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SOUTH ALABAMA FOOTBALL GAME NOTES (pdf version)

MEDIA INFORMATION
• Television
American Sports Network/CampusInsiders.com (WJTC UTV 44 in Mobile -- see complete local/region listings in Bowl Central)
Mike Gleason (pxp)
Doug Chapman (analysis)
Monica McNutt (sidelines)
• Radio
USA Football Radio Network
(flagship 96.1 FM/99.5 FM The Jag in Mobile)
J.D. Byars (pxp)
Pat Greenwood (analysis)
Tommy Hicks (sidelines)
• On the web —
• Live Twitter updates available at:
@USAJaguarSports
• Live stats available at:
http://stats.statbroadcast.com/statmonitr/?id=155847
• Live audio available at:
http://www.iheart.com/live/995-the-jag-mobile-7117/

THE COACHES
• South Alabama
Joey Jones (Alabama '89)
Record at USA — 48-41 (8th season)
Career record — 51-48 (9th season)
Career Sun Belt record — 15-24
Career bowl record — 0-1
Record vs. AFA — 0-0
Record vs. current MWC members — 2-1
• 0-1 vs. Hawai'i
• 2-0 vs. San Diego State

• Air Force
Troy Calhoun (Air Force '89)
Record at AFA — 76-53 (10th season)
Career Record — same
Record vs. USA — 0-0

THE RANKINGS
• South Alabama
Associated Press — n/a
Amway Coaches — n/a
Sagarin — 121st

• Air Force
Associated Press — RV (31st)
Amway Coaches — n/a
Sagarin — 57th

Series History
Overall: First meeting
In Mobile: n/a
In Colorado Springs: n/a
Neutral: n/a
Series Streak: n/a
First Meeting: n/a
Last Meeting: n/a

OPENING KICK
• South Alabama participates in a postseason bowl for the second time in the last three years when it meets Air Force on Friday, Dec. 30, in the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl.
• It's the third time in the last four seasons that the Jaguars have been eligible for postseason action (they won their final three contests in 2013 to finish 6-6, but were not invited to a bowl).
• The Jags will be the last of a Sun Belt Conference record six schools to take part in postseason play.
• This marks the first time since 2014 — when USA played Mississippi State at home in September and at South Carolina in November — that the Jaguars will face multiple opponents from the same league outside of SBC competition.
• South heads to a later time zone for the second straight trip, having gone to Idaho in its last road contest of the regular season.

2016 SOUTH ALABAMA FOOTBALL HIGHLIGHTS
• This fall USA went 4-0 in non-conference play for the first time since it began competition in the Sun Belt Conference in 2012.
• The Jaguars are the only league program with a win over a Southeastern Conference opponent, having opened the season by defeating Mississippi State in Starkville Sept. 3.  It was South's first victory ever over an SEC school in just the program's eighth year of competition, with the Bulldogs the highest ranked foe (No. 48 in the most recent Sagarin ratings) to fall to a Sun Belt school in out-of-conference action.
• The Jags' victory over San Diego State on Oct. 1 — ranked 19th in the Associated Press poll at the time — was not only USA's first-ever against a nationally-ranked opponent but the only one by a Sun Belt school out of conference in 2016.  SDSU (10-3 overall, 6-2 in the Mountain West Conference) is the second-highest ranked school in the latest Sagarin ratings (the Aztecs are No. 55) to drop a decision to a SBC program.
• When USA played host to Troy on Oct. 20 the Jaguars drew an attendance of 30,837, the highest for a Sun Belt Conference game this season and the second-highest figure for a home contest in school history.
• After the second of two open weekends, the Jags claimed two of their last three outings to obtain the required six victories to be eligible to play in a postseason bowl game, scoring 21 unanswered points against New Mexico State on Senior Day for a seven-point win to complete the task.

JAGUAR BOWL NOTES
• After travelling just under 170 miles to make their first-ever postseason appearance at the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl in Montgomery in 2014, the Jaguars will go more than 1,500 mile west to take part in the NOVA Home Loans Arizona Bowl.
• Just like the '14 campaign, USA goes into its bowl game match-up having already faced a team from its opponent's conference; the Jags defeated Kent State in their opener that fall before falling to Bowling Green in the final, with both members of the Mid-American Conference.
• Maleki Harris finished the game with 18 total tackles, setting a school game record at the time; he is currently second on the list against all opponents after Blake Dees posted 20 stops in a win over Idaho a year ago.
• Danny Woodson II's 122 receiving yards — which came on a team-high six catches — still rank among the top 10 performances in the school's record books against NCAA Division I schools.
• BGSU had two 100-yard receivers in the contest, the last time South has allowed multiple players from the opposing team to accomplish the feat.

MATCHING UP WITH THE MOUNTAIN WEST
• Air Force is the third Mountain West Conference opponent South will face in the program's eight seasons of competition.
• The Jags first game against a league opponent came in the 2012 finale when they dropped a 23-7 decision at Hawai'i.
• USA has also taken on two-time MWC champion San Diego State, sweeping a home-and-home series from the Aztecs in 2015 and '16 after a 42-24 victory in Mobile the first weekend of October.
• This will mark the Jaguars' first match-up with a Mountain West opponent on a neutral field.
• The Jags accounted for one of three defeats of a MWC school by a Sun Belt member this fall, the most the SBC recorded against another league in out-of conference competition.

JAGUAR TRENDS
• Since falling to Troy, 28-21, each of the Jags' last five outings against an NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision opponent have been decided by seven points or fewer.
• The Jaguars have outgained the opposition five games in a row — the first time that has happened since accomplishing the feat against four-year schools in 13 straight outings from Nov. 12, 2009-Sept. 10, 2011 — after posting a season-best 521 yards in the regular-season finale.
• In addition to averaging 484.5 yards per contest in the last month-plus, USA's offense has gained 6.50 yards per snap after recording 5.22 yards per play the first two months of the campaign.  
• South is allowing just 171.9 yards per game passing, its lowest figure since moving to the NCAA FBS level in 2012 and currently the second-lowest in the program's record books.
• The Jags' average of 243.7 yards per game passing is on pace to rank second in the school's season record books.
• Coming into the year the Jaguars had recorded more passing yards than the opposition in 40 of 77 (51.9%) games, but have accomplished the feat in all but one outing this season.
• The Jags have scored 112 fourth-quarter points, coming from behind three times in the final period after turning the trick on five occasions entering the fall.
• USA has a 5-1 mark in 2016 when holding the ball for 30-plus minutes, and is 1-5 when losing the time of possession battle.

NEW MEXICO STATE GAME NOTES
• Xavier Johnson was named the SBC Offensive Player of the Week after leading a USA rushing attack that gained a season-high 282 yards in the win over NMSU with a career-best 154 yards on 21 carries while tying a school game record with three touchdowns, the most in school history against an NCAA Division I opponent.  Each of the junior's first two scores gave the Jaguars a seven-point lead and the last with two-and-a-half minutes left in the contest provided the final margin of victory.  The three total touchdowns tied a career high set earlier this fall, while it marked the first time since October 2014 that a Jag has gained more than 150 yards on the ground.
• Randy Allen posted four tackles for loss including a career-high three sacks in the win over NMSU.  The senior defensive lineman — who had six total stops, one shy of sharing the team lead, and an additional quarterback hurry — accounted for 16 yards in losses on the Aggies' opening drive, leading to a punt and USA's first score, while becoming the first individual in program history to record a double-figure sack total in a season as well as setting the school season record for tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
• Senior WR Josh Magee led all players in the NMSU contest with 135 yards receiving on four catches, including a 76-yard score immediately after the Jags fell behind 21-14 in the opening minute of the final period that sparked a run of 21 unanswered points.  It was Magee's third 100-yard game this season and fifth of his career, setting school records in both categories.
• With a second-quarter interception against the Aggies, sophomore Jalen Thompson became the first individual in program history to pick off a pass in three consecutive outings.  It was his team-leading fourth of the season — moving the cornerback into a tie for second on the Jags' season record list — and with another pass broken up he moved into the top 10 in the school's record books with six this year.
• Playing in his final home game, senior Devon Earl had his first interception since November 2014 leading to the Jaguars' first second-half touchdown and a 14-7 advantage, and he was also credited with a career-high two passes defensed to go along with a tackle for loss.  Earl's efforts helped South's defense record a season-best three takeaways for the second week in a row.