MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama will host North Carolina State on Saturday night at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in the Jaguars’ final nonconference game of the 2015 season, coming off a 34-27 overtime victory at San Diego State that head coach Joey Jones called the biggest win in program history.
The South Alabama NC State game kicks off at 7 p.m. and will be televised on ESPNews. It marks the first time the Wolfpack will play the Jaguars in Mobile after South Alabama traveled to Raleigh, N.C., for the previous two meetings.
Overtime Win in San Diego
Running back Xavier Johnson carried 19 times for 142 yards and scored two second-half touchdowns against the Aztecs. Tight end Gerald Everett caught eight passes for 164 yards and a touchdown.
Kicker Aleem Sunanon matched his career long with a 46-yard field goal as time expired in regulation to force overtime, and South Alabama won in the extra period.
The Jaguars finished with a season-high 511 yards of total offense, with 351 of those yards coming in the second half and overtime.
Sun Belt Weekly Honors
Two Jaguars earned Sun Belt Conference player of the week recognition for their performances in San Diego.
Sunanon was named the league’s Special Teams Student-Athlete of the Week for the second time this season. He is the first South Alabama football player to earn a conference weekly award more than once in the same season. Sunanon is tied for the Sun Belt lead with 1.67 field goals per game, a figure that ranks among the top 20 nationally, and he is tied for seventh in the conference in scoring.
Sophomore Jeremy Reaves was selected as the Defensive Student-Athlete of the Week, the first such honor of his career. Reaves recorded a career-high 10 tackles for the second consecutive week. He broke up a third-down pass that forced San Diego State to punt on its opening possession, and he recorded a tackle for loss for the third time in three games. Reaves is tied for the team lead with 25 total tackles and ranks among the Sun Belt’s top 10 in tackles, interceptions and passes defended per game.
Jones Reflects on the Win
Jones said the team had little time to celebrate after the long trip home.
“We tried to enjoy the game on the plane ride back, we got home around 5 a.m. and had 2-3 hours sleep before getting back to work,” Jones said Monday. “As soon as I got here Sunday morning it was all about N.C. State. It was a big win for our program and everybody involved, and I was happy that we went on the road and beat a quality opponent in San Diego State, but we have to move on to the next game like we always do.”
Jones said the team’s emphasis during the week leading up to the game was on competing for all four quarters.
“We stressed all week about fighting from start to finish, that it was truly going to be a war,” he said. “I thought the guys fought throughout the whole game, which is what it takes, and you have to fight together as a team. We really grew up as a team, you could see it on the sideline. This team is kind of young and new, we have some guys who haven’t played together a lot. It’s starting to come together, I saw some good things on Saturday.”
Jones also credited his defensive assistants for the front’s work against the run.
“I thought our defensive staff did a tremendous job putting our guys in the right places to be consistently in the right gaps,” Jones said. “We did a much better job of that this week — some of that was personnel moving guys into different spots — but we knew we had to stop the run last week.”
Scouting the Wolfpack
NC State, a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, arrives in Mobile with one of the most productive offenses in the country. The Wolfpack average 235 rushing yards and more than 440 total yards per game, both top-25 figures nationally, and are scoring more than 40 points per game.
Running back Matthew Dayes has topped 100 rushing yards in all three of NC State’s games and has scored six touchdowns. Quarterback Jacoby Brissett has completed 56 of 72 passes, 77.8 percent, for 591 yards and four touchdowns.
The NC State defense ranks second nationally in total defense at 188.3 yards allowed per game, fifth against the run at 51 yards per game and eighth in scoring defense at 11.7 points per game.
Jones acknowledged the challenge but said he was not focused on the Jaguars’ role as an underdog.
“I don’t worry about those things, but we are playing an ACC opponent who is very good and off to great start this year,” Jones said. “We’ve had two long trips to Nebraska and California, so to come home is exciting. The fact that we are playing N.C. State is exciting. I think our crowd is going to be into it like they always are.”
Jaguars by the Numbers
Through three games, South Alabama is averaging 25.3 points, 161.3 rushing yards and 255.7 passing yards per game. The Jaguar defense is allowing 32.7 points, 191.7 rushing yards and 200 passing yards per game.
Injuries have affected the roster. South Alabama lost its top returning defensive lineman to a season-ending injury before preseason camp, and at least one more player suffered a season-ending injury against San Diego State.
Jones praised the university’s student section for the atmosphere it has created at home games.
“We appreciate what they have done for our football program, we enjoy what they do out there,” Jones said. “They’re loud, you can tell they give our opposing team a hard time, and I like that. When we drive up to the game we can see them, and when they are out there in droves it really fires our guys up. They have created an exciting atmosphere.”
JagNight on Dauphin and Broadcast Details
The university will hold “JagNight on Dauphin” on Friday evening, featuring a parade, pep rally and entertainment. The parade begins at 7 p.m. at Cathedral Square and ends at Springhill Avenue, where a pep rally and other entertainment will continue until 9 p.m. at Moe’s BBQ.
Saturday’s game will be carried locally on Lite Mix 99.9, with a two-hour pregame show beginning at 5 p.m. and a 30-minute postgame wrap-up. The broadcast will also air on affiliate stations across Alabama and worldwide through the iHeartRadio app.
