SAN MARCOS, Texas — South Alabama plays its first Sun Belt Conference road game of the season Saturday at Texas State, one week after its first loss under first-year head coach Kane Wommack.
The Jaguars (3-1, 0-1 Sun Belt) face the Bobcats (1-3, 0-0 Sun Belt) at 6 p.m. at Bobcat Stadium. The game will be streamed on ESPN+ and broadcast locally on Sports Talk 99.5 FM, 96.1 FM The Rocket and the iHeartRadio app. South Alabama is a 3.5-point favorite.
South Alabama has never won in San Marcos. The Jaguars have not won consecutive road games since 2015, when they won at San Diego State and Troy.
Close Loss to Louisiana
South Alabama lost 20-18 to Louisiana-Lafayette last Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium after rallying from a 20-0 deficit early in the second quarter. The Jaguars scored 18 unanswered points against the three-time defending West Division champion and preseason favorite.
South Alabama had two chances to take the lead late. On fourth-and-1 at the Louisiana 4-yard line, a pass from Jake Bentley to tight end Lincoln Sefcik was ruled incomplete; Sefcik maintained that he made the catch. Diego Guajardo then missed a 37-yard field goal wide right with 1:06 remaining.
Wommack said after the game that the Jaguars played some of their best football over the final 40 minutes.
Texas State Coming Off Open Date
Texas State opened the season with a 29-20 loss to Baylor and an overtime win over Florida International. The Bobcats were then without more than a dozen players because of injuries and COVID-19 protocols in losses to FCS Incarnate Word, 42-34, and Eastern Michigan, 59-21. They are coming off an open date.
Bobcats Offense
Quarterback Brady McBride, a 2020 transfer from Memphis, has completed 79 of 137 passes for 786 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions. A running quarterback, McBride has 36 net rushing yards after 87 yards in losses.
Texas State averages 24.5 points and just under 333 total yards per game, with 196.5 passing yards and 136.3 rushing yards. The Bobcats have converted 21 of 56 third downs (38 percent) and 5 of 7 fourth downs and have scored on all 14 red zone trips, with 10 touchdowns. They have lost two of six fumbles.
Calvin Hill has 239 rushing yards on 49 carries. Brock Sturges has 151 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries in three games, and Jahmyl Jeter has 96 yards and three touchdowns on 17 carries. Marcell Barbee leads the receivers with 20 catches for 209 yards and three touchdowns, and Javen Banks has 13 catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns.
Bobcats Defense and Special Teams
Texas State allows 36.8 points and 435 total yards per game, including 175 rushing yards and 260 passing yards. Opponents have completed 85 of 140 passes for 1,040 yards and 10 touchdowns and have converted 31 of 58 third downs (53 percent). Opponents have scored on 16 of 20 red zone trips, with 13 touchdowns. The Bobcats have one interception and have recovered five of nine forced fumbles. Their three sacks rank 107th nationally.
Defensive back Troy Lefeged Jr. leads the team with 28 tackles. Safety Zion Childress has 26 tackles, the team’s only interception and two forced fumbles.
Kicker Seth Keller has made all five field goal attempts, with a long of 48, and all 11 extra points. Punter Seamus O’Kelly averages 38.4 yards per punt. Jacob Bates has handled most kickoffs, with nine touchbacks.
South Alabama Offense
South Alabama has gone three-and-out on its first possession in all four games this season. The Jaguars average 24.8 points and 363 total yards per game, with 131.8 rushing yards and 231.8 passing yards. They have converted 21 of 60 third downs (35 percent) and 5 of 10 fourth downs.
Running back Kareem Walker leads the team with 208 yards and four touchdowns on 53 carries and could return this week after missing the Louisiana game with a quad injury. Terrion Avery has 142 yards and a touchdown on 45 carries, and Bryan Hill has 132 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries in two games.
Bentley has completed 79 of 122 passes (65 percent) for 927 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He averages more than 9 yards per pass attempt, 24th nationally; Texas State allows 7.4 yards per attempt, which ranks 79th. Jalen Tolbert leads the receivers with 20 catches for 460 yards, Caullin Lacy has 19 catches for 152 yards and Jalen Wayne has 15 catches for 153 yards. Walker and Trent Tyre have the team’s touchdown receptions.
South Alabama lost five of six fumbles in its first three games but did not commit a turnover against Louisiana. The Jaguars are plus-2 in turnover margin.
South Alabama Defense
South Alabama ranks third nationally in stop rate, the percentage of possessions ending in a punt, turnover or turnover on downs, at 84.6 percent, behind Georgia and Iowa. The Jaguars rank in the top 20 nationally in total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense and pass efficiency defense. They lead the nation in opponent third-down conversion rate at 19 percent and rank third in first downs allowed per game (14.8) and opponent red zone scoring percentage (54.5).
The Jaguars allow 16.8 points and 288.8 total yards per game, with 191 passing yards and 97.8 rushing yards. Jamal Brooks and Yam Banks lead the team with 16 tackles each, and Wy’Kevious Thomas, Tre Young and AJ DeShazor have 15 each. The defense has eight takeaways: four interceptions and four fumble recoveries.
Special Teams
Guajardo has made four of five field goal attempts, three of them from 40 yards or longer with a long of 48. Against Louisiana, he had one extra point blocked and another hit the right upright on a wet night. Punter Jack Brooks averages 41 yards per punt with a long of 53, and one of his 22 punts was blocked at Bowling Green.
Last Season’s Meeting
In last season’s game against Texas State, South Alabama set season highs in first downs, rushing attempts, total plays and time of possession without committing a turnover, and the defense allowed its fewest rushing yards of the season.
A win would give South Alabama four victories, two shy of bowl eligibility.
