South Alabama scored 24 consecutive points across the third quarter and the opening play of the fourth, then withstood a late rally to defeat Louisiana-Monroe 41-34 in a Sun Belt Conference football game Saturday.
The Jaguars improved to 5-1 overall and 2-0 in Sun Belt play. Quarterback Carter Bradley threw for a school-record 420 yards, and three South Alabama receivers each surpassed 100 receiving yards in the same game for the first time in program history.
Second-Half Surge
South Alabama trailed 20-17 at halftime but scored on each of its first four possessions after the break to build a 41-20 lead with 14:55 remaining.
The Jaguars took the second-half kickoff and needed just five plays to cover 75 yards. Bradley capped the drive with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Wayne, putting South Alabama in front 24-20.
On Louisiana-Monroe’s next possession, Yam Banks intercepted a tipped pass. Banks wore the honorary No. 5 jersey for the game. South Alabama needed only two plays to convert the turnover into points: a 17-yard completion to Devin Voisin set up a 24-yard touchdown pass from Bradley to Caullin Lacy, making it 31-20 with 10:29 left in the third quarter.
The Jaguars’ defense forced a Warhawks punt after four plays. Bradley then found Lacy for a 44-yard gain to the Louisiana-Monroe 18-yard line, and the drive ended with a 29-yard field goal by Diego Guajardo that stretched the lead to 34-20 with 3:51 left in the quarter.
The defense forced a three-and-out on the following series, and Lacy returned the punt 26 yards to the South Alabama 45. Running back Marco Lee carried on each of the final four plays of the ensuing drive, scoring on a 5-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 41-20.
Warhawks Rally
Louisiana-Monroe answered two possessions later. Tyrone Howell caught a pass one yard beyond the line of scrimmage and ran 83 yards for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 41-27 with 9:47 to play.
South Alabama managed one first down on its next drive before punting. The Warhawks opened their following possession with a 41-yard completion, and five plays later converted a fourth-and-1 from the South Alabama 7-yard line with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Zach Rasmussen. That score pulled Louisiana-Monroe within 41-34 with 5:00 remaining.
Lee Seals the Win
With offensive coordinator Major Applewhite calling plays, South Alabama turned to Lee on the final possession. Lee carried six times for 57 yards on the 10-play drive, repeatedly converting on third down. His final carry, a 7-yard run after Louisiana-Monroe had used its last timeout, produced the first down that allowed Bradley to kneel twice and run out the clock.
Records Fall
Bradley completed 25 of 33 passes for 420 yards and three touchdowns. His yardage total broke the South Alabama single-game passing record previously held by Jake Bentley.
Lacy set a school single-game record with 12 receptions, totaling 133 yards and a touchdown. Voisin caught seven passes for 141 yards, and Wayne had five receptions for 127 yards and two touchdowns. Lincoln Sefcik was the only other Jaguar to catch a pass.
Lee finished with 15 carries for 93 yards and two touchdowns, and Omni Wells added 85 yards on 17 carries. La’Damian Webb had one carry for 7 yards before leaving the game in the first quarter with a rib injury.
South Alabama totaled 615 yards of offense, with 420 passing and 195 rushing. The Jaguars converted 6 of 13 third-down attempts and failed on their only fourth-down try.
Louisiana-Monroe Statistics
Warhawks quarterback Chandler Rogers completed 20 of 27 passes for 371 yards, four touchdowns and one interception, and he was sacked three times.
Howell finished with nine receptions for 244 yards and three touchdowns. Jevin Frett caught three passes for 83 yards, and Bug Mortimer had three catches for 28 yards. Malik Jackson led Louisiana-Monroe on the ground with 39 yards on 13 carries.
Louisiana-Monroe gained 438 total yards, 371 through the air and 67 on the ground. The Warhawks converted 3 of 12 third downs and were 2-for-2 on fourth down.
Injury Notes and Next Game
Quentin Wilfawn and Dontae Lucas did not play. Jamar Richardson and Brandon Crum returned to action for the first time since being injured against UCLA on Sept. 24.
South Alabama, coached by Kane Wommack, hosts Troy (5-2, 3-1 Sun Belt) in the annual Battle for the Belt on Thursday, Oct. 20, at Hancock Whitney Stadium. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
