MOBILE, Ala. – By simplifying things, the University of South Alabama football staff found a way to make things much more difficult for the opposition.  For proof, look no further than last week's 34-10 victory at Idaho that evened the Jaguars' record at 2-2 on the season and 1-1 in Sun Belt Conference play.

"I think our offensive staff did a good job of honing things down and doing what we could do best," head coach Joey Jones said after USA posted season highs of 34 points and 429 yards.  "Sometimes I've been in those offensive meeting rooms and you have all these plays and they all look good, but you sometimes have too much stuff.  Our staff did a good job of honing things down.  What are we good at?  Let's go execute it in practice during the week and then go execute it in the ball game. I think that was the key factor."

It was the same story on the defensive side of the ball as well, with the Jags limiting the Vandals — who came into play averaging nearly 30 points and 425 yards per contest — to opponent lows of 10 points, 30 rushing and 269 total yards.

"[Defensive coordinator] Coach [Travis] Pearson does a good job of just simplifying the game for us and letting us play faster," explained cornerback Qudarius Ford, who paced the unit with a season-best nine stops.  "The thing is we just have to stop the mental errors.  That's really what has been hurting us this season.  If we just capitalize on the big plays and be consistent then we'll be alright."

USA will hope for continued success with its simplified game plan on Saturday when it visits Appalachian State (1-3, 0-1 Sun Belt) for a 5 p.m. (CDT) start at Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone, N.C., where the Jaguars will be looking to build on a program-record three-game road winning streak as well as wins away from home on consecutive weekends for the first time since October 2010.

The contest can be seen across the country on ESPN3 and heard live nationally via the iHeartRadio platform.

"The goal we had at the beginning of the year was to play well on the road, and we're starting to get that done," observed Jones.  "We have to continue to do that this week against a really good Appalachian State team."

The Jags enter play ranked second in the league in total and scoring defense, allowing 370 yards and 21.5 points per outing, and are third in sacks after posting seven in the win over the Vandals.  Maleki Harris leads the group with 33 tackles and four stops for loss, also contributing two passes broken up, a pair of forced fumbles and an interception.  Terrell Brigham has supplied 29 total stops and broken up a career-best seven passes up — topping the conference in the latter category — while Montell Garner has a team-high two picks and four other pass break ups to go along with 16 tackles; his 59-yard return interception return for a score late in the first quarter last time out gave USA a double-figure lead the rest of the way.

In addition to the two defensive backs, five linemen contributed to the sack total with both Jimmie Gipson III and Theo Rich picking up their second of the season.

Jay Jones has run for 100 or more yards in each of USA's last three road games dating back to last season after posting 105 on 17 carries at Idaho, and for the second time in as many contests away from home the senior capped the scoring after his 18-yard touchdown run with eight minutes to go in regulation provided the final margin of victory.  He has 255 yards through four contests, ranking sixth in the SBC, and is eight shy of recording 1,000 in his career.

Brandon Bridge added a career-best 71 yards on just six attempts — highlighted by a 54-yard scoring run up the middle on the third snap of the second half — while also completing 15-of-25 passes for 196 yards.  He stands eighth in the league in total offense with 210.75 yards per game after finishing with a season-best 267 against the Vandals.

Shavarez Smith took over the team lead with 17 catches on the year after collecting a team-high six last weekend, with Jeremé Jones second on the squad three receptions behind.  Was Saxton also has a double-digit catch total after posting three in the Idaho game, while Claude Garrett's 78 yards on two receptions paced the squad; that included a 51-yard touchdown catch late in the first quarter that gave USA the lead for good.

T.J. Glover enters play second in the league with an average of 24.86 yards per kick return, while Brandon McKee's 11 punts downed inside the opponents' 20-yard line is one off the Sun Belt lead — he is averaging better than 41 yards per kick through the first four games of the fall.  Grant McLaurin, making his first career start at placekicker, hit field goals from 19 and 44 yards in the second quarter and finished his Jaguar debut with 10 points.

"Special teams is an animal I have been real proud of," Jones stated.  "Our punter is kicking the ball well and we are covering well.  We almost busted another kickoff return, so we're playing sound special-teams wise."

Although the Mountaineers are coming off back-to-back losses, they still are tied with the Jags for second in the Sun Belt in total defense and are also second in pass defense surrendering 151.25 yards per outing.  John Law leads ASU with 34 stops including 3½ behind the line of scrimmage and Doug Middleton has supplied 31 tackles and two interceptions, while Joel Ross has picked off three passes to help the unit enter play with a plus-0.50 turnover margin that is tied for second in the league.

ASU also is among the top half of the conference rankings in scoring (fourth, 28.5 ppg), total (fourth, 400.75 ypg) and rushing (third, 177.75 ypg) offense, with Marcus Cox (63-319, 5.1 avg, 5 TDs) fourth in the SBC in rushing and Simms McElfresh (24-238, 4 TDs) tied for third in receptions per contest.  Taylor Lamb has started the last two games for the Mountaineers, and has completed 61.3 percent (65-of-106) of his throws for 683 yards and three scores.

Bentlee Critcher is averaging 42.6 yards per punt, and Bobo Beathard has an average of 11.8 yards per punt return to highlight ASU's special teams units.

"They are very athletic defensively, they have guys who fly around to the football," Jones said.  "Offensively they run a system similar to us; their quarterback, Taylor Lamb, is a good, young quarterback who really places the ball well.  They have some good receivers and an experienced offensive line. They are a good quality football team for sure."

As the Jaguars look to move above .500 — both on the season and in the conference standings — the plan of attack Saturday at Appalachian State is sure to be simple.

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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