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MONROE, La. – Caleb Evans threw for 279 yards and three scores — including the game-winning pass in overtime — to lead Louisiana-Monroe to a 42-35 Sun Belt Conference win Saturday over the University of South Alabama football team at JPS Field at Malone Stadium.

Dami Ayoola scored on a 14-yard rush around left end with 50 seconds remaining in regulation as the Jaguars (4-5, 1-5 Sun Belt) drove 80 yards in six plays and 68 seconds to tie the score, 35-35.  Dallas Davis started the march with a 17-yard pass to Tyrone Williams, and after a pass interference call on the next play moved the Jags 15 yards further down the field he found Josh Magee for a 21-yard pickup.  Ayoola gained eight yards and Davis 10 to move USA into the red zone and set up the former's touchdown run.

After the Warhawks (3-6, 2-3 SBC) moved to the USA-39 with a pair of completions, Jeremy Reaves intercepted a third-down pass and ran it back 36 yards to the ULM-33 with five seconds left in regulation to set up a 50-yard field-goal attempt for the win.  But it was blocked by Cortez Sisco and time ran out to send the contest to overtime.

In the extra period, Evans hit Marcus Green across the middle for a seven-yard touchdown pass and a 42-35 lead.  The Jags had fourth-and-seven after a three-yard Xavier Johnson run and two incompletions, but Sisco sacked Davis for a loss of 18 yards to end the contest.

"When you play in the Sun Belt Conference and go on the road, you better expect to get the 'A' game out of every team," said USA head coach Joey Jones.  "I thought that [Louisiana-Monroe] out-played us tonight.  They made some plays down the stretch and we just didn't make the plays at the end.  When you go on the road you better be ready to play every week, because these teams can beat you.  I don't think they had to punt in any of the last three quarters and we never really slowed them down.  When you're unable to do that, it's kind of hard to win a ball game."

Entering the final quarter down seven points, ULM needed just over three minutes to once again tie the game with Thomas Koufie making the score 28-28 on a nine-yard touchdown run with 11 minutes and 44 seconds remaining in regulation.  Evans' 35-yard pass to Jared Mapps was the key play of the Warhawk drive, moving the ball to the Jaguar 20-yard line.  The Warhawks got a stop when Wesley Thompson tackled Ayoola for a three-yard loss on fourth-and-five at the ULM-25, going 68 yards in nine plays the other way before Koufie's second touchdown of the half — this time from two yards out — put ULM in front 35-28 with four-and-a-half minutes left in the game.

Juwan Offray intercepted a pass after Davis moved the Jags to the ULM-47 with a 38-yard completion to Williams, but the Jag defense forced a three-and-out to set up the game-tying drive.

USA used a 10-play scoring drive to open the second half and regain the lead, moving 75 yards in four-and-a-half minutes before Tyreis Thomas reached the end zone on a four-yard run to make the score 21-14.  But the Warhawks responded with a touchdown on their initial possession of the quarter, tying the game with four minutes and 40 seconds left in the period on a 10-yard pass from Evans to Xavier Brown.  On the final play of the period, Johnson crossed the goal line from one yard out to put the Jags up 28-21, with the score coming three plays after Davis hit Magee for a 47-yard gain to move South to the ULM-2.  The drive covered 85 yards in eight plays as South ended up with a 145-66 advantage in total offense in the quarter.

Magee finished with a career-best 138 yards on seven receptions, while Davis was 23-of-37 passing for a career-high 307 yards as the Jaguars finished with a season-high 516 yards of total offense.  Williams caught four balls for 67 yards, Kevin Kutchera added 47 on three receptions and Gerald Everett posted three catches for 21 yards, while Johnson rushed for 93 yards on 16 carries to pace all players in rushing.  Davis recorded 61 yards on the ground to finish with a career-best 368 yards of total offense, and Ayoola carried seven times for 41 yards as well.

"It was good to be back, but we've got to be able to get the win," said Magee, who missed the Jaguars' game against Georgia State due to injury.  "That's the main goal of our team.  It doesn't matter how many yards I get or how many balls I catch.  We just have to get the 'W.'"

The Warhawks received the opening kickoff and moved 79 yards in four plays, picking up first downs on a 12-yard pass from Evans to Brown and a Duke Carter 10-yard run.  On its next play Evans found R.J. Turner, who broke a pair of tackles to go 52 yards down the right sideline and give ULM a 7-0 lead less than a minute-and-a-half into the contest.

The Jaguars tied the score 7-7 with 10 minutes to go in the first period with a drive that lasted just over a minute; with USA facing third-and-two, Davis cut through an open hole on the left side of the line and went untouched down the left sideline for a 55-yard touchdown run.  It was the longest carry and first rushing score of his career.

South took its first lead, 14-7, with 11-and-a-half minutes to go before the break when Davis hit with Magee for a 24-yard touchdown pass.  The two connected for a six-yard gain for the initial first down of the possession, with Davis adding another after picking up five yards on a rush.  After moving the chains again, the Jags were facing fourth-and-six at the ULM-32 but Davis found Sa'Mory Collier for a seven-yard completion to keep the drive alive.

Ben Luckett carried it in from the one-yard line 34 seconds before the break, capping an 18-play, 67-yard march that used nearly six minutes of clock and tied the contest at the half.  The Warhawks converted third downs on a penalty call and a 10-yard run by Evans, then were successful three times on fourth down — including twice in the red zone — to keep the drive alive.

ULM posted 460 yards of total offense led by Evans, who was 26-of-38 passing and added 36 yards on eight rushes to account for 315 of those.  Koufie carried 16 times for 70 yards to lead the Warhawks on the ground, while Luckett gained 42 yards rushing and Carter supplied 33.  Ajalen Holley and Green had five receptions apiece for 40 and 37 yards, respectively, while Brown chipped in with 38 yards on four catches and Turner collected 79 on three receptions.

ULM was 6-of-9 on third-down conversions in the second half and successful all four times on fourth down in the contest.

Devon Earl paced all players with 13 tackles — a career-high total — while Roman Buchanan and Darrell Songy were both credited with 11 stops; the former had two for loss and also forced a fumble, the latter recorded one assist behind the line of scrimmage.  Reaves finished with eight tackles and also had another pass defended in addition to his fourth-quarter interception, Randy Allen posted eight tackles and Tyree Turner was credited with seven as well.

"This was a tough one.  Defensively, I feel that we started out slow and just played catch up pretty much the rest of the game." Earl said.  "In this league, especially when you're away from home, you've got to start fast.  We talked about having our opponent match our energy and I think that we had to match theirs.  They came out with the energy and it was just us trying to play catch up."

David Griffith's 10 stops led the ULM defense, with Thompson collecting seven tackles and Tre' Hunter and Caleb Tucker recording six each.

After an open weekend — their second of the year — the Jags will play host to Presbyterian on Saturday, Nov. 19.  Game time for the contest is expected to be announced on Monday.

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—