MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama ran for a school-record 413 yards on 60 carries and beat FCS opponent Jackson State 37-14 on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, overcoming three turnovers, 11 penalties and three targeting ejections.
The South Alabama Jackson State game was the Jaguars’ home opener and evened their record at 1-1 after a narrow season-opening loss at Nebraska. Jackson State fell to 0-2.
Tra Minter led the ground game with 189 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. One of his scores was a 49-yard play on a backward pass that was ruled a rushing attempt. Freshman Jared Wilson added 95 yards on 12 carries.
Mistakes Mount
South Alabama lost Riley Cole and Rocelle McWilliams to targeting penalties on back-to-back plays in the first half. Because the penalties came before halftime, both players will be eligible for next week’s game against Memphis. A third Jaguar was ejected for targeting in the second half and will miss playing time against the Tigers.
The offense committed three turnovers: two interceptions in the red zone and a fumble at the Jackson State 1-yard line. The Jaguars were penalized 11 times for 101 yards.
First Half
Jackson State drove into scoring range on the game’s first possession, but its field goal attempt sailed wide right.
Quarterback Cephus Johnson put South Alabama ahead with a 2-yard touchdown run with 8:31 left in the first quarter. Jackson State tied the game at 7 with 3:26 remaining in the period when quarterback Derrick Ponder threw a touchdown pass to Warren Newman.
Two plays later, Johnson flipped a swing pass behind the line of scrimmage to Minter, who went 49 yards for a touchdown. A high snap on the extra point attempt left the score 13-7.
Late in the half, South Alabama drove 90 yards in eight plays in 1:48. Minter broke a 36-yard run on the drive, and Johnson finished it with a 3-yard touchdown pass to Kawaan Baker. Head coach Steve Campbell elected to go for two, but Johnson’s pass fell incomplete, and the Jaguars led 19-7 at halftime.
Second-Half Control
South Alabama focused on running the ball and stopping the Jackson State ground game after the break. The Jaguar defense held the Tigers to 40 yards in the second half, 20 rushing and 20 passing.
The Jaguars ran on 60 of their 79 offensive snaps. Nine players carried the ball, combining for 413 yards and four rushing touchdowns, including the first touchdown of Tylan Morton’s South Alabama career.
Statistical Leaders
- Total offense: South Alabama gained 538 yards with 29 first downs and converted 10 of 15 third downs.
- Passing: Johnson completed 11 of 18 passes for 120 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Morton completed his only attempt for 5 yards.
- Receiving: Seven Jaguars caught passes. Minter had four receptions for 33 yards, and Baker caught two passes for 41 yards and the game’s only receiving touchdown for South Alabama.
- Defense: South Alabama allowed 265 total yards, 142 on the ground, and held Jackson State to 1 of 9 on third down.
For Jackson State, Keshawn Harper ran 10 times for 75 yards, Tyson Alexander added 44 yards on four carries and Jordan Johnson had 39 yards on nine carries. Ponder completed 15 of 26 passes for 123 yards with a touchdown and an interception.
Thompson Sets Interception Record
Jalen Thompson’s interception set the South Alabama career record.
“It was one of the goals I set coming out of high school,” Thompson said. “It’s been a journey, a roller coaster so that interception was for my mom and my family because they sacrificed a lot. Over the last four years, it’s been a journey and getting that interception meant the world to me.”
Campbell: Work to Do
Campbell said he was pleased with the win but pointed to “some youthful and immature mistakes” that need correcting. He said the team had emphasized avoiding penalties and targeting fouls and had done well in the opener, but regressed in Week 2.
“Typically you’d like to make your biggest improvement between week 1 and week 2,” Campbell said. “But honestly I can’t say that we did that.”
Campbell also referenced the turnovers that hurt South Alabama at Nebraska. “We would have won the game if we hadn’t turned the ball over, so this week after turning it over twice in the air we didn’t want to do it again this week,” he said.
Jackson State head coach John Hendrick said the Tigers held out several key starters to avoid exposing them to injury. He said he saw an offense capable of moving the ball and a defense that can stop opponents.
Up Next
South Alabama hosts Memphis on Saturday, Sept. 14, with kickoff set for 2:30 p.m. on ESPNU. Memphis opened its season with a 15-10 win over Ole Miss.
