MOBILE, Ala. — Gavin Patterson kicked a 30-yard field goal with two seconds left Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, giving South Alabama a 13-10 win over Georgia State and its first Sun Belt Conference victory of the season.
The Jaguars, who are now at .500 on the season, travel next to Louisiana-Monroe.
Defenses Control the Game
Both defenses dominated for most of the afternoon, and neither offense ran or passed with much consistency. South Alabama finished with 306 yards of total offense, 182 of them through the air. Georgia State gained 240 yards, 127 on the ground.
Fourth-Down Gamble Pays Off
Trailing 10-3, South Alabama took over at its own 8-yard line with 11:03 remaining. Dallas Davis opened the drive with a 15-yard completion to tight end Gerald Everett, and the Jaguars followed with six straight runs that carried the ball from their own 23 to the Georgia State 24.
A high shotgun snap produced the drive’s first loss, and two incompletions followed, leaving South Alabama facing fourth-and-11. Coach Joey Jones chose to go for it rather than attempt a field goal that would have cut the deficit to four points.
Davis found Everett about five yards short of the marker, and Everett turned upfield and broke tackles for a 14-yard gain and a first down. Three runs later, South Alabama scored the tying touchdown.
Winning Drive in the Final Minute
Punter Brandon McKee pinned Georgia State at its own 9-yard line with 1:28 remaining. After a roughing-the-passer penalty against the Jaguars, Finesse Middleton sacked the Georgia State quarterback for an 11-yard loss with 51 seconds left, and South Alabama used its final timeout to force a punt.
Georgia State’s Brandon Wright mishit a punt for the third time in the game, and the kick went out of bounds at the Panthers’ 31 after traveling 18 yards.
With 44 seconds left, no timeouts and the score tied 10-10, South Alabama ran twice, was flagged for a false start, and then handed to Xavier Johnson, who was stopped short of a first down. The Jaguars hurried to the line and spiked the ball with six seconds remaining.
Georgia State coach Trent Miles called his final two timeouts before Patterson, who had missed a field goal attempt earlier in the game, made the 30-yarder for a 13-10 lead with two seconds left.
South Alabama’s sky kick toward the sideline bounced off a Georgia State player’s hands and out of bounds. After a review, officials put one second back on the clock. The Jaguars rushed three and dropped the rest into coverage, and the final pass was knocked down short of the end zone.
Standouts
Johnson led South Alabama with 83 rushing yards, and Everett was the leading receiver with four catches for 49 yards.
McKee, who downed all four of his punts inside the 20-yard line, was named the Sun Belt Conference Special Teams Player of the Week. Corliss Waitman punted once for 53 yards and also pinned Georgia State inside the 20.
Next: At Louisiana-Monroe
Louisiana-Monroe is 2-6 in its first season under coach Matt Viator. The Warhawks lost their starting quarterback for the season two weeks ago and have been outscored 110-27 in losses to New Mexico and Arkansas State since. Louisiana-Monroe has been playing two young quarterbacks, a redshirt freshman and a true freshman.
South Alabama came out of the Georgia State game without a serious injury after a season of significant losses. The Jaguars lost all three starting defensive linemen during preseason camp and lost leading tackler Kalen Jackson for the season against Troy. The starting quarterback has dealt with turf toe, Josh Magee has had an undisclosed injury, Johnson has missed playing time with injuries, and the team lost its starting left guard.
South Alabama’s wins this season include victories over Mississippi State and San Diego State, which was ranked 19th at the time.
