MOBILE, Ala. – With a 17-point victory last time out, the University of South Alabama football team snapped a two-game losing streak while improving to .500 on the season. Now the Jaguars will look to re-enter the win column in Sun Belt Conference play when they travel to take on Texas State Saturday.
The match-up, which pits two of the three most recent additions to the league lineup, will kick off at 6 p.m. at Bobcat Stadium, and will be broadcast nationally on ESPN3.
While the Jags (3-3, 1-1 Sun Belt) defeated Kent State last weekend, the Bobcats (4-3, 1-2 SBC) earned their first-ever Sun Belt victory with a 24-17 defeat of Georgia State in the second of three straight home conference contests. It will be USA's first SBC game since falling in the final seconds, 34-33, at Troy on Oct. 5.
In the victory over the Golden Flashes, USA posted a season-best 257 yards on the ground paced by the duo of Jay Jones and Cris Dinham; the former gained 99 yards on 13 carries — scoring the opening points of the game on a five-yard run midway through the first quarter — and the latter ran 12 times for 67 more. It was the highest rushing total both have recorded in their first season with the program. Kendall Houston, making his first appearance in over a month, contributed to the effort with 43 yards and two second-half scores on seven attempts.
The Jaguars also had 224 yards via the passing game in the win, as Ross Metheny was 16-of-23 passing improving his season figures to a 63.5 completion percentage (94-of-148), 1,289 yards and six touchdowns. Wes Saxton and Shavarez Smith both added to their team-leading totals in the contest, with Saxton catching four passes for 38 yards and Smith posting 63 yards on three receptions.
Entering play, the Jags rank among the top half in the league with an average of 31.3 points (third), 277.8 yards passing (second) and 452.8 total yards (fourth) per outing. Metheny stands in the top 10 in total offense (255.17 ypg, third), passing yards (214.83 ypg, fourth) and passing efficiency (144.65 rating, sixth), with Smith averaging 72.17 yards per game receiving and Jones running for 63 yards per outing to rank fifth, respectively, in those categories.
"I think it's just everyone understanding what their part is," said Jones of the USA offense, which is averaging 555.5 yards per game this month. "The receivers know that when I'm running the ball, they know that their blocking is key, whereas on a pass play, my blocking is key. We now know how good this offense can be if everyone does their role."
Awaiting USA is a Bobcat defense that paces the conference allowing 22.6 points and 100.3 yards per game on the ground — the unit is one of two in the SBC giving up less than 400 yards per contest, allowing an average of 381. TSU is also second in the league with 15 takeaways and a 36.2 third-down conversion percentage against. David Mayo leads the team with 53 tackles — including 41 unassisted — and three interceptions, while fellow linebacker Michael Orakpo has been credited with eight stops for loss and 3½ sacks among his 38 tackles.
The Bobcat lineup features eight seniors and three juniors as projected starters on that side of the ball.
"Defensively, they are number one in the league in points allowed. That's the only way you can rate a defense to me," explained Jaguar head coach Joey Jones. "They are keeping people out of the end zone, and that's what matters. They're doing a great job and have a great scheme. They have a lot of movement on their front, getting people where they want them to be. They are very well-coached on defense."
Several Jags recorded career-high numbers defensively in the KSU contest, with Maleki Harris posting a team-best 10 stops; in addition to leading the squad, it marked the first time he has reached double digits in the category. Alex Page tied a career high with two sacks, moving into the top three in the league with seven tackles behind the line of scrimmage and four sacks in the process.
Enrique Williams has a team-high 43 tackles and Qudarius Ford has added 42 at the midway point of the season, while Romelle Jones has equalled Page with seven stops for loss after recording an assist behind the line among his five total tackles in the win over the Golden Flashes. As a unit, USA tops the SBC with 15 sacks while ranking fourth allowing 163 yards on the ground, 410 total yards and 28.5 points per outing.
Nearly 60 percent of TSU's offensive output comes via the rush with the Bobcats averaging almost 190 yards per contest. Robert Lowe has rushed for 100-plus yards in four of the last five games — including a 177-yard effort in last week's win over GSU — and is second in the conference with 619 yards. Chris Nutall stands ninth in the league as well, with 346 total rushing yards after posting 90 on nine carries with two scores last weekend.
But the Bobcats are last in the eight-team Sun Belt with an average of 128.6 yards per game through the air. Tyler Jones has started the last four contests, and has completed 35-of-59 attempts (59.3%) for 376 and a touchdowns, adding 194 yards while averaging 5.1 yards per attempts rushing. Andy Erickson paces the squad with 18 catches for 167 yards, and Isaiah Battle has caught 17 balls for 131 yards.
"We've played against some option teams the past few years," Williams commented. "It's always difficult (to face a team) when you have a running threat at quarterback, so we're going to have to be disciplined and stay in our gaps with everyone just doing their job."
Both teams average better than 25 yards per kickoff return, with TSU also topping the Sun Belt with an average of 12.5 yards per punt return. The Bobcats' Will Johnson leads the league with an average of 47.1 yards per punt —helping TSU rank second with a net punting average of 39.8 — and is the reigning SBC Special Teams Player of the Week after having all four kicks downed inside the GSU-20 last week, while Aleem Sunanon of the Jaguars stands second with 1.17 field goals per outing.
It will be the fourth year in a row that the Jags make a visit to the Lone Star State, having won two of the previous three contests with victories at Lamar (26-0 in 2010) and Texas-San Antonio (30-27 in double overtime in '11).
With a match-up of two teams closing in on six wins and bowl eligibility, it's an ideal time for the Jaguars to re-enter the win column in league action one week after accomplishing the feat to celebrate their annual Homecoming festivities.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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