ATHENS, Ohio — South Alabama plays its first road game of the season Saturday at Ohio, with both teams looking for their first win after season-opening losses.
The Jaguars (0-1) are 2.5-point favorites against the Bobcats (0-1).
North Texas Pulls Away in Opener
North Texas beat South Alabama 52-38 last Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium in head coach Major Applewhite’s debut. The Jaguars led 19-14 at halftime, but the Mean Green scored four touchdowns in the third quarter with an up-tempo offense, one of them after a special teams mistake.
Quarterback Gio Lopez completed 26 of 49 passes for 432 yards and three touchdowns, with a long completion of 52 yards, and led South Alabama with 62 rushing yards. His 494 yards of total offense lead the nation. He was sacked twice.
Jamaal Pritchett caught 10 of the 15 passes thrown his way for 197 yards and a touchdown. Devin Voisin, playing his first game after missing nearly all of 2023 with a knee injury, had five catches for 60 yards. Shemar Sandgren caught three passes for 37 yards and a touchdown, and Anthony Eager had a 23-yard touchdown catch. Freshman Fluff Bothwell led the running backs with 30 yards and a touchdown on six carries.
South Alabama’s defense held North Texas to 104 rushing yards on 34 carries, an average of 3.1 yards per attempt, with a long run of 13 yards. The Mean Green threw for 446 yards and three touchdowns. Linebacker Blayne Myrick led the Jaguars with 12 tackles, including a stop during a goal-line stand, and Jordan Scruggs had nine tackles and a pass breakup. Maurice Strong Jr. and Carlos Johnson Jr. each had a half tackle for loss.
Punter Jack Martin averaged 44 yards on two punts. On another attempt, a bad snap was dropped, and Martin’s kick struck one of his blockers, leading to a North Texas defensive touchdown. Kicker Laith Marjan made both field goal attempts, with a long of 39 yards, and both extra points.
Ohio Under Tim Albin
Ohio head coach Tim Albin is in his fourth season. He was promoted on July 15, 2021, after joining the program as offensive coordinator in 2005 under Frank Solich, with whom he had previously coached at Nebraska.
The Bobcats beat Georgia Southern in the Myrtle Beach Bowl last season to finish with a second straight 10-win season, a first for the program. It was Ohio’s fifth consecutive bowl victory.
Ohio held an early lead in its opener at Syracuse before losing 38-22. The Bobcats ran for 255 yards in that game.
Bobcats Offense
Quarterback Parker Navarro completed 18 of 30 passes for 181 yards with an interception against Syracuse and was sacked four times. He also rushed for 33 yards on 16 carries.
Running back Anthony Tyus III ran for 203 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Coleman Owen caught 10 passes for 137 yards, and Chase Hendricks had three catches for 27 yards.
Bobcats Defense and Special Teams
Safety Austin Brawley led Ohio with 12 tackles, nine solo, at Syracuse, and Blake Leake had seven. Bradley Weaver recorded the Bobcats’ only sack, and Pearson Tank had an interception.
Punter Jack Wilson averaged 45.3 yards on three punts with a long of 50. Kicker Gianni Spetic made all three field goal attempts, with a long of 43, and his only extra point.
Areas of Focus for the Jaguars
South Alabama’s defensive line did not generate pressure on the North Texas quarterback, and the secondary struggled in coverage. In the 2023 opener, the Jaguars’ secondary also had difficulty before improving later in the season.
The offensive line, which entered the season with two returning starters and a new center, played its best in the first half against North Texas. Lopez’s mobility allowed him to extend several plays. Lopez took several hits on runs and scrambles, appeared to limp at one point and stayed down briefly after a hit to the ribs in the second half.
Ohio presents a different style than North Texas, relying more heavily on its running game. South Alabama opens Sun Belt Conference play at Appalachian State on Sept. 19.
