MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama scored four touchdowns in the first quarter and rolled to a 64-12 homecoming victory over Milford Academy on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, improving to 6-0 in its inaugural football season.
It was the second consecutive game the Jaguars won by more than 50 points. South Alabama piled up 538 yards of total offense, its highest total of the season, including 397 rushing yards, while holding the Falcons to 185 total yards and 35 on the ground.
Four First-Quarter Touchdowns
Brandon Ross opened the scoring less than two minutes into the game with a 15-yard run up the middle to finish a six-play, 73-yard drive.
After a Milford three-and-out, South Alabama went 77 yards in five plays, with quarterback Myles Gibbon running 15 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead with 9:47 left in the first quarter.
The defense forced another three-and-out, and Brennan Sim entered at quarterback. On his first drive, Sim hit Courtney Smith on a 73-yard touchdown pass to make it 21-0 with 7:02 remaining in the opening period.
Milford picked up its first first down on its third possession but punted after five plays and 28 yards. Starting at its own 6, South Alabama marched 94 yards in seven plays, its longest scoring drive of the season, and Ross carried it in for his second touchdown. The Jaguars led 28-0 with 2:11 left in the first quarter.
First-Half Onslaught
Pinned inside its own 20 after a Milford punt, South Alabama drove 76 yards in 10 plays, and Michel Chapuseaux kicked a 25-yard field goal for a 31-0 lead with 11:49 left in the half.
The Jaguars forced a third three-and-out, but a special teams error gave Milford the ball at the South Alabama 31. The Falcons scored on a 30-yard pass, and the extra point failed, making it 31-6.
A long kickoff return set South Alabama up at the Milford 19, and Anthony Mostella scored on a 1-yard run five plays later for a 38-6 lead with 6:32 remaining before halftime.
After another Milford three-and-out, South Alabama threw an interception at the Milford 12 on the next play. Forced to punt from its own end zone, Milford’s punter mishandled a low snap, and the Jaguars recorded a safety to go ahead 40-6 with 4:35 left in the half.
Following the free kick from the Milford 20, South Alabama drove 44 yards in five plays, and Eli Smith scored from 8 yards out for a 47-6 lead with 2:18 left.
Milford put together its best drive of the game before halftime, moving 67 yards in eight plays in 1:38 and scoring on a 7-yard touchdown pass with 40 seconds remaining. South Alabama took a knee to go into the break ahead 47-12.
The Jaguars gained 456 yards in the first half, 322 of them on the ground.
Second-Half Scoring
Chapuseaux added a 39-yard field goal with 8:57 left in the third quarter for a 50-12 lead, the only points of the period.
Early in the fourth quarter, Clifton Crews intercepted a Milford pass and returned it 49 yards for a touchdown, and Lawson McGlon’s extra point made it 57-12. On the next South Alabama possession, Ryan Scott scored on a 1-yard run to finish an 11-play, 64-yard drive for the final margin.
Gibbon Injured
Gibbon was injured late in the game after a long pass completion. He was helped off the field and treated for an ankle injury on the sideline, then left on crutches and later returned to watch the rest of the game. The initial prognosis was a broken ankle, with X-rays scheduled for Monday to confirm.
By the Numbers
- Rushing: 12 Jaguars combined for 396 yards. Ross had 6 carries for 82 yards and two touchdowns, and Gibbon ran 3 times for 59 yards and a touchdown.
- Passing: Gibbon was 2-of-5 for 33 yards; Sim was 2-of-3 for 90 yards and a touchdown; Nick Owens was 2-of-6 for 40 yards with an interception; Gabe Graham was 0-of-1.
- Receiving: Courtney Smith had 2 catches for 76 yards and a touchdown. Erling Riis caught one pass for 30 yards, and Taylor Noon had one for 29.
- Defense: Clifton Crews led with 7 total tackles, and Ken Barefield had a team-high 4 solo stops.
- Penalties: South Alabama was flagged eight times for 89 yards; Milford seven times for 67 yards.
What They Said
“It was a big win again. I’m proud of the kids for playing well. It’s just a matter of executing well and playing hard,” head coach Joey Jones said. “We’ve got a short week coming up, and we’re going to start getting ready early in the morning for the game on Thursday. We’re looking forward to it because they’re going to be one of the best teams we play. They’re leading the nation in offense in Division III, so we’ve got a great game to look forward to this week.”
“I think we moved the ball well. We executed, which we need to continue to do,” Sim said. “What we saw on film is what we got. We hit them big on a couple of plays because they played a lot of cover zero, so they didn’t even have a safety out there.”
Offensive lineman Ryne Baxter made his first start in place of the injured Cory Pitman. “The coaches prepared us well. We worked hard all week, so I was ready to step up when I was called on,” Baxter said. “I was a little nervous at first, but after the first play I knew I was going to be alright.”
Milford Academy head coach Bill Chaplick said, “This was a great experience for my guys to come down here. We are normally a blitzing defense and South Alabama was able to take us out of that. We weren’t able to get to the quarterback until we were down 28 points and that killed us. Offensively, we just weren’t able to do anything either.”
Up Next: Huntingdon
South Alabama faces a short turnaround, hosting Huntingdon College on Thursday night at Ladd-Peebles Stadium with a 6 p.m. kickoff. Heavy rain in the forecast for Monday and Tuesday could affect the Jaguars’ practice schedule.
Huntingdon enters at 8-1 after beating Birmingham-Southern, Jones’ former team, on Saturday.
