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2014 USA Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony (video)
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MOBILE, Ala. – Last October, Texas State kicked a field goal with four seconds to go to hand the University of South Alabama football team a two-point defeat, one of three losses for the Jaguars in the final 10 seconds in 2013.  Needing a sixth win to gain bowl eligibility for the second year in a row, the Jags took matters into their own hands to ensure they wouldn't see a repeat scenario against the Bobcats.

USA limited Texas State to just 115 yards and three points in the second half, and when Tyler Jones' final pass attempt from the four-yard line fell incomplete in the end zone the Jaguars walked away with a 24-20, come-from-behind Sun Belt Conference victory Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

The Jags improved to 6-4 overall and finished league play with a 5-3 mark after recovering from three first-quarter fumbles and a pair of 10-point deficits before the break.  TSU dropped to 5-5, 3-3 in the Sun Belt, despite 300 yards passing from Jones and double-digit tackle totals from David Mayo and Trey McGowan.

"First of all my hat's off to Texas State — what a game," Jaguar head coach Joey Jones said.  "Last year it came down to the last play of the game, and it did again this year.  They have a great program. [Head] Coach [Dennis] Franchione does one heck of a job with that team, we knew it was going to be a tough one.  We went all week long knowing that this was do-or-die for us to get into a bowl game.

"I just want to commend our players and my staff who have done so much in preparation to get to this point.  They believed all week long, and they believed the entire game.  We got behind and had a few early turnovers, but they didn't panic; I thought we played a wonderful ballgame.  Hunter Vaughn came in at quarterback and did a heck of a job even though he really hasn't practice all year long.  My hat's off to him as well as the rest of the players on this football team, they did a tremendous thing today.  We obviously have a chance to get into a bowl now with six wins, and we're going to be a good one for somebody.  We're excited about it.  It could be the first bowl game in South Alabama history."

USA didn't take its first lead until the opening moments of the fourth quarter, going ahead 24-17 with just over 12 minutes left in regulation when Terrance Timmons crossed the goal line from eight yards out to complete a 10-play, 63-yard march that took four-and-a-half minutes off the clock.  Timmons started the possession with an 11-yard gain, with the Jags picking up another first down on the final snap of the third period on a 10-yard completion from Vaughn to Braedon Bowman with USA facing third-and-two.

It appeared the Bobcats' Craig Mager intercepted a Vaughn pass intended for Shavarez Smith in the end zone, but it was overturned on an officials' review.  Instead, Kendall Houston carried four straight times — including a 15-yard gain on the first of those attempts — to set up Timmons' score.

On the next series, USA's defense forced a three-and-out when Maleki Harris stopped Terrence Franks for no gain on third-and-one, but David Mims II intercepted a pass and returned it 46 yards down the Jaguar sideline to the USA-25.  But after a nine-yard pass for a first down from Jones to Ben Ijah, Harris tackled Robert Lowe four yards behind the line of scrimmage and eventually the Bobcats settled for a 31-yard Will Johnson field goal to make the score 24-20 with more than four minutes to go in the contest.

TSU did not allow a first down, taking over at its own 45-yard line with two-and-a-half minutes remaining.  A 21-yard completion from Jones to Brandon Smith on fourth-and-seven kept the Bobcat drive alive, as did a pass interference call with TSU facing third-and-18 at the USA-39.  Lowe picked up a first down with a 10-yard run while passes to Bradley Miller and C.J. Best for pick ups of five and six yards, respectively, left the Bobcats with the ball at the USA-4 with four seconds on the clock.

"We live in a one-play world, don't we with our football team?  We came up a play or two short tonight," Franchione stated.  "South Alabama did a nice job.  I thought their quarterback did a better job in the second half and that was big for them.  We still were able to get down there [in scoring position] and have a chance to win the game, we just didn't quite get it done."

Terrell Brigham recorded a career-high 12 stops to lead USA, with Harris posting nine.  Jesse Kelley and Davin Hawkins were credited with eight tackles apiece — Kelley finished with career highs of 2½ stops for loss and a pair of sacks — Antonio Carter supplied seven, and Roman Buchanan and Montell Garner each had six as the Jaguars limited a Bobcat rushing attack that came into play averaging 227 yards on the ground to only 106.

The Jaguars needed four minutes to tie the score with its opening possession after the intermission, driving 75 yards in eight plays.  Vaughn picked up one first down with a 14-yard pass to Bowman, then facing third-and-13 he connected with the junior tight end again — this gaining 45 yards — to move the ball to the TSU-9.  Two plays later Vaughn found Danny Woodson II in the back left corner of the end zone for his first career touchdown pass.

Making his first career start, Vaughn was 20-of-28 passing for 182 yards, with Bowman and Woodson II each catching four passes; it was a career-high total for the former and season-best for the latter, with Bowman also setting a new career standard with a team-leading 81 receiving yards.  Jeremé Jones led the Jags after catching five passes, while the USA rushing attack was paced by Timmons with a season-high 74 yards on 11 carries and Houston, who supplied 68 on 10 attempts to help the team record 174 yards on the ground — averaging five per rush — and 384 total.

Jones completed 25-of-43 attempts, finding Best six times for 33 yards, and Smith and Miller for five catches each; Smith posted a game-high 86 yards and Miller finished with 57.  Lowe's 76 yards on 16 rushes paced all players in the game as well.

Mayo and McGowan matched Brigham for game-high honors with 12 stops, leading the TSU defense.

The Bobcats used a short field to take their first lead, with Lowe scoring from one yard out with just over four minutes remaining in the opening quarter to make the score 7-0.  Taking over at the USA-44 after Dila Rosemond recovered a fumble forced by Mayo, TSU faced third-and-12 as E.J. May broke up a pass on first down and May and Kelley combined to stop Jones for a loss of two on the next snap.  But Jones found Miller for a gain of 16 yards, then added seven on a first-down rush.  Franks carried for pick ups of seven and 15 yards on the next two plays leading to Franks' score.

Jerrid Jeter-Gilmon forced a fumble on Jags' first play of the following drive, with Mayo recovering at the USA-33, which would lead to a 41-yard Johnson field goal 68 seconds later.  On the ensuing kickoff, Aaron Shaw forced a fumble that was recovered by Kris Peterson at the Jaguar 28-yard line, but Theo Rich stopped Jones for a two-yard loss on third-and-one that led to a 38-yard field-goal attempt that would sail wide left, leaving the score 10-0 in favor of TSU with a minute-and-a-half left in the first quarter.

Coming into play the Bobcats had recovered two fumbles in their first nine contests.

"We had three turnovers in the first quarter, and that wasn't good, but we were only down 10 points," Jones explained.  "I felt pretty fortunate to be in that situation. The defense came out and fought as they always do."

"We didn't get enough out of them," Franchione countered.  "We got 10 points in the first quarter and we got three turnovers.  We had field position and we missed a field goal.  That was certainly something that came back to haunt us, there's no doubt about that."

USA got on the board 10 minutes before halftime, driving 56 yards in eight plays and three-and-a-half minutes when Jake Howton caught a lateral from Vaughn and threw back across the field to the quarterback, who went 28 yards untouched down the left sideline to make the score 10-7. Timmons accounted for the first 29 yards on the march, catching a pass for six yards before recording carries adding four and 19 yards to move the chains twice.  Vaughn kept the drive alive with a seven-yard completion to Jones on fourth-and-three one play before scoring his first touchdown as a Jag.

Jones pushed the TSU advantage back to 10 points, 17-7, with just over four minutes left in the opening half, finding Lawrence White for a 46-yard score, but keyed by a 31-yard Houston rush Aleem Sunanon hit a career-long-tying 46-yard field goal with 1:16 to go before the break to draw the Jags within a touchdown.

"Our offensive and defensive staffs did a great job of making adjustments in the second half," observed Jones.  "Our kids never gave up, and never had a look in their eyes that they were done.  I felt good about it the whole time.  I was a little nervous on that last play, but they came up with the play and made it to win the ballgame.  It's a great win for this university."

At halftime of the contest, four inductees into the USA Hall of Fame — Ronnie Powell (baseball, assistant coach, 1987-06), Henry "Dock" Richardson (baseball, 1965-68), Shaun Rothuysen (men's soccer, 1993-95) and Virgil Stanescu (men's basketball, 1999-01) — were recognized on the field.

The Jaguars will next be in action Saturday, taking on South Carolina in Columbia with kickoff set for 11 a.m. (CST).

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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