MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama football team will look to extend its season-opening winning streak to five games when it closes out the first half of its second season Saturday against Missouri S&T.
The Jaguars and Miners are slated to kick off at 4 p.m. at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. It’s the second straight week that USA will take on a member of the Great Lakes Football Conference after defeating Kentucky Wesleyan at home 52-3 over the weekend.
Tickets for this week’s game can be purchased by calling the USA Athletic Ticket Office at (251) 461-1USA (1872) by noon on Friday or visiting the Mitchell Center ticket office on campus between the hours of 10 a.m.-5 p.m. during the week. They can also be obtained online at www.usagameday.com.
The parking lot at Ladd-Peebles Stadium will open at 8 a.m. for tailgating, with gates opening at 2 p.m. Tickets may be purchased on site starting at 10 a.m., and the Jaguar Prowl will begin at 1:40 p.m. when the team arrives at the southeast corner of the stadium.
Shuttles are scheduled to run from the south parking lot of the Bel Air Mall behind Target and JC Penney beginning at noon. They will provide continuous service until 90 minutes after the end of the game, with the cost only $2.50 for a round-trip ticket.
The turnover battle will be crucial in determining the outcome of Saturday’s contest. For the season, the Jaguars (4-0) have 13 takeaways while losing the ball just once, with the Miners (1-4) minus-11 in the category — they have lost seven fumbles and been intercepted on nine occasions.
In last week’s victory, USA forced a school-record-tying five turnovers that led to 24 points. Michael Wilson returned an interception 75 yards for a score and Jake Johnson picked off another pass, with Terrell Brigham, Andy Dalgleish and Rush Hendricks all recovering fumbles. Johnson was one of five individuals to record three stops — Justin Dunn, Romelle Jones, Anthony Taylor and Montavious Williams were the others — while Enrique Williams paced the unit with four total tackles.
USA gave up just 228 total yards to KWC, including just 19 on 23 rushing attempts. For the season, the Jags are surrendering an average of 54.5 yards per contest on the ground, 208 yards overall and have given up 24 points.
“We had a great week of practice, we really didn’t have any mental mistakes. The intensity was high all week — the coaches stayed on us about getting better,” said Johnson. “They knew Kentucky Wesleyan was a good team and that they scored on everyone they had played, so they stayed on us about practicing hard. We did that, and it showed during the game.”
Offensively, USA racked up 299 yards through the air against the Panthers — it was the third time this season the Jags have surpassed 200 yards passing — as the trio of C.J. Bennett, Myles Gibbon and Brennan Sim combined to complete 14-of-24 attempts. Bennett was 8-of-13 while throwing for 105 yards and two touchdowns, while Gibbon recorded a career-best 139 yards and a score on 4-of-7 passing.
“I’ve never been in a situation like this where I have three quarterbacks who I thought could win for us,” said USA head coach Joey Jones. “It’s a little odd for me dealing with it, because they’re all very similar. Right now we have an idea that all three of those guys can win for us. I’m just a firm believer of playing guys if they prove to you on the practice field that they can win. We’re going to keep that mindset until something changes.”
Courtney Smith was their top target last weekend, collecting three catches for 91 yards and a touchdown after recording four receptions for 59 yards in the first three games of the year. Corey Besteda, Lamontis Gardner and Ralph Turner all had two receptions as well, and Paul Bennett reached the end zone for the first time in his career with a 19-yard catch in the second quarter.
“We never slacked off; we knew their defense was pretty good,” Smith stated. “Throughout practice we just focused on working hard and not making any mental mistakes. We have a goal that we have to accomplish, and we’re just going to do what we’re supposed to do.”
Brandon Ross gained 62 yards on the opening play of the game, finishing with 78 on three carries to pace the Jaguar rushing attack, and Kendall Houston scored twice in the opening quarter on runs of one and 14 yards.
Jordan Means was perfect on seven extra-point attempts, closing out the scoring with an 18-yard field goal in the final period, and he also had two touchbacks on five kickoffs. And, Scott Garber had three of his five punts end inside the KWC-20.
The Miners are allowing 353.4 yards per contest overall, including just 165.4 per game passing. Lonnell Jones leads the squad with 25 total tackles, while Justin Philpy stands second with 24 and is also tied for the team lead with two sacks. Cameron Williams, in addition to making 18 stops, has recovered two fumbles and has S&T’s only interception through five outings.
Wide receiver Chad Shockley is the featured player in a passing attack that is averaging 206.4 yards per game. He has accounted for half of the Miners’ 76 points, caught 36 passes for 601 yards and accumulated a team-high 732 all-purpose yards. Smook Thomas is the only other S&T receiver to have double-digit reception total with 12 for 106 yards and a score.
Three quarterbacks have combined to complete 50.9 percent of their attempts, with Steve Watson pacing the group. He was 21-of-39 for 254 yards and two touchdown passes to Shockley in a 43-14 Homecoming loss to Northwestern Oklahoma State, as the wideout finished with 12 catches for 185 yards.
Bobby Pettis has gained 161 yards on 54 attempts, though the Miners average fewer than 70 yards per contest on the ground.
Will Morrison stands 16th among punters at the NCAA Division II level with a 41.3 average on 27 kicks, and Joe Drahos is the only other player in double figures scoring for S&T with 20 points — he’s made 8-of-8 PATs and 4-of-6 field goals.
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).
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