MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Led by a record-breaking MVP performance by wide receiver Jeremiah Webb, South Alabama Football won its second bowl championship in program history when it defeated Western Michigan, 30-23, in the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl Saturday night.
 
With the victory, the Jaguars finished the 2024 season with a 7-6 record and have now won back-to-back bowl championships.
 
"It's always great to win a bowl game," said South Alabama head coach Major Applewhite. "We finished the season the right way against a very good Western Michigan ball club. Lance Taylor is first class, his team fought hard. They jumped on us early, but I was just proud of the way our guys responded in the second half."
 
After falling behind 10-0 early, Webb ignited the South Alabama offense when he scored big touchdowns on consecutive drives. He opened the scoring for the Jags by catching a 52-yard touchdown pass from Bishop Davenport, then gave South the lead on a 48-yard touchdown strike on the very next drive. It marked the first two-touchdown game of Webb's career, and the 52-yard score was the longest reception of his time in a USA uniform. Webb finished the game with six catches for 182 yards, which set a Salute to Veterans Bowl record, as well as a South Alabama bowl game record. Webb 200 all-purpose yardage also set a new South Alabama bowl record.
 
Bishop Davenport finished the night with 271 yards passing in addition to the two touchdown tosses to Webb. Davenport also gave the Jaguars a huge lift in the rushing attack when he scored on a 50-yard touchdown run in the third quarter to extend South's lead to 10. Davenport finished the game with 85 yards rushing, giving him 356 all-purpose yards to set a new USA bowl game record in the category. Kentrel Bullock then stepped up to close the game in the fourth quarter by converting a key fourth down attempt, and running in a 22-yard touchdown to ice away the victory. Bullock finished the game with 130 rushing yards, which set a new South Alabama bowl record for rushing yards in a game. As a team, South Alabama produced 537 yards of total offense, setting a new Salute to Veterans Bowl record.
 
Jaden Voisin and Blayne Myrick were the heavy hitters for the South Alabama defense as the duo each produced nine tackles apiece with one tackle for loss each. Darius McKenzie made four tackles, including 1.5 for loss, and Amarion Fortenberry picked off one pass to go with his four tackles. Defensive linemen Ed Smith and Jordan Norman each produced a sack on the night.
 
After falling behind 10-0 to start the game, kicker Hamilton DiBoyan made his first-career field goal on his first-career attempt to get the Jags on the board. Webb's back-to-back big scores then gave South Alabama the lead, and the Jags never trailed again. Western Michigan intercepted a USA pass deep in Jaguar territory right before half and threatened to reclaim the lead, but the Jaguar defense held strong and forced a field goal to preserve the lead going into the locker room at halftime.
 
After the break, Davenport scored his 50-yard rushing touchdown to extend the lead back to 10. Western Michigan then cut it to three with six minutes remaining in the game to keep the Broncos alive. Davenport led a strong drive on the ensuing possession, but Western Michigan got a big third-down stop to force South into a fourth-and-one situation. South Alabama called time out to make the right play call, and Bullock converted the fourth down before getting the ball again and scoring to put the game away.
 
The IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl Championship marks the conclusion of the 2024 season for South Alabama.
 
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