HONOLULU — Hawaii gained a season-high 410 yards Saturday night and beat South Alabama 23-7 at Aloha Stadium in the Jaguars’ season finale.
The game closed South Alabama’s 2012 season and its two-year transition into the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision. Beginning next season, the Jaguars will be eligible for the Sun Belt Conference title and for postseason bowl play.
Early Threat Ends in Interception
South Alabama took the opening kickoff and drove into the Hawaii red zone, but the possession ended with an interception in the end zone. The Warriors then went 80 yards for a touchdown to open the scoring.
Hawaii added three field goals in the first half to take a 16-0 lead into halftime. The Jaguars punted on each of their five possessions after the opening drive and had 55 yards of total offense at the break, only six of them on the ground.
Bennett Leads Scoring Drive
South Alabama avoided the first shutout in program history with an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that took more than five minutes.
Quarterback C.J. Bennett, playing for the first time since South Alabama’s Sept. 29 game against Troy, led the drive. Bennett hit Bryant Lavender for a 25-yard gain to get it started, and Julien Valentin kept it alive with an 8-yard run for a first down. Bennett kept the ball himself to convert a fourth-and-1 at the Hawaii 4-yard line, then threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Wes Saxton.
That drive accounted for nearly half of South Alabama’s offense for the night.
By the Numbers
South Alabama finished with 166 yards of total offense: 148 passing and 34 rushing on 18 carries, a program low for rushing yards in a game. The Jaguars still collected 17 first downs, compared with 20 for Hawaii.
Hawaii ran for 229 yards, matching the most rushing yards ever allowed by the South Alabama defense, and threw for 181.
Ross Metheny completed 11 of 24 passes for 111 yards and was sacked five times, losing a combined 43 yards on the sacks. Bennett went 3-of-7 for 37 yards and a touchdown.
T.J. Glover ran for 34 yards on nine carries, Valentin added 20 yards on nine carries, and Kendall Houston gained 10 yards on three carries.
Gabe Loper caught four passes for 32 yards. Corey Besteda had three catches for 42 yards, and Saxton had three for 27. Glover caught two passes for 12 yards, Lavender had one for 25, and Jereme Jones extended his streak of consecutive games with a reception with one catch for 10 yards.
Glover finished with a season-high 169 all-purpose yards: 115 on kickoff returns, 34 rushing, 12 receiving and 8 on a punt return.
Jones, Seniors Reflect
“We came out and put together a good drive but threw an interception, and end up down 16-0 at halftime,” head coach Joey Jones said. “We didn’t do much offensively in the second quarter, and they made some big plays. We gave up a long play on the first drive, but in the second half the defense came out and played better. They just controlled the game.”
Senior center Trey Clark, who has started every game in South Alabama football history, credited Hawaii’s front.
“They were tough. They were a physical group,” Clark said. “They had some movement going on, and came with a few blitzes that gave us some problems. I think we did alright for the most part, but those sacks and fumbles hurt us.”
“The biggest thing was that we weren’t going to lay down — we weren’t going to quit,” Clark said. “We just had that mindset that we were going to fight to the last whistle. I’m just proud of the seniors, my teammates and the coaches.”
Senior B.J. Scott said the trip gave the team a taste of a bowl-type setting.
“It was a great experience, and we were able to play another non-conference game,” Scott said. “We got a chance to experience a bowl-like atmosphere, and we have a lot to look forward to next year. We were just a few plays away in every game we lost this year. For the young guys, I just want them to stay focused and continue to work hard. I feel like we can easily flip this season around with just a little more attention to detail and focus.”
“I think we will have a great team next year,” Scott said.
Senior Class Plays Final Game
The finale was the last game for a senior class that includes many players who committed to South Alabama before the program had played a game. The program began play in 2009 under Jones.
Seniors who played their final game for the Jaguars were B.J. Scott, Jonathan Cameron, Brandon Ross, Gabe Loper, Cori Barnett, Charles Harris, Chris Rivers, Michel Chapuseaux, Jake Johnson, Anthony Taylor, Tremain Smith, Phillip Press, Trey Clark, Kennedy Helms, Ryne Baxter and Andy Dalgleish.
