MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama football team has won both match-ups against Idaho heading into Saturday's meeting between the two programs, but this isn't the same Vandal squad that the Jaguars have seen in previous years.

After going 1-10 and 4-8 the last two seasons, including losses to the Jaguars by margins of 34-10 and 52-45 during that stretch, Idaho comes into play with a 6-4 mark having won back-to-back road games in Sun Belt Conference action to open the month.  The biggest difference in from previous years for the Vandals is up front, according to South head coach Joey Jones.

"Really what you see different from Idaho from the last couple of years to now is really at the line of scrimmage in their offensive and defensive lines," he observed.  "Both of them are better, that's where I feel their biggest improvement has been."

In addition to defeating Louisiana-Lafayette (23-13) and Texas State (47-13) on the road Nov. 5 and 12, Idaho was a 55-23 winner over New Mexico State on Oct. 15 in its last contest at the Kibbie Dome.  The Jags will be looking for their sixth win of the campaign following last weekend's 31-7 victory over Presbyterian, as well as for their first league win away from home, when Saturday's game kicks off at 2:30 p.m. (CST) in Moscow.  The match-up will be carried live on both ESPN3 and the American Sports Network, can be heard locally on either WRKH 96.1 FM and 99.5 The Jag or via the iHeartRadio app.

The Jaguar defense is coming off its first performance not allowing a touchdown (the Blue Hose's lone score was on a fumble return) since September 2012, having given up just 78 yards passing and 275 overall in last week's win.  With the effort, the unit not only tops the Sun Belt and is seventh nationally allowing 172.2 yards per game passing but is also ranked in the top five in the league in total (third, 373.8 ypg) and scoring (fourth, 24.0 ppg) defense.

While Roman Buchanan continues to pace the group with 73 tackles on the season and Randy Allen leads USA with 14 tackles for loss and eight sacks, several other individuals were key in the Presbyterian game.  Darrell Songy led all players with 13 stops — the third time this fall he has recorded 10 or more, leaving him one behind Buchanan for the year — while Finessé Middleton posted three tackles behind the line, Jalen Thompson returned an interception 30 yards for the final score of the evening and Bull Barge forced a fumble and had a stop for loss.  Jeremy Reaves and Devon Earl posted three stops apiece as well, with the former also forcing a fumble, as they rank third and fourth on the squad with 61 and 58 total tackles, respectively.

South's offense has averaged 6.6 yards per play each of the last two outings having recorded 418 yards on just 63 snaps in the PC victory.  That surge has been aided by the Jaguars' ground game, which has provided more than 200 yards in back-to-back contests after posting a season-high 251 last weekend.  Xavier Johnson recorded his second 100-yard game of the year with 116 on only 10 carries, highlighted by a 70-yard run on USA's third play from scrimmage to put the team in the lead for good, while Dami Ayoola has scored in each of the last two outings after finishing with 45 yards on seven attempts against the Blue Hose.  Johnson is fifth in the Sun Belt in rushing, having gained 550 yards in 2016, and Ayoola has supplied 265 yards as well.

Gerald Everett (42-643, 4 TDs) and Josh Magee (36-493, 3 TDs) have combined for more than 1,100 yards receiving this fall, and Kevin Kutchera (24-466, 1 TD) is averaging nearly 20 yards per catch and is ranked among the top 10 in the league in receiving yards per game along with Everett and Magee despite missing last week's contest.  Tyrone Williams has added 289 yards on 25 catches as well in helping USA average more than 235 yards passing per outing, with Dallas Davis completing 148-of-252 attempts for 1,902 yards and seven scores.

The Vandals are top five in the SBC in total (386.1 ypg) and scoring (26.4 ppg) offense, ranking as high as third in the league in passing yards per contest (249).  Matt Linehan (204-331, 2,446 yds, 10 TDs) leads the unit, and he has five receivers with 20 or more receptions; Trent Cowan paces the group with 40 catches for 475 yards and four scores, with Alfonso Onunwor adding 352 yards on 36 receptions and Deon Watson hauling in 33 passes for 523 yards.  Aaron Duckworth is among the conference leaders with 564 yards and four touchdowns rushing, Isaiah Saunders has gained 343 yards and reached the end zone three times and Denzal Brantley has supplied 224 yards and three touchdowns also.

While Idaho is giving up 31.4 points and 412.7 yards per game, its defense has surrendered just 13 points in each of the last two outings and minus-18 yards rushing and 193 total in its most recent victory.  Tony Lashley's 70 stops top the unit — he's made 7½ tackles behind the line and also recovered a pair of fumbles — with Jayshawn Jordan just one behind him; the latter leads the team with both three interceptions and seven passes broken up.  Tueni Lupeamanu and Kaden Elliss have posted 58 and 55 stops, respectively, with the duo combining for seven sacks and 14½ tackles for loss, while Aikeem Coleman tops the squad with 11 stops behind the line of scrimmage and eight sacks.

"Idaho is a good team," Jones explained.  "Starting with their offense, they have a really good quarterback and do a great job with both the run and pass.  They throw the ball well and run it well, which poses problems when you are trying to stop both of them.  Defensively, they don't do a lot of different things and probably don't blitz as much as some of the teams we've played, but they are very sound in what they do."

USA hopes to see the same result against Idaho that it has in the previous two years this weekend, but it won't be coming against a Vandal squad the Jaguars recall from the recent past.

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—