DENTON, Texas — South Alabama led North Texas at one point in the first half and was tied at halftime, but the Mean Green controlled the third quarter and beat the Jaguars 24-14 on Saturday in a Sun Belt Conference game.
The loss dropped South Alabama to 2-8 overall and 1-5 in league play. North Texas improved to 4-6 and 3-3.
Back-and-Forth First Half
South Alabama scored first on a Kendall Houston touchdown. It was Houston’s first touchdown since the Jaguars played Georgia State last season.
North Texas stopped the Jaguars on fourth-and-1 at the 49 early in the second quarter. On the next snap, Jereme Brown broke a 51-yard touchdown run to tie the game 7-7.
South Alabama went back in front a little past the midpoint of the quarter. Quarterback Ross Metheny opened the drive with a 17-yard completion to Wes Saxton, then hit Bryant Lavender for 6 yards and Greg Hollinger for 14. A facemask penalty moved the ball to the North Texas 13, and Metheny found Jereme Jones for a touchdown and a 14-7 lead with under three minutes left in the half.
North Texas answered before halftime. After an illegal formation penalty on South Alabama’s kickoff, Mean Green quarterback Derek Thompson completed passes of 15 and 18 yards to reach the Jaguar 33. Facing third-and-9 after a timeout with 1:33 left, Thompson hit an 18-yard pass for a first down.
On a later third down, North Texas gained four yards, and a South Alabama defender picked up the ball, believing it might have been a fumble, and ran with it. The play drew a delay-of-game penalty that gave North Texas fourth-and-1 at the 5. A substitution infraction then gave the Mean Green a first down at the 2. After a run for no gain and an incompletion, Thompson threw a touchdown pass to tie the game 14-14 with 17 seconds left in the half.
Third-Quarter Turn
South Alabama opened the second half with a long drive that stalled at the North Texas 11 on fourth-and-1. Michel Chapuseaux’s 28-yard field goal attempt went wide right.
North Texas took over at its own 20 and was flagged for a false start. On the next play, Brandin Byrd took a handoff 85 yards for a touchdown and a 21-14 lead with 9:32 left in the third quarter.
Terrance Timmons fumbled at the South Alabama 46 on the Jaguars’ next possession, and North Texas turned the takeaway into a field goal for the game’s final points.
A few possessions later, Tyrell Pearson intercepted a pass at the North Texas 40 and returned it 38 yards down the left sideline. Pearson reached for the goal line at the 2, but officials ruled that he fumbled the ball through the end zone and out of bounds, a touchback that returned possession to North Texas at its 20.
The fourth quarter was dominated by punts. South Alabama went for it on fourth-and-23 from its own 47, but Metheny’s completion to Gabe Loper came up two yards short.
By the Numbers
South Alabama outgained North Texas 366-303 in total yards and 233-106 in net passing yards. The Jaguars also led in first downs, 24-12, and time of possession, 33:08 to 26:52. North Texas outrushed South Alabama 197-133.
- Rushing: Houston ran for 42 yards on 11 carries while filling in for Demetre Baker, who did not play in the second half. Baker finished with 39 yards on six carries, T.J. Glover had 36 on eight carries and Metheny 17 on eight carries.
- Passing: Metheny completed 23 of 45 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown.
- Receiving: Lavender caught six passes for 36 yards, and Jones had five for 72 yards and a touchdown. Saxton caught three for 38, Corey Besteda two for 31 and Loper two for 26. Hollinger and Corey Waldon each had a 14-yard reception.
- Defense: Alex Page and Bryson James shared the team lead with seven tackles each. Jake Johnson added six tackles, including one for loss. South Alabama did not record a sack.
Jones: “They Dominated Us in the Third Quarter”
“We played a good first half. We played hard and smart. They dominated us in the third quarter,” South Alabama head coach Joey Jones said. “We had a good drive [to open the second half], and we missed a chip-shot field goal that would have put us up 17-14. We were playing great defense but we missed the field goal, then they scored on a long run and kind of dominated us from that point on.”
“We’re just a few guys behind right now,” Jones said. “Everything we do has to be perfect, but I told them in the locker room that we have to stick together. This is as tough of a thing as any of us have been through, nobody likes to lose. We have to stick together and back up and support each other. This [transition to FBS] is a tough thing to go through. My hat’s off to North Texas. They came out and made great adjustments at halftime, and played a better game in the second half.”
“I told the guys in the locker room that I will never quit on them,” Jones said. “We knew this year was going to be like this, so we have to stick together. Those guys really care about each other, and that’s all I can worry about right now. I can’t worry about what anybody else says. We just have to keep working and building these men up.”
Metheny: “Being So Close Is Not Enough”
“The good teams learn from the losses, watch film, make corrections and move forward. That’s what we have to do,” Metheny said. “We have to put it behind us. It’s tough. There comes a point where being so close is not enough. We’re so close in so many games, and hopefully we’ll put it all together. We have three more chances to win football games, and that’s what we’re looking to do.”
Up Next
South Alabama plays its final home game of the season Saturday against Middle Tennessee at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile. Kickoff is set for 2:30 p.m.
