MOBILE, Ala. — After a month on a demanding nonconference schedule, South Alabama is finally back where it wants to be: home. The Jaguars (2-2) open Sun Belt Conference play Saturday night against winless Louisiana-Monroe (0-4) at Hancock Whitney Stadium as part of homecoming weekend.
Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. Central.
Game at a glance
- Matchup: Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks (0-4) at South Alabama Jaguars (2-2)
- When: Saturday, 6 p.m. Central
- Where: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile
- Occasion: Sun Belt Conference opener and South Alabama homecoming
- Last week: South Alabama lost 45-21 at Kentucky
‘A pride in this team’
South Alabama heads into league play at .500 after a 45-21 loss at Kentucky last weekend. The Jaguars have alternated home wins over Southeastern Louisiana and Ohio with road losses at Tulane and Kentucky, and coach Major Applewhite said his players have taken protecting their home field more seriously this season.
“I think there’s a pride in this team right now and having one, two games at home, defending their home field advantage, defending their home field,” Applewhite said.
Applewhite said the nonconference slate, with its mix of opponents, served its purpose.
“It just challenges you. It tests your mettle, kind of figure out where you’re at,” he said. “It helps expose you in a lot of ways, which is good to learn those things about your football team before you get into conference play.”
The third-quarter problem
Now the Jaguars have to turn those lessons into results. One of the biggest issues Applewhite wants fixed is how his team starts the second half.
That problem showed up again at Kentucky. South Alabama led 21-14 late in the second quarter before the Wildcats answered with a 75-yard touchdown run on the very next play. Kentucky then intercepted Jaguars quarterback Hollins and kicked a field goal to take a 24-21 lead into halftime. The Wildcats added three touchdowns after the break.
Across the Ohio and Kentucky games, South Alabama was outscored a combined 21-7 in the third quarter. Applewhite said the Jaguars must be sharper in the first four minutes of the second half, especially defending the run and sustaining drives on offense.
“We haven’t played well to start with the third quarter yet,” Applewhite said. “We need to focus on it because a lot of these games that we’re getting ready to go play are going to be one-possession ball games.”
Shoring up the run defense
ULM presents a direct test of whether South Alabama has fixed what went wrong in Lexington. Defensive coordinator Todd Orlando said the Warhawks run an offense built around the ground game, with athletic quarterbacks and the ability to take shots downfield.
Kentucky piled up explosive runs against the Jaguars, and Orlando said those breakdowns came down to assignment discipline, fundamentals and tackling in space.
“We’ve got to get more consistent,” Orlando said. “Our biggest problem is making sure the guys are locked in, doing their jobs at a high level.”
He expects ULM to study that film closely.
“They’re going to watch that tape, and they’re going to feel they can have the same results,” Orlando said. “And we got to get it shored up to make sure it’s not out there again on Saturday.”
Don’t be fooled by 0-4
Applewhite warned against reading too much into ULM’s record. He pointed to the Warhawks’ close games against Sun Belt opponents Louisiana-Lafayette and Texas State, along with their ability to challenge other teams on their schedule.
“You just cannot in this league look at the first four games and try to draw conclusions about what they’re getting ready to go play,” Applewhite said. “Each opponent’s own opponent, each game’s its own game.”
The Sun Belt has a reputation for parity, where upsets are common and records early in the season often don’t tell the whole story.
Homecoming in Mobile
Saturday marks the start of a new chapter for South Alabama: its first Sun Belt game, at home, in front of a homecoming crowd.
“We’re back at home, which is awesome,” Orlando said. “Homecoming, which is for us a big deal to represent the people that have gone to school here, and excited about the challenge.”
Homecoming week on campus includes a full slate of events for students and alumni, and the university has said its traditions will go on as planned despite a busy week in Mobile, which includes President Donald Trump’s rally at the university’s Mitchell Center on Friday night. Fans planning to attend Saturday’s game should allow extra time for traffic and parking around campus.
Keys for the Jaguars
- Win the third quarter: Come out of halftime with energy on both sides of the ball.
- Stop the run: Stay disciplined in assignments and tackle well in space against a ULM offense committed to running.
- Protect the football: Avoid the kind of late-half turnover that swung momentum at Kentucky.
- Use the crowd: Take advantage of home field and homecoming energy at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
Kickoff between South Alabama and Louisiana-Monroe is set for 6 p.m. Central on Saturday.