MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama football lost its first Sun Belt Conference game 31-10 to Troy on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, as the Trojans held the Jaguars to 51 yards of total offense in the second half.
South Alabama gained 201 yards in the first half but managed only two first downs after halftime. The Jaguars committed four turnovers and threw for 59 yards in the game. Troy quarterback Corey Robinson passed for 223 yards and ran for a touchdown.
The game featured 25 penalties, 15 of them against South Alabama for 142 yards. The Jaguar defense forced five Troy turnovers, several of them on drives that reached scoring territory.
Early Turnovers Set the Tone
B.J. Scott intercepted Robinson on Troy’s first play from scrimmage, but South Alabama went three-and-out and punted from the Troy 47.
After a Troy punt, T.J. Glover fumbled the return at the South Alabama 29, and the Trojans recovered. A 24-yard gain on the next play moved Troy to the Jaguar 5, but the South Alabama defense held and the Trojans settled for a 21-yard field goal.
Following another Jaguar three-and-out, Scott Garber’s punt was downed at the Troy 43. Robinson completed passes of 16 and 38 yards to reach the 1, and Troy scored on the next play to lead 10-0 with 8:05 left in the first quarter.
South Alabama’s next drive ended when quarterback Ross Metheny fumbled on a keeper and Troy recovered at the Jaguar 30. The defense answered on the following series. After Jake Johnson and Romelle Jones dropped Shawn Southward for a 5-yard loss on a screen, Southward broke a 31-yard run before Darrius Morrow forced a fumble that Terrel Brigham recovered at the South Alabama 6.
Bennett and Fetner Lead Scoring Drive
Starting at its own 6, South Alabama put together its best drive of the half. C.J. Bennett, rotating in at quarterback, scrambled 10 yards for a first down, and Glover and Demetre Baker combined to move the chains twice more. Bennett then kept the ball and ran 50 yards to the Troy 5. Two plays later, Trey Fetner ran left for a 3-yard touchdown, cutting the Troy lead to 10-7 with 46 seconds left in the first quarter.
Troy answered with an eight-play, 70-yard touchdown drive that took about four minutes, making it 17-7 with 11:46 left in the second quarter.
Gabe Loper intercepted Robinson at the South Alabama 28 and returned it 19 yards to the Jaguar 47 with 8:17 left in the half. Baker opened the drive with a 15-yard run and Bennett added 9 yards, and a personal foul on Troy’s Zach Miller moved the ball to the Troy 12. On third-and-7 from the 9, however, Bennett’s pass for Jereme Jones in the end zone was intercepted.
Troy then drove 80 yards for a touchdown. Robinson connected with Chip Reeves for 19 yards and, after a South Alabama delay-of-game penalty on the sideline and a personal foul on Tyrell Pearson, hit Reeves again for 39 yards to the 2. Robinson ran in the score to make it 24-7 with 2:13 left in the half.
Record Field Goal Ends the Half
South Alabama moved into Troy territory on its final drive of the half. Randon Carnathan returned a short kickoff to the 35, and Metheny found Corey Besteda for 19 yards. Facing fourth-and-1, the Jaguars shifted between Fetner and Metheny at quarterback, prompting Troy to use two timeouts, before Fetner ran for the first down at the Troy 35. Metheny later hit Jereme Jones for 11 yards to the Troy 24.
South Alabama’s 41-yard field goal attempt in the closing seconds was blocked but recovered by Baker at the Troy 31. While officials sorted out possession, the Jaguars were assessed a delay-of-game penalty. With one second left, Michel Chapuseaux made a 53-yard field goal, the longest of his career and a South Alabama school record, to cut the halftime deficit to 24-10.
Defense Keeps Troy Out of the End Zone
The Jaguar offense went three-and-out on its first three possessions of the second half, but the defense turned Troy away repeatedly.
- On Troy’s first drive of the half, Alex Page sacked Robinson for a 13-yard loss on third-and-6 from the 7, and the ensuing field goal attempt was blocked and recovered by Loper.
- On the next Troy drive, the Trojans reached first-and-goal at the 7 before Justin Albert was stopped for a loss and Jesse Kelley forced a fumble that Enrique Williams recovered at the South Alabama 16.
- Early in the fourth quarter, Charles Watson intercepted Robinson in the end zone for a touchback.
Troy added its final touchdown after Deon Anthony completed a 44-yard pass to Chris Williams. Metheny was intercepted on a deep throw at the Troy 17 on South Alabama’s next possession, and the Jaguars’ last drive ended with a punt with 34 seconds remaining.
Jones: ‘We’re Going to Get There’
South Alabama head coach Joey Jones credited Troy after the Jaguars’ first conference game.
“Troy played a great game. They were probably a little better than us, and we made a few mistakes. You’re not going to play it close when you do that,” Jones said. “We’re a young program. We’re trying to get this thing going and sometimes this is part of it.”
“Their defense made adjustments in the second half, and really shut us down,” Jones said. “I thought we moved the ball pretty good in the first half, but we didn’t in the second half and that was due to them making adjustments and playing well.”
“Offensively, they’re real explosive. They can move the ball at the drop of a hat,” he added. “I thought we played pretty good defensively at times, but they are very good offensively.”
Jones said the team would keep the result in perspective. “We’re going to get there, we’re not quite there yet, but we’re going to get there,” he said. “We’re just going through a growing time right now.”
Troy head coach Larry Blakeney said his team ran the same basic calls in the second half but executed better. “We made the same basic game-plan calls in the second half that we made in the first. We probably ran them a little bit better,” Blakeney said. “We sort of got in tune with them in the second half and played pretty hard and played better.”
