MOBILE, Ala. — Courtney Smith caught a 60-yard touchdown pass for the first points in South Alabama football history, and the Jaguars beat Hargrave Military Academy 30-13 on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in the program’s first game.
South Alabama’s defense held Hargrave scoreless in the first half and finished with three interceptions, while Brandon Ross ran for 139 yards and two touchdowns.
The Jaguars assembled their first roster in a short time. Transfers and walk-ons arrived on campus in January, and the first class of recruits reported about two months before the opener.
A Historic Day
The game drew national notice before kickoff. During ESPN’s College GameDay broadcast, host Chris Fowler said, “We want to salute a couple of programs playing their very first game today, Old Dominion and South Alabama.”
Before the game, the Jaguars walked from their bus to the stadium through the student tailgating area in what the team calls the Jaguar Prowl. Members of the marching band played through the stadium parking lot, and the band’s pregame show formed the script USA logo on the field. The national anthem was followed by a U.S. Coast Guard flyover.
University President Gordon Moulton spoke at midfield, standing on the new Jaguar logo, and thanked students, fans and the board of trustees. Hargrave won the coin toss and elected to receive, and South Alabama chose to defend the south end zone. Cheerleaders carrying flags led the Jaguars onto the field as the band played the fight song.
Smith Scores First Touchdown
The South Alabama defense forced turnovers on Hargrave’s first two possessions. Midway through the first quarter, the Jaguars drove toward the goal line, but Santuan McGee fumbled at the 2-yard line at the end of a 22-yard run.
With seconds left in the first quarter and the ball at the South Alabama 40, quarterback Myles Gibbon found Smith open on a go route down the left sideline for a 60-yard touchdown.
Ross capped a five-play, 24-yard drive with a 1-yard run with 12 minutes left in the second quarter for a 13-0 lead. Another drive late in the half ended when Gibbon was intercepted at the goal line, and the Jaguars ran out of time before they could attempt a field goal at the end of the half.
Second Half
Gibbon scored on an 8-yard run early in the third quarter to make it 20-0.
Hargrave got on the board with a 16-yard touchdown run, but the Jaguars blocked the extra point. Chapuseaux kicked a 25-yard field goal with 2:39 remaining in the third quarter for a 23-6 lead. The Tigers answered with a 35-yard touchdown reception to pull within 23-13.
Ross sealed the game with a 22-yard touchdown run with 4:19 remaining, stretching across the goal line to make the final 30-13.
After the game, Jaguars players went into the stands to celebrate with fans as the band played “Jaguar Pride” and the alma mater.
Statistics
South Alabama gained 299 rushing yards on 29 carries and completed 11 of 17 passes for 164 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
Gibbon completed 7 of 13 passes for 126 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Nick Owens completed all four of his attempts for 38 yards. Ross carried 19 times for 139 yards and two touchdowns, and McGee had 58 yards on nine carries. Smith caught five passes for 105 yards.
Justin Dunn led the defense with eight tackles, and Charlie Higgenbotham and Zach Brownell each had seven. Punter Scott Garber’s lone punt traveled 47 yards and pinned Hargrave near its own 10-yard line. Erling Riis returned three punts for 44 yards, including a 39-yard return that set up a touchdown.
Hargrave rushed 27 times for 133 yards and completed 21 of 34 passes for 238 yards with a touchdown and three interceptions. Evan Ingram completed 17 of 27 passes with a touchdown and two interceptions and ran nine times for 43 yards. Dlapo Macarthy was 4 of 7 with an interception. Tahron Goods ran for 46 yards and a touchdown on seven carries, and Sean Farr caught nine passes for 107 yards and a touchdown.
Coaches React
Head coach Joey Jones credited his players and staff.
“We challenged the kids this morning about making this a day to remember, and they did that,” Jones said. “Our kids played extremely hard, our staff coached extremely hard, and we would not have had that success today had the staff not done what they did and the players bought into the program. It’s as simple as that.”
“We certainly have some things we can work on, but we can go back and correct those things,” Jones added. “I’m very proud of them coming out – a bunch of new guys and a new team – and doing what they did today.”
Defensive coordinator Bill Clark said the staff was pleased with the first half but wanted more after halftime.
“We were tickled to death in the first half,” Clark said. “Our guys really hounded them, and we had a bunch of takeaways. We came in at halftime really excited, and we told our guys it was zero to zero. We were disappointed in the second half because our goal is a shutout, and we know that’s a big goal.”
Hargrave coach Robert Prunty complimented the new program.
“South Alabama is a class act,” Prunty said. “You can tell by how they’re putting their facilities in order – we were impressed with it. Coach Jones has this program in the right direction. … Their kids played hard and you can tell they’ve been in the weight room. It was a great performance by South Alabama.”
Update
Penalties were a significant factor in the opener. South Alabama was flagged four times for 30 yards, while Hargrave was penalized 15 times for 135 yards.
In the first half, Hargrave had seven possessions, and the Jaguars’ defense forced two interceptions, a fumble and four punts. Hargrave scored touchdowns on its first two drives of the second half before South Alabama ended the game with an interception and a turnover on downs.
The Jaguar staff chose to go for it on fourth down rather than attempt a long field goal on one first-half drive, which ended in a turnover on downs. Jones said special teams will get extra work in the coming weeks, including field goals in the 38- to 42-yard range and kick coverage, after the Jaguars allowed more return yardage than he wanted.
South Alabama’s next game is Sept. 26 against Army Prep. The open date gives the staff additional time to work with second- and third-team players.
