Preview: South Alabama Travels To ULM Looking For First Conference Road Win Of Season
Kickoff: Saturday October 23, 6:00pm
Venue: Malone Stadium, Monroe, Louisiana
TV/Streaming: ESPN3
Radio: 96.1 fm The Rocket, Sports Talk 99.5 fm, iHeartRadio App
Thunderjags Twitter: @USAThunderjags
#5 Jersey: Jake Bentley
The South Alabama Jaguars got the win they needed last week against Georgia Southern. Not only did you see players step up to fill in for injured players, but they did it in an impressive fashion by a score of 41-14.
The Jags (4-2, 1-2 SBC) now turn their focus to Louisiana-Monroe team (3-3, 1-2 SBC) that just upset a heavily favored Liberty team 31-28 on Saturday.
ULM is the next game in a four-game stretch of games that are ripe for the picking as we wrote about a few weeks ago. The Jags dropped the first one to Texas State in a 4OT heartbreaker. The Jags came out of that game bruised and battered from a very physical contest.
The team was without Kareem Walker, Caullin Lacy, James Jackson, Shawn Jennings, and Trent Tyre. They also had a number of players who missed practice time leading up to that Georgia Southern win.
Despite the adversity the Jags showed that any given week they can play and compete with any team in the conference.
ULM
The Warhawks are under the direction of a new head coach this season. His name may be a bit familiar to some people in the state of Alabama.
At a minimum, his last name should be very familiar to anyone who’s a fan of college football.
Terry Bowden was the head coach at Auburn University in the 1990s, succeeding Pat Dye. As his last name suggests, he is the son of hall of famer Bobby Bowden.
He spent about 10 years out of coaching as a broadcaster for ABC sports among other football related media jobs. In 2009 he returned to the coaching ranks with North Alabama where he accumulated a 29-9 record and three consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division II playoffs.
He then went to Akron for the 2012 season and went from a 1-11 record his first season with the Zips to almost upsetting Michigan in 2013. There he compiled a 35-52 record and led the Zips to their first MAC Championship game appearance since 2005 and only the second in program history. He also led the Zips to their second bowl game in three seasons and only their third bowl game in program history. He was fired in 2018.
After being let go by Akron, Bowden join the Clemson staff for the last two seasons as an offensive analyst before being hired by ULM in the offseason.
Joining Bowden as his offensive coordinator is another name that many football fans may also remember, Rich Rodriguez.
Rodriguez came to prominence at the West Virginia University (2001-2007) with his zone read offensive concepts. He was considered for the job at the University of Alabama, which he turned down and eventually led to Nick Saban being hired.
He was hired at the University of Michigan in 2008. His first team finished with a 3-9 losing record, the worst season in school history and missed a bowl game for the first time in 33 years. After acknowledging rules violations to the NCAA and a disappointing season, the was dismissed.
He was the head coach at University of Arizona from 2012-2017, winning 33 games in his first four seasons, the most in school history over a four-year period. It included four-consecutive bowl berths, a first in program history.
In 2018 he was hired as offensive coordinator at Ole Miss under head coach Matt Luke. When Luke was let go, he was not offered a position with the Lane Kiffin staff.
Prior to the upset of Liberty, the Warhawks lost back-to-back games against Coastal Carolina (59-6) and Georgia State (55-21).
Offense
On the season, ULM’s offensive stats are not that impressive. They are averaging 18.2 points per game, 259 total yards of offense, 164.5 passing yards and 94.5 rushing yards per game.
They have converted 25-of-92 3rd down attempts (27.2%) and 6-of-8 4th down attempts (75%). In 12 red zone trips they have scored 11 times (91.7%) but of those 11 conversions, only six of them have been touchdowns. They have fumbled seven times and lost two of them.
Andrew Henry leads the team in rushing yards with 283 on 66 carries with two touchdowns. Chandler Rogers is next with 213 yards on 77 carries. No other ball carrier has over 65 yards rushing after that.
Chandler Rogers is leading the Warhawks quarterback position. He is 44-of-75 for 590 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions. Rhett Rodriguez, coach Rodriguez’s son, is 35-of-62 for 337 yards and a touchdown though he’s missed three games due to a punctured lung.
Boogie Knight leads the receiving corps with 23 catches for 285 yards. Zach Jackson has 17 catches for 239 yards and two touchdowns in five games. Jared Sparks also has 17 catches for 162 yards. No other receiver has over 71 yards receiving or more than 6 catches on the season.
Against Liberty the Warhawks came out in the third quarter, trailing 14-0, and scored 28-unanswered points to take a 28-14 lead. They broke the 28-all tie with the game winning 53-yard field goal with 1:44.
Defense
As mentioned before, prior to the Liberty win, the Warhawks allowed 50+ points in back-to-back games. They allowed 291 yards rushing to Coastal Carolina and then 323 yards rushing to Georgia State. Those numbers skew the game averages, but definitely shows how Jekyll and Hyde ULM seems to be.
The Warhawk defense allows an average of 35 points, 455.3 total yards, 275.3 passing and 180 rushing yards per game.
Opponents have converted 42-of-79 3rd down attempts (53.2%) but only 1-of-7 4th down attempts (14.3%).
Opponents have had the ball in the red zone 22 times and have scored 19 times (86.4%), of those 17 have been touchdowns.
Linebacker Traveion Webster leads the defense with 46 total stops, 14 solo, two tackles for loss, and 1/2 sack on the season. Cornerback Adam Sparks has 39 stops, 21 solo with a fumble recovery.
Defensive end Ty Shelby leads the team with 6.5 tackles for loss and also leads the team with 5 sacks on the season. Linebacker Zack Woodard has 34 total tackles on the season with 4 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, both of those are second on the team.
Special Teams
Calum Sutherland is 10-of-14 this season in his field goal attempts. He is 1-of-2 from 50+ yards, 4-of-6 from 40-49 yards. His longest was from 53 yards out. He’s had one attempt blocked. He has made all 11 extra point attempts on the season. Of his 27 kickoffs, he has eight touchbacks and one has gone out of bounds.
Punter Devyn McCormick is averaging 42.1 yards per punt over his 40 kicks this season. He’s kicked seven 50+ yards, his longest went 56 yards. He has four touchbacks and 18 fair catches. Nine has been downed inside the opponents 20 yard line.
South Alabama
Game six was finally the game where the offense came out ready to go. Not only did they get their first 1st down on an opening drive this season, but they also scored a touchdown.
That helped propelled the Jags to a 41-14 rout of Georgia Southern and broke seven-game winless streak the Jags held against the Eagles.
Offense
Jake Bentley finally showed his FBS experience. He set a school-record throwing for 389 yards and accounting for five total touchdowns in the game. That earned him Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors.
The offense is now averaging 28.5 points, 387.7 total yards, 253.5 passing yards and 134.2 rushing yards per game.
They have converted 32-of-85 3rd down attempts (38%) and 8-of-13 4th down attempts (62%). They have scored 22 times in 27 red zone trips (81%) with 19 of those being touchdowns.
Bryan Hill is currently the teams leading rusher with 214 yards on 52 carries in four games with three touchdowns. Kareem Walker has 208 yards on 53 carries with four touchdowns, but has missed the last couple of games due to a quad injury.
Terrion Avery has 199 yards on 59 carries with a touchdown. AJ Phillips has 78 yards on 23 carries with two touchdowns in only two games played.
Bentley is 122-of179 (68.2%) passing for 1,505 yards, 7 touchdowns and two interceptions.
Jalen Tolbert has 36 receptions for 718 yards and two touchdowns. He’s averaging 119.7 yards per game and 19.9 yards per reception.
Jalen Wayne is the next closest receiver with 307 yards on 24 catches with one touchdown. Caullin Lacy has 170 yards on 23 catches.
Defense
The Jags Swarm D keeps living up to its name. They are producing turnovers and causing havoc for the opponents.
The defense is allowing an average of 19 points, 297.8 total yards, 177.2 passing, and 120.7 rushing yards per game.
With the interceptions they gathered against the Eagles, USA now has 8 INTs on the year and have recovered four fumbles from opponents too. The team turnover margin is +3.
Yam Banks leads the Jaguar defense with 28 total stops, 17 solo. Keith Gallmon Jr. has 27 total stops, 15 solo with 2.5 sacks and an interception. CJ Rias leads the team with three sacks. Tre Young leads the team with 2 interceptions.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo has connected on 7-of-10 field goal attempts this season. He is 4-of-5 from 40-49 yards on the season with his longest being from 48 yards out. Of his 33 kickoffs, 15 have been touchbacks.
Jack Brooks is averaging 40.9 yards over his 28 attempts on the season. He’s had three go 50+ yards and his longest has been 54 yards. None have been touchbacks, 9 have been fair caught, 7 have been downed inside the opponents 20 yard line. He had one kick blocked.
Keys to the Game
Early Game Momentum
It took six games, but the Jags offense finally came out of the locker room ready to go last week. They took the opening kick and drove 84 yards for the score.
At one point they converted first downs on 5 consecutive plays.
They really need to come out and do that again, this time on the road.
Sustaining Momentum
Last week ULM started slow and was in a 14-0 hole at halftime. They then scored 28-unanswered points to seize control of the game in the second half.
The Jags need to put pressure on ULM early like they did Georgia Southern. But they need to keep applying pressure because the Warhawks will not give up and they also have proven they can make that come back.
Minimizing Mistakes
Well, obviously minimizing mistakes is a big deal. But where I’m coming from is penalties and mental mistakes in some specific instances.
Two weeks ago the Jags lost AJ DeShazor in the second half due to a targeting call. That forced him to sit out the first half of the Georgia Southern game. He was previously flagged for targeting in the season opener against Southern Miss and missed playing time.
Against Georgia Southern Yam Banks was flagged for targeting on a kickoff return. Upon review it was overturned otherwise the Jags linebacking corps was going to be quite thin without Banks and the injured players unable to play last week.
The offense and defense has had the occasional mistake occur. The offense has committed a penalty to negate a good play and put them behind the down and distance schedule. Also the defense has committed a penalty that extended drives.
Prediction
A couple weeks ago we saw one of the best second halves of football the Jags have played all season when they came back against Louisiana.
This past week we saw the best complete game effort by the Jags this season. It was probably one of the best team efforts in several years.
Coach Wommack’s mantra about the “neutral mindset” is his process. It’s all about the team playing to the same standard regardless of the score or game situation.
There are going to be highs and lows in each game. Some will be really high and some will seem really low.
But if they can continue to focus on the next play. If they can continue to do their job at a high level, regardless of success or adversity, then good things will happen. They want to do the same high-level job over and over again. Play after play.
When the team plays like that, they can compete with anyone in the Sun Belt.
If they can do that play after play and game after game, then they will build into a consistent program.
ULM leads the series 4-3. They’ve won every game in Monroe and the Jags have won three of the four contests in Mobile. It’s an opportunity for the Jags to break another streak against a Sun Belt foe.
Monroe is a tough place to play. The Warhawks have pulled off a pair of surprises this season under coach Bowden, both at home. They upset Troy 29-16 on September 25 then the 31-28 upset Liberty last week that was mentioned above.
The Jags will need the neutral mindset and they will need to play at a high level for the entire game in order to not fall into the Monroe trap.
The Jags are favored by 13.5 points over ULM. That line makes me nervous. You can call me a homer, but I think the Jags win however I don’t think they cover. ULM plays very tough at home and it’s not the best place to travel to.
Go Jags!
South Alabama Snaps Two-Game Skid, Gets First Ever Win Over Georgia Southern 41-14
South Alabama finally got the monkey off their back, defeating Georgia Southern and also breaking a two-game losing streak in an impressive rout, 41-14.
The Jags (4-2, 1-2 SBC) took control from the opening possession and never really let the Georgia Southern Eagles (2-5, 1-3 SBC) take flight. They took the opening kickoff and drove 84 yards in 10 plays to put up the opening score. Jake Bentley capped the drive off with a 12 yard run.
In each of the previous five games, the Jags first possession has been a three-and-out. So not only getting their first 1st down on an opening possession, but scoring a touchdown were both firsts for the 2021 team.
The Jags added to their lead with a 42-yard field goal by Diego Guajardo with 2:03 left in the opening quarter.
The defense forced a punt with little over a minute left in the opening quarter. Only a minute into the second quarter the Jags were back on the board with Jake Bentley’s second rushing touchdown of the game, this time from six yards out.
On the ensuing possession the Eagles were quickly facing a 3rd and 6 from their own 29 when CJ Rias picked off the pass at the Georgia Southern 40 yard line. Then the first offensive play Bentley connected with Jalen Tolbert down the near sideline for a 40 yard touchdown to go up 24-0 with 12:29 left in the second quarter.
South Alabama’s defense forced another punt after being aided by a holding penalty. All the offense needed was three plays to go 70 yards with a 5 yard touchdown pass by Bentley to Jalen Wayne to put the Jags ahead 31-0 with 9:08 left until hafltime.
Georgia Southern finally got on the board on a 15 play, 75 yard drive. The Eagles opted for the 2-point conversion, which they got, to cut the Jags lead to 31-8 with 2:00 left until halftime.
GSU opened the second half with a 10 play, 48 yard drive culminating in a 44 yard field goal to put the score at 31-11 with 10:22 left in the third quarter.
A 58 yard run by Bryan Hill set up Bentley’s second touchdown pass of the game. Bentley connected with Lincoln Sefcik for his second touchdown of the season. It gave the Jags a 38-11 advantage with 3:41 left in the third quarter and ending the 11-unanswered point streak by the Eagles.
The fourth quarter began with a 34 yard field goal on the second snap of the quarter. It would end up being Georgia Southerns final points of the game.
The Jags tried to answer on the next possession however Diego’s 43 yard field goal flew wide right.
The next Jaguar possession Diego got another opportunity to put one between the uprights, which he did from 31 yards out to set the final score.
Jake Bentley is the first Jaguar to account for five touchdowns in a game. He ran for two and threw for three more in the game. He is also the first Jaguar quarterback to throw for over 300 yards in a game since Evan Orth did in 2018.
Bentley finished with 389 yards and three touchdowns on 24-of-31 passing. He also ran six times for 8 yards after sack yardage was subtracted.
Desmond Trotter was 1-of-2 for 16 yards at the end of the game.
Bryan Hill led all rushers with 65 yards on eight carries. Terrion Avery carried the ball 10 times for 43 yards.
Jalen Tolbert broke the record with the most 100-yard receiving games in Jaguar history. He caught 11 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown after being targeted 18 times in the game.
Jalen Wayne added 117 yards on 7 receptions with a touchdown.
Justin Tomlin went 5-of-13 passing for 49 yards and an interception. Cam Ransom went 2-of-12 for 63 yards.
Logan Wright led the Eagles backfield with 60 yards on 14 carries. Ransom added 23 yards on 10 carries.
Amare Jones led the Eagles receiving corps with 90 yards on four receptions. Emil Smith caught two passes for 20 yards. Beau Johnson caught 1 pass for 2 yards.
South Alabama rolled up 545 yards of total offense to Georgia Southern’s 233. The Jags threw for 405 yards to GSU’s 112 and the Jags out rushed the Eagles 140-121.
Offensively the Jags converted 7-of-12 3rd down attempts to GSU’s 9-of-21. USA was 5-of-6 in red zone scoring, the one trip without a score was at the end of the game when they allowed time to expire.
South Alabama’s CJ Rias collected the only turnover of the game with an interception. GSU put the ball on the ground once in the game but were able to recover it.
The Jags scored on five of its first six possession while the defense forced three-an-outs on four of Georgia Southern’s first five possessions. The other was Rias’s interception.
“It just felt free,” Bentley said. “The game plan going in was to be aggressive. We consistently did that all night, up-front, on the perimeter, we just really attacked all night. It felt really good as an offense to really get rolling and put up some points.”
“You think of how we’ve opened games and how we’ve opened drives, to take the ball and score the first drive of the game, and the defense continue to get three-and-outs,” head coach Kane Wommack said after the game. “They made some adjustments on their side and got some momentum, and we adjusted right back and took it away from them. That, to me, is awesome against a very proud program. But this program has been waiting to beat that team for a very long time and we got it done tonight.”
“You have to be able to build off momentum,” Wommack said. “A team that’s never had those situations.”
“The guys in that locker room have never responded to adversity and found ways to win.” Wommack continued. “And that’s what this group is doing right now.”
Speaking of adversity, the Jags had a long list of injured players sitting out the game. Center James Jackson (knee), wide receiver Caullin Lacy (ankle), linebacker Shawn Jennings (ankle) and tight end Trent Tyre (undisclosed) all missed the game due to injuries suffered in the last week.
Running back Kareem Walker (quad) missed his third consecutive game with his nagging injury.
Tight end Lincoln Sefcik, running back Terrion Avery, left tackle Ja’Chai Baker, and linebackers Chris Henderson and Ke’Shun Brown all missed some practice time this week after suffering injuries against Texas State last weekend.
Next Game
South Alabama has a couple extra days to rest and prepare for their trip to Monroe, Louisiana to take on the ULM Warhawks. Kickoff is scheduled for 6pm on Saturday, October 23.
Preview: South Alabama Hosts Georgia Southern For Thursday Night Matchup
Kickoff: Thursday October 14, 6:30 pm
Venue: Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, Alabama
TV: ESPNU
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5 fm, 96.1 fm The Rocket, iHeartRadio App
We saw another first from the South Alabama Jaguars on Saturday evening against Texas State. It was the first time under first year head coach Kane Wommack that the Jaguars faltered coming down the stretch.
Through the first four games the Jags (3-2, 0-2 SBC) have started slow but in each of them they rallied towards the final whistle. Three of them were wins and one was a loss.
While the Jags still opened slowly against the Bobcats, they took control and had a 17-7 lead at halftime.
They led 24-10 early in the fourth quarter.
Momentum shifted decisively into the Bobcats favor when a flea flicker attempt went awry. Running back Bryan Hill technically fumbled the ball away on the stats sheet, however his lateral intended for Jake Bentley was plucked out of the air by a Bobcat defender.
The Jags have quite a tough assignment this week.
They have to clear their minds, rest their bodies, and yet they still need to prepare to host Georgia Southern on Thursday night after that very physical game in San Marcos, Texas.
Georgia Southern
The Eagles (2-4, 1-2 SBC) dismissed head coach Chad Lunsford after a 28-20 loss to Louisiana in the fourth game of the season after starting the season 1-3. They then split the two games since then with a win over Arkansas State (59-33) and last Saturday a loss to Troy (27-24) on a very late field goal.
They fought back from a 24-3 deficit early in the third quarter to tie the game with 6:08 left in the game. Aided by an interception, Troy regained the lead with 1:46 left in the game. The Eagles had an opportunity tie or win the game, but quarterback Justin Tomlin threw his third interception near midfield with :32 left to seal the game.
They too have a short week but at least they have to travel to Mobile for the game.
Offense
As is normal for a Georgia Southern offense, they are a predominately running offense.
They average just under 381 yards of total offense per game. The running game accounts for an average of just over 253 yards per game and they pass for 127.5 yards per game on average.
However the script was flipped for the Eagles against Troy. Georgia Southern only managed to run for 82 yards against the Trojans but threw for 219 yards.
Georgia Southern scores an average of 24.8 points per game. They have only converted 27-of-86 3rd down attempts (31.4%) on the season. They have converted 9-of-17 4th down attempts (52.9%).
As a team they have thrown 5 interceptions and fumbled 7 times, but only lost 1 fumble to opponents.
In the red zone the Eagles have scored 14 times out of 16 trips. Of those 14 scores, 8 of them have been touchdowns.
Logan Wright leads the Eagles backfield with 66 carries for 481 yards and five touchdowns on the season. Gerald Green accounts for 342 yards on 48 carries with five touchdowns. Jalen White has ran 32 times for 210 yards and two touchdowns.
The Eagles have a bit of a two quarterback system going on. Justin Tomlin has carried the ball 50 times this season for 116 yards and two touchdowns. Passing he is 38-of-77 for 458 yards, no touchdowns but four interceptions. Cam Ransom is 25-of-49 for 242 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions.
The Eagles only have three receivers with over 100 yards receiving so far on the season. Khaleb Hood leads the receiver corps with 22 catches, the only receiver in double digits, for 230 yards. Running back Logan Wright is next with 9 catches for 102 yards. Derwin Burgess Jr has four receptions for 101 yards.
Defense
GSU allows an average of 32.7 points per game.
They allow an average of 483 yards per game. However they only allow 144.2 yards rushing per game. But they allow 338.8 yards passing per game.
Their 3rd down defense is pretty strong with opponents converting 31-of-78 (39.7%) on 3rd down. Opponents have only attempted 9 4th down attempts and only converted 2 (22.2%).
Safety Anthony Wilson leads the defense with 34 total tackles, 19 of them solo, with two tackles-for-loss, one sack, three pass break ups and a forced fumble.
Safety Justin Birdsong is second with 32 total tackles, 18 of them solo, with 1.5 tackles for loss, .5 sack, and a pass break up.
Gardner-Webb opened the season with only 50 yards rushing against the Eagles defense, but they threw for 365 yards. The Eagles squeaked out a 30-25 win over the FCS opponent.
Their only other win was against Arkansas State when they held the Red Wolves to 81 yards rushing but allowed 453 yards passing in route to the 59-33 victory.
When Georgia Southern holds their opponents to under 100 yards rushing they are 2-0 this season. But when they allow over 100 yards, they are 0-4.
Against Louisiana they only allowed 129 rushing yards and lost the game 28-20. Against Troy they allowed 139 yards and lost 27-24.
Special Teams
Anthony Beck averages just a hair under 45 yards per punt. His longest on the season is 60 yards and he has 12 downed inside the opponents 20 yard line.
Alex Raynor has converted 5-of-6 field goal attempts with a long of 42 yards. The one missed attempt was blocked. Raynor has 13 kickoffs with six touchbacks.
Freshman Britton Williams is 3-for-3 in field goal attempts with a long of 49 yards. Williams has handled 18 kickoffs with five touchbacks and two out of bounds.
South Alabama
The Jags have a laundry list of injured players that are in various stages of recovery from the game. Running back Kareem Walker, who has missed the last two games, should be able to return on Thursday. Running back Terrion Avery, wide receiver Caullin Lacy, offensive tackle Ja’Chai Baker, tight ends Trent Tyre and Lincoln Sefcik, and linebackers Chris Henderson, Shawn Jennings and Ke’Shun Brown are all trying to recover from being banged up against the Bobcats, but should be able to play.
Center James Jackson suffered an injury to this right knee and will not play on Thursday.
Add in A.J. DeShazor’s disqualification for targeting in the second half of the game in San Marcos, the Jags will be without him in the first half against Georgia Southern as well. With Jennings’ being banged up, that means Juco transfer Trey Kiser will likely see more action.
Offense
The Jags offensive line has been particularly hit by injuries, however Jackson’s injury is the most significant. This will be the sixth different starting offensive line configuration in six games. You’ll likely see Trey Simpson move over to play center with Josh McCulloch at left tackle, Hadon Merchant at left guard, Anterrious Gray at right guard and Antawn Lewis at right tackle.
After last weeks performance, Bryan Hill only managed to run for 17 net yards on 13 carries against the Bobcats. AJ Phillips was the Jags leading rusher with 19 carries for 72 yards and two touchdowns, his first career score as a Jaguar. Caullin Lacy ran four times for 23 yards.
The Jags have done a good job developing their run game so far this season. They entered the season with Walker and Avery as the top two backs. Now with the emergence of Hill and Phillips, the Jags have developed depth at a position that was lacking it somewhat.
But the running backs would not be having as much success if the offensive line had not continued to improve as well.
The run game success translated into play-action passing and increased vertical passing opportunities as seen against Louisiana two weeks ago.
Georgia Southern’s defense has been pretty good against the run but susceptible to the pass by allowing an average of 338.8 yards per game.
If the Jags run game can get some footing early then Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Wayne, Caullin Lacy, and Cade Sutherland should be able to find some success against the Eagles.
Defense
For the first time this season the Jags defense struggled coming down the stretch against Texas State. They allowed two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter. Up until that point the Jags only allowed one touchdown all season in the fourth quarter
Though they were missing AJ DeShazor due to disqualification and had three linebackers banged up.
They allowed 399 yards of total offense, the most so far this season, and 212 yards rushing, also the most allowed so far this season.
Maybe one of their toughest assignments yet is coming to town.
Georgia Southern runs the triple-option, an offense that has given the Jags fits historically.
So much so the Jags have yet to notch a win against the Eagles.
The first five meetings between the two were decided by 22, 38, 15, 52, and 35 points. However the last two meetings were decided by a field goal in overtime in 2019 and a touchdown last season.
Head coach Kane Wommack said that he and defensive coordinator Corey Batoon’s defense had facets built in that would naturally help defend against the triple option.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo made all of his extra points against Texas State and is now 13-of-15. He missed a 28 yard attempt attempt against the Bobcats but connected on a 35 yard attempt. He is now 5-of-7 on the season.
Jack Brooks averages 41.4 yards punt with 7 downed inside the opponents 20 yard line and no touchbacks.
Keys to the Game
Stopping the Run
Georgia Southern isn’t the traditional triple option team that they once were. But running the ball is still 100% their identity.
When they’ve been held to under 100 yards rushing this season they are 0-2. Over the last few years when their opponent out gains them on the ground, they have lost all 20-some-odd games.
The South Alabama defense has ranked very high in the nation in run defense. Coach Wommack said that their defensive scheme has elements to it that help to stop their type of rushing attack too.
Rushing Offense
Being a predominately run offense, the Eagles defense tends to be pretty good against the run themselves.
When they have been able to take away the run and force their opponents to be one dimensional with the pass, they have excelled.
However when the opponent has success on the ground, gets favorable down and distances, and can use play-action passing to their advantage their opponents have done well.
The Jags have tall, athletic receivers in Jalen Tolbert and Jalen Wayne. The Jags have an average height advantage over the defensive backs of 3 inches. Tolbert has shown that he is one of the best receivers in the Sun Belt and possibly in the nation too.
If they can establish that run game and use play-action to get some man-to-man coverage on the outside with either Wayne or Tolbert then they could have a field day with the Eagles secondary.
Offensive Line
The Jags offensive line is a banged and bruised up group right. They’ve been that way all season though.
They have yet to start the same five guys in the same five positions twice this season.
Trey Simpson is slated to move over to center while while James Jackson will miss the game with a right knee injury. Thankfully it doesn’t look too serious or season ending.
Left tackle Ja’Chai Baker missed some time last Saturday due to injury.
They’ll need to be ready to go come Thursday evening.
Prediction
South Alabama is only a few plays away from being 5-0. But they are also only a few plays away from being 1-4 as well.
As an article a couple weeks ago pointed out, the Jags have a run of four games that should be very winnable. The first was Texas State.
Next up is Georgia Southern.
This may not be a must-win game in order to keep hope alive to get bowl-eligible. But the difficulty increases week by week. The last three game will be against the three most difficult teams on the schedule. The game before that three-game stretch is at Troy. Need I say more?
The time to win is now.
Also, let’s get that first win against Georgia Southern. Having that big zero staring at you from the win column each and every year is really old.
The Jags are a 3 point favorite according to the different odds sites. I think the Jags win but I’m not sure if they will cover. It may be yet another nail biter decided late in the game.
Let’s get to 4-2 and a win closer to bowl eligibility.
Go Jags!
South Alabama Travels To Bowling Green For First Road Game Of The Season
Kickoff: Saturday September 11, 3 pm
Venue: Doyt L. Perry Stadium, Bowling Green, Ohio
TV: ESPN+
Radio: Sports Talk 99.5 fm, 96.1 fm The Rocket, iHeartRadio
South Alabama has spent the week gearing up for their first road trip under first-year head coach Kane Wommack.
I don’t think many will argue against the idea that it’s easier to prepare after a win than it is after a loss. However coach Wommack made sure, as soon as the Southern Miss game was over, to start pointing out that the team needs more urgency and that it was no where near the standard he wants to hold his team to.
Coach Wommack pointed out the teams poor execution at times, how he didn’t think they finished well, and that it was not a convincing win in his mind.
Next up for the Jaguars are the Bowling Green Falcons.
It’s an opportunity for some payback for the Jags 33-28 loss on December 20, 2014 in the Camellia Bowl in Montgomery. It was the Jags first bowl game appearance.
Third year Bowling Green head coach Scot Loeffler is 3-15 and coming off a 38-6 loss at Tennessee to open their season. The Falcons were 0-5 in a short 2020 season.
While the Jaguars offensive production, numbers wise, was not very impressive, it definitely felt different.
The Jags continued to struggle to run the ball. But the Southern Miss defensive front is arguably their strongest defensive unit. Any way you look at it, there is definitely room to grow on their 31 rushing yard outing.
Kareem Walker gained 26 yards on 18 carries. He got a significant chunk of carries in the later stages of the game with little effectiveness. Terrion Avery added 12 yards on 10 carries.
On the other hand the Jags passing game was quite efficient. Bentley went 17-of-22 for 269 yards and two touchdowns. Jalen Tolbert led the way with 168 yards on just five receptions (an average of 33.6 yards per catch with a long of 49 yards). Caullin Lacy added 67 yards on five catches and Jalen Wayne caught three passes for 20 yards. Walker and Trent Tyre caught the two touchdown passes.
Offensively the Jags had 11 tackles for loss accounting for 31 lost yards. Of those 11, three of them were sacks for a loss of 17 yards. The Jags fumbled the ball away to Southern Miss once in the game.
Defensively the Jags used the SwarmD and caused disruptions all night. The team racked up five tackles for loss for a loss of 33 yards, four of them sacks for 31 yards. They collected two interceptions, one of them returned 48 yards for a touchdown. They also forced two fumbles and recovered both of them.
The secondary had three pass breakups. Keith Gallmon led the team in tackles with 7, 5 of them were solo.
In all, seven of the nine top tacklers in the game came from the defensive front. That helps show that Jags did a good job getting stops before players got to the secondary.
Bowling Green
Offense
The Falcons ran into a Tennessee defense that caused them a lot of problems. They were only able to rush for 32 yards. Nick Mosley led the way with 26 yards on the ground on eight carries. His longest run was 24 yards.
Matt McDonald was 25-of-38 for 187 yards through the air while being sacked twice. He spread the ball around pretty well. The leading receiver, Austin Osbourne, had eight catches for 46 yards. Cavon Croom added five catches for 45 yards. Three other receivers caught three passes each.
Defense
The Falcon run defense was shredded for 326 yards on 64 carries. That still averaged out to 5.1 yards per carry. Two Tennessee running backs went over 100 yards in the game and the quarterback had two rushing touchdowns.
The defense only allowed 145 yards passing and one passing touchdown to the Vols. Michigan transfer quarterback Joe Milton went 11-of-23 for 140 yards and a touchdown while adding 44 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 14 carries. The Falcons did sack him three times though.
Bowling Green’s defense recovered two fumbles, one of them forced.
South Alabama
Offense
As mentioned previously, the offense struggled running the ball. They only managed to gain 31 yards on 34 carries.
However the blame doesn’t solely rest on the offensive line.
After reviewing the game film, head coach Kane Wommack said that the Jaguar running backs showed some hesitancy. That hesitancy, however slight, against the quality and experienced defensive front of Southern Miss meant that the holes that the offensive line opened for the backs closed quickly.
But there were breakdowns in blocking by the receivers as well.
In short, the running backs hesitation and blocking mishaps by receivers all contributed to allowing the defense to fill the gaps.
Which circles back to coach Wommack’s post-game talk about playing with urgency. Which is fixable. And you better believe they will be working on that this week.
Going up against Bowling Green’s defense may give them a great opportunity to take this week’s work in practice and translate it into success on the field.
The Falcon defense allowed 326 yards to Tennessee. But going back to the 2020 season, they allowed over 310 rushing yards per game on average.
Defense
The Jaguar defense played better than expected.
During preseason camp coach Wommack said that installing the defense had gone quicker and easier than expected.
It sure came out to shine on Saturday night.
Overall the Jags only allowed 258 yards of total offense. Only 125 yards rushing and 2.9 yards per carry to coach Will Hall, who is known for his power rushing attack offense.
The defense was in the backfield all game long causing havoc.
They recorded 11 tackles for loss, three of them sacks, and many more quarterback hurries. They also forced two interceptions, some near interceptions, and three pass breakups.
The stat that I liked was that of the top 9 tacklers on the Jaguar defense, 7 of them came from the defensive front. Only two were players in the secondary.
That means that the front 6, and sometimes just the front 5 (as one of the ends may situationally drop into coverage), did not allow their opponents to get into the second level of the defense. Additionally they did not needing safeties to come up and help stop the run. It also means that they weren’t completing a lot of passes either.
The longest run allowed was 5 yards and the longest pass completion was 23 yards to Frank Gore Jr., the running back.
Special Teams
Diego Guajardo had a solid outing connecting on a 48 yard field goal in the third quarter. He had six kickoffs and half of them were touchbacks.
Jack Brooks also had a solid night. He averaged 43.9 yards across his eight punts. His longest of the night was 54 yards and he had three punts downed inside the 20.
Keys to the Game
Rushing Offense
With improved offensive line play, the running game needs to pick up to help balance the offense. This will be needed as the season progresses as we get into conference play.
Coach Wommack said that there would be a focus this week on urgency and also said he thought he saw hesitancy by the running backs. This would be a great opportunity for the Jags running backs to have a break out performance against a somewhat historically weak run defense.
Since Saturday coach Wommack and also offensive coordinator Major Applewhite have both pointed out that all 11 players have roles to play each and every play. They pointed out some missed blocks by the wide receivers and missed checks by the quarterback that would have put them into better situations.
Penalties
I definitely noticed a difference in penalties.
When the game started getting chippy in the first quarter and ramped up after Southern Miss scored to take their only lead of the game, the Jags maintained composure in the moment. They didn’t get frustrated and they didn’t get baited into penalties.
They got some effort-based penalties that will be addressed. Yet they still got some penalties that there are no excuses for. A personal foul on a kickoff that goes for a touchback. A targeting call for a tackler leading with the crown of the helmet.
While these are improved, they need continual reinforcement and improvement.
Winning on the Road
Over the last several seasons the Jags have been a terrible road team. Including the win against Southern Miss this season, the Jags have won only 5 road games dating back all the way to the 2016 season.
There were two seasons in there where the Jags were winless on the road.
The season opening win over Southern Miss in 2020 ended a drought where the Jags had not won a road game since the Troy game on October 11, 2017.
A road win will go a long way towards giving the Jags some of their swagger back from the early days of the program.
The Jags have not started a season 2-0 since the 2011 season, before they were a FBS Transitional team.
Prediction
South Alabama enters as a double-digit favorite against Bowling Green. The line started at 14.5 and has dropped to 13.5.
This will definitely be a game to watch for any Jaguar fan. Just to see how the team performs on the road under coach Kane Wommack and his staff.
I definitely think the Jags will win, but flirting with the spread is an interesting conundrum. 13.5 points is quite a bit, I think the Jags will cover but just barely (like a 14 point win).
Go Jags!