MOBILE, Ala. — The University of South Alabama football team has little time to celebrate its accomplishment from Homecoming weekend.
The Jaguars picked up the school’s first-ever win over an NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision opponent Saturday with a 37-34 double-overtime victory over Florida Atlantic — also the first over a Sun Belt Conference foe — after trailing by 14 points following the first play of the fourth quarter.
After snapping a four-game losing streak, the Jags’ (2-5, 1-2 Sun Belt) reward? A trip to face the last unbeaten team in the league.
Louisiana-Monroe defeated Western Kentucky 43-42 on the road in overtime last weekend, and with its fourth straight win improved to 5-2 overall and 3-0 in the league. The Warhawks opened the season with a 34-31 overtime victory over then eighth-ranked Arkansas in Little Rock and also have a 53-point road win over Tulane on their pre-conference résumé, while their losses have come in overtime at Auburn and by five points at home to Baylor.
Kickoff at Malone Stadium is set for 6 p.m.
ULM enters the contest ranked first in the SBC in scoring and total offense, averaging 39.4 points and 471.3 yards per outing.
“They’re great offensively, they present so many problems,” Jag head coach Joey Jones observed. “What they do is so different. They run a lot of empty, five wide receiver stuff and the quarterback is just uncanny in his ability to make plays. He just has an unbelievable knack for making plays, and he’s a big reason for why they are so successful offensively.”
Kolton Browning — the reigning SBC Offensive Player of the Week — tops the conference with averages of 325 total and 273.4 passing yards per contest, as he has completed 168-of-275 attempts (61.1%) for 1,914 yards and 18 touchdowns while rushing for 361 yards and five scores as well. He accounted for all six Warhawk touchdowns in last weekend’s victory, throwing for 308 yards and four scores and rushing for a team-high 69 yards with two touchdowns on the ground.
“He’s what I call football-savvy. He understands the game and has an innate ability to make plays on the field,” Jones stated. “His pocket presence is unbelievable; it seems like if someone is coming behind him, he knows they’re coming without seeing them and he will step up and make a play or run the ball. There are so many times where defensive linemen get there, and they can’t tackle him. He must be really strong to break tackles. And with all that, he’s aware of the pocket and what’s going on downfield. When he scrambles he has his eyes downfield, and he can make plays on the move.
“He’s the toughest quarterback that I think we’re going to go against, from the standpoint of what he can do because he can do so many things. He just makes plays all over the field, and makes great decisions.”
Brent Leonard and Tavarese Maye are two of the top receivers in the league, with the former collecting 42 catches for 423 yards and three touchdowns and the latter adding 33 for 337 and two scores. Je’Ronn Hamm and Colby Harper have caught 29 passes each — Hamm paces the squad with 493 receiving yards — while adding a combined five touchdowns, and Jyruss Edwards has gained 413 yards and recorded six scores on the ground to go along with 12 receptions for 157 more.
The Jaguar offense put together two fourth-quarter scoring drives of 80 yards or more last time out to spark the comeback victory, posting 224 of its 359 total yards after halftime. Demetre Baker’s second score of the day from one yard out with 5:45 remaining cut the USA deficit in half while capping a 13-play, 80-yard march. After the defense forced a three-and-out, Ross Metheny ended a nine-play, 85-yard possession with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Gabe Loper with a minute and nine seconds remaining in regulation.
“When we were down 14 [points], I didn’t see quit in anybody on the sideline,” explained Jones. “Once we got the ball and drove down and scored to get within seven, I knew we had a shot. The defense came out and forced a three-and-out, and then we got the ball back and drove 85 yards for a touchdown. What makes me feel good is that these guys have been working their tails off all this time, and to have some rewards on the field for their hard work meant a lot to me for them — and they deserved it.”
On the year, Metheny has completed 71-of-124 attempts for five scores and 774 yards as the Jags are averaging nearly 190 yards per game through the air. Baker has rushed for a team-best 367 yards on 83 carries, padding a ground attack that has collected 180 or more yards in two of the program’s first three conference games.
Jeremé Jones has a team-high 18 catches for 223 yards for USA, including recording multiple receptions in four straight contests. Greg Hollinger and Bryant Lavender both have one less reception than Jones on the year, with the duo each averaging at least 10 yards per catch, while Corey Besteda had added 16 for 195 yards.
Michel Chapuseaux completed the comeback victory with a 37-yard field goal in the first overtime and another from 35 yards out for the only points of the second extra session. The senior paces the Jags with 49 points, having converted 12-of-16 field-goal attempts including seven of his last eight. Scott Garber averaged 43.2 yards per punt against the Owls, the third time this season that he has recorded at least 43 yards per effort, with two kicks downed inside the FAU-20.
Both Jake Johnson and Enrique Williams rank among the top 10 in the Sun Belt this season in total tackles, standing second and fourth, respectively with 68 and 64 stops. Johnson is tied for third in the conference with 1.21 tackles for loss as well, as his 8½ on the year are already a career-high total for the senior.
Pat Moore is second in the league in sacks (4½) and tied for third in stops behind the line of scrimmage (8½), while Alex Page is third with four sacks among his 35 total tackles. Last week, Page became the first defensive lineman in program history to post 10 or more stops in a game.
R.J. Young has a team-high 46 tackles — which includes 5½ behind the line — Vincent Eddie has been credited with 42 stops and Mitch Lane has 39 for the Warhawks. DaCorris Ford and Isaiah Newsome both have two interceptions and a pair of passes broken up to their credit, while Rob’Donovan Lewis has a team-best five passes defended with four break ups and an interception.
USA and ULM rank second and third, respectively, in the league allowing 361.1 and 365.4 yards per game. The Warhawks top the conference surrendering just 109.6 per outing on the ground, while the Jaguars stand fourth both against the rush (139 ypg) and the pass (222.1 ypg). Both units have recorded a total of 15 sacks, but ULM is tied for first in the conference with a plus-1.00 turnover ratio while the Jags are 10th in the category (-0.71).
“It’s a great opportunity for us to play against the best in the league, and that excites our players. We’re going to go out there ready to go,” said Jones. “ULM has a great football team, and they’ll let us know where we are as far as competing against the top of the league.”
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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