MOBILE, Ala. – Will the third time be the charm?  In this instance, the University of South Alabama football program hopes so.

The Jaguars, in search of their sixth win this season to clinch eligibility to participate in a postseason bowl, will attempt for the third time in as many weeks to complete the task when they play host to Appalachian State Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.  The match-up will kick off at 6:30 p.m. (CST) and be broadcast across the country on ESPN3 as well as via the iHeartRadio app; both outlets are available for free.

Prior to the contest, 25 seniors will be recognized on the field.

"First of all I want to thank all of our seniors for their commitment to our program and the work they have done to get this program on the map.  They have just been tremendous on and off the field, and I want to thank them," Jag head coach Joey Jones stated.  "Secondly, we have a ballgame to win.  All of our guys know it's huge for our program and huge for us.  We have a really good team coming in here in Appalachian State, and we have a lot of respect for them.  We're excited about playing."

Remaining available tickets may be purchased on-line at tickets.southalabama.edu, by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872) or by visiting the Mitchell Center Box Office in person between 10 a.m.-5 p.m. from Tuesday through Friday.  Sideline tickets cost $20 while end zone seats can be purchased for $10.

Tailgating will begin in the Ladd-Peebles Stadium parking lot at 8 a.m., with the stadium ticket office opening at 3:30 p.m. and gates to the venue slated to be opened an hour after that.  The "Jag Prowl" will run through the tailgating area behind the South end zone of the facility at 4 p.m.

Round-trip shuttle service will begin at 2:30 p.m., running from the Shoppes at Bel Air located behind J.C. Penney to the stadium and back with continuous service until 90 minutes after the game ends.  The cost for the shuttle is $2.50 per person, with the service free to children five years old and under.

While the Jaguars (5-6, 3-4 Sun Belt Conference) dropped two straight decisions on the road following a Nov. 12 victory over Louisiana-Lafayette, Appalachian State (9-2, 6-1 Sun Belt) has won its last two outings since falling at home to Arkansas State — the lone remaining undefeated team in the SBC — on Nov. 5; the Mountaineers' other loss came at nationally-ranked Clemson the second week of the year.

The Jag defense enters the regular-season finale ranked fifth in the league in total yards allowed (411.6 per game) and is third against the pass surrendering fewer than 200 yards per outing through the air.  Blake Dees became the fourth individual in the last four years to record 100 or more tackles in a season after finishing with five last week at Georgia Southern, bringing his total this fall to 102; that figure ranks third in the conference per game.

Jeremy Reaves stands second on the squad with 85 stops, as he is among the top 20 in the league in tackles, stops for loss, passes defensed and fumbles forced per outing.  Kalen Jackson paced the unit against the Eagles with seven stops — bringing his total for the year to 67 — which includes a team-high 7½ behind the line of scrimmage.  Roman Buchanan and DeMarion Harper matched Jackson to share game-high honors at GS, with the former credited with 67 tackles this season and the latter a career-best 45.

USA recovered two fumbles last time out, with Devon Earl running back the second 62 yards for a score and a 14-7 Jaguar advantage midway through the second quarter.

USA is averaging nearly 360 yards and 25 points per contest coming into play, with just over 155 of those yards coming via the rush.  With 844 yards on the ground Xavier Johnson is closing in on the school season record, and he has already set a new standard in all-purpose yards with 1334 as he is averaging better than 31 yards per kickoff return.  Tyreis Thomas surpassed the 500-yard mark last weekend after pacing the Jags with 37 yards on just eight attempts, and he reached the end zone for the second game in a row after opening the scoring against the Eagles with a two-yard touchdown run to cap the Jaguars' opening possession.

Cody Clements has thrown for 2,177 yards and 13 scores this fall, both figures that rank among the top three in the school's season record books, with top target Gerald Everett recording 37 catches for 552 yards and eight touchdowns.  Josh Magee's average of almost 23½ yards per catch is among the best in the nation — he's scored three times as well — while D.J. Vinson has caught 21 passes also.

The Mountaineers, though, enter play leading the Sun Belt in total offense as well as total and scoring defense.  ASU is giving up just 313.7 yards and 17.5 points per contest while gaining 470 per game overall; it also stands second in the league with an average of 37.5 points per outing.

Marcus Cox is one of three individuals in the SBC gaining more than 100 yards per game rushing with 1,073 yards and eight scores, with underclassmen Jalin Moore and Terrence Upshaw contributing 551 and 436 yards, respectively.  Taylor Lamb has posted 367 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, while through the air the Mountaineer quarterback has completed 142-of-235 (60.7%) of his passes for 2,100 yards and 27 scores; in addition to pacing the conference in passing efficiency, he ranks fifth in total offense.

Simms McElfresh tops ASU with 27 receptions and five touchdown catches — recording 352 yards — while Shaedon Meadors and Malachi Jones are both averaging more than 20 yards per catch.  The former has 439 yards receiving and the latter 424, with both grabbing 21 balls.

"Offensively, they are really good running the football.  They execute very well," Jones commented.  "Their passing game is not the most complex in the world, but they really know how to do it.  Their offense is really methodical about what they do.  They have a lot of long drives and move the ball down the field consistently."

Linebackers Eric Boggs and John Law top the Mountaineers with 80 and 68 total stops, respectively, and both have intercepted two passes as well.  Ronald Blair has recorded a team- and SBC-leading 15½ tackles for loss — which includes six sacks — with Law adding 9½ and Boggs 6½.  Seven ASU defenders have been credited with at least five stops behind the line this fall.

In the secondary, Latrell Gibbs has five interceptions — which he has returned for 138 yards and two touchdowns — and broken up eight other passes, leading the league in the latter category while standing tied for second in the former.

"Defensively, they very active up front and do a lot of things out of a three-man front — a lot of blitzes," observed Jones.  "They are much more diverse than they were last year.  They play zone coverage extremely well, that's one thing that they are really good at.  They drop to their spots, break on the ball and have fast guys back there who do a good job."

Despite the opposition, the Jaguars are hoping that their third chance to gain postseason bowl eligibility will be the one that allows the program to reach the six-win mark for the third time in as many years.  For USA, three might be the magic number.

"The players are taking this week very personal; they want to win," Jones explained.  "They want to get into a bowl game, that's one of our goals obviously.  We're going to be all in this game, and the guys will be ready.  You can tell a lot of those guys know it's their last chance."

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).

—USA—