MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama set program records for total offense and rushing touchdowns Tuesday night, beating Southern Miss 55-3 at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
The Jaguars gained 647 yards and ran for seven touchdowns, both school records. Running back La’Damian Webb scored four of those touchdowns, tying his own program record for rushing touchdowns in a game.
The South Alabama defense held Southern Miss (1-6, 0-4 Sun Belt) to 149 total yards. The Golden Eagles did not cross midfield until the third quarter and did not reach 100 yards of offense until fewer than six minutes remained.
Four Straight Touchdowns
South Alabama scored touchdowns on its first four possessions. Webb accounted for the first three, and Kentrel Bullock ran for the fourth. The Jaguars added a field goal on their fifth possession for a 31-0 lead, and Diego Guajardo’s 41-yard attempt with one second left in the half went wide right.
Guajardo made a 39-yard field goal on South Alabama’s first possession of the second half. Southern Miss avoided the shutout with a 32-yard field goal with 5:40 left in the third quarter, making it 34-3.
The Jaguars answered with a three-play drive. Carter Bradley completed passes of 24 and 20 yards to Lincoln Sefcik, and Webb finished it with a 16-yard run for his fourth touchdown.
Reserves Get Their Turn
After South Alabama took over on downs, head coach Kane Wommack began substituting. Walk-on running back Dorian Smith ran 29 yards for a touchdown on the first carry of his college career, making it 48-3 with 1:20 left in the third quarter.
Freshman quarterback Gio Lopez, playing in his fourth game of the season, ran 20 yards for a touchdown with 13:47 remaining for the final points. A later 27-yard touchdown run by Lopez was called back on a holding penalty.
“This was probably one of the more dominating performances I’ve been a part of,” Wommack said. “Arguably our most dominating performance since I’ve been here.”
“We’re really starting to lean into how we’re supposed to start the game,” he added.
South Alabama Statistics
The Jaguars had 360 passing yards and 287 rushing yards, converted 7 of 11 third downs and held the ball for 31:15 to Southern Miss’ 28:45.
- Bradley completed 21 of 27 passes for 319 yards. Lopez, a true freshman, was 2 of 4 for 41 yards with a late interception.
- Jamaal Pritchett had a game-high 122 receiving yards on five catches. Caullin Lacy caught nine passes for 103 yards, extending his streak of 100-yard receiving games to six.
- Webb ran for 102 yards and four touchdowns on 20 carries. Bullock added 58 yards and a touchdown on nine carries, and Smith had 34 yards and a touchdown on two carries.
- Marco Lee Jr. ran for 26 yards on six carries, Jarvis Durr had 20 on three, Bradley had 19 on two and Jonathon Carter had 8 on one.
“We’re starting to see things click, for sure,” Bradley said. “I think it’s just preparation. Our coaches are doing an unbelievable job of getting us prepared and guys are buying into it.”
Khalil Jacobs led the defense with seven tackles, including four solo and three for loss, and forced a fumble. James Miller had six tackles, one for loss. Jordan Norman and Maurice Strong Jr. each recorded a sack, and Carlos Johnson Jr. and Brock Higdon shared one. Strong also had the defense’s interception.
Defensive lineman Wy’Kevious “Bubba” Thomas, who wore the honorary No. 5 jersey this week, credited the week of practice. “If you show consistency throughout the week of practice, it’s easy on game day,” he said.
Southern Miss Statistics
Southern Miss managed 46 passing yards and 103 rushing yards. The Golden Eagles converted 1 of 13 third downs and 1 of 2 fourth downs and were penalized four times for 25 yards.
Starting quarterback Billy Wiles was 2 of 5 for 5 yards, and Holman Edwards went 5 of 15 for 41 yards with an interception. Frank Gore Jr. led the team with 22 receiving yards on two catches, including a 20-yard reception that was the Golden Eagles’ longest play, and ran for 27 yards on 12 carries. Kenyon Clay led Southern Miss with 60 rushing yards on 10 carries.
Swayze Bozeman had 12 tackles, and Dylan Lawrence added nine. MJ Daniels intercepted Lopez in the fourth quarter for the Golden Eagles’ only takeaway.
Up Next
South Alabama plays Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday, Oct. 28, with a 4 p.m. kickoff. The Ragin’ Cajuns are 4-2 overall and 1-1 in conference play and host Georgia State at Cajun Field this Saturday.
