South Alabama outscored Louisiana-Monroe 34-0 in the second half and rushed for 355 yards on the way to a 46-17 Sun Belt Conference victory on Saturday.
The Jaguars trailed 17-12 at halftime after the Warhawks kicked a field goal as time expired. South Alabama then scored on each of its three third-quarter possessions and outgained Louisiana-Monroe 316 to 108 after the break, nearly all of it on the ground. Four different Jaguars ran for touchdowns.
The win moved South Alabama to 4-4 overall and 3-1 in conference play.
Applewhite: ‘Play the Hardest the Longest’
Head coach Major Applewhite said his halftime message was simple.
“I told our guys if we play the hardest the longest, we will win the football game,” Applewhite said. “It’s a possession game and everyone in the locker room knew that it was going to be like this. If we go down and score on offense to start the half we’ll take the lead, if we don’t go down and score it’ll be a two-possession game.”
Running back Kentrel Bullock pointed to the week of practice. “It was just our preparation,” Bullock said. “That’s what we worked on the majority of the week. We prepared to run the ball and we executed pretty well.”
Third-Quarter Surge
South Alabama took the second-half kickoff and drove for the go-ahead score. Fluff Bothwell carried on the final four plays of the drive, covering the last 39 yards, and scored his first touchdown of the game to give the Jaguars a lead they never gave up.
On Louisiana-Monroe’s first snap of the half, Bubba Thomas tipped a pass at the line and Wesley Miller intercepted it, giving South Alabama the ball at the Warhawks’ 28. After a false start and an ineligible-man-downfield penalty pushed the Jaguars back to first-and-goal at the 13, Bullock ran through a big hole on the right side for a touchdown. A bad snap led to a missed extra point, leaving South Alabama ahead 25-17.
The defense forced a three-and-out, and the offense took over at its own 40 around the midpoint of the third quarter. The Jaguars ran on eight of nine plays, with Braylon McReynolds and Bothwell carrying early, before quarterback Gio Lopez finished the drive with a 5-yard touchdown run for a 32-17 lead.
Defense Holds Firm
Louisiana-Monroe reached fourth-and-goal at the South Alabama 7, but the Jaguars’ tight coverage forced the Warhawks quarterback to throw the ball out of the back of the end zone.
South Alabama threw just one pass on the ensuing drive. Bullock carried early, and Bothwell finished it with six straight runs covering the final 55 yards for his second touchdown.
After the Jaguars stopped a fourth-down attempt, McReynolds needed only two carries to score, finishing with a 24-yard touchdown run.
The Warhawks drove deep into South Alabama territory late, but true freshman Ty Goodwill intercepted a pass in the end zone, and Lopez knelt twice to end the game.
“Our tailbacks were doing a great job running the ball, along with the offensive line,” Applewhite said, crediting offensive coordinator Rob Ezell for how he used the running backs. “The tempo was giving them problems. They weren’t getting hands on the ground, they weren’t coming off the ball. So we were able to get a little bit more of a push than normal and our backs were finding creases and running hard.”
First-Half Scoring
South Alabama scored on its opening drive. Bullock ran for 14 and 22 yards before finishing the possession with a 4-yard touchdown run for a 7-0 lead.
The Jaguars added a 48-yard field goal by Laith Marjan in the first half, but Louisiana-Monroe went into the locker room ahead 17-12.
Statistical Leaders
Bullock led all rushers with 141 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries. Bothwell ran for 119 yards and two scores on 17 carries, and McReynolds, playing for the first time in several games, gained 73 yards and scored once on eight carries.
Lopez completed 18 of 30 passes for 168 yards and ran for 25 yards and a touchdown on three carries.
Jamaal Pritchett set a career high with 11 receptions, good for 89 yards. Devin Voisin caught three passes for 36 yards.
Dalton Hughes and Blayne Myrick shared the team lead with seven tackles each. Myrick recorded a sack, and Hughes and Carlos Johnson Jr. split another.
For Louisiana-Monroe, Aidan Armenta completed 11 of 23 passes for 149 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. Ahmad Hardy rushed for 104 yards on 20 carries, and quarterback Hunter Herring ran for 72 yards and a touchdown on four carries. Javon Campbell caught two passes for 77 yards, and Davon Wells had two catches for 60 yards and a touchdown.
Up Next
South Alabama hosts Georgia Southern on Saturday, Nov. 2, at Hancock Whitney Stadium for Military Appreciation Day. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. on ESPNU. It is the Jaguars’ final Saturday home game of the season.
Update
Louisiana-Monroe entered the homecoming game at 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the Sun Belt, its first 5-1 start as an FBS program and its best start since 1987, when it played in Division I-AA. It was the Warhawks’ first 3-0 start in conference play since 2017. Picked to finish last in the Sun Belt preseason poll, Louisiana-Monroe was tied with Louisiana-Lafayette atop the West Division, one win shy of bowl eligibility, and coming off an open week after last playing Oct. 12. Excluding a 51-3 loss to No. 1 Texas, its defense had allowed 13.8 points per game.
Warhawks coach Bryant Vincent was hired in December 2023 after Louisiana-Monroe won 10 games in the previous three seasons. Vincent, a former South Alabama assistant who coached tight ends in 2011 and quarterbacks in 2012 and later returned as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, spent 2023 as offensive coordinator at New Mexico. He was offensive coordinator at UAB from 2018 to 2022 and the Blazers’ interim head coach in 2022 after Bill Clark retired. Before coaching in college, he went 39-13 at Spanish Fort High School from 2007 to 2010, winning a state title in 2010. Louisiana-Monroe defensive coordinator Earnest Hill was South Alabama’s running backs coach in 2021 and previously went 40-8 as head coach at McGill-Toolen.
South Alabama entered at 3-4 overall and 2-1 in the Sun Belt after a long layoff following its 25-9 Tuesday night win over Troy, which ended a six-game losing streak in the series. It was the Jaguars’ first Saturday home game since the Aug. 31 season opener. South Alabama was flagged nine times for 100 yards against Troy, and linebacker Gavin Forsha suffered a knee injury in that game that was expected to end his season. After scoring 135 points in wins over Northwestern State and Appalachian State, the Jaguars had averaged 17 points over their previous three games, a stretch affected by injuries to quarterback Gio Lopez, who hurt his toe in the opener, and offensive lineman Reed Buys.
South Alabama entered at plus-9 in turnover margin, and Louisiana-Monroe was plus-4. The Jaguars were 7.5-point favorites.
