MOBILE, Ala. - The University of South Alabama football team will step up a level in competition when it returns to action following an open weekend.

After defeating a pair of prep school squads to open the year 2-0, the Jaguars will take on Georgia Military Junior College Saturday at 11:30 a.m. at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.  And not only will it be the first-time that USA faces an opponent above the prep level, the Bulldogs (3-2) come into the contest ranked 14th in the National Junior College Athletic Association poll released Tuesday.

"In the last 10 years Georgia Military has been to the national championship game three times, winning it once and finishing as runners up twice," USA head coach Joey Jones stated.  "They had 18 players sign with Division I schools last year, they are a very talented bunch.  You look at them year-to-year and they are consistently good and do a good job with their program, so they will be a great challenge for us."

"We know they are a very good team.  They've had a lot of guys sign with Division I schools, so we know they are athletic," added junior linebacker Charlie Higgenbotham.  "We both had off weeks last week, so each team had extra time to prepare.  I think it's going to be an interesting game, and it will be a challenge for us."

Saturday will be Military Appreciation Day at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, with USA extending a special offer to all active and retired service members.  With a valid ID, discounted sideline tickets can be purchased for just $8 and end zone tickets for only $5 (limit four per ID).  There will also be a pre-game national anthem and halftime presentation dedicated to all veterans.

Tickets are also available to the general public online through www.usagameday.com, or by calling the USA Athletic Ticket Office at (251) 461-1USA (1872) by 5 p.m. Friday.  They can also be purchased in person by visiting the Mitchell Center ticket office on campus through the end of the day Friday, and can be obtained at the stadium beginning at 8:30 a.m. Saturday.

The stadium parking lot will open and tailgating will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday, which is also the time that shuttles will be running from the Bell Air Mall in the south parking lot behind Target and JC Penney - the cost is $2.50 for a round-trip ticket - and buses begin transporting fans from campus, with students able to ride for free and the cost $5 round trip for all other individuals.  The Jaguar Prowl will begin when the team arrives on site at 9:10 a.m., while gates will open at 9:30 a.m.

Each team's strength through the first month of the season will be tested when the Jags have the ball.  USA is running for 287 yards per game and averaging nearly six yards per carry, while the Bulldogs have surrendered just 91.8 yards per game and 2.9 per attempt on the ground.  Both Brandon Ross and Eli Smith have run for more than 100 yards in the Jags' opening two contests, and Santuan McGee is averaging five yards per rush as well.

While the Jags have thrown the ball just 31 times this fall, three quarterbacks have combined to complete 67.7 percent of their passes for an additional 355 yards and four scores.  Myles Gibbons enters Saturday's game with a 208.66 pass efficiency rating after going 6-of-7 for 122 yards and two touchdowns in the Jaguars' 56-0 win over Army Prep Sept. 26, with Courtney Smith the team's top receiver - he's caught seven balls for 163 yards, including two scores of 60-plus yards, and is averaging better than 23 yards per reception.

Dan Wylie paces GMJC with 28 tackles, including five for loss, while Antonio Mitchum has 23 stops - he leads the squad with seven tackles behind the line of scrimmage and five sacks - and Dale Peterman 21.  The Bulldogs have forced 19 turnovers with 12 interceptions and seven fumble recoveries, broken up 23 passes and sacked the opposing quarterback on 16 occasions.

"They're well-coached defensively.  They run hard to the ball and are pretty physical," Anthony Mostella, a junior running back, commented.  "I think it's going to be a tougher challenge for us, because they are so well-coached and have some great athletes."

USA has also had success thus far turning the ball over with five interceptions and four fumbles recovered.  Jerron Mitchell leads the unit with three takeaways, running back his two interceptions for a total of 58 yards including a 27-yard return for a touchdown last time out for the first points scored in program history by a defensive player.  Justin Dunn, who has forced a pair of fumbles, leads the Jags with 13 total stops and 3.5 tackles for loss.  Charlie Higgenbotham has supplied 10 tackles as well, while Clifton Crews has accounted for 2.5 stops behind the line.

The Jaguars are allowing only 284.5 yards per outing, including just 109 per game on the ground.

Quarterback Chris Hart keys the Bulldog offense - which is producing almost 300 yards per contest - with 666 yards of total offense this year.  In addition to completing 35-of-74 passes for 550 yards and three scores, he has rushed for 116 yards and two touchdowns as well.  His top target is Chris Thomas, who has posted numbers similar to Courtney Smith - 11 catches for 247 yards (an average of 22.5 yards per reception) and two touchdowns.  Tobias Palmer's 346 yards and seven scores on the ground lead an attack that is recording an average of 137.8 yards rushing.

The Bulldogs are scoring 27.2 points per game, posting 35 or more points in each of their three victories.

"Georgia Military has a lot of weapons and guys that can score on you quickly.  That always worries you as a coach," Jones stated.  "They have a very athletic quarterback who can throw the ball and run it as well, and probably have the fastest running back that we've seen on film this year."

With the two sides evenly matched on paper, it might come down to special teams play to determine the outcome.

The Jags are averaging a net of 52 yards per punt as both of Scott Garber's kicks have been downed inside the opposition's 20-yard line, while Michel Chapuseaux is second on the team in scoring with 12 points after converting all six extra-point attempts last time out as well as his only field-goal try of the year.  Plus, Erling Riis has an average of 19 yards per punt return after running back kicks 21 and 30 yards against Army Prep.

GMJC, on the other hand, has not kicked a field goal yet this fall and is averaging 30.5 yards per punt.

Will that make a difference when USA moves up a level in competition?  That answer will be supplied when the Jaguars play their third contest three days from now.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

-USA-