South Alabama dominates Georgia Southern 41-14 for first win over Eagles in eight tries

South Alabama erased the memory of a painful loss five days earlier with a dominating 41-14 victory over Georgia Southern on Thursday night at Hancock Whitney Stadium.

The win was the kind of performance head coach Kane Wommack had been waiting for. The Jaguars had dropped a 14-point lead and fumbled away a chance to win in overtime at Texas State the previous Saturday; against the Eagles, they controlled the game from the opening kick.

“Tonight was the best we’ve played by far,” Wommack said. “The defense continued to get three and outs. They made some adjustments on their side and we adjusted and took it right back from them in the second half. This program has been waiting to beat that team for a very long time and we got it done tonight.”

The victory was South Alabama’s first in eight meetings with Georgia Southern. It was also the Jaguars’ first Sun Belt Conference win of the season and snapped a two-game losing streak, moving the team to 4-2 overall and 1-2 in league play. Georgia Southern fell to 2-5 and 1-3.

Quarterback Jake Bentley turned in the best night of his South Alabama career. He completed 24 of 31 passes for 389 yards and three touchdowns without an interception, and added a pair of rushing scores. The 389 yards set a school record for a single game, made him the first Jaguars quarterback to throw for more than 300 yards since Evan Orth in 2018, and made him the first South Alabama player to account for five touchdowns in one game.

Jalen Tolbert caught 11 of Bentley’s passes for 174 yards and a score, while Jalen Wayne added seven receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown. Tolbert tied program marks with his sixth 100-yard receiving game and 16th career touchdown catch.

The South Alabama defense smothered a Georgia Southern triple-option attack that had repeatedly gashed the Jaguars in past seasons. The Eagles managed just one yard of total offense midway through the second quarter and did not record their first first down until that point. Quinton Wilfawn led the unit with seven tackles, and C.J. Rias returned an interception that set up a score. Darrell Luter broke up multiple passes for the third straight game.

Bentley opened the scoring with a 12-yard keeper — the first time all season South Alabama scored on its opening possession — and the Jaguars led 31-0 before Georgia Southern finally answered. Diego Guajardo connected on field goals of 42 and 40 yards, and tight end Lincoln Sefcik caught a fifth touchdown pass to close the scoring.

South Alabama travels to Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday for a 6 p.m. Sun Belt matchup against the Warhawks and first-year head coach Terry Bowden.

About the Jaguars

Wommack is in his first season as South Alabama’s head coach. He was hired in December 2020 after serving as defensive coordinator at Indiana. Bentley is a graduate transfer who began his college career as a starter at South Carolina. Hancock Whitney Stadium opened on South Alabama’s campus in 2020 and replaced Ladd-Peebles Stadium as the Jaguars’ home field.

Update

South Alabama outgained Georgia Southern 545-233 in total offense, including 405-112 through the air, and outrushed the Eagles 140-121. The Jaguars converted 7 of 12 third-down attempts, while Georgia Southern was 9-of-21. South Alabama scored on five of six red zone trips; the lone empty trip came when the Jaguars ran out the clock at the end of the game.

The Jaguars scored on five of their first six possessions, and the defense forced three-and-outs on four of Georgia Southern’s first five possessions; the other ended with Rias’ interception, the only turnover of the game. Georgia Southern fumbled once but recovered.

Bryan Hill led all rushers with 65 yards on eight carries, including a 58-yard run that set up Sefcik’s touchdown catch, his second of the season. Terrion Avery ran 10 times for 43 yards. Desmond Trotter completed 1 of 2 passes for 16 yards late in the game.

For Georgia Southern, Justin Tomlin was 5-of-13 passing for 49 yards and an interception, and Cam Ransom was 2-of-12 for 63 yards while adding 23 rushing yards on 10 carries. Logan Wright ran for 60 yards on 14 carries, and Amare Jones caught four passes for 90 yards.

“It just felt free,” Bentley said. “The game plan going in was to be aggressive. We consistently did that all night, up-front, on the perimeter, we just really attacked all night. It felt really good as an offense to really get rolling and put up some points.”

“You have to be able to build off momentum,” Wommack said. “The guys in that locker room have never responded to adversity and found ways to win. And that’s what this group is doing right now.”

South Alabama played without center James Jackson (knee), wide receiver Caullin Lacy (ankle), linebacker Shawn Jennings (ankle) and tight end Trent Tyre (undisclosed), who were all injured in the previous week. Running back Kareem Walker (quad) missed his third straight game. Sefcik, Avery, left tackle Ja’Chai Baker and linebackers Chris Henderson and Ke’Shun Brown missed practice time during the week after being hurt against Texas State.