MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama hosts in-state rival Troy in a Sun Belt Conference football game Friday night at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, headlining a weekend in which the Jaguars’ soccer team can clinch a regular-season conference title and the volleyball team plays two road matches.
Football: Troy at South Alabama
Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m. South Alabama (4-2, 3-1 Sun Belt) brings a three-game winning streak into the game. Troy is 1-6 overall and 1-2 in league play.
The Jaguars beat Georgia State 30-27 last week on a late touchdown drive. Troy lost 53-14 at home to conference newcomer Appalachian State, a result that gave the Mountaineers their first win as a Football Bowl Subdivision and Sun Belt member.
Injuries
South Alabama will be without senior running back Jay Jones, whose torn ACL suffered against Georgia State was confirmed by an MRI. The injury ends his college career. Kendall Houston, Xavier Johnson, Terrance Timmons and T.J. Glover are expected to handle the carries in his absence.
Senior cornerback Quadarius Ford, who sustained a concussion against Georgia State, had not been cleared by the medical staff as of the latest update. Ford, listed at 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, is tied for seventh on the team in total tackles with Theo Rich and Jerome McClain.
Sagarin Ratings
In Jeff Sagarin’s computer ratings of all 252 FBS and FCS teams, South Alabama ranks 107th and fourth among Sun Belt teams. Arkansas State (57th) and Georgia Southern and Louisiana-Lafayette (both 102nd) rank ahead of the Jaguars. The rest of the league is rated as follows: Louisiana-Monroe 136th, Texas State 145th, Appalachian State 150th, Idaho 176th, Troy 189th, Georgia State 191st and New Mexico State 195th.
South Alabama’s nonconference opponents rank as follows: Mississippi State, No. 1 in the AP and coaches polls, is fourth; South Carolina is 33rd; Navy 93rd; and Kent State 173rd. Among other teams in the state, Alabama is second, Auburn third, Jacksonville State 78th, UAB 106th, Samford 151st, Alabama State 206th and Alabama A&M 238th.
How to Follow
The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU. The Jaguar Prowl begins at 4:10 p.m. Pregame coverage and play-by-play will air locally on Lite Mix 99.9 FM and on the iHeartRadio app.
Soccer: Title Within Reach
South Alabama soccer enters the final weekend of the regular season able to clinch its first Sun Belt regular-season title since 2000 with a win at Arkansas State or at Arkansas-Little Rock. The Jaguars hold a four-point lead over second-place Texas State with two matches left and carry a 13-match unbeaten streak.
South Alabama (14-2-1, 6-0-1 Sun Belt) plays Arkansas State (4-12, 1-6) at 2 p.m. Friday, then faces Arkansas-Little Rock (11-5-1, 2-4-1) at 1 p.m. Sunday. Both host schools will provide free live video.
The Jaguars shut out Georgia Southern and Georgia State last weekend, their ninth and 10th shutouts of the season, holding the two opponents to a combined 13 shots and five shots on goal. Charde Hannah was named Sun Belt Player of the Week. Sophomore goalkeeper Sarah Hay leads the conference with a 0.74 goals-against average, an .851 save percentage and 0.62 shutouts per match.
Volleyball: Two Road Matches
The South Alabama volleyball team (9-11, 4-6 Sun Belt) looks to end a three-match losing streak Friday at 6 p.m. at Louisiana-Monroe (7-17, 1-10). The Jaguars then visit Arkansas State (11-8, 6-4) for a 7 p.m. match Saturday.
Arkansas-Little Rock leads the conference at 12-0 in Sun Belt play and 18-4 overall. South Alabama is eighth in the standings, one match behind Louisiana-Lafayette and one ahead of Georgia State.
