Game StatsPostgame QuotesPhoto GalleryUSA Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony highlightsUSA Athletic Hall of Fame Photo GalleryMOBILE, Ala. – When Cody Clements connected with Chris Lewis for a 47-yard completion on the opening play of the night, prospects looked good for the University of South Alabama football team. They were even brighter when the Jaguars went ahead moments later on an 11-yard pass from Clements to Gerald Everett.
But North Carolina State responded with 28 unanswered points before the end of the first quarter, scoring on its first five possessions in all, to earn a 63-13 non-conference victory over the Jags Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
On the Wolfpack's third play from scrimmage — facing third-and-one — Matthew Dayes ran 77 yards down the right sideline, crossing the goal line just as he was tackled to even the score 7-7 less than four minutes after the opening kickoff. NCSU (4-0) went ahead for the first time on their next possession with a six-play, 77-yard march capped by a 39-yard touchdown run from Shadrach Thornton midway through the opening quarter, and after a Germaine Pratt interception needed only three plays and just over a minute to double that advantage. On the first play of the ensuing drive Jacoby Brissett found Jaylen Samuels for 42 yards, then he hit Bra'Lon Cherry for 33 more before Dayes scored again, this time from two yards out.
Another interception — this time by Jerod Fernandez — set up the Pack inside the USA-10, with Dayes crossing the goal line for an eight-yard touchdown run and a 28-7 lead with less than four minutes to go in the opening period.
After Aleem Sunanon connected on a 33-yard field goal in the opening minutes of the second quarter to draw the Jaguars (2-2) within 28-10, Brissett and Samuels connected for a 33-yard touchdown pass just over two minutes later to make it a 25-point lead. The two hooked up again — this time from two yards out — later in the period for a 42-10 advantage at the break.
The Wolfpack recorded 330 yards on the ground — Thornton posted 111 on 12 attempts, Dayes 104 on eight carries — and 586 overall; the former added a second touchdown from four yards out midway through the third quarter. Brissett finished 18-of-23 passing for 218 yards, with Dayes catching six balls for 46 yards and Samuels adding five receptions for 84. Reggie Gallaspy II chipped in with six rushes for 35 yards, including scoring runs of 12 and 10 yards in the final quarter.
Josh Jones paced the N.C. State defense with six stops, including one for loss, and a fumble recovery, while Airius Moore collected five tackles and both Fernandez and M.J. Salahuddin were credited with four. Darian Roseboro, collected 2½ stops behind the line, with two of those sacks as well.
Their efforts helped the Wolfpack limit the Jags to just 258 yards of total offense, and only 45 on the ground.
NCSU also had a 26-14 advantage in first downs and controlled the ball for just over 35 minutes. It was the most points and total yards allowed by the Jaguars as well as their largest margin of defeat.
"We put up 63 points, got some takeaways, made some plays in key moments on defense early, picked up chunk yards, and played a lot of guys in the game," N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren explained. "We were dominant in a lot of ways. South Alabama is a big-play offense, and we took away their run game. Overall, that was a really good team win."
"We didn't play very well, it was obvious, in any phase of the game," said USA head coach Joey Jones. "They are better than us. They have a good team; they'll be a top-25 team in my opinion. They're that kind of football team, but we didn't play very well."
Sunanon added a career-long 49-yard field goal for the Jaguars' final points, the third time this season the junior has connected on multiple attempts. Brandon McKee averaged 45.7 yards per punt as well. "As a kicker, this game shouldn't be any different than any other game because I have one job and I'm to do my job to the best of my ability, whether it's an extra point or a game-winning 55-yard field goal," Sunanon stated. "To me, it's going to be the same kick. It's always good to be perfect [kicking].
"In the end, I would rather kick extra points than field goals."
D.J. Vinson and Everett had three receptions each for USA for 57 and 27 yards, respectively, while Lewis and Marvin Shinn caught two balls each; the former recorded a career-best 55 yards. Tyreis Thomas gained 38 yards on five rushes, while Xavier Johnson chipped in with 29, while Clements completed 14-of-33 attempts for 201 yards.
"It definitely hurts. There's no way around that," observed senior offensive lineman Chris May. "'It's really disappointing to come out and play like this, especially after the way we started on the first drive and then taper off quickly. We just have to put this behind us. Conference play starts next week, so we just have to lick our wounds and move onto the next one."
Jeremy Reaves recorded his third straight contest with a double-digit tackle total, posting a game-high 10 overall, and Roman Buchanan supplied nine stops. Both were credited with a tackle for loss.
"We were playing with a deer-in-the-headlights look," stated Buchana. "I don't know what happened, but it's on us. It wasn't even competitive. We had guys just lose their cool. That wasn't the same defense that played [last week] in San Diego. They're a good team, but they were just taking advantage of the mistakes we were making, which we made a ton of."
The Wolfpack claimed their third victory in as many contests between the two schools, with this the first match-up in Mobile.
USA will return to action Saturday when it opens Sun Belt Conference play at Troy. Game time is slated for 6 p.m., with the contest scheduled to be carried nationally on ESPN3.
"We have conference next week, and we're 2-2 out of conference and that's pretty good with the schedule we had to play," Jones commented. "We have to get into conference play and see what happens. Our goal is to win a conference championship, and we have to go back to work tomorrow and start to fix some things, coach better and start to play better."
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—
