LAFAYETTE, La. — South Alabama plays its first road game in more than a month Saturday at Louisiana-Lafayette, the Sun Belt Conference West Division leader, in a game with bowl implications for the Jaguars.
The Jaguars (4-5, 3-2 Sun Belt) are coming off an open date. The Ragin’ Cajuns (8-1, 5-0 Sun Belt) beat Arkansas State 55-19 at Cajun Field last Saturday. Louisiana-Lafayette is a 7-point favorite.
The Cajuns lead the all-time series 9-3 and are 5-1 at home against South Alabama. The teams rank near each other in total offense, with Louisiana-Lafayette averaging 457.1 yards per game and South Alabama 455.1.
Jaguars Need Two Wins for Bowl Eligibility
South Alabama’s chances of winning the West Division were severely damaged by a 34-30 home loss to Georgia Southern on Nov. 2. The Jaguars also held late leads in conference losses to Arkansas State and Georgia Southern. With three regular-season games remaining, South Alabama needs two more wins to become bowl eligible in head coach Major Applewhite’s first season.
Against Georgia Southern, South Alabama led 30-14 before a miscommunication on a kickoff gave the Eagles a short field for a touchdown. Early in the fourth quarter, Braylon McReynolds fumbled the ensuing kickoff return after fielding the ball at the 3-yard line, giving Georgia Southern the ball at the South Alabama 21. The Eagles scored a few plays later to cut the lead to three.
South Alabama was penalized 13 times for 99 yards in that game, with 10 penalties on the offense: six false starts, three holding calls and one offensive pass interference.
Louisiana-Lafayette Under Michael Desormeaux
Michael Desormeaux, a former record-setting quarterback at Louisiana-Lafayette, is in his third season as head coach. He has led the Cajuns to their fifth and sixth consecutive bowl games, a school record, and is 21-15 overall and 11-9 in Sun Belt play, a record that includes a win in the 2021 New Orleans Bowl as interim head coach. The Cajuns lost both bowl games he has coached since.
Desormeaux joined the staff in 2016 and was the only assistant Billy Napier retained when Napier was hired. The program won four consecutive West Division titles from 2018 to 2021 and its first outright Sun Belt championship in 2021, when Desormeaux was co-offensive coordinator. That 13-win team ranked third in the Sun Belt in scoring offense and total offense.
Cajuns Offense
Quarterback Ben Wooldridge has completed 177 of 258 passes (68.6 percent) for 2,301 yards with 17 touchdowns and four interceptions, and he has rushed for 190 yards and five touchdowns. Chandler Fields is 10 of 12 for 97 yards in three games.
Five Louisiana-Lafayette players have at least 21 receptions and more than 200 receiving yards. Terrance Carter leads the team with 36 catches for 558 yards and four touchdowns. Lance LeGendre has 27 catches for 515 yards and four touchdowns, and Harvey Broussard has 18 catches for 271 yards and three touchdowns.
Three running backs have more than 400 rushing yards. Bill Davis leads with 585 yards and five touchdowns on 98 carries, Zylan Perry has 463 yards and two touchdowns on 73 carries and Dre’lyn Washington has 412 yards and five touchdowns on 56 carries.
Cajuns Defense and Special Teams
KC Ossai leads the defense with 76 tackles, two tackles for loss and three pass breakups. Carmycah Glass has 51 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss. Cameron Whitfield leads the team with five sacks and six tackles for loss, and Tyrone Lewis and Tyree Skipper share the team lead with four interceptions each. Louisiana-Lafayette is plus-8 in turnover margin with nine interceptions.
Kicker Kenneth Almendares has made 19 of 21 field goals (90.5 percent) with a long of 53; both misses came from 50 yards or longer. Punter Nathan Torney averages 39.6 yards per punt with a long of 54. Jacob Bernard averages 5.8 yards per punt return.
South Alabama Offense
South Alabama leads the Sun Belt in scoring offense and ranks second in rushing offense, total offense and time of possession. Nationally, the Jaguars rank 14th in total offense, 15th in rushing offense, 21st in scoring offense and 35th in time of possession. They have thrown just two interceptions, second-fewest in the nation, rank fifth with six turnovers lost and are fifth in punt returns at 17.5 yards per return. South Alabama is plus-7 in turnover margin, with 11 interceptions.
Quarterback Gio Lopez has completed 150 of 230 passes (65.2 percent) for 1,889 yards with 14 touchdowns and two interceptions. He has had limited practice repetitions because of a turf toe injury. Bishop Davenport is 28 of 48 for 293 yards and a touchdown.
Jamaal Pritchett leads the receivers with 62 catches for 769 yards and seven touchdowns. Jeremiah Webb has 20 catches for 333 yards and two touchdowns, and Devin Voisin has 27 catches for 326 yards.
Fluff Bothwell leads the team with 611 rushing yards on 91 carries, and his 10 rushing touchdowns lead the Sun Belt. He ranks 10th nationally at 6.77 yards per carry. Kentrel Bullock has 606 yards and five touchdowns on 102 carries, and Lopez has 393 yards and four touchdowns on 62 carries.
South Alabama Defense and Special Teams
The Jaguars rank second in the Sun Belt in rushing defense, third in third-down and red zone defense, fourth in scoring and first-down defense, sixth in fourth-down defense and seventh in total defense.
Blayne Myrick leads the team with 68 tackles, five tackles for loss and a sack. Jordan Scruggs has 49 tackles, three tackles for loss and an interception. Jaden Voisin leads the team with three interceptions, and Courtney McBride Jr. leads with four sacks and 6.5 tackles for loss.
Punter Aleksi Pulkkinen averages 41.7 yards per punt with a long of 67 and 13 downed inside the 20. Kicker Laith Marjan has made 14 of 15 field goals (93.3 percent) with a long of 49; his only miss came from beyond 50 yards. Pritchett averages 17.5 yards per punt return with a touchdown, and McReynolds averages 25.3 yards on three kickoff returns.
