MOBILE, Ala. — Zach Brownell intercepted three passes and returned one for a touchdown, and South Alabama’s defense scored twice as the Jaguars beat Georgia Military College 31-3 on Saturday before 15,178 fans at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
The win kept South Alabama unbeaten at 3-0 in its first season of football.
Defense Sets the Tone
South Alabama limited the Bulldogs to 10 first downs and 234 yards of total offense, including 88 rushing yards. Georgia Military converted just 1 of 15 third-down attempts.
The Jaguars’ bid for a second straight shutout ended with 47 seconds left in the third quarter, when Evan Kay kicked a 31-yard field goal for the Bulldogs.
First Half
The South Alabama offense started slowly, with its first three possessions ending in a punt, a fumble and another punt. The Jaguars broke through early in the second quarter when Brandon Ross scored on a 7-yard run to finish a 10-play, 67-yard drive.
Quarterback Myles Gibbon was intercepted on the next South Alabama possession, but the Jaguars’ defense returned the ball to the offense with an interception three plays later. South Alabama moved 37 yards in six plays before punting, and the kick was downed at the Georgia Military 9-yard line.
With the Bulldogs pinned deep, the defense forced another interception, and Brownell returned it for a touchdown with 1:35 left before halftime to give the Jaguars a 14-0 lead.
Second Half
The defense forced a three-and-out on Georgia Military’s first possession of the second half. After South Alabama also went three-and-out, its punt pinned the Bulldogs inside their own 15.
The Jaguars then forced a fumble at the Georgia Military 10, and Clifton Crews picked up the loose ball and returned it for a touchdown, making it 21-0 with 9:05 left in the third quarter.
Georgia Military moved 29 yards in eight plays on its next drive before Brownell made his third interception at the South Alabama 20 with 5:12 left in the third quarter. The Bulldogs’ next drive started at their own 38, and a long completion moved them into South Alabama territory, but the defense held and Kay’s field goal made it 21-3.
After an exchange of three-and-outs, South Alabama went 54 yards in four plays, and Ross scored his second touchdown. Georgia Military was called for a personal foul on the extra point, and South Alabama kicker Michel Chapuseaux was injured on the play. Trainers examined his right knee on the sideline, and he later returned to the sideline on crutches to join his teammates for the alma mater after the game.
Following another pair of three-and-outs, Georgia Military drove 25 yards in six plays but came up short on a fourth-down attempt. South Alabama took over at its own 40 and drove 38 yards in eight plays, using 3:45, before Lawson McGlon kicked a 39-yard field goal for the final margin.
By the Numbers
Ross led the Jaguars with 79 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries. Santuan McGee ran for 60 yards on eight carries, Anthony Mostella added 34 yards on nine carries, Gibbon had 20 yards on six carries and Eli Smith gained 8 yards on two carries.
Gibbon completed 6 of 13 passes for 44 yards with one interception. His longest completion went for 32 yards. Nick Owens completed his only pass attempt for 8 yards.
Courtney Smith was the only Jaguar with more than one catch, finishing with two receptions for 5 yards. Kevin Helms, Paul Bennett, Corey Besteda, Erling Riis and Ross each caught one pass.
Scott Garber punted seven times for a 45.3-yard average and placed two punts inside the Georgia Military 20.
Justin Dunn led South Alabama with 11 tackles. Brownell was second with six tackles to go with his three interceptions.
South Alabama finished with 13 first downs, 199 rushing yards and 52 passing yards for 251 total yards, its lowest totals of the season. The teams combined for 24 penalties: South Alabama was flagged 10 times for 158 yards, and Georgia Military 14 times for 136 yards.
What They Said
“Those guys want to get a shutout if they can, but they love scoring touchdowns as well – it’s always fun for them to do that. Those are game changers,” South Alabama coach Joey Jones said of his defense. “Obviously, we were great defensively and played a solid game against a very good football program. Zach has a nose for the football, he’s just a very smart football player. The one he ran back for a touchdown right before the half was certainly a big play in the game.”
Jones also credited the Georgia Military defense. “We knew that their defense was very good. They fly to the football and hit you,” he said. “They gave us some problems and we knew that would happen.”
“We knew coming into this game that they were one of the best teams we’ll play all year,” Gibbon said. “You have to give credit to them, they’re a good team and a good defense. They were coming with pressure, but we studied their different blitzes and how to block them all week – our offensive line did a fantastic job today.”
Georgia Military coach Bert Williams pointed to turnovers. “You have to take your hats off to South Alabama. They played well, played consistently and played hard,” he said. “We got what we expected out there. We just didn’t expect to be as generous with the ball as we were – we gave them touchdowns two and three on turnovers. Those two plays put us in a bad way.”
“We were ready for everything they threw at us. That just goes back to coaching and team play,” Dunn said. “What we did was nice, but we’re never satisfied as a defense. We have another opponent next week that we need to prepare for.”
Up Next
South Alabama hosts Louisburg College next Saturday at 4 p.m. at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. It will be the first time this season the Jaguars play on consecutive weekends.
