MOBILE, Ala. — For the first time in the program’s brief history, South Alabama trailed in a football game Saturday. The Jaguars responded with a 20-point second quarter and beat Nicholls State 39-21 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
The Colonels were the first Division I-AA (FCS) opponent South Alabama has faced, and they took a 7-0 lead and later a 14-7 advantage in the first quarter. The Jaguars, in their second season of play, remained unbeaten in the ninth game in program history.
Kendall Houston ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries, and Brandon Ross added 115 yards on 19 carries as South Alabama finished with 490 yards of total offense.
Colonels Strike First
South Alabama received the opening kickoff but went three-and-out after gaining 19 yards in four plays. Nicholls State then drove from its own 21 to the South Alabama 33 and, facing fourth-and-1, Jesse Turner broke a 33-yard touchdown run. The five-play, 79-yard drive took 2:26 and gave the Jaguars their first deficit.
The response was immediate. T.J. Glover returned the ensuing kickoff 69 yards before he was brought down by a horse-collar tackle, and the penalty moved the ball to the Nicholls State 11. Glover scored on the second play from scrimmage to tie the game 7-7.
After a South Alabama punt pinned the Colonels at their 10, a penalty pushed them back inside the 5. Quarterback LaQuintin Caston then found Turner in the flat, and Turner went 95 yards for a touchdown and a 14-7 lead with 2:23 left in the first quarter.
A 20-Point Second Quarter
South Alabama covered 80 yards in six plays on its next drive. Quarterback Myles Gibbon ran for 16 yards but was injured on the next play and did not return, leaving with an injury to his right knee. Brennan Sim replaced him, ran for 9 yards and, on the first play of the second quarter, threw a 47-yard touchdown pass down the middle to Richard Ross to tie the game at 14.
The South Alabama defense then made back-to-back stops. On third-and-1 at the South Alabama 36, Justin Dunn and Alex Page stopped Caston for no gain, and on fourth-and-1, Jonathan Cameron and Anthony Taylor stuffed the ball carrier to force a turnover on downs.
The Jaguars took advantage. Sim hit Brandon Ross on a 30-yard screen pass, Houston ran for 24 yards, and Santuan McGee scored from 8 yards out. Jordan Means’ extra point was blocked, leaving South Alabama ahead 20-14 with 11:11 left in the half.
A fumble recovery at midfield on Nicholls State’s next drive set up Houston’s 5-yard touchdown run, and the Jaguars took a 27-14 lead into halftime.
Nicholls State Pulls Within Six
Starting at its own 40 after a kickoff went out of bounds, Nicholls State opened the second half with a drive to the South Alabama 12, where the Jaguars took over on downs. South Alabama drove 75 yards in eight plays but lost a fumble at the Nicholls State 13.
Four plays later, Caston connected with Andrew Wynn down the middle for a 62-yard touchdown, cutting the lead to 27-21.
Jaguars Close It Out
After an exchange of three-and-outs, South Alabama drove 67 yards in five plays, with Houston scoring on a 20-yard run early in the fourth quarter for a 34-21 lead.
On Nicholls State’s next play, Tim Harvey intercepted Caston at the South Alabama 40. The Jaguars went three-and-out but pinned the Colonels at their 9, and a third-down sack pushed them back to the 3. Erling Riis came off the left edge to block the ensuing punt, which went out of the back of the end zone for a safety and a 36-21 lead with 11:04 remaining.
Sim then led an 11-play, 50-yard drive that used 6:52, and Means kicked a 28-yard field goal for the final margin.
Coaches React
“I thought it was a great win for our football program,” head coach Joey Jones said. “We needed to have a game like that where we’re challenged.”
“It speaks to the character of our kids and our coaching staff with the way they coach them,” Jones said. “Had we not responded like that and they scored another touchdown, then the ball starts to roll their way. This is our second year and ninth football game, and we beat a [Division] I-AA program that has been around for a long time. They are very well-coached and have great athletes.”
Nicholls State coach Charlie Stubbs said the difference was handling adversity. “When we were prospering, we couldn’t keep the momentum and while they were able to make plays, they capitalized on the momentum,” he said. “I believe that was the difference in the game.”
By the Numbers
South Alabama had 21 first downs to Nicholls State’s 10 and gained 490 yards on 64 plays, with more than 200 yards both rushing and passing. Nicholls State finished with 418 yards, 319 of them through the air and 99 on the ground.
- Sim completed 10 of 12 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown and was sacked once. Gibbon was 1 of 3 for 20 yards before his injury, and C.J. Bennett, who led one first-quarter drive, was 1 of 3 for 3 yards.
- Richard Ross caught four passes for 80 yards and the only touchdown reception. Corey Besteda had 37 receiving yards, Brandon Ross 30 and Courtney Smith 20.
- Glover returned three kickoffs for 116 yards.
- Scott Garber punted six times, averaging nearly 43 yards with a long of 53, and placed three inside the 20.
Means handled place-kicking duties this week and made his only field goal attempt. Michel Chapuseaux handled kickoffs. On the offensive line, Melvin Meggs played most of the game in place of the injured Brian Krauskopf.
Up Next
South Alabama plays its first road game next week at the Wiregrass Football Classic in Dothan, Ala., against Edward Waters of Jacksonville, Fla. Kickoff is set for 3 p.m., with the Jaguar Prowl scheduled for about 1:30 p.m.
