GAME 1
South Alabama Jaguars | 0-0, 0-0 Sun Belt
vs.
Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles | 0-0, 0-0 Conference USA

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Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021 | 7 pm (CDT)
Mobile, Ala. | Hancock Whitney Stadium
25,450 capacity | FieldTurf

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Media Information
Television
ESPN+
J.D. Byars (pxp)
Pat Greenwood (analysis)

Radio
USA Football Radio Network
(flagship 96.1 FM/Sports Talk 99.5 FM in Mobile)
JT Crabtree (pxp)
Chris May (analysis)
Tommy Hicks (sidelines)

On the web
• Live Twitter updates available at: @WeAreSouth_FB
• Live stats available at: http://statb.us/b/353376
• Live audio available at: https://www.iheart.com/live/sports-talk-995-7117/

Game/Promotions Information
• Special: None
• Giveaway: First 10,000 fans receive shakers, first 3,500 USA students receive a free T-shirt (must enter at gate one and show student ID).
• Water Policy: Empty clear water bottles are allowed in Hancock Whitney Stadium that then may be filled at the various water fountains on the concourse.
• Clear Bag Policy: Click usajaguars.com/clearbag for all information.
• Stadium Chairs: Portable stadium chairs 16" wide and smaller (with or without backrest) are allowed at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Larger chairs will be denied.
• Tickets: Single game tickets start at just $20 and are available online at usajaguars.com/tickets, over the phone (251-461-1USA) or in person as you arrive for the game.  Windows open two hours prior to kickoff on gameday.
• Home and Visitor Player Pass List: Tickets will be at the East ticket booth adjacent to Gate 1.
• Shuttles: Free shuttles will provide service from Lot 804 on USA North Drive and the Moulton belltower on USA South Drive to the stadium; service before the game until 90 minutes upon conclusion of contest. Free parking is available in the 900 lots (TRPIII) with $2 per person shuttle available to the stadium. Please refer to usajaguars.com/parking for more information.
• Parking: Opens for tailgating at 8 a.m.

The Rankings
South Alabama
Associated Press — n/a
Coaches — n/a
Sagarin — 133rd
Southern Mississippi
Associated Press — n/a
Coaches — n/a
Sagarin — 114th

Series History
Overall: USA leads 1-0
In Mobile: n/a
In Hattiesburg: USA leads 1-0
Neutral: n/a
Series Streak: USA — 1 (2020)
First Meeting: USA, 32-21, on Sept. 3, 2020, in Hattiesburg
Last Meeting: USA, 32-21, on Sept. 3, 2020, in Hattiesburg

The Coaches
South Alabama
Kane Wommack (Southern Mississippi '09)
Record at USA — 0-0 (1st season)
Career record — same
Record vs. USM — 0-0

Southern Mississippi
Will Hall (North Alabama '03)
Record at USM — 0-0 (1st season)
Career Record — 56-20 (7th season)
Record vs. USA — 0-1

Opening Kick
• South Alabama takes the field for the first time under Kane Wommack, the third head coach in the program's 13th year of existence.
• This marks the second season in a row that the Jaguars will open against the Golden Eagles.
• It's the first time in South's history it will face the same opening-day opponent in consecutive years.
• The Jags last began the year at home against a Conference USA opponent in 2018, when they played host to Louisiana Tech in the debut of former  head coach Steve Campbell.
• Jaguar quality control analyst Tony Pecoraro was Southern Miss' defensive coordinator in last year's meeting between the two programs, and he was also an assistant on the Golden Eagles' staff during the 2016 and '17 campaigns.

Notes From The Last Southern Miss Meeting
• The Jaguars were named the initial Reveal Suits National Team of the Week of the 2020 season by the Football Writers Association of America following the contest.
• Individually, Jalen Tolbert (Maxwell Award Player of the Week) and Desmond Trotter (Manning Award "Stars of the Week") were honored nationally while Tolbert and Nick Mobley were selected the Sun Belt Conference Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week, respectively.
• The Jaguars posted season-high figures with 526 yards of total offense and an average of 7.7 yards per play.
• It was the first time in program history South did not have to punt.
• USM was the only team to intercept multiple passes against the Jags last fall.

Notes On Wommack's Coaching/Playing Career
• Wommack, 34, became the third head coach in program history and youngest at the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level when he was hired on Dec. 12 last year.
• He was one of five finalists for the Broyles Award, given  to the top NCAA FBS assistant coach in the nation, in 2020 after helping Indiana go 6-2 overall while finishing 12th in the final Associated Press poll.
• In addition to serving as the Hoosiers' defensive coordinator — the youngest in the Power Five — the last two years, Wommack was also defensive coordinator for the Jags in 2016 and '17 as well as at Eastern Illinois for one season prior to his first stint in Mobile.
• The Jaguars allowed over 10 points fewer per outing than the previous campaign his first year on the staff, the fifth-best improvement in the NCAA FBS that fall.
• After beginning his collegiate playing career at Arkansas in 2006, Wommack was a fullback and tight end at Southern Miss for three years — helping the Golden Eagles to a postseason bowl appearance each fall — before receiving his degree from the school in 2009.

Opening Night Notes
• This marks the fourth time in six years that USA will open against an opponent from the Magnolia State.
W, 21-20 at Mississippi State, 9/3/16
L, 27-47 at Ole Miss, 9/2/17
W, 32-21 at Southern Mississippi, 9/3/20
• South is 7-5 all-time in its season debut after last year's decision in Hattiesburg, the Jags' first to begin the campaign since their win at Mississippi State.
• The Jaguars are looking for their first victory in their home opener since defeating Jackson State on Sept. 7, 2019.
• USA has a 5-7 mark in its initial home contest over the 12-year history of the program.
• The Jags have scored at least 20 points in each of their first 12 season debuts while averaging 28.4 points per outing on opening day.

The Jags In Conference USA Contests
• It's the fifth straight season that the Jags will face at least one opponent from Conference USA.
• Last year's win over Southern Miss was South's first against a league school since defeating Tulane in New Orleans on Sept. 7, 2013.
• The Jags have series against C-USA opponents Louisiana Tech (home 2022, road '27), North Texas (home '24, road '25) and UAB (home '30, road '31) in the next 10 years.

Top Target
After being held to a season-low 38 yards at Georgia Southern last October, preseason All-American Jalen Tolbert would go on to post 75 or more yards in four of South's last five outings in 2020 while the junior caught at least five passes in seven of the final eight contests a year ago as well after accomplishing the feat just once his first two seasons with the program.  One of six individuals in Jaguar history to record 100-plus yards on three or more occasions, Tolbert needs just 164 yards to become the school's all-time leader in the category.

Gallmon Gets The Job Done
S Keith Gallmon is the team's leading returning tackler, having posted 84 stops in 2020 after totaling 61 the previous two falls combined; he also paced the squad with 10 passes broken up, which was more than double the number he had recorded entering the season.  Two of the safety's three outings with 10 or more tackles a year ago came in victories, including a career-best 12 against USM.

Inside Intel
The Jaguars are set to explore two different options in an effort to replace the production of Riley Cole and Nick Mobley — who finished one-two on the squad after combining to make 190 stops last season — at inside linebacker, with junior A.J. DeShazor Jr. moving back to the position after manning an outside linebacker slot a year ago and Jamal Brooks joining the program over the summer after four seasons at Missouri; DeShazor concluded the 2020 campaign fourth on the team with 48 total tackles following a performance that included a career-best 10 in the finale against Troy.  The two should be bolstered by the returns of Shawn Jennings, who was fourth on the team with four stops behind the line of scrimmage in 10 appearances last fall, and Quentin Wilfawn, who was credited with seven total tackles in back-to-back outings at Georgia Southern and nationally-ranked Coastal Carolina before missing the next two contests due to injury.

Set On Special Teams
The Jaguars bring back both their starting placekicker and punter with the duo of Diego Guajardo and Jack Brooks on the field again this year.  After making eight straight field-goal attempts — tying the third-longest streak in school history — from Oct. 17-Nov. 14 during a five-game stretch last fall the former tried just three, all against Georgia State, the final three outings of the season, while the latter averaged 44 yards or better in three of South's last five contests.

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).

Join the South Circle, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics.  Contributions to the South Circle directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/give

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