MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama head coach Joey Jones said he was proud of how the Jaguars competed for three quarters in Saturday’s loss at Louisiana-Monroe, while acknowledging that mistakes cost his team a chance to win.
The loss dropped South Alabama to 2-6 overall and 1-3 in the Sun Belt Conference. Louisiana-Monroe improved to 6-2 and 4-0 in league play. The Warhawks’ only losses this season came against Auburn in overtime and against Baylor.
Jones: Close To A Good Conference Team
“We played pretty good football for three quarters and we played tough. ULM is a very good football team,” Jones said after the game. “I’m proud of the way we played for three quarters, but they took the game under control a little bit in the fourth quarter. Their quarterback (Kolton Browning) and receivers made some great plays.”
Jones said the team needs to be honest about its errors. “The negative things that happened, if we fix them, we’re probably in the game even more,” he said. “But the positive side of it is we’re pretty close to a team that is really good in the conference.”
“We just have to work on us,” Jones said. “We’ll start fixing some things here and there, and we’re going to be there.”
Third Downs And Big Plays
Dropped passes contributed to stalled drives, and South Alabama converted only 3 of 13 third-down attempts. The Jaguars also gave up long plays, including on key third- and fourth-down conversions by Louisiana-Monroe.
Metheny Throws Two Touchdowns To Jereme Jones
Quarterback Ross Metheny passed for 211 yards and two touchdowns, both to Jereme Jones. Metheny avoided several sacks by moving in the pocket and scrambling when needed.
Jereme Jones finished with seven catches, including the two touchdowns. Bryant Lavender caught six passes and Gabe Loper had three.
Baker Ends 100-Yard Drought
Running back Demetre Baker rushed 14 times for 115 yards, the first 100-yard rushing game by a South Alabama running back this season. His 61-yard run set up the Jaguars’ first score.
Baker’s performance was the program’s first 100-yard rushing game since his own effort against Henderson State last season.
Sack Total Passes 2011 Mark
South Alabama recorded two sacks against Louisiana-Monroe, giving the Jaguars 17 for the season. That total surpasses the 15 sacks the team recorded in all of 2011.
FIU Up Next
South Alabama returns home Saturday to face Florida International at 2:30 p.m. at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. FIU enters 1-8 overall and 0-5 in the Sun Belt after a 14-6 home loss to Western Kentucky.
Update: How the 38-24 Loss Unfolded
Louisiana-Monroe won the game 38-24, scoring 17 consecutive points after South Alabama had tied the score at 21 in the third quarter.
The Jaguars struck first late in the opening quarter with a four-play, 72-yard drive that took 47 seconds. After two straight dropped passes left South Alabama facing third-and-10 at its own 28, Demetre Baker broke a 61-yard run up the middle, the Jaguars’ longest play from scrimmage this season. Ross Metheny hit Jereme Jones for a touchdown on the next snap for a 7-0 lead.
After Louisiana-Monroe tied the game, South Alabama answered with a 10-play, 86-yard drive. Jones drew a pass interference penalty on third-and-10 from the ULM 37 for a 15-yard gain and an automatic first down, and on another third-and-10 Metheny found Gabe Loper in the end zone for a 14-7 lead.
The Warhawks tied the game again with less than two minutes left in the first half. South Alabama went three-and-out on its next series, and Scott Garber’s punt was blocked, giving ULM the ball at the Jaguars’ 37 with 28 seconds left. Following a 15-yard completion and a 6-yard run, South Alabama called timeout with 10 seconds remaining, but Kolton Browning threw a touchdown pass to Brent Leonard with six seconds left for a 21-14 halftime lead.
South Alabama pulled even at 21 with a 13-play, 93-yard drive that ended with 4:24 left in the third quarter. Baker converted a fourth-and-1 with a 2-yard run to extend the drive, and Trey Fetner finished it with a 2-yard touchdown run. Louisiana-Monroe then scored the next 17 points before the Jaguars added a fourth-quarter field goal.
Additional Statistics
- Jereme Jones: career-high seven catches for 62 yards; his two touchdown receptions tied the school single-game record set by Courtney Smith in 2009
- Ross Metheny: 21-of-41 passing for 211 yards, plus a career-long 21-yard run
- Bryant Lavender: six catches for 33 yards
- Gabe Loper: three catches for 48 yards and a touchdown
- Kolton Browning (ULM): 23-of-35 passing for 250 yards
- Brent Leonard (ULM): nine catches for 126 yards and four touchdowns
On defense, Enrique Williams led South Alabama with 11 tackles, his third consecutive game in double figures. Jake Johnson had nine tackles, two for loss. Terrell Brigham recorded eight solo tackles, an interception and a pass breakup. Clifton Crews and B.J. Scott each made six tackles, two of them for loss.
Hall of Fame Weekend
Saturday’s home game against FIU is also Hall of Fame weekend. Former South Alabama athletes Juan Pierre, P.J. Walters, Frantisek Babej and Cindy Summers will be inducted into the Jaguar Hall of Fame and honored on the field at halftime.
