MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama has added Mississippi State and Kent State to its future football schedules, athletic director Joe Gottfried announced Thursday, with each school agreeing to a three-game contract.
Mississippi State to Visit Mobile
Under the Mississippi State agreement, South Alabama will play at Starkville, Miss., on Sept. 12, 2012, and Sept. 10, 2016, and will host the Bulldogs in Mobile on Sept. 13, 2014.
“To be able to bring Mississippi State to Mobile is a great plus for our program,” head coach Joey Jones said. “These two-for-one contracts are very important early on as we continue to build for the future. I’ll never forget when Missouri visited Troy a few years ago, that was a big deal when they went down there. Any time you can do that you’re advancing your program, and that’s where we’re going.”
“With the contractual agreement with Mississippi State to play in Mobile, we are clearly sending a message to the community that we are committed to football and to provide our fans an opportunity to see the Jags play teams like MSU, North Carolina State, Navy and others,” Gottfried said.
Kent State Series
South Alabama will travel to Kent, Ohio, to face Kent State on Sept. 1, 2011, and Sept. 6, 2014. Kent State will play in Mobile on Oct. 19, 2013, during the Jaguars’ first season at the Division I-A, or Football Bowl Subdivision, level.
The 2013 season is scheduled to be South Alabama’s first as a competing member of the Sun Belt Conference and its first with bowl eligibility.
Previously Announced Opponents
South Alabama had already announced a game at Tennessee in Knoxville and a four-game home-and-home series with Navy that begins in 2013. The Jaguars also have a three-game series with North Carolina State, with two games in North Carolina and one in Mobile.
Inaugural Game in September
South Alabama will play the first game in program history at 4 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 5, 2009, against Hargrave Military Academy at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Tickets are on sale.
