HATTIESBURG, Miss. — South Alabama is bowl eligible for the third consecutive season after outscoring Southern Miss 21-3 in the second half Saturday on the way to a 35-14 victory at M.M. Roberts Stadium.
The Jaguars improved to 6-5 overall and 5-2 in the Sun Belt Conference, keeping their hopes alive for the West Division title, though they will need help to reach the conference championship game. Southern Miss fell to 1-10 and 0-7 in league play.
Quarterback Gio Lopez threw three touchdown passes, and Fluff Bothwell ran for 104 yards on six carries.
Southern Miss Strikes First
Southern Miss took the opening kickoff and drove the length of the field for a touchdown. The Golden Eagles lined up in a swinging-gate formation on the extra point and ran a play from it, converting a two-point try for an 8-0 lead.
The South Alabama defense settled in after the opening drive and largely contained Southern Miss the rest of the half.
Early in the second quarter, Lopez hit Kentrel Bullock on a screen pass, and Bullock went 21 yards for the Jaguars’ first touchdown. After a Southern Miss three-and-out, South Alabama drove for the go-ahead score on a 32-yard pass from Lopez to Jeremiah Webb over the middle, making it 14-8.
Late Field Goal Before Halftime
The Jaguars turned away a Southern Miss scoring threat late in the half with a sack that pushed the Golden Eagles out of field-goal range. Pinned deep, South Alabama was forced to punt after Southern Miss used all three of its timeouts. Aleki Pulkkinen’s punt was downed at the Jaguars’ 41-yard line with four seconds left, and Connor Gibbs made a 59-yard field goal as time expired to cut the lead to 14-11 at halftime.
Jaguars Take Control in Second Half
South Alabama opened the second half with a four-play, 75-yard drive capped by a 40-yard touchdown pass from Lopez to Jamaal Pritchett, extending the lead to 21-11.
Late in the third quarter, Wesley Miller intercepted a third-down pass from Southern Miss quarterback John White and returned it 57 yards for his first career touchdown, putting the Jaguars ahead 28-11.
Gibbs kicked a 28-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter for the Golden Eagles’ final points. Bothwell then broke a 59-yard run and scored on a 2-yard run on the next play, his 11th rushing touchdown of the season, to make it 35-14.
Statistics
South Alabama: Lopez completed 15 of 24 passes for 193 yards and three touchdowns. Pritchett caught eight passes for 102 yards and a touchdown, Webb had three catches for 50 yards and a touchdown, and Bullock added 28 receiving yards and a touchdown. Bothwell rushed six times for 104 yards and a touchdown, and Bullock ran 14 times for 54 yards.
Southern Miss: Tate Rodemaker completed 15 of 27 passes for 108 yards and a touchdown. White was 5 of 8 for 29 yards with an interception. Kenyon Clay caught five passes for 39 yards, and Davis Dalton had three catches for 24 yards and a touchdown. Deke Clark rushed for 115 yards on 12 carries, and Clay added 48 yards on 11 carries.
Up Next
South Alabama closes the regular season at home against Texas State on Friday, Nov. 29, at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m.
