MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama football is turning the page to Sun Belt Conference play after a 55-13 loss at Oklahoma State on Saturday night in Stillwater, Okla. The Jaguars host Texas State on Saturday, Sept. 15, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in their conference opener.
The South Alabama defense built its game plan around slowing the Cowboys’ rushing attack and held Oklahoma State to 164 yards on the ground. Quarterback Taylor Cornelius, making only the second start of his career, made up the difference through the air, throwing for 428 yards and a touchdown.
Orth Makes First Career Start
Evan Orth made the first start of his career at quarterback for South Alabama, completing 14 of 25 passes for 119 yards and a touchdown.
Kawaan Baker was the Jaguars’ most productive player. He led the team with 40 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown, and he added three receptions for 29 yards and a receiving touchdown.
Both South Alabama touchdowns came in the first half. The second cut the Oklahoma State lead to 24-13 with 2:57 left before halftime, but the Cowboys answered with another score to take a 31-13 lead into the locker room.
Defense Limits Run, Gives Up Yards Through the Air
Oklahoma State entered the game after piling up 730 yards of offense, 430 of them rushing, the previous week. South Alabama’s focus on the run produced results early, as the Jaguars allowed just 38 rushing yards in the first half.
The defense also came up with two interceptions. Bull Barge picked off a pass in the end zone, and Tobias Moss recorded an interception that was confirmed on video review.
The Cowboys’ receivers did the most damage. Tylan Wallace caught 10 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown, and Tyron Johnson added five catches for 137 yards. Oklahoma State finished with 617 yards of total offense, and only two of its nine scoring drives lasted longer than two and a half minutes.
Oklahoma State’s defense held South Alabama to 65 yards of offense after halftime. The Jaguars were also flagged 12 times in the game.
Campbell: Mistakes Are Correctable
First-year head coach Steve Campbell said the errors the team made on the field can be fixed, and that the work begins in practice.
“…that starts out on the practice field,” Campbell said. “It starts with having a great day on Sunday and then a great day on Tuesday. You’re not going to waste a day because if you do, you’re going to play someone who isn’t wasting that day. We cannot have a wasted day.”
Campbell said the team is looking ahead to the start of conference play. “We’re looking forward to getting into Sun Belt play against Texas State. We know that they are going to be a really good football team. For me, [the season] kind of starts over and we are 0-0, and a week from now we need to be 1-0. We need to get ready and go win a football game, and that’s where our focus will be.”
Quarterback Decision Still Open
Campbell and offensive coordinator Kenny Edenfield both said it is too early to settle on a starting quarterback. Each said he would like to see one player step forward and take hold of the position.
Texas State Up Next
Texas State features an athletic quarterback and rushed for more than 300 yards in its win over Texas Southern. The Bobcats also have speed at receiver and a big running back who runs with power.
Kickoff against Texas State at Ladd-Peebles Stadium is set for 6 p.m. Saturday. South Alabama opened as an 11-point favorite.
