MOBILE, Ala. — Michel Chapuseaux kicked the game-winning field goal in double overtime Saturday as South Alabama defeated Florida Atlantic for the first Football Bowl Subdivision and first Sun Belt Conference victory in program history.
The win came in South Alabama’s homecoming game at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
A Program Milestone
South Alabama is playing its first season as a full FBS program and a football member of the Sun Belt Conference. The Jaguars, who began playing football in 2009 under head coach Joey Jones, had been seeking their first win at the FBS level and in league play.
The victory over Florida Atlantic secured both milestones.
Chapuseaux’s Big Week
The game-winner capped a strong week for Chapuseaux, a senior kicker. On Monday, he was named the Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Week after kicking three field goals at Arkansas State, becoming the first South Alabama football player to earn a weekly award from the conference.
Update: How the Jaguars Rallied
South Alabama trailed by 14 points early in the fourth quarter before scoring two touchdowns and blocking two field goals to set up Chapuseaux’s winning kick in the second overtime.
The Jaguars held the ball for 10:30 of the fourth quarter. The key possession was a 13-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a touchdown run by Demetre Baker. Quarterback Ross Metheny then tied the game with a touchdown pass to Gabe Loper, who made a one-handed catch in just his second game at wide receiver.
Pat Moore blocked a Florida Atlantic field goal attempt at the end of regulation to force overtime, then blocked another attempt in the first overtime to set up the winning kick.
“Those people who left, they missed a heck of a football game,” Jones said at the close of his postgame news conference. “It was a heck of a football game and it got exciting. I appreciate the fans that stayed with us in the fourth quarter.”
Next: At Louisiana-Monroe
South Alabama travels to Monroe, La., next week to face Louisiana-Monroe, which beat Arkansas in overtime and lost to Auburn in overtime earlier this season. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m., with the game available on ULM’s website.
Update: Overtime Details, Statistics and Postgame Reaction
Florida Atlantic took a 14-point lead early in the fourth quarter on a 6-yard run on third-and-goal. After South Alabama turned the ball over on downs at the FAU 41, the Jaguar defense forced a three-and-out. On the ensuing drive, Ross Metheny completed passes to Jereme Jones and Greg Hollinger, then hit Gabe Loper for 27 yards to the FAU 13. A pass interference penalty in the end zone on fourth-and-goal from the 7 gave the Jaguars a first down at the 1, and Demetre Baker scored to cut the deficit to 31-24 with 5:45 remaining.
After another FAU three-and-out, South Alabama started at its own 15 with 3:54 left. Baker opened with an 18-yard run, and a pass interference penalty on fourth-and-7 from the Jaguars’ 36 extended the drive. Metheny later scrambled 18 yards to the FAU 16, and after a timeout he found Loper for a 16-yard touchdown. Michel Chapuseaux’s extra point tied the game with 1:09 left.
Florida Atlantic quarterback Graham Wilbert completed three passes to William Dukes on the final drive of regulation, reaching the South Alabama 15 with about 15 seconds left, despite a sack by Pat Moore. Moore then blocked a field goal attempt by Mitch Anderson, who was playing in his first game, as time expired.
FAU won the overtime coin toss and chose to play defense first. South Alabama reached the 20 before Chapuseaux kicked a 37-yard field goal for a 34-31 lead, the Jaguars’ first lead of the game. Anderson answered with a 37-yarder to force a second overtime. FAU went first in the second period and lost yardage, and Moore blocked Anderson’s 44-yard attempt. After three Baker runs, FAU coach Carl Pelini called a timeout to try to ice Chapuseaux, who then made the 35-yard game-winner.
Statistics
FAU outgained South Alabama 461-359 in total yards and 303-179 through the air and had 25 first downs to the Jaguars’ 24. South Alabama held a 180-158 rushing advantage and a 30:28-29:32 edge in time of possession. The Jaguars were penalized four times for 50 yards, FAU 10 times for 80. Neither team threw an interception; South Alabama lost one of two fumbles, and FAU recovered its only fumble.
Anderson made 2 of 5 field goal attempts, with all three misses blocked. Chapuseaux was 3 for 3.
Baker, back from suspension, led South Alabama with 73 rushing yards on 16 carries. Terrance Timmons ran 11 times for 36 yards, Metheny had 34 yards on 13 carries, and T.J. Glover had 29 yards on six carries. FAU’s J. Wallace led all rushers with 101 yards on 21 carries.
Metheny completed 13 of 27 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown. Wilbert was 27 of 41 for 303 yards and two touchdowns, and Dukes caught five passes for 119 yards, including a 50-yard touchdown.
Loper caught four passes for 91 yards and a touchdown, drew key pass interference penalties and was credited with a blocked field goal. Jereme Jones had three catches for 19 yards, and Hollinger caught two for 34.
For the first time in school history, four South Alabama players recorded double-digit tackles: Terrell Brigham, B.J. Scott and Enrique Williams had 11 each, and Alex Page had 10. Clifton Crews and Jake Johnson had eight apiece, and Moore had three tackles, all for loss, to go with his two blocked field goals.
Postgame Reaction
“I can’t tell you how proud I am of these young men and my [coaching] staff for what they’ve done — for hanging in there,” head coach Joey Jones said. “They fought every day at practice, and the main reason we won the football game is because of character. These guys were down 14 points in the fourth quarter, and I didn’t see quit in anybody’s eyes.”
“All credit goes to Ross. He made a perfect pass,” Loper said of the tying touchdown. “It was a similar play to Arkansas State last week, and I just remembered that I had to redeem myself.”
“Talk about a playmaker,” Metheny said of Loper. “He’s only been working as a receiver for a couple of weeks, and he already has the offense down, knows which way to line up and runs his routes really well.”
“When the time had come, my heart was pounding and I was nervous. I had to settle in because I’ve practiced so long for this,” Chapuseaux said. “I didn’t even look at it. I just let the crowd tell me if it went in, and then I had a swarm of teammates just hitting me.”
“Defensively we had a good game plan, we just weren’t communicating as well as we should have in the first half,” senior linebacker Jake Johnson said. “We communicated better and stopped them a lot more in the second half.”
“All I can say is wow, what a game,” Metheny said. “Talk about a monkey off your back, getting the first Division I [FBS] win. We needed the signature win to propel us.”
The victory snapped a four-game losing streak.
