, 4pm
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: Reggie Smith (he will be wearing #50 due to jersey numbering restrictions for offensive linemen)
South Alabama returns to the field after having 11 days off and only it’s second game in 21 days in a pivotal Sun Belt Conference Western Division showdown against Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday.
Over the last two games the Jags have been on a tear. They have won them by a combined scored of 110-10. They won their first game in Monroe, LA 55-7 and then continued their unbeaten streak against Southern Miss 55-3 on a nationally televised Tuesday night game.
The Ragin’ Cajuns start a two-game stretch for the Jags in determining if they have what it takes to contend for the SBC West title.
Currently the Jags are tied with Texas State and Troy on top of the Western division standings at 2-1 in conference play with the Cajuns and Arkansas State right behind them at 1-2. The Jags have games remaining against all the teams mentioned down the stretch. But the immediate two are the Cajuns then a short turnaround to play Troy on Thursday night on the road in the Battle for the Belt.
But they can’t look ahead, the Jags are 0-0 this week and need a win.
Hall of Fame
But before the game, as part of the Hall of Fame weekend, South Alabama’s first head coach Joey Jones will be inducted into the University of South Alabama Hall of Fame. Jones along with Charde Hannah (women’s soccer), Kevin Hill (baseball) and Daniel Leitner (men’s tennis) will all be inducted at 10am at the Moulton Bell Tower and Alumni Plaza then they will also be honored at halftime of the game.
Jones was the architect of the football program starting in 2008 and fielded the first team in 2009. They began the program with 19-consecutive wins, joined the Sun Belt conference in 2012 and reached their first bowl game in 2014. Jones was selected as the SBC Coach of the Year in 2013. His career record at USA was 52-50 with two bowl berths. He is currently the director of player personnel at Mississippi State University.
Hannah was a two-time All-SBC and was named MVP of the 2014 and 2015 SBC tournament championships. The Jags won the championship all four seasons she was with USA.
Hill was a first-team All-American in 2016 and was named SBC Pitcher of the Years twice. He won the SBC pitching Triple Crown as a junior with a 10-0 record, 1.73 ERA, and 107 strikeouts. Only playing for USA for three seasons after transferring from junior college, Hill’s 326 strikeouts and 298.2 innings pitched are 6th in program history. His 22 wins are 9th in program history.
Leitner was SBC Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015. He was named to the All-Conference team three consecutive years and was Sun Belt Player of the Week eight times, five of them in his senior season.
South Alabama (4-3, 2-1 SBC)
The Jags have a turnover margin of +3 so far this season. They have given the ball away nine times on the season so far, six by interception and three by fumble. So far, the Jags have only fumbled the ball five times on the season in total, only losing three of them to their opponent. The defense has taken the ball away 12 times through seven games. They’ve forced nine fumbles, recovering six of them and also intercepting six passes.
The Jags have also played fairly clean football over the last two weeks. On the season they have been flagged 49 times for 430 yards, which is an average of 61.43 penalty yards per game.
Offense
After outscoring the opponents the last two weeks by a combined score of 110-10, the Jags have really bolstered their point differential on the season. On average the Jags are racking up 35.4 points, 448 total offensive yards, 271.86 passing yards, 176.1 rushing yards per game with an average time of possession of 30:42.
They are converting 46-of-94 (48.9%) on 3rd down and 7-of-12 (58.3%) on 4th down situations. They continue to be perfect in the red zone for the season by scoring on all 27 trips, with only five of them being field goals.
Carter Bradley is 138-of-205 passing for 1,775 yards, 11 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. Gio Lopez got in some extra work against Southern Miss and is 10-of-15 for 128 yards with a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown with only one interception.
Caullin Lacy continues to distance himself from the field with 48 catches for 826 yards and six touchdowns on the season. Lacy now ranks 3rd in the nation in receiving yards and tied for 17th in receiving touchdowns. His average of 118 yards receiving per game ranks him 2nd behind Malik Nabers of LSU (122.6).
Jamaal Pritchett, who had a standout performance against Southern Miss, now has 24 catches for 373 yards and a touchdown. Lincoln Sefcik has 16 catches for 152 yards and a touchdown. DJ Thomas-Jones has 11 catches for 136 yards.
La’Damian Webb seems to be back in full form after a 20-carry performance against the Golden Eagles. He now has 578 yards on 103 carries with 12 touchdowns on the season. Webb ranks 2nd in the nation in rushing touchdowns only trailing Blake Corum of Michigan by one touchdown. His rushing yards places him in the top 50 in the nation.
Kentrel Bullock has 343 yards on 68 carries with three touchdowns. Marco Lee Jr adds 186 yards on 39 carries and two touchdowns.
Defense
After the dominant performances the last two weeks the defensive stats are really looking impressive.
On average the defense is allowing 19.4 points, 312.4 total yards, 198.14 passing yards, and 114.3 rushing yards per game. Opposing teams have an average time of possession of 29:17 per game.
Opponents are converting 32-of-92 (34.78%) of their 3rd down attempts and 3-of-8 (37.5%) of their 4th down attempts on the season.
Trey Kiser leads the defense with 44 total stops, 19 solo, with two pass breakups and a quarterback hurry. James Miller is right behind him with 43 total stops, 14 solo, with a quarterback hurry and a forced fumble.
Kiser also leads the team with 6 tackles for loss. Khalil Jacobs has 5 TFLs. Quentin Wilfawn has 4.5 TFLs.
Brock Higdon leads the team with 3 sacks. Jamie Sheriff and Maurice Strong Jr both have two sacks each.
Jaden Voisin leads the team with two interceptions. Strong Jr, Yam Banks, Wesley Miller and Marquise Robinson each have an interception. Sheriff leads the team with 5 quarterback hurries and Higdon is behind him with three.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo is now 9-of-12 on the season on field goal attempts. He missed a 52 yard attempt to start the season and his other two misses have been from 40+ yards. He has a long of 46-yards this season.
Jack Martin’s best friend has been the kicking net on the sidelines over the last two games. He has not seen the field for a punt since the September 30th game against James Madison. He is still averaging 40.68 yards per kick on 19 attempts with 10 fair catches, 7 downed inside the 20 and two kicks of 50+ yards.
ULL (4-3, 1-2 SBC)
The Cajuns are a -5 turnover margin on the season. they have turned the ball over 15 times, seven by interception and eight by fumble. They’ve actually fumbled 17 times on the season and lost 8 of them. Their defense has taken the ball away 10 times, recovering four of their opponents 7 fumbles and six interceptions.
The Cajuns have been flagged 41 times for 345 yards on the season. They are averaging 49.3 penalty yards per game.
Offense
The Cajun offense is averaging 32.9 points, 425 total yards, 209.4 passing yards, and 215.6 rushing yards per game with an average time of possession of 29:04.
They are converting 39-of-90 (43%) of their 3rd down attempts and 7-of-12 (58%) of their 4th down attempts on the season.
They have been in their opponents red zone 31 times on the season and have scored on 23 (74%) of those trips with 17 of them (55%) being touchdowns.
Zeon Chriss is 77-of-119 (64.7%) passing for 906 yards, eight touchdowns, and 5 interceptions. Ben Wooldridge, who’s only appeared in three games, is 39-of-69 (56.5%) for 508 yards, five touchdowns and only one interception.
Robert Williams leads the Cajuns receiving corps with 289 yards on 22 catches with three touchdowns. Jacob Bernard has 241 yards on 19 catches. Neal Johnson has 163 yards on 15 catches. Peter LeBlanc also has 15 catches for 209 yards with three touchdowns.
Jacob Kibodi leads the Cajun rushing attack with 466 yards on 64 attempts with five touchdowns. Zeon Chriss is right with him with 446 yards on 57 carries with 5 touchdowns as well. Dre’lyn Washington has 272 yards on 41 carries with a touchdown. Zylan Perry has 113 yards on 34 carries and a touchdown.
Their rushing attack ranks eighth in the nation with Zeon Chriss as their #2 rusher on the team.
Defense
K.C. Ossai leads the Cajun defense with 49 total stops, 25 solo, with two tackles for loss, a sack, two quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and a blocked kick. Jasper Williams is next in line with 44 total stops, 23 solo, with two sacks, and 3.5 TFLs. Tyrone Lewish has 41 total stops, 17 solo, with ½ sack, an interception and two pass breakups.
Kendre’ Grant leads the defense with five sacks, a pass breakup, a quarterback hurry, two fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles. Jordan Lawson has 4 sacks, 4.5 TFL’s, and three quarterback hurries. Tyler Guidry has 3 sacks, 5.5 TFLs, an interception, a pass breakup and a forced fumble.
Tyree Skipper leads the Cajuns with two interceptions with four other players tied for 2nd with one interception each.
Special Teams
Kenneth Almendares is 7-of-8 of his field goal attempts this season, his long is from 46-yards. His only miss is from 40+ yards.
Leo Thomas is averaging 42.4 yards per punt across his 25 attempts. He long for the season is 52 yards with 12 fair catches, 8 downed inside the 20, 3 kicks of 50+ yards and two touchbacks.
Injuries
No key injuries to note. Josh McCulloch is currently listed as the starter on the two-deep roster for the game. Maybe this is the week he finally returns from the knee injury that’s been hampering him since mid-September leading up to the Oklahoma State game. However, we won’t know for sure if McCulloch is a go until game time.
Keys to the Game
Quarterback Containment
Zeon Chriss rushed for a game high 119 yards in the Cajuns homecoming loss last week to Georgia State. Including a 34 yard run on 3rd and 6 on their final drive in their attempt to win the game.
The Jags defense has struggled defending against a dual-threat quarterback. The losses to Central Michigan and James Madison were both to teams with quarterback with dual-threat capabilities.
Against Central Michigan, the Jags were up 14-0 before Jase Bauer came in and led the Chippewas come-from-behind win.
If South Alabama wants to continue to their winning streak and remain at bunched at the top of the Sun Belt Conference Western Division, they will have to keep Chriss in check.
Continued Consistency
The Jags have been executing at a very high level over the last two games. The only thing you can knock on their play over the last two games were late in the first half against Southern Miss. The Jags had a couple of opportunities for touchdowns that were squandered. They had a few attempts to punch the ball into the end zone from at or inside the one-yard line and couldn’t convert. Then a costly false start when they were lining with the offense on fourth down, led them to a field goal.
They had another drive stall the field goal attempt by the usually reliable Diego Guajardo missed wide right leaving points on the field.
But outside of those and a couple other instances in the last two games, the Jags have almost been the embodiment of consistency over the last two games.
They need to keep striving to hit that mark this week (and the rest of the season).
Continue To Involve Other Receivers
Caullin Lacy was slotted in at the clear #2 receiver with Devin Voisin expected to be the #1. But when Devin went down with a season-ending injury, Lacy has stepped into the #1 position and has excelled.
Lacy has gone over 100-yards receiving in all but one game this season. He only managed 60 yards in the season opener at Tulane.
Jamaal Pritchett broke out in the Jags game vs Southern Miss last time out. He showed his speed and ability to avoid defenders.
Pritchett and other pass catchers will need to play big roles down the stretch this season with the meat of the SBC West coming up over the last few games.
Prediction
South Alabama is a 10.5-point favorite against the Cajuns. After the last two weeks, it’s hard for Jag fans to not nod their head in agreement with that.
Last time I was nervous about the Southern Miss game and that was a big whiff.
Call me what you want, but I’m nervous about this game too. Dual-threat quarterbacks have been kryptonite against the Jags defense historically (and this season). Head coach Kane Wommack, defensive coordinator Corey Batoon, and secondaries coach Jay Hopson have all done a great job correcting issues in the back side of the defense. Ricky Fletcher has stepped up his game noticeably. Jaden Voisin continues to play like the leader of the unit he is.
Lafayette seems to have improved in the second season under head coach Michael Desormeaux. Though they currently sit at 4-3 overall, they played Minnesota close and were one play away from potentially upsetting Georgia State, however an interception in the end zone with 30 seconds left derailed that comeback.
I feel that the Jags win I don’t think they cover the spread.
Go Jags!