MOBILE, Ala. — Coming off a 27-13 win over Troy, South Alabama football coach Joey Jones said Monday that the Jaguars face one of the Sun Belt Conference’s best environments and its preseason favorite when they visit Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday.
Jones was joined by defensive back E.J. May and running back Xavier Johnson at the weekly press conference. South Alabama is one win away from bowl eligibility.
Ground Game Leads Win Over Troy
“That was a big win on Friday night for us, I thought our guys played really well,” Jones said. “Obviously there are some things we could have done better, but overall our players fought and got after it.”
Jones credited the offensive line and the running backs. Kendall Houston ran for a career-high 178 yards, and Johnson, a redshirt freshman, also had a productive night.
“I thought the offensive line played great, they had a look in their eyes that they wanted to play some physical football,” Jones said. “Our running backs played lights out.”
Scouting the Ragin’ Cajuns
Jones noted that Louisiana-Lafayette was the unanimous preseason pick to win the league and praised coach Mark Hudspeth.
“Elijah McGuire, in my opinion, is the best player in this league,” Jones said of the Cajuns’ running back. He also cited quarterback Terrance Broadway, a three-year starter, and an offensive line he said averages about 320 pounds per man.
Jones said Louisiana-Lafayette’s defensive front is the biggest in the Sun Belt. “They’re well-coached and run to the football, they play with a lot of passion as you would imagine,” he said. “When you have a team with a good offense that’s all people want to talk about, but their defense plays very well.”
He said Cajun Field is one of the top two environments in the conference. “Last time we went over there it didn’t go very well, so we’d like to go over there and play better this time,” Jones said.
Road Success and Bowl Hopes
Jones said winning on the road was an offseason emphasis. The team took two summer trips to high schools to simulate road travel, and he credited the strength staff with building mental toughness.
On bowl eligibility, Jones said, “It enters your mind, but the truth is we have to focus on what we have to do to win this ballgame or any ballgame.”
Players Speak
May said the team is playing more as a unit than in the past.
“We’re just more of a family, and that has helped build some of our confidence coming into this week’s game,” May said. “I feel like we have one of the best defensive fronts in the country.”
He said road games were a weakness last season. “We made a commitment as a team to win on the road,” May said.
Johnson has worn No. 8 in honor of running back Jay Jones, who suffered a season-ending knee injury against Georgia State.
“We are playing with a chip on our shoulder, and each week we’re playing for Jay Jones,” Johnson said. He added that the offense has improved since the opener: “We realized as the season progressed that if we play together then we can have more success.”
Game Information
South Alabama and Louisiana-Lafayette kick off at 4 p.m. Saturday at Cajun Field in Lafayette, La. The game will be streamed on ESPN3.com and broadcast locally on Lite Mix 99.9 FM and iHeartRadio.
Update: Season Context and Key Numbers
South Alabama (5-2, 4-1 Sun Belt) carries a four-game winning streak into Cajun Field, where Louisiana-Lafayette (4-3, 3-0 Sun Belt) will host the Jaguars as its homecoming opponent. A win would make South Alabama the first Sun Belt team to reach bowl eligibility this season. Georgia Southern has six wins but is in its second year of transition from the FCS and is not eligible for a bowl.
The Jaguars opened the season with a road win at Kent State, then lost at home to Mississippi State and to Sun Belt leader Georgia Southern (6-2, 5-0). They have since beaten Idaho, Appalachian State, Georgia State and Troy and are unbeaten on the road. South Alabama’s November schedule includes a trip to Arkansas State, a game against Texas State, a visit to South Carolina and the season finale against Navy.
South Alabama beat Louisiana-Lafayette 30-8 in last season’s finale, a result that denied the Cajuns an outright conference title and gave Arkansas State a share of the championship. Louisiana quarterback Terrance Broadway did not play in that game.
Louisiana-Lafayette lost three straight to Louisiana Tech, Ole Miss and Boise State before winning its last three against Georgia State, Texas State and Arkansas State, including a 55-40 win over the Red Wolves last Tuesday. After South Alabama, the Cajuns face New Mexico State, Louisiana-Monroe, Appalachian State and Troy. Georgia Southern and Louisiana-Lafayette do not meet this season.
South Alabama leads the Sun Belt in scoring defense, allowing 21.0 points per game, and ranks second in pass defense with five interceptions. The Jaguars’ rushing offense ranks sixth in the league at 211.9 yards per game. Louisiana’s pass defense ranks last in the 11-team conference, allowing 268.4 yards per game, while its rushing offense ranks fourth and its passing offense ninth.
South Alabama is plus-3 in turnover margin; Louisiana is minus-7, having lost three fumbles and thrown eight interceptions while recording one fumble recovery and three interceptions on defense.
Against Troy, Kendall Houston started in place of Jay Jones, who suffered an ACL injury, and averaged 9.9 yards per carry on his way to 178 yards and a touchdown. Xavier Johnson added 107 rushing yards and a touchdown. Placekicker Aleem Sunanon has made five of his last six field goal attempts, including a pair of 43-yarders against Georgia State.
