LINCOLN, Neb. — South Alabama football opens the 2019 season Saturday at No. 24 Nebraska with an 11 a.m. kickoff, beginning coach Steve Campbell’s second season with a largely new group of receivers and a new starting quarterback.
The Jaguars went 3-9 in 2018. Las Vegas oddsmakers list South Alabama as a 36-point underdog. Saturday’s game is the Jaguars’ second trip to Lincoln to face the Cornhuskers.
Nebraska, coached by Scott Frost, is coming off back-to-back four-win seasons but begins the year ranked 24th nationally.
Johnson Wins the Quarterback Job
South Alabama’s top two quarterbacks from last season, Evan Orth and Cole Garvin, have graduated. Orth started eight games in 2018 and Garvin started three. Cephus Johnson, who started the other game, won the starting job this preseason over Tylan Morton, a dual-threat quarterback Campbell signed as the top-ranked junior college player at his position.
Johnson threw 19 passes last season, completing seven, with three touchdowns and one interception.
Receivers and Running Backs
The receiving corps lost players to graduation and to transfers. Jordan McCray and Malik Stanley transferred out of the program. Kawaan Baker is the leading returning receiver after catching 33 passes and four touchdowns last season. The other four returning receivers combined for 10 catches in 2018. The group also includes six returning squad members, seven true freshmen and a senior transfer.
South Alabama’s tight ends caught one touchdown pass last season, against Memphis.
Tra Minter leads the running backs. He was named a second-team All-America all-purpose back by The Sporting News and is on the preseason watch lists for the Doak Walker Award and Paul Hornung Award. Minter was the only returning back with a game of 10 or more carries in 2018. Fellow letterwinner Jalin Buie has not carried the ball in a game since Sept. 16, 2017. Four redshirt freshmen and a junior college transfer add depth, including Tony Brown and John Tank Miller.
Line, Linebackers and Kickers
The offensive line returns four starters from 2018, three of whom started all 12 games.
At linebacker, South Alabama must replace Bull Barge. The unit returns one letterwinner, who had one sack last season, along with three redshirt freshmen and two other returning squad members.
The kicking game also has new faces. Punter Corliss Waitman transferred to Mississippi State, where former South Alabama coach Joey Jones is on staff. Frankie Onate is expected to replace Gavin Patterson as the placekicker.
The Nebraska Challenge
Nebraska’s defensive front is big and fast, and its cornerbacks limited opponents’ completions on outside passes downfield last season. The Huskers also feature a quarterback who is a threat both as a passer and as a runner.
South Alabama has defeated a ranked opponent and a Southeastern Conference team in its brief FBS history, including a win over Mississippi State.
Game Information
- Opponent: No. 24 Nebraska
- Site: Lincoln, Neb.
- Kickoff: 11 a.m.
- 2018 record: South Alabama 3-9
- Line: Nebraska by 36
