MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama football finished its second season the same way it finished its first, without a loss. The Jaguars defeated Arkansas-Monticello 31-14 on Thursday night at Ladd-Peebles Stadium before a crowd of 14,904, completing a second consecutive undefeated season and running the program’s record to 17-0 since it began play.
After the program’s inaugural season, coaches and administrators scheduled a tougher slate for 2010, made up entirely of four-year institutions, including Lamar, UC Davis and Georgia State. The South Alabama undefeated season concluded with a second-half surge after a scoreless first quarter.
First Senior Class Honored
Before kickoff, South Alabama recognized the first senior class in program history. The 12 honored players were Sean Ceballos (Mobile), Rodney Watson (Mobile), Cory Pittman (Chickasaw, Ala.), Justin Dunn (McCalla, Ala.), Tim Harvey (Evanston, Ill.), Charlie Higgenbotham (Birmingham, Ala.), John Mark Patrick (Jay, Fla.), Rob Powell-Deppe (Chicago), Courtney Smith (New Orleans), Brennan Sim (Portland, Ore.), Ralph Turner (Dothan, Ala.) and Michael Wilson (Monroe, La.).
The class joined a program that had no on-field history and helped it to 17 consecutive victories over two seasons. The school also honored Anthony Mostella, who would have been part of the senior class but died over the summer.
Defensive Struggle in the First Half
Neither team scored in the first quarter, the first time this season South Alabama had been held scoreless in an opening period. The first five possessions of the game ended in punts.
The Jaguars’ third drive began with a pass interference penalty that moved them into Arkansas-Monticello territory, and a facemask penalty following a six-yard run by quarterback C.J. Bennett advanced the ball to the Boll Weevils’ 27-yard line. South Alabama reached the 14, but a seven-yard sack and an incompletion pushed it back, and Lawson McGlon’s 38-yard field goal attempt went wide left with 9:02 left in the second quarter.
After an exchange of punts, Arkansas-Monticello moved into scoring position. Nakita Myles ran for six yards, and quarterback Scott Buisson completed a 54-yard pass to the South Alabama 16. A five-yard run was offset by a six-yard sack, a third-down play gained two yards and the Boll Weevils’ field goal attempt sailed wide right, giving South Alabama the ball at its 20 with 2:52 left in the half.
Following an incompletion and a timeout, Bennett completed a 28-yard pass to Kendall Houston and a 16-yarder to Jereme Jones to reach the Arkansas-Monticello 36. Bennett then found Courtney Smith for eight yards and, after an Arkansas-Monticello timeout with 56 seconds remaining, hit Smith again for 16 yards to the 8-yard line. Bennett ran for two yards, and after another incompletion he threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Jones with 21 seconds left, sending South Alabama to halftime with a 7-0 lead.
Jaguars Take Control in the Third Quarter
T.J. Glover returned the second-half kickoff 60 yards to the Arkansas-Monticello 31. Houston carried three straight times for 16, two and three yards, and after a third-down incompletion McGlon made a 27-yard field goal to put South Alabama ahead 10-0 with 12:41 left in the third quarter.
Arkansas-Monticello answered with a seven-play, 76-yard touchdown drive highlighted by runs of 17 and 34 yards, cutting the lead to 10-7 with 8:49 remaining in the quarter.
South Alabama responded immediately. Starting at its 40 after a short kickoff, Bennett connected with Smith for 43 yards to the Arkansas-Monticello 17, and Houston ran 13 yards to the 4. On third-and-goal following an Arkansas-Monticello timeout, Bennett threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Helms to make it 17-7 with 6:58 left in the third.
Ken Barefield intercepted Buisson on the next possession, giving the Jaguars the ball at their 49. Bennett completed a 19-yard pass to Smith, but two plays later was intercepted at the 20. The Boll Weevils returned the ball and lateraled it before fumbling, recovering it themselves at their 45. Arkansas-Monticello later faced fourth-and-1 at the South Alabama 46, and Romelle Jones dropped Myles for a three-yard loss to force a turnover on downs.
Glover ran nine yards to open the ensuing drive, and Houston broke free for a 38-yard run to the 4 before scoring on a 4-yard run on the next play. The touchdown gave South Alabama a 24-7 lead with 2:27 left in the third quarter.
The Jaguar defense made another fourth-down stop on the following series. After Michel Chapuseaux’s kickoff was returned 32 yards and Buisson ran 14 yards for a first down at midfield, Andy Dalgleish stopped Myles for a one-yard loss on fourth-and-1 at the South Alabama 41.
Fourth-Quarter Finish
Santuan McGee ran for six and then four yards to start the next drive, and a pass interference penalty moved the ball to the Arkansas-Monticello 33. Holding penalties set the Jaguars back, but on third-and-23 Bennett scrambled for 23 yards to keep the drive alive. Bennett completed a 12-yard pass to Paul Bennett, Houston ran five yards to the 6, and Glover scored from there to put South Alabama ahead 31-7 with 10:50 remaining.
Anton Graphenreed intercepted Buisson at the South Alabama 29 later in the quarter. The Boll Weevils then intercepted a Myles Gibbon pass along the sideline and returned it 25 yards to the Jaguar 11. Arkansas-Monticello moved to the 1, where Romelle Jones and Justin Dunn combined to stop Greg Taylor for no gain and Dunn sacked Buisson for a four-yard loss. On third-and-goal from the 5, Buisson threw a touchdown pass to Taylor for the final points.
Enrique Williams and Randon Carnathan carried the ball as South Alabama ran out the final 1:30 with senior Brennan Sim at quarterback.
By the Numbers
- South Alabama totaled 400 yards of offense, 180 rushing and 220 passing.
- The Jaguar defense allowed 308 yards, 206 rushing and 102 passing.
- Houston rushed 16 times for 104 yards and a touchdown and added 28 receiving yards.
- Bennett completed 16 of 29 passes for 222 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Sim was 1-of-2 for minus-2 yards in his final game, and Gibbon was 0-for-1 with an interception.
- Smith, a senior, caught 10 passes for 141 yards to lead all receivers.
- Buisson led Arkansas-Monticello with 91 rushing yards.
- Jerron Mitchell led South Alabama with eight tackles. Dunn added seven, including a tackle for loss and a sack, and Higgenbotham was one of three Jaguars with six.
What They Said
“Arkansas-Monticello had a great game plan. We came out the second half and adjusted,” head coach Joey Jones said. “I was real proud of the coaches making good adjustments, and also for the players for not panicking out on the field.”
“I think it’s tremendous that these young men have put together two seasons like that back-to-back,” Jones said. “It really speaks for their character and the hard work they put into it. My staff has done a tremendous job; they’re a great staff and really know the game and love the players. The biggest thing I see about our team right now is we have a belief in each other.”
Jones said Smith, who was voted a team captain the morning of the game, has been “the face of our program in some ways.” He added, “It’s great that he can go out on a note like that. But most of all, I’m just proud of Courtney and the type of person he’s become. He has become a leader.”
“I wasn’t worried about getting the ball. I was thinking about when the clock expired, there would be no more South Alabama football for me,” Smith said. “Without the offensive line and the quarterbacks, no one would see me catch the ball, so I want to thank them.”
Dunn said the defense entered the game aware of Buisson’s production. “We knew they had a good option attack coming into the game,” Dunn said. “An option attack is all about assignments. We came out at first, made little adjustments here and there and it cost us on some of our assignments. We came back toward the end, got it figured out and took care of all of our assignments.”
“I didn’t know what to expect when I came here,” Higgenbotham said. “It has been an amazing experience, and it’s a sign that something really special is happening here. This team has really come together in two years, and people don’t realize how hard that is. My challenge to the team is for them to keep it going.”
Looking Ahead to 2011
South Alabama will be classified as an FCS program next season and is scheduled to play road games at FBS opponents Kent State and NC State. The coaching staff now turns its attention to recruiting.
The Jaguars open the 2011 season Thursday, Sept. 1, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium against West Alabama. The Tigers will have a new head coach after Bobby Wallace announced his retirement at the end of this season. Wallace led North Alabama to three consecutive Division II national championships from 1993 to 1995, coached at Temple, and returned to Division II in 2006 at West Alabama, where he led the program to its first winning season in 14 years and its first playoff appearance in 34 years. He is scheduled to be inducted into the Division II hall of fame Dec. 12.
