Tigers Saivion Jones 35 and Whit Weeks 40 celebrate after a fumble recovery as the LSU Tigers take on UCLA at Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge, LA. Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024.

No. 14 LSU to test mettle vs. South Alabama’s high-octane offense

LSU played its best defensive half of the season when it shut out visiting UCLA in the second half of a 34-17 victory last Saturday.

It was the most positive sign for a unit that had struggled in its first three games of the season.

The No. 14 Tigers (3-1) will get a better idea of whether last week’s showing was a turning point or an aberration when they play explosive South Alabama (2-2) in a non-conference game Saturday night in Baton Rouge, La.

“We’re on the right path,” LSU coach Brian Kelly said of his defense. “Now let’s eliminate some of the mental mistakes. We eliminated the big runs from the South Carolina game (in a 36-33 win on Sept. 14) against UCLA.”

South Alabama is averaging 504.5 yards and 48.3 points per game. It rushed for 320 yards in a 48-14 victory over host Appalachian State on Sept. 19, a week after it routed FCS opponent Northwestern State 87-10.

The Tigers’ victory against the Bruins was tainted by the loss of star linebacker Harold Perkins Jr. to a season-ending torn ACL.

“Harold was gifted enough to play a receiver both as a linebacker and a nickel,” Kelly said. “We don’t have many of those guys hanging around.”

LSU’s passing game has thrived even in the absence of Chris Hilton Jr., who was projected to be the team’s top receiver this season but has yet to play because of an ankle injury.

Garrett Nussmeier is tied for second in the country with 13 touchdowns, is seventh in average passing yards per game (311.75), and connected with nine different receivers against UCLA.

“It’s the nature of our offensive structure. The ball can go anywhere,” Kelly said. “It’s very difficult to defend us. We need Chris Hilton back. This seems to be the week we get him back healthy.”

South Alabama’s 135 points in the last two games are the most ever by a Sun Belt Conference team in a two-game span.

“The last two weeks we’ve had a lot of output on offense, and a lot of it has been on the ground,” Jaguars first-year coach Major Applewhite said. “I’m no different than any other coach. I’m a firm believer that everything begins with those guys up front.”

Freshman Fluff Bothwell is averaging 9.7 yards per carry and has 359 rushing yards and six touchdowns.

Jaguars quarterback Gio Lopez, who rushed for 105 yards and a touchdown and passed for 154 yards and two scores against Appalachian State, missed the second game of the season against Ohio because of a toe injury. In the three games in which he has played, the team has averaged 57.8 points and 558.7 yards.

Applewhite, a native of Baton Rouge who was a standout quarterback at Catholic High School, knows the opposition will be stronger Saturday.

“Obviously from a fan’s standpoint, it’s about SEC and a Group-of-5 school and all that kind of stuff,” Applewhite said, “but for us it’s just another opportunity on Saturday to see ourselves improve.

“We’re going to have to play really well. We’ve made marked improvement in the last four weeks. It doesn’t need to slow down now.”

–Field Level Media

Jan 2, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Tulane Green Wave quarterback Michael Pratt (7) and USC Trojans defensive lineman Nick Figueroa (99) in action during the game between the USC Trojans and the Tulane Green Wave in the 2023 Cotton Bowl at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Reloaded and ready, No. 24 Tulane hosts S. Alabama

Tulane had one of the best seasons in its more than 100 seasons of football in 2022.

At the same time, South Alabama had its first winning record in its 11 seasons as an FBS program.

Both programs have high hopes again as they meet in their season opener Saturday night in New Orleans.

The Green Wave finished 12-2 last season, winning the American Athletic Conference championship and defeating USC 46-45 in the Cotton Bowl.

“The standard is definitely set,” defensive back Jarius Monroe said. “We want to be better than the standard.”

Surpassing that standard will be difficult, but Tulane is ranked No. 24 and has been picked to repeat as AAC champion.

The Green Wave are trying to build on last season’s accomplishments while recognizing that they are starting over Saturday night.

“I think we’ve done a really good job of putting (2022) behind us,” quarterback Michael Pratt said. “I think the positive we can take from it is knowing what we can accomplish, what we’re capable of as a team.

“(But) we’re into a new year. We’ve got a totally different team. We’re excited to see what we can do and push forward.”

Tulane has to replace running back Tyjae Spears, the Cotton Bowl MVP who rushed for 1,581 yards and 19 touchdowns last season and was a third-round draft choice of the Tennessee Titans.

The Green Wave have a handful of candidates – Shaadie Clayton-Johnson, Shedro Louis, Arnold Barnes, Iverson Celestine and Makhi Hughes — to succeed Spears as the primary ball carrier, but head coach Willie Fritz said it will take a few games to figure out the pecking order.

Jaguars coach Kane Wommack won’t need any time to figure out his No. 1 ball carrier because 1,000-yard rusher La’Damian Webb returns.

He is one of 20 returning starters and USA also returns what Wommack called “the vast nucleus of our coaching staff.”

The coach said that “continuity” provides even higher expectations for a program that had never won more than six games in a season before finishing 10-3 and tying for the Sun Belt West title with a 7-1 mark.

“We’ve really challenged our team to crank the dial up in their respective areas,” Wommack said. “Great programs need great opportunities and for us to take steps forward we need opportunities like a game against Tulane.

Wommack called the opener, which comes in the same city where USA lost to Western Kentucky 44-23 in the New Orleans Bowl in its last game, “one of the best Group of Five matchups in all of college football this year.”

“I think both programs are moving in the right direction,” Wommack said. “You prepare and prepare and prepare and there comes a point where you get a chance to see where you’re at and what you can accomplish.”

– Field Level Media

Sep 17, 2022; Pasadena, California, USA; South Alabama Jaguars quarterback Carter Bradley (2) sets to pass in the first half against the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Pride follows S. Alabama into New Orleans Bowl vs. W. Kentucky

South Alabama will hope to put a bow on its most successful FBS season by winning a bowl game for the first time in program history.

At the end of a 10-2 season, South Alabama was selected to play in the New Orleans Bowl against Western Kentucky on Wednesday inside the Superdome.

The Jaguars had never finished a season over .500 since joining FBS in 2012. Their only two losses this year came by one point on the road against UCLA in September and by four points to rival Troy in October.

Troy and South Alabama ended up tied atop the Sun Belt West, so Troy advanced to the Sun Belt title game and won the conference championship.

A trip to New Orleans is not a bad consolation prize for the Jaguars, who are 0-2 in bowl games. Second-year coach Kane Wommack, who received a contract extension earlier this month, said the bowl trip is both a reward and a way to carry momentum into spring practices.

“There are a lot of things to be excited about in a bowl game and there are certain things that I want the players to enjoy in the bowl process and the overall experience,” Wommack told reporters. “But at the same time, like I told the guys again this morning, the ball gets spotted at 8:05 p.m. and South Alabama is there to win the football game.”

The Jaguars are led by quarterback Carter Bradley (2,976 passing yards, 25 touchdowns) and running back La’Damian Webb (1,014 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns).

Western Kentucky (8-5) will play in its ninth bowl game in 11 years.

The Hilltoppers won three of their final four games, including a 32-31 overtime win over Florida Atlantic in their regular-season finale. After FAU scored first, Western Kentucky quarterback Austin Reed ran in a 1-yard touchdown and threw the game-winning two-point conversion to Joshua Simon.

Reed, who transferred from Division II West Florida, was named Conference USA’s Newcomer of the Year after throwing for 4,249 yards and 36 touchdowns, ranking second and fourth in FBS, respectively.

“I think the past couple years have shown that it’s just not the Power 5 that produces quarterbacks,” coach Tyson Helton said. “Here’s Austin Reed at the Division II level. He just needed an opportunity to be on that platform. There’s a lot of intangibles there that he has similar to (last season’s quarterback) Bailey Zappe that we saw.”

–Field Level Media

Sep 17, 2022; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins running back Zach Charbonnet (24) carries the ball for a first down in the first half against the South Alabama Jaguars at the Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Nicholas Barr-Mira’s FG helps UCLA hold off South Alabama

Nicholas Barr-Mira connected on four field-goal attempts, including a 24-yarder as time expired, and UCLA escaped becoming the latest Power Five conference team to lose to a Sun Belt Conference opponent this season with a 32-31 decision over South Alabama on Saturday in Pasadena, Calif.

UCLA (3-0) trailed 31-29 with about three minutes remaining and South Alabama bringing on its field-goal unit for what appeared to be a 39-yard attempt. Instead, the Jaguars attempted a fake on the fourth-and-2 play, resulting in a sack by Carl Jones Jr. and the Bruins taking possession.

Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who finished 20-of-30 passing for 263 yards and three touchdowns, completed three consecutive throws that, combined with a South Alabama penalty, moved UCLA from its own 33-yard line to deep in Jaguars territory.

A few running plays later set Barr-Mira for the chip-shot field goal. He also connected on attempts of 38, 49 and 28 yards.

South Alabama (2-1) came into Saturday’s contest looking to join conference counterparts Appalachian State, Georgia Southern and Marshall with Power Five wins after the three knocked off Texas A&M, Nebraska and Notre Dame, respectively, last week.

Tough red-zone defense that allowed UCLA only six points combined on three of its trips inside the Jaguars 20-yard line and a balanced offense that produced 399 total yards had South Alabama ahead much of the way.

It led 17-6 in the first half, and 31-23 heading into the fourth quarter after the second Bruins turnover — a botched pitch from Thompson-Robinson to Zach Charbonnet — set South Alabama up at the 6-yard line.

The Jaguars cashed in on the takeaway with Caullin Lacy’s touchdown reception from Carter Bradley. Bradley finished 26-of-36 passing for 237 with the score and an interception. La’Damian Webb rushed for 124 yards to lead all ball-carriers, and Marco Lee scored a pair of goal-line touchdowns for South Alabama.

–Field Level Media

Nov 13, 2021; Pasadena, California, USA; UCLA Bruins quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson (1) hands the ball off to running back Zach Charbonnet (24) the first half against the Colorado Buffaloes at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

UCLA feeling fresh with South Alabama ahead

UCLA aims to complete a perfect nonconference portion of its schedule when it hosts South Alabama in a Saturday matinee at Pasadena, Calif.

The Bruins (2-0) faced little resistance in its first two outings, routing Bowling Green 45-17 in Week 1 and getting the best of Alabama State last week 45-7.

UCLA coach Chip Kelly used the two blowouts to rotate multiple players into the lineup, a strategy reflected in six different players accounting for the Bruins’ eight rushing touchdowns through the first two games.

Kelly said during his weekly media availability that the opening weeks have helped UCLA improve in various position groups in preparation for the Pac-12 Conference season.

“The (offensive) line is getting better as a group, playing together,” Kelly said. “The left side’s new with (Garrett) DiGiorgio and Raiqwon (O’Neal) out there. Those guys are starting to get a little bit more familiar with each other.”

The line has paved the way for UCLA to average 241 yards on 5.8 per carry rushing. The Bruins can expect resistance from a South Alabama defense that ranks in the top 20 nationally against the run early into the season.

The Jaguars (2-0) followed a 48-7 dismantling of Nicholls State in Week with a 38-24 win on the road last week at Central Michigan. South Alabama held the Chippewas to 81 yards rushing and limited Nicholls State to 59.

UCLA presents a much different challenge with dual-threat quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who has carried for 87 yards on just seven attempts with two touchdowns. Powerhouse running back Zach Charbonnet has 111 yards on 21 rushes.

Thompson-Robinson was used sparingly against Alabama State, while Charbonnet wasn’t used at all as the Bruins elected not to lean on their stars against an overmatched opponent.

“Zach Charbonnet, their running back, has tremendously improved from where he was when he was at Michigan,” South Alabama coach Kane Wommack said. “We went against him my last year at Indiana and watching him from that point to where he is now, I feel he’s done a tremendous job. Hats off to Chip Kelly and his staff for maximizing him.”

The Jaguars look to become the next Sun Belt Conference team to score an upset over a Power Five opponent. League counterparts Appalachian State and Marshall knocked off Texas A&M and Notre Dame last week, while Georgia Southern won at Nebraska.

–Field Level Media

Tennessee wide receiver Cedric Tillman (4) scores a touchdown during a game against South Alabama at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tenn. on Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021.

Kns Tennessee South Alabama Football

Tennessee steps out of conference, crushes South Alabama

Hendon Hooker completed 17 of 20 passes for 273 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for another score as Tennessee became bowl eligible with a 60-14 victory against South Alabama in a nonconference game Saturday night in Knoxville, Tenn.

Jabari Small rushed for two touchdowns and Velus Jones Jr. returned a kickoff 96 yards for a score for the Volunteers (6-5), in their first year under coach Josh Heupel. Jaylen Wright rushed for a game-high 83 yards on 13 carries, and Small added 73 on 11 attempts.

South Alabama’s Desmond Trotter, filling in for the injured Jake Bentley, was 19-of-32 passing for 216 yards and two touchdowns. The Jaguars (5-6) would have become bowl eligible with a victory, but now will return home and need to beat No. 21 Coastal Carolina on Friday.

Hooker, a graduate transfer from Virginia Tech, is on pace to break a pair of school records. He entered the game sixth nationally with a 179.2 passer efficiency rating, which will only go up after Saturday’s performance. The record of 163 was set by Darryl Dickey in 1985.

Hooker’s completion percentage improved to 70.0, with Erik Ainge holding the current mark of 67.0.

As usual, the Volunteers got off to a fast start, taking a 14-0 lead in the first quarter as Small and Wright scored on runs of 1 and 17 yards, respectively. Tennessee has outscored opponents 162-44 in the opening period this season.

The Jaguars had a chance to pull within a touchdown early in the second quarter, but Trotter was sacked for an 8-yard loss by Trevon Flowers on fourth-and-goal from the 5-yard line.

Herndon completed touchdown passes of 27 yards to Cedric Tillman and 24 yards to Princeton Fant to make it 28-0.

The Jaguars scored on a 3-yard pass from Trotter to Lincoln Sefcik with 1:36 left in the half, but Jones returned the ensuing kickoff to give the Volunteers a 35-7 halftime lead.

Small scored on a 3-yard run and Herndon from 6 yards out in the third to make it 49-7.

Tennessee’s Len’Neth Whitehead scored on a 5-yard run early in the fourth to extend the lead to 56-7, before Trotter threw a 68-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Tolbert.

The Volunteers got two safeties to wrap up the scoring.

–Field Level Media

Sep 19, 2020; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns quarterback Levi Lewis (1) runs with the ball against the Georgia State Panthers during the first half at Center parc Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

No. 25 Louisiana aiming for conference championship vs. South Alabama

The Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns host the South Alabama Jaguars on Saturday afternoon with a chance to clinch a berth in the Sun Belt Conference championship game.

No. 25 Louisiana (6-1, 4-1 in conference), ranked for the second time this season following a 27-20 victory last week against Arkansas State, can lock up the top spot in the Sun Belt’s West division with a win.

But a victory for South Alabama (3-4, 2-2) would give the Jaguars a chance to make a run for the West title if they also win their remaining conference games against Georgia State, Arkansas State and Troy.

“I told the guys in the locker room that of the five teams in our division, only one has one conference loss and we play them next week,” South Alabama coach Steve Campbell said. “If we can go on the road and beat Louisiana, we’ll own the tiebreaker over them. We still control our own destiny.”

The Ragin’ Cajuns have had their share of close battles with all five of their conference games decided by 10 points or less, including three of them by four points or less.

Louisiana has won three consecutive games since suffering their lone loss against unbeaten Coastal Carolina, the current leader in the Sun Belt East division.

South Alabama just held Coastal Carolina to its season-low point total but lost 23-6.

“Everybody was hitting on all cylinders and doing their job,” South Alabama senior linebacker Riley Cole said. “The defensive line was holding their gaps, the linebackers were flowing and the safeties and corners were playing well.”

The Jaguars are led by the conference’s most accurate passer in 6-3, 200-pound sophomore quarterback Desmond Trotter, who has a 70.1 completion percentage (89 of 127 attempts) and has thrown for 1,187 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions.

South Alabama receivers Jalen Tolbert and Kawaan Baker are ranked among the Sun Belt’s top five in receiving yardage and touchdowns.

“This will be one of the more impressive teams we’ve played despite the record,” Louisiana coach Billy Napier told ESPN 1420 during a radio interview on Monday. “We have to make sure our focus is on them and not (being ranked again).”

South Alabama has allowed 23 sacks this season, and this weekend they will face one of the nation’s toughest pass defenses as Louisiana ranks fifth among FBS schools with 10 interceptions and is ranked 19th in passing yards allowed per game (187.1).

Junior safety Bralen Trahan and junior cornerback Eric Garror each have three interceptions — tied for second-most in the conference with the latter recording his three over the past two games.

“Eric is a consistent practice player,” Napier said. “He’s very engaged all the time and from the minute he got here we knew he was going to be a factor.”

The matchup will also feature two of the Sun Belt’s best running backs in South Alabama’s Carlos Davis (134 attempts, 586 yards, two TDs) and Louisiana’s Elijah Mitchell (87 attempts, 502 yards, five TDs), who rank fourth and fifth in the conference in rushing yards, respectively.

Louisiana’s prolific rushing attack also features Trey Ragas and Chris Smith as well as quarterback Levi Lewis, who have all run for 175 or more yards.

Lewis leads the Sun Belt in passing with 1,624 yards on 117 of 195 attempts while throwing 10 touchdowns and six interceptions.

–Field Level Media