MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama stuffed a two-point conversion attempt in overtime to beat Nicholls State 41-40 on Saturday night at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, surviving four interceptions and a pair of special teams breakdowns.
The South Alabama Nicholls State game went to overtime after the Jaguars got a defensive stop and then drove for the tying score in the final minutes of regulation.
Overtime
South Alabama had the first possession of overtime and kept the ball on the ground between the tackles, converting a fourth-and-inches along the way before reaching the end zone.
Nicholls State gained a big chunk of yardage on its first overtime snap and eventually scored a touchdown. The Colonels then chose to go for two and the win rather than kick the extra point.
On the first attempt, the Jaguars appeared to intercept a pass in the end zone, but an offsides penalty on South Alabama gave Nicholls State another try from about a yard and a half out. The Jaguar defense stopped the ensuing run to preserve the win.
Fast Start
Nicholls State won the coin toss and deferred. Xavier Johnson returned the opening kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, putting South Alabama ahead 7-0 just 12 seconds into the game.
Dami Ayoola scored on a 3-yard run early in the second quarter for a 14-0 lead. Nicholls State answered with a 77-yard kickoff return to the South Alabama 20, but Randy Allen hit quarterback Chase Fourcade and forced a fumble that Kalen Jackson recovered.
Second-Quarter Swing
On the next play, a Dallas Davis pass was tipped and intercepted by a Nicholls State defender, who returned it for a touchdown. The Colonels then blocked a 49-yard South Alabama field goal attempt and returned it for a touchdown to tie the game 14-14. Later in the quarter, Nicholls State recovered a South Alabama pooch kick in Jaguar territory.
Jaguars Win the Stat Sheet
South Alabama outgained Nicholls State 510 yards to 230. The Jaguars held edges in rushing yards (208-161), passing yards (302-69), first downs (24-12), third-down conversions (8 of 19 to 3 of 13) and time of possession (32:16 to 27:44).
Davis completed 25 of 50 passes for 302 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions. Johnson rushed for 103 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries in addition to his kickoff return score. Tyrone Williams led the Jaguars with six catches for 64 yards and a touchdown, and Kevin Kutchera caught four passes for 86 yards.
Up Next: San Diego State
South Alabama will host San Diego State next, the first nationally ranked opponent the Jaguars have hosted. The Aztecs have not lost since South Alabama beat them in overtime last season, a streak that is the second-longest active winning streak in the nation behind Alabama.
