MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama football program has never lost a Homecoming game, having won the first five in the program's young history. USA will put that streak, along with its current two-game winning streak, on the line Saturday when it hosts Georgia State in a 6:30 p.m. Sun Belt Conference contest that will be broadcast live on ESPN3.

The game will also air live on WMXC 99.9 FM in Mobile, and can be accessed online through the iHeartRadio platform.

USA (3-2, 2-1 SBC) has won two consecutive league games after victories at Idaho and Appalachian State, and the Jaguars will look to carry the momentum gained from those contests into Saturday's matchup with the Panthers. South Alabama has averaged more than 40 points per game and over 500 yards of total offense per contest in its last two victories, while the defense has allowed under 16 points per game and recorded four takeaways in its last eight quarters.

The Jags are coming off of their final bye week of the season, and will be playing at home for the first time in nearly a month.

"We had a good week last week, I thought we had three good days of practice which consisted of half working on fundamentals and half working on Georgia State," USA head coach Joey Jones said. "Our guys came back after the weekend and you could tell they were refreshed and ready to go, which I think is a good thing. We've challenged them that they better be ready to go to have a chance to win this ballgame."

South Alabama will be in search of its first home win of the season as well on Saturday after dropping its first two contests at Ladd-Peebles Stadium against now-No. 1 Mississippi State and Georgia Southern, which is unbeaten in Sun Belt play.

"We played very well the last two games, but we want to play well at home," Jaguar offensive lineman Ucambre Williams said. "We want to show our fans at home how we can play. These last two games really showed how we can play, and we're going to come home and play like that."

Part of USA's success in its last two games can be attributed to a plus-three turnover margin, which senior defensive lineman Ridge James helped contribute to in the 47-21 win at ASU with a forced fumble early in the contest.

"We are anxious to get back on the field," he said. "I think we have a really good thing going right now, and we just want to keep it going. We're just flying around and having a lot of fun on defense. Our coaching staff does a great job of putting us in position to make plays."

The Jaguars rank second in the SBC in pass defense (190.80) and pass efficiency defense (119.56), third in total defense (374.80) and scoring defense (21.40), and fourth in rushing defense (184.00) and sacks (2.60).

"We have played really good defense all year, but I think there is a factor of time where we are growing and leadership has come into play," Jones said. "You see that bond defensively, and defense is the ultimate team effort; everybody has to fly to the ball and play the same way, and they have bought into that. We're getting better and better as we go."

Defensive back Montell Garner leads the conference in passes defended (1.60), while safety Terrell Brigham ranks second in the category at 1.40. Brigham became the program's career leader in pass breakups (14) in the Jags' win at Idaho.

GSU (1-5, 0-3 SBC) carries a five-game losing skid into Saturday's game after falling to Arkansas State 52-10 last weekend in Atlanta. The Panthers are winless on the road this season with losses at Washington and Louisiana-Lafayette. GSU's lone victory came in a 38-37 season-opening decision over Abilene Christian.

Georgia State is allowing over 41 points per game and more than 481 yards of total offense each contest, including over 227 rushing yards per game. But the Panther offense has scored over 30 points in four of its six outings this year, and is averaging 27 points per game and over 300 yards passing per contest.

"I admire (GSU head coach) Trent Miles, he's a great man and has done a great job; they are the most improved team in our league by far," Jones commented. "The biggest difference I see in them offensively is they are converting on third down, when it was third-and-eight or third-and-nine last year they struggled but now they are converting 46 percent. They play with a bend-but-don't-break philosophy defensively — they don't blitz as much as some of the other teams we've faced — but they are real sound in what they do."

USA holds a 2-1 all-time series lead over GSU after last year's 38-17 win over the Panthers in Atlanta. The Jags are 1-0 all-time against GSU at Ladd-Peebles Stadium after defeating the Panthers 39-34 on Oct. 30, 2010, in the initial matchup in the series.

The Ladd-Peebles Stadium parking lot will open at 8 a.m. Saturday. Tickets will be available on-site at 9 a.m. Round-trip shuttle service for $2.50 per person will be available from the Bel-Air Mall parking lot beginning at 2:30 p.m., and will run continuously for 90 minutes after the conclusion of the game. The Jag Prowl will begin at 4:15 p.m., and stadium gates will open at 4:30 p.m.

"We're looking forward to having a great crowd, a lot of our alumni will be back; it's always good to see those folks," Jones said. "I'm excited to see our former players come back, guys who started this program and helped build this thing, it means lot to our players now and to our staff."

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).
Game notes
Depth chart