MOBILE, Ala. — North Texas scored touchdowns on four consecutive second-half possessions and beat South Alabama 52-38 on Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium, spoiling Major Applewhite’s first game as the Jaguars’ head coach.
South Alabama led 19-14 at halftime and finished with 582 yards of total offense. Quarterback Gio Lopez set school single-game records for passing yards and total offense, throwing for 432 yards and rushing for 62 more while accounting for four touchdowns.
North Texas totaled 550 yards. Mean Green quarterback Chandler Morris accounted for five touchdowns, three passing and two rushing.
Jaguars Lead at Halftime
North Texas took the opening kickoff and drove 79 yards in 15 plays for a touchdown. South Alabama’s defense then allowed one score over the Mean Green’s next three possessions, including a goal-line stand on fourth-and-goal in the final seconds of the first half that preserved the Jaguars’ 19-14 lead.
Second-Half Surge by North Texas
South Alabama went three-and-out on the first possession of the third quarter, and North Texas needed three plays to cover 66 yards and retake the lead.
After a second straight Jaguars three-and-out and an 18-yard punt return, the Mean Green scored again on a five-play, 50-yard drive.
Lopez connected with Jamaal Pritchett on a 26-yard touchdown pass to pull South Alabama within 28-26. North Texas answered with a four-play, 69-yard touchdown drive to make it 35-26.
Special Teams Miscue
After a third South Alabama three-and-out, punter Jack Martin dropped the snap. He picked up the ball and tried to kick it, but the punt struck one of his own teammates and bounced into the end zone, where North Texas recovered it for a touchdown.
The Jaguars responded with a drive capped by Lopez’s 21-yard touchdown pass to Shamar Sandgren. The two-point conversion failed, leaving South Alabama behind 42-32 with 13:31 remaining.
Final Stretch
North Texas answered with a 10-play, 76-yard touchdown drive that took 4:57 off the clock. South Alabama scored again on a 23-yard pass from Lopez to Anthony Eager, but another two-point try failed, and the Jaguars trailed 49-38 with 4:39 to play.
On the next North Texas possession, South Alabama’s Amarion Fortenberry broke on a perimeter pass and jarred the ball loose from receiver Damon Ward Jr. after the catch. The Jaguars recovered, but officials overturned the ruling on replay review.
North Texas added a 30-yard field goal to complete the scoring.
Statistical Leaders
Lopez completed 26 of 49 passes for 432 yards and three touchdowns and led the team in rushing with 62 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. True freshman Fluff Bothwell ran six times for 30 yards and a touchdown, Kentrel Bullock had 28 yards on five carries, and Braylon McReynolds added 27 yards on eight attempts.
Pritchett caught 10 passes for 197 yards and a touchdown. Devin Voisin had five receptions for 60 yards, Jeremiah Webb caught three passes for 63 yards, and Sandgren had three catches for 37 yards and a touchdown.
Blayne Myrick led the South Alabama defense with 12 tackles. Jordan Scruggs had nine tackles and a pass breakup, Wy’Kevious Thomas made seven tackles, and Jaden Voisin had six. Courtne McBride recorded the Jaguars’ only quarterback hurry.
Morris completed 32 of 41 passes for 415 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 17 yards and two scores on five carries. Ikaika Ragsdale led North Texas on the ground with 45 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries, and Damashja Harris added 29 yards on six carries.
Ward led all receivers with 12 catches for 230 yards and two touchdowns. DT Sheffield caught seven passes for 74 yards and Jeremiah Aaron had three receptions for 55 yards. Ten North Texas players caught at least one pass.
Jayden Hill led the Mean Green defense with nine tackles, Roderick Brown recorded two sacks and Terrell Dawkins had two quarterback hurries.
What They Said
“I’m just disappointed in how we came out in the second half,” Applewhite said. “We had two three-and-outs and it slowed us down. After that, we had a big drive to get a touchdown, but then we dropped a snap and gave them seven points on special teams. We also had some personal fouls that extended some drives.”
“When they’re hot, it’s difficult to recover from,” he added.
“We left some plays on the field,” Lopez said. “We had a lot of yards, but there’s more points out there we need to score.”
Defensive back Jaden Voisin pointed to tackling and the lack of pressure on Morris. “Tackling was a struggle; we’ve got to work on that,” he said. “Any time our offense is at 38 points, we should win the game.”
Up Next
South Alabama travels to Athens, Ohio, to face Ohio at Frank Solich Field at Peden Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 7. Kickoff is set for 5 p.m., and the game will stream on ESPN+. Ohio lost its season opener 38-22 at Syracuse.
