MOBILE, Ala. — Making his first career start in place of an injured Bishop Davenport, quarterback Jared Hollins gave South Alabama exactly what it needed Saturday night, and a punishing ground game did the rest as the Jaguars held off a late Ohio rally for a 41-36 victory at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
Hollins threw for 192 yards and a touchdown, while four running backs combined for 266 rushing yards and four scores on 50 carries. South Alabama built a 24-7 halftime lead and never trailed, though the Bobcats scored four second-half touchdowns and made the Jaguars sweat to the final seconds.
The win lifts South Alabama to 2-1 heading into a road trip to SEC opponent Kentucky. Ohio fell to 1-2.
Jared Hollins’ first career start gets off to a fast start
Davenport, the Jaguars’ starter for most of last season, was nursing a minor injury from the previous week, so head coach Major Applewhite turned to Hollins. There was a bit of symmetry in the choice: Davenport also made his first career start against Ohio, two years ago.
Hollins looked at ease from the opening series. He completed two of his first three passes for 57 yards to move South Alabama deep into Ohio territory, setting up a 6-yard touchdown run by Keenan Phillips for a 7-0 lead.
After Ohio answered with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Riley Neer, Hollins produced the play of the night. Facing fourth-and-2, he slipped away from the pass rush, kept his eyes downfield and found a wide-open Rod Gibbs for a touchdown that put the Jaguars back in front, 14-7.
“I was a little nervous what Coach Applewhite would say about that one but just tried to keep my eyes downfield and make a play for the team,” Hollins said.
Applewhite said the improvised play will be a running joke among the quarterbacks — but a welcome one.
“We always talk about how do you end the play with the ball and we’ll laugh about that one in the quarterback room because it was a great play and sometimes you need players to make great plays,” Applewhite said.
Running back room carries the load
From there, South Alabama leaned on its backfield. Trae’von Dunbar broke loose for a 32-yard touchdown run to make it 21-7, and a field goal before halftime sent the Jaguars to the locker room up 24-7.
Three different running backs found the end zone, and the Jaguars’ rushing leaders looked like this:
- Keenan Phillips: 116 yards, 1 touchdown
- PJ Martin: 80 yards on 21 carries, 1 touchdown
- Trae’von Dunbar: 52 yards on 6 carries, 2 touchdowns
Phillips said the group takes pride in sharing the workload and celebrating one another’s success.
“Everybody’s selfless in the running back room from the top guy to the bottom guy everybody wants to see everybody succeed so anytime someone does something good we’re all happy,” Phillips said.
The South Alabama defense also set the tone early, forcing an interception and recovering a fumble in the first half.
Ohio rallies after halftime
The second half was a different story. Ohio, playing without injured quarterback Nick Poulos, running back Duncan Brune and linebacker Charlie Christopher, came out of the break with renewed energy.
Victor Rosa ran 33 yards for a touchdown, and Neer caught his second 6-yard scoring pass to pull the Bobcats within 24-21. Ohio used two quarterbacks, New Hampshire transfer Matt Vezza and true freshman Levi Davis, and each threw two touchdown passes.
The Jaguars answered with the kind of drives Applewhite wants to see. Martin punched in a 1-yard touchdown run to restore a 10-point cushion, and Dunbar added a 5-yard scoring run with 8:21 to play that pushed the lead to 38-21. A methodical 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive helped the Jaguars rebuild their cushion in the second half.
Ohio did not go away. Davis connected with AJ Miller for a touchdown, and a successful two-point conversion made it 38-29. South Alabama answered with a field goal for a 41-29 lead, and the Bobcats added a final touchdown with eight seconds remaining before the Jaguars secured the win.
Hollins, who made several key plays down the stretch, credited his faith and his teammates.
“I just want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ for giving me the ability to play this game and I thank my teammates for coming through clutch,” Hollins said.
Applewhite wants a stronger finish
While the Jaguars were glad to get back in the win column, Applewhite made clear he was not satisfied with how the second half unfolded.
“That’s not what championship teams do. They keep them on the ropes, they keep punching and they find a way to widen the margin, but we let a really good team and a really good coaching staff and a really good program back in the ball game,” Applewhite said. “I’m proud that we won I’m just not proud all the way that we won if that makes any sense.”
The victory carried extra weight after a narrow loss the previous week. South Alabama opened the season with a 39-14 home win over Southeastern Louisiana before falling 28-24 at Tulane. The Jaguars are also looking to rebound from a 4-8 finish in 2025.
It also avenged the teams’ previous meeting. The Bobcats beat South Alabama 27-20 in Athens, Ohio, in September 2024.
By the numbers
- Final score: South Alabama 41, Ohio 36
- Halftime: South Alabama 24, Ohio 7
- Jaguars rushing: 266 yards and 4 touchdowns on 50 carries
- Hollins passing: 192 yards, 1 touchdown in his first career start
- First-half takeaways: 2 (an interception and a fumble recovery)
- Ohio second-half touchdowns: 4
Up next: A trip to Kentucky
South Alabama takes on its first SEC opponent of the season next Saturday, Sept. 26, when the Jaguars visit Kentucky at Kroger Field in Lexington. Kickoff is set for 11:45 a.m. Central, with the game airing on SEC Network.
The Jaguars then return to Mobile to open Sun Belt Conference play against Louisiana-Monroe on Oct. 3.
Whether Davenport is ready to return against Kentucky or Hollins gets another start, Saturday’s performance gave South Alabama added confidence at the quarterback position heading into the heart of the schedule.
Ohio returns home to host Stonehill next Saturday.