MOBILE, Ala. – Desmond Trotter found Kawaan Baker for an eight-yard touchdown pass midway through the fourth quarter to break a tie game and help lead the University of South Alabama to a 30-20 Sun Belt Conference football victory over Texas State Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium.

Diego Guajardo tacked on a 44-yard field goal with just over a minute remaining as the Jaguars (2-2, 1-0 Sun Belt) claimed their first-ever win at the new stadium.  Trotter finished the contest 18-of-22 passing for 187 yards, while Carlos Davis ran for 113 yards and a score on 32 carries as well.

Riley Cole led all players with 15 tackles — which included 1½ behind the line of scrimmage — with Nick Mobley recording seven stops, and the duo of Dewayne Betts Jr. and Ryan Melton contributing five apiece.  Keith Gallmon broke up three passes and Maurice Strong Jr. was credited with 1½ tackles for loss also.

Brady McBride completed 28-of-40 attempts for 260 yards for the Bobcats (1-5, 1-2 SBC), who were led defensively by Nico Ezidore's nine stops; that total included four for a loss with a sack.

South Alabama 30, Texas State 20 (final stats)
South Alabama/Texas State photo gallery

GAME FACTS
-South held a 127-101 edge in total offense in the opening period but trailed 7-3 after 15 minutes after McBride found Jackson Lanum for a 9-yard touchdown pass with just over four minutes left in the quarter.
-Davis and Jalen Tolbert scored on a run and pass, respectively, in the second period as the Jaguars led 17-10 at the break.
-The Bobcats tied the game 17-17 midway through the third period when Brock Sturges reached the end zone from one yard out.
-The teams traded field goals in the first four-and-a-half minutes of the final quarter before USA pulled away for the victory.
-The Jags held a 385-348 advantage in total offense, but held the ball for just over 34 minutes after converting 10-of-18 tries on third down.
-Neither team turned the ball over, but the two defenses combined to make three fourth-down stops in the contest.

NOTES
-This marks the second time in the last three years that the Jaguars have opened Sun Belt action with a victory.
-The home team has now won all six match-ups in the series, with each program claiming three victories since first meeting during the 2013 campaign.
-The Jaguars are now 10-2 on Homecoming weekend.
-Trotter's 81.8 completion percentage was the second-highest mark (minimum 10 attempts) in program history.
-This was the second time this season that Cole — who finished with a career-high tackle total — has posted 10 or more stops after accomplishing the feat once in 30 appearances coming into the season.
-It also marked the first occasion this fall that the senior has recorded a tackle for loss in consecutive outings.
-Tolbert posted a career high with nine catches and game-best 91 yards receiving while becoming the seventh individual in program history to reach double figures in touchdown receptions after hauling in the 10th of his career.
-Baker moved into a tie for fifth place on South's all-time receptions list — he now has 96 since the start of the 2017 season — after finishing the day with five for 43 yards.
-He and Tolbert have caught at least one pass in each of the last 16 games since the start of the 2019 campaign, including grabbing multiple receptions in six straight contests.
-Gallmon's three passes broken up were the most recorded by a member of the Jag defense this year.
-It was a career-best tackle total for Betts Jr. — who had made two stops in his first four appearances of the season — while Melton matched his previous high first set last time out against UAB.
-Davis became the first Jaguar to run for 100-plus yards in back-to-back outings since Xavier Johnson turned the trick in wins over Idaho and Louisiana on Nov. 7 and 12, 2015.
-In each of the three games that Strong Jr. has been credited with a tackle this fall at least one of those have been behind the line of scrimmage.
-After hitting from 33, 24 and 44 yards out, Guajardo was the first USA placekicker to convert three field goals in a game since Gavin Patterson accomplished the feat Sept. 30, 2017, at Louisiana Tech.

THEY SAID IT
South Alabama head coach Steve Campbell
On getting the first win in conference play and in Hancock Whitney Stadium: "It was huge for us to get the win for a lot of reasons. We needed to get the first win in Hancock Whitney Stadium knocked out and we needed to get a win and get back going after losing our last two games. I thought we started the season off hot, and then we definitely cooled off there a little bit, but we definitely needed to get back hot again. We were able to do that today. The biggest thing for us right now is we aren't looking up at anybody in the conference since we're 1-0. We just need to take care of business one week at a time where we don't have to count on somebody else.  We were able to take care of business today and beat a good Texas State team. They had a seven-point game against SMU, took UTSA — who only lost by seven to BYU — to overtime. They had Boston College by 14 in the fourth quarter on the road. I think we left a couple of things out on the field and we definitely have some things that we need to work on, but we found a way to win the game. This was a total team victory as we made plays in all three phases of the game."
On quarterback rotation decision: "Desmond took us down and we were able to score some points early, and then we cooled off. For one reason or another, I believe we had a couple of series where we didn't put points on the board. Chance came in and got us going right before the half. We came back and started the second half with him since we scored on his one drive at the end of the first half. We weren't able to quite get it going and we brought Dez back in and he got us going, leading us on a big time drive. Both of the guys really came in and did some great things. I thought Desmond made a lot of good decisions, because there were a lot of opportunities where you had to make good decisions on plays concerning down-and-distance, clock management and understanding what we were trying to do."
On what it means to get this win after the long layoff: "It means an awful lot. It means that we have a chance to be who we thought we were. We think we have a really good chance to be a good football team. We've got some really good players who are unselfish and have worked tremendously hard; they love and are playing for each other. We asked them to have more energy today and that was the difference. There were some opportunities in the game where if you're not a resilient bunch, that they could have just decided that today wasn't our day and given up, because it wasn't looking good for us early, but they didn't blink. I was really proud of that."
On the play of the defense: "They made some huge plays. I really think our defense stepped up. I don't know how many fourth-down stops we had, but it seemed like we were able to get a lot. We need to keep grinding and finding ways to wins."

Junior S Dewayne Betts Jr.
On the win: "It feels good; first win at home, plus it's Homecoming. It was a great win and a great feeling for us."
On the defense: "We basically saw the stuff [they ran] on film during the week. They throw a lot of screens and tried to get to the outside early. Once we noticed they were getting to the edge, we tightened it up and started playing. Their receivers weren't really blocking, so we were able to get off the blocks. We had to play harder than they played. I just like the way the defense made stops when we needed to."
On building on the win: "We have to come back to work. We practiced hard this past week; everyone was trying to get back in shape after the break. We just have to keep that tempo going. It starts in practice, so as long as we keep practicing hard then we will keep playing hard and finishing game."

Senior LB Riley Cole
On the win: "This was a huge win for us with it being our first conference win and our first win in the new stadium. This is what we came here to do. We had a great mindset heading into the second half, and everybody was motivated. This win feels great, but I am ready to get back to practice and work harder for the next game."
On the second half fourth-down stop: "I knew we had to get off the field and make a big stop. Whether it was me or someone else on defense, we had to make a big play."

Junior WR Jalen Tolbert
On the first home win: "It was the first one in Hancock Whitney Stadium — that's a big stepping stone — and we are 1-0 in the Sun Belt Conference, we're at top. We have to come back to work tomorrow and all week to be prepared for ULM. We are going to celebrate this win, but tomorrow it's a business day."
On the passing game: "They did not want us to get big plays on post or go balls, so we had to take little stuff under them. It was just eating them as they were giving us too much room. [Chance] Lovertich and [Desmond] Trotter were able to read things and connect on a lot of passes with us. It helped us get the win today."
On getting Trotter back on the field: "We are happy to have him back, he is a hard worker and a great leader. We are excited to get him back on the field. He was anxious to get out there and we came away with the win." 

Sophomore QB Desmond Trotter
On the win: "Getting this win was huge. Coming off that layoff, everyone was fresh. This was a huge win going into conference [play], now we're just looking toward next week."
On the offense: "You don't want to get too greedy, you just want to take what they give. Sooner or later it will open up, but they were doing a pretty good job of not allowing the big plays down the field. We were able to execute what we do and put points on the board."
On the final touchdown pass: "I just remember that I couldn't take a sack. I knew we had to score. They went Cover 2 right there and I knew I had to come to my mesh [route]. I just guided the linebacker with my eyes and was able to get it in to KB [Kawaan Baker]."

Up next: The Jags will conclude a four-game homestand when they play host to ULM Saturday at 6 p.m. (CDT) at Hancock Whitney Stadium.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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