MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama forced six turnovers and made two defensive stops in the final minutes to beat Sun Belt Conference leader Arkansas State 24-19 on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The South Alabama Arkansas State win was the Jaguars’ first in the series.
South Alabama improved to 4-6 overall and 3-3 in the Sun Belt. Arkansas State fell to 5-3 and 4-1.
Fast Start, Frantic Finish
The Jaguars forced three turnovers in the first quarter and built a 10-0 lead. Arkansas State cut the margin to 10-6 with a pair of second-quarter field goals.
Darrell Songy intercepted Red Wolves quarterback Justice Hansen at the Arkansas State 47 late in the half, and South Alabama drove to the 1-yard line with six seconds left. On that play, Jaguar receiver Jamarius Way and an Arkansas State player were involved in an altercation, and Way was ejected. After South Alabama spiked the ball, a high snap on Gavin Patterson’s short field goal attempt prevented a kick, and the Jaguars went to halftime ahead 10-6.
Late in the third quarter, Cole Garvin connected with Sam Harris on a 39-yard touchdown, with Harris breaking a pair of tackles on the way to the end zone. Arkansas State answered with a five-play, 79-yard drive that took 1:13, but its two-point attempt failed, leaving South Alabama ahead 17-12.
Garvin later found Kawaan Baker for a 16-yard touchdown to finish a nine-play, 75-yard drive, and Arkansas State scored again to pull within 24-19 with 2:55 remaining.
Barge’s Goal-Line Strip
The Red Wolves drove deep into South Alabama territory and faced third-and-goal at the 4. Hansen kept the ball and appeared headed for the end zone, but linebacker Bull Barge met him at the 1 and knocked the ball loose. Malcolm Buggs recovered in the end zone for a touchback.
South Alabama lost 11 yards on a third-and-4 play and punted back to Arkansas State with 2:06 remaining. On the fourth play of the ensuing drive, senior Jeremy Reaves intercepted a Hansen pass intended for a receiver on an inside slant to seal the victory.
By the Numbers
- South Alabama finished with 340 yards of total offense, including 343 passing, and minus-3 rushing after kneeling to end the game.
- Arkansas State totaled 365 yards, 299 passing and 66 rushing.
- Garvin completed 25 of 45 passes for a career-high 343 yards and two touchdowns without an interception. He was sacked three times.
- Hansen completed 27 of 44 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns, with four interceptions, and was sacked four times. He also led the Red Wolves with 37 rushing yards on 18 carries.
- Malik Stanley led South Alabama with six catches for 60 yards. Jordan McCray had four for 72 yards, and Way caught three for 66 before his ejection. Six other Jaguars caught passes.
- Chris Murray caught seven passes for 44 yards and a touchdown for Arkansas State, and Blake Mack had five catches for a game-high 94 yards.
- Carlos Robinson led South Alabama’s ground game with 21 yards on nine carries. Tra Minter had nine yards on 14 carries.
- Barge led the defense with 13 tackles, eight solo, plus a forced fumble and a tackle for loss. Reaves had 11 tackles, nine solo, and an interception. Songy recorded 10 tackles and an interception, and Sean Grayer and Tobias Moss had the other two interceptions.
Jones: ‘They Gave Unbelievable Effort’
“I challenged the kids today and told them to try and whip [Arkansas State’s] tail every play, and if they did that we were going to have a chance,” head coach Joey Jones said. “They gave unbelievable effort. We made a few mistakes, but they gave unbelievable effort and played their tails off. I’m just so proud of the way they played tonight. They played with so much confidence.”
“We beat a really good football team, Arkansas State’s the cream of the crop in our league,” Jones said. “They’ve got great coaches and great athletes, they’ve won five out of the last six conference championships, and we were finally able to beat them. To get a win against this team speaks volumes for our players and their dedication to this program.”
Of Barge’s forced fumble, Jones said, “What a play. Great players make great plays in big times. Bull Barge is probably the most improved player on our football team. He’s become a leader and a captain on our team in my mind, and he’s a guy we can count on.”
Jones also credited his team’s composure after Arkansas State’s quick scores. “Whenever they went down and scored quickly, the momentum could have changed and they could have dropped their heads, but everybody on offense and defense kept coming over and encouraging each other,” he said.
Players React
Barge described the goal-line play. “It was me and Jeremy. Jeremy had the back man-to-man, and I was the extra player, so I had the quarterback,” he said. “He tried to jump over me, and I guess my head hit the ball perfectly. And when I hit the ground, I thought he scored, and I turned around and saw the ball rolling. That’s the biggest play of my life, ever.”
“Before the game, we sat down as a defense and really got on the same page,” Barge said. “We told all the seniors how much we love them and how much we really want them to go out on top of a bowl game, and we knew we had to win this game to get where we wanted to be.”
Reaves, playing his final home game, said, “That was the perfect way I wanted to go out. I’m so proud of my teammates, and it’s a great feeling to know that I’ve got 10 guys behind me who are going to bust their behinds just like I am.”
“It’s very emotional,” Reaves said. “It’s hard because this is my last one at home with these guys, and we got it. My family got to see me go out at home the right way.”
“We’ll celebrate this win tonight, and it’s gone after that like it never happened,” he added. “We did something that no other team here has done, and we put this one behind us and go forward from there.”
Up Next
South Alabama, which needs additional wins to become bowl-eligible, travels to Statesboro, Ga., to face Georgia Southern at 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 18.
