MOBILE, Ala. – If history is any indication, the University of South Alabama football team should expect a game that goes down to the wire Saturday when the Jaguars visit Texas State in a Sun Belt Conference match-up.  After all, the first two times the two schools have met the outcome has not been decided until the final seconds.

In 2013, when the Jags first visited San Marcos, they overcame a 10-point deficit midway through the fourth quarter on a pair of Ross Metheny-to-Danny Woodson II touchdowns passes of over 40 yards only to see a 31-30 advantage disappear when Jason Dann converted a 41-yard field goal with four seconds remaining in regulation.  Last fall in Mobile the Bobcats once again built a double-digit  first-half lead, but USA went ahead 24-17 early in the final period after Terrance Timmons scored from eight yards out and hung on to win by four as Tyler Jones' pass on second-and-goal from the four-yard line fell incomplete in the end zone as time expired.

That would provide the Jaguars with their sixth victory of the season, leading to the program's first-ever bowl appearance.  It is that end result, more than the drama the games have produced, that has the eye of USA head coach Joey Jones.

"If we want to get into a bowl game, as all coaches say the next one is the biggest," he observed.  "We need to win this one to become 4-3 and be two wins away from bowl eligibility because we have tough games down the road.  The Sun Belt Conference has gotten tougher so whenever you can grab a win you better do it."

Both teams enter play — which is set to kick off at 6 p.m. (CDT) Saturday at Bobcat Stadium — coming off their first league losses of the season.  The Jags (3-3, 1-1 Sun Belt) were defeated at home by Arkansas State in a nationally-televised contest days after TSU (1-4, 0-1, SBC) dropped a decision at Louisiana-Lafayette.

A Jaguar defense that surrendered just 345 yards to the Red Wolves, lowering its season average below 400 yards per contest, will be challenged by a Bobcat offense that is third in total (458.4 yards per game) and scoring (34 ppg) offense as well as second passing the ball (258.2 ypg).

Kalen Jackson has posted 18 stops the last two outings — one more than the first four games of the year combined — after collecting a career-best 12 in the ASU contest, while Roman Buchanan chipped in with 11 tackles against the Red Wolves to give him 45 on the season.  Blake Dees and Jeremy Reaves have been credited with 48 and 46 tackles, respectively, through six games to lead the unit, with all four as well as DeMarion Harper recording at least three stops behind the line of scrimmage.

USA ranks second in the conference in passing yards against, allowing less than 190 per contest, and is third in pass efficiency defense (130.22 rating).  Buchanan and Jackson both have a pair of interceptions, while E.J. May has broken up four passes with Jalen Thompson defending three.

Tyler Jones leads the Bobcats with 1,501 yards of total offense; in addition to completing 101-of-162 (62.3%) of his passes for 1,154 yards, he is the team's leading rusher with 347 yards and five scores on just 58 attempts.  He stands second in the Sun Belt in total offense, is among the top five in passing yards per game and efficiency, and stands eighth in rushing.

C.J. Best paces a trio of receivers on the squad with more than 200 yards, catching 23 balls for 222, with Jafus Gaines supplying a team-leading 246 on 20 receptions and Demun Mercer recording 207.  Robert Lowe has rushed for 290 yards and three touchdowns as well.

"They are as diverse on offense as any team that we've played; by that I mean they run a lot of schemes and that they are unique in what they do," explained Jones.  "They will run a lot of play-action pass where their quarterback will jump up and throw the ball at the last second, he gets to the line of scrimmage and there will be a running back or a receiver or a tight end running down the field and if your defensive back loses his eyes and they get it to that particular guy it's a touchdown or a large gain.  They hurt us with that last year, and scored a 40-yarder against Louisiana-Lafayette the other night doing the same thing.

"They keep you on your toes.  They are very well coached with a very good quarterback."

Cody Clements threw for career highs of 273 yards and three touchdowns last time out, as he too ranks among the SBC leaders in passing yards per game (3rd, 234 ypg), total offense (6th, 226.67 ypg) and passing efficiency (7th, 123.50) halfway through the Jags' regular-season schedule.  Josh Magee is fifth in receiving yards per game — he has 402 yards on just 14 catches — after his lone reception last week went for a 76-yard score, while Gerald Everett is sixth in the category as well as among the top 10 in scoring and catches per game entering the contest with 26 receptions, 375 yards and a total of seven touchdowns.  Woodson II had his best game of the year against the Red Wolves, pacing the Jaguars with four catches for 75 yards and a score, and D.J. Vinson has caught 14 passes on the season too.

The USA ground attack is led by the duo of Xavier Johnson and Tyreis Thomas, who have rushed for 410 and 251 yards per outing, respectively.  In their three victories, the Jags have averaged better than 205 yards per contest while that figure drops to just over 30 in the team's defeats.

"If you look at the games we've won we have run the ball well," Jones stated.  "We didn't run the ball well against Arkansas State.  In the fourth quarter when you are ahead you have to run the football to run the clock, and we didn't do that.  But we ran the ball well against San Diego State and against Troy, and that translated into wins, so we know that we have to be able to run the football.  Our coaches know that and our players know that."

Damani Alexcee's 36 tackles are the most on the TSU defense, as he also paces the squad with three stops for loss and two sacks, and has been credited with a forced fumble and a pass defensed.  David Mims has recorded 26 stops and broken up a pair of passes, while Trey McGowan has supplied 24 tackles for the unit.  Both Karee Berry and Rusmin Nikocevic have posted 2½ tackles behind the line of scrimmage as well.

The Bobcat defense is giving up 317.4 yards per game passing, 573.2 overall and 49.4 points per game, ranking last in the SBC in each category.

"With Texas State being 1-4, if people think this is a game that we are just going to show up and win that's ridiculous," said Jones.  "With the teams they've played — Florida State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Southern Miss — they have had a tough schedule and a tough road.  They are very good on offense, but they lost their defensive coordinator a couple of weeks ago and are trying to fix things.  I know [TSU head coach] Dennis Franchione very well, he's a great competitor who is going to have his team ready so we are looking forward to a great ballgame."

The contest can be viewed nationally on ESPN3, and it can be heard worldwide at no cost via the iHeartRadio app.

Will this year's South Alabama-Texas State match-up again come down to the final seconds?  Whether it does or doesn't, it most likely will once more have an impact on both programs' ability to become eligible for postseason play.

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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