MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama built a 30-14 halftime lead and held off a second-half comeback to beat Georgia State 39-34 on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, in a matchup of two young programs.
Kendall Houston ran for 175 yards on 31 carries, quarterback C.J. Bennett threw three touchdown passes, and Lawson McGlon kicked four field goals for the Jaguars. Tim Harvey intercepted two passes, and South Alabama ran out the final 3:57 to protect the lead.
Head coach Joey Jones said after the game that it took his team until Wednesday to recover from its trip to California the previous week.
Georgia State Strikes First
Georgia State moved the ball steadily on the game’s opening possession, picking up three first downs in its first four plays to advance from its own 40-yard line to the South Alabama 19. The Panthers finished the 10-play, 60-yard drive on fourth down with a 2-yard touchdown pass from Drew Little to Sidney Haynes.
South Alabama answered with a nine-play, 72-yard drive that ended with a 9-yard touchdown run by Houston. Jordan Means missed the extra point, leaving the Jaguars behind 7-6.
After the South Alabama defense forced a punt, the Jaguars took over at their own 45-yard line with 1:50 left in the first quarter. Bennett ran 26 yards to the Georgia State 25, but the drive stalled and McGlon missed a 42-yard field goal attempt.
The Jaguars forced another punt, but T.J. Glover fumbled it, and Georgia State recovered at the South Alabama 14. Little completed a pass to Jordan Giles inside the 1-yard line and scored two plays later on a quarterback sneak. The extra point put the Panthers ahead 14-6 with 11:33 left in the second quarter.
Second-Quarter Surge
South Alabama responded quickly. Bennett completed a 21-yard pass to Courtney Smith to the Jaguars’ 47-yard line, and Houston carried three straight times to move the ball across midfield. On second-and-8 from the Georgia State 40, Bennett hit Bryant Lavender for a 40-yard touchdown. McGlon’s extra point made it 14-13 with more than nine minutes left in the half.
On Georgia State’s next series, Harvey intercepted a deflected pass at the Panthers’ 39-yard line. Bennett opened the possession with a 24-yard completion to Ralph Turner to the Georgia State 15, and three plays later he threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to tight end Kevin Helms. McGlon’s kick gave South Alabama a 20-14 lead with 6:57 left in the second quarter.
The Jaguars’ defense forced a three-and-out, and the Panthers’ punt went out of bounds at the South Alabama 20. Facing second-and-15 from their own 15 after an incomplete pass and a false-start penalty, the Jaguars put together a long scoring drive. Glover ran 14 yards, Houston added a first-down run, Bennett ran 13 yards to the South Alabama 48, and Bennett completed an 18-yard pass to Lavender to the Georgia State 34. Bennett ran for 7 more yards and Houston gained 17 to set up first-and-goal near the 10.
Runs by Glover and Houston moved the ball to the 3-yard line. After a timeout, Bennett threw to Jereme Jones in the left side of the end zone, and Jones made a one-handed catch for the touchdown. McGlon’s extra point put South Alabama ahead 27-14 with 41 seconds left in the half.
Harvey’s Second Interception
The ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, and Georgia State started at its own 45-yard line. After a 13-yard completion to the South Alabama 42, Harvey intercepted Little for the second time and returned the ball 47 yards to the Georgia State 18 with 14 seconds remaining.
With no timeouts left, South Alabama threw toward the end zone, but Smith could not hold on to the pass. McGlon then made a 35-yard field goal to give the Jaguars a 30-14 lead with three seconds left before halftime.
Panthers Climb Back
The teams combined for three three-and-outs on the first four possessions of the third quarter. South Alabama then took over at the Georgia State 49 after a 27-yard punt. Houston ran twice for a first down, and Bennett completed passes of 7 and 22 yards to Lavender to set up first-and-goal at the 7.
An apparent touchdown pass from Bennett to Turner was called back because of an ineligible receiver downfield, and McGlon kicked a 28-yard field goal on fourth-and-goal from the 11 to make it 33-14 with 3:52 left in the third quarter.
Albert Lewis returned the following kickoff 50 yards to the South Alabama 41. Andy Dalgleish sacked Little for an 8-yard loss, but on the next play Little threw a 47-yard touchdown pass to Danny Williams, cutting the deficit to 33-21 with 2:11 left in the third quarter.
Glover returned the next kickoff 46 yards to the Georgia State 38. Houston ran for 13 yards and then 9 more to the Panthers’ 8-yard line as the third quarter ended. He added a 6-yard run to the 2 to open the fourth quarter, but a pass intended for Lemontis Gardner fell incomplete in the end zone, and Bennett fumbled a quarterback sneak before the Jaguars recovered at the 1. Jones elected to kick, and McGlon’s 18-yard field goal made it 36-21 with 13:25 to play.
Georgia State opened its next drive with a 39-yard completion from Little to Haynes, and a 20-yard pass to Travis Evans set up first-and-goal at the 1. Little scored on a sneak, but Romelle Jones blocked the extra point, leaving the Jaguars ahead 36-27 with 11:24 remaining.
Houston carried three straight times for 7, 7 and 10 yards, and Glover added a 17-yard run to the Georgia State 15. The Panthers’ defense stopped the drive there, and McGlon made a 31-yard field goal for a 39-27 lead with 7:34 left.
Georgia State began its next possession at its own 44. A facemask penalty on Anton Graphenreed added 15 yards to a 10-yard completion, moving the ball to the South Alabama 20. The Panthers converted a fourth-down pass for a first down at the 5, and Kelton Hill ran up the middle for a touchdown that cut the lead to 39-34 with 3:57 remaining.
Running Out the Clock
South Alabama took over at its own 26-yard line needing two first downs to end the game. On third-and-4, Bennett completed a 5-yard pass to Smith for one first down. Georgia State used its final timeout with 2:15 left. Houston ran for 6 yards to set up third-and-2 at the South Alabama 45, and after a Jaguars timeout with 1:28 remaining, Houston ran 9 yards for the decisive first down. Bennett knelt twice to end the game.
By the Numbers
South Alabama finished with 474 total yards, including 293 rushing and 181 passing. Georgia State totaled 280 yards, with 46 on the ground. The Jaguars converted 8 of 14 third downs and did not attempt a fourth-down conversion. Georgia State was 3 of 10 on third down and 2 for 2 on fourth down.
- Kendall Houston: 31 carries, 175 yards, one touchdown
- C.J. Bennett: 12 of 24 passing for 181 yards, three touchdowns, no interceptions; 10 carries for 80 yards
- T.J. Glover: five carries, 35 yards
- Bryant Lavender: four catches, 87 yards, one touchdown
- Courtney Smith: four catches, 52 yards
- Lawson McGlon: 4 of 5 on field goals (35, 28, 18 and 31 yards), 3 of 3 on extra points
- Tim Harvey: two interceptions
For Georgia State, Little completed 20 of 34 passes with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Williams caught five passes for 82 yards and a touchdown, and Haynes had four catches for 50 yards and a touchdown. Hill ran three times for 25 yards and a score, and Evans added 14 yards on six carries.
Coaches Comment
“We got ahead at halftime by playing really well offensively in the first half, and the defense made adjustments and played well after the first drive,” Jones said. “They came back out and got rolling on offense, and just played much better in the second half. My hat’s off to the Georgia State team for coming back and making a really good game out of it.”
Georgia State head coach Bill Curry praised the South Alabama program. “I’m very much an admirer of coach Jones and the South Alabama program. I have been since the beginning,” Curry said. He cited the Jaguars’ emphasis on academics and their success in the turnover margin and in the fourth quarter coming into the game.
“We hope to become a more consistent team and do a better job, so we can match up with them the next time we play,” Curry said.
South Alabama hosts Henderson State in its homecoming game Saturday, Nov. 6, with kickoff scheduled for 4 p.m.
