MOBILE, Ala. — The South Alabama Arkansas State game on Saturday will close the Jaguars’ home schedule, as South Alabama (3-6, 2-3 Sun Belt Conference) hosts the league-leading Red Wolves (5-2, 4-0 Sun Belt) on Senior Day at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 11. The game will be streamed on ESPN3 and carried on the Jaguars’ flagship radio stations, 96.1 FM and 99.5 FM The Jag, which are also available through the iHeartRadio app.
South Alabama has lost its last two games and must win its final three to become bowl eligible.
Quarterback Rotation Continues
After productive offensive outings against Troy and Louisiana-Monroe, South Alabama’s offense was held in check in losses to Georgia State and Louisiana-Lafayette. Dropped passes contributed to the struggles.
At his Monday news conference, head coach Joey Jones said each of his quarterbacks has outplayed the other at different points. Cole Garvin started against Troy but gave way to Dallas Davis, who led the Jaguars to the win. Against Louisiana-Lafayette, Davis struggled and Garvin moved the offense more effectively in relief, though South Alabama lost 19-14.
Jones said it was unlikely that true freshman quarterback Cephus Johnson would play this season.
“He has not worked with our offense during the season,” Jones said. “He has been on the scout team. It would be an injustice to him, probably.”
Jones noted that Louisiana-Lafayette had two and a half weeks to prepare freshman Levi Lewis to start against the Jaguars, and he praised that decision and Lewis’ performance. Of Johnson, he said: “It’s been a thought, because I think Cephus is going to be a great one. He’s going to be the face of our program one day. I just don’t think at this point, because of the inexperience factor.”
Arkansas State’s Pass Rush
Arkansas State’s defense has allowed eight touchdowns in four conference games, an average of two per game, and leads the nation with 3.71 sacks per game. The Red Wolves have 26 sacks for 162 yards on the season.
Senior defensive end Ja’von Rolland-Jones, the reigning Sun Belt Player of the Year, has eight sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss this season. He already holds Arkansas State’s career sacks record and is 5.5 sacks short of the NCAA career record of 44; sacks became an official NCAA statistic in 2000. In three career games against South Alabama, Rolland-Jones has four sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss.
Fellow defensive end Caleb Caston has five sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss, and five other Red Wolves have recorded multiple sacks.
Opponents are completing 50.7 percent of their passes against Arkansas State, which has eight interceptions. The Red Wolves have forced 15 fumbles and recovered six.
Hansen Leads Balanced Red Wolves Offense
Quarterback Justice Hansen has completed 170 of 265 passes (64.2 percent) for 2,159 yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions, an average of 308.4 passing yards per game. He is also the team’s second-leading rusher with 259 yards and a touchdown, averaging 4 yards per carry and 37 yards per game.
Including Hansen, four Arkansas State runners have at least 195 rushing yards, and a fifth has 98 yards on 14 carries. Seven Red Wolves have more than 100 receiving yards, combining for 25 touchdown catches, and five of those seven have at least 20 receptions.
Arkansas State averages 40.4 points and 465.9 yards per game, with 142.6 yards rushing and 323.3 yards passing. The Red Wolves allow 22.3 points per game. They are converting about 40 percent of their third-down attempts and average 26 minutes, 28 seconds of possession. Arkansas State has fumbled 11 times, losing four, and averages 70.7 penalty yards per game.
Last week, Arkansas State trailed New Mexico State 14-7 at halftime and led just 17-14 after three quarters before pulling away in the fourth quarter for a 37-21 win.
How South Alabama Compares
South Alabama averages 347.1 yards of offense per game, with 124.3 on the ground and 222.8 through the air. The Jaguars score 21.9 points per game and allow 25. They are converting 31 percent of their third downs.
The Jaguars have fumbled seven times and lost one, while the defense has forced 16 fumbles and recovered 10. South Alabama averages 59.4 penalty yards per game. The Jaguars have 13 sacks for 87 yards and have allowed 16 sacks for 125 yards.
Against Louisiana-Lafayette, South Alabama gave up 19 first-half points, including two touchdowns on blown coverages, before adjusting at halftime and shutting the Cajuns out in the second half.
Season Context
South Alabama opened Sun Belt play with a double-overtime loss to Idaho in a game in which two Jaguar interception returns for touchdowns were negated by penalties. A later review of the officiating determined that several calls in that game had been missed.
Arkansas State is listed as roughly a 12-point favorite. Saturday’s game is the Jaguars’ last at Ladd-Peebles Stadium this season, with South Alabama’s seniors to be honored before kickoff.
