ATLANTA — Wide receiver Shavarez Smith tied a school record with 10 receptions and piled up 194 receiving yards Saturday as South Alabama beat Georgia State 38-17 in the Georgia Dome, keeping alive the Jaguars’ bid for bowl eligibility in their first season as a full member of the Football Bowl Subdivision.
Running back Jay Jones scored the game’s first two touchdowns and quarterback Ross Metheny directed an offense that built a 24-3 halftime lead, while the South Alabama defense held the Panthers to 24 rushing yards.
Jones Reaches 100 Yards
Jones posted the first 100-yard rushing game of his career, finishing with 102 yards on 17 carries.
After the Panthers’ opening possession, South Alabama put together a seven-play, 62-yard scoring drive on its second series. Metheny opened it with a 17-yard completion to Bryant Lavender. Facing third-and-1, Jones broke a 22-yard run up the middle, then carried on each of the next three plays, finishing the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run. He accounted for 37 of the drive’s 62 yards.
On the following possession, Smith caught a slant from Metheny but lost a fumble while fighting for extra yardage. The Jaguars got the ball right back when Enrique Williams forced a fumble that Maleki Harris recovered at the Georgia State 42. Jones scored from 17 yards out with about 2:30 left in the first quarter to make it 14-0.
Metheny Scores, Field Goal Streak Extended
Georgia State got on the board early in the second quarter. Albert Wilson’s 62-yard punt return set up a 33-yard field goal with a little more than 13 minutes left in the half.
South Alabama answered. On third-and-6 from its own 44, Metheny hit Smith for 20 yards, then found Jereme Jones for 24 more. Facing fourth-and-inches inside the 1, Metheny went over the top of the line for his 10th touchdown of the season, giving the Jaguars a 21-3 lead with 6:20 left in the half.
Metheny connected with Smith on completions of 15 and 10 yards for consecutive first downs on the next drive, and the Jaguars added a 42-yard field goal with 34 seconds left before halftime. It was the kicker’s ninth consecutive successful attempt, a school record for consecutive field goals made.
Second Half
An 80-yard completion from Georgia State quarterback Ronnie Bell to Robert Davis set up the Panthers at the 1-yard line, leading to their first touchdown midway through the third quarter. South Alabama scored twice more in the period, including Kendall Houston’s 1-yard run with just over a minute remaining that made it 38-10. Smith added a touchdown reception among his 10 catches.
Georgia State scored the game’s final points on a fourth-and-goal conversion from the 1 with three minutes to play.
Defense Shuts Down the Run
The Jaguars held Georgia State to 24 yards on 25 rushing attempts and recorded four sacks for 18 yards in losses.
- Qudarius Ford led the team with eight tackles.
- Terrell Brigham added six tackles.
- Senior Romelle Jones had four tackles, 2.5 of them for loss, and forced a fumble late in the first quarter.
- Jerome McClain matched his career high with five tackles and recorded a sack.
- Pat Moore had a sack, and Clifton Crews and Montavious Williams shared another.
What They Said
“I thought our kids prepared really well this week,” head coach Joey Jones said. “Georgia State had been playing really well, my hat’s off to them the way they have gotten better this year, but our guys just came out and played really well today.”
Jones praised his top receiver. “Shavarez is just a playmaker, he is so strong getting the ball,” he said. “When we have to have a big play, No. 1 comes up big for us.”
Romelle Jones looked ahead to the season finale. “It’s going to be a big one next week,” he said.
Up Next
South Alabama closes the regular season at home against Louisiana-Lafayette, the Sun Belt Conference’s top team, at 7 p.m. CST Saturday, Dec. 7, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile. The Ragin’ Cajuns lost Saturday and will be looking to secure the conference championship, while the Jaguars will be seeking bowl eligibility.
