PASADENA, Calif. — South Alabama takes a 2-0 record across the country Saturday to face UCLA at the Rose Bowl, its first game of the season against a Power Five opponent.
The Jaguars have opened 2-0 for the second consecutive season. UCLA (2-0) is a 15.5-point favorite, with an over/under of 60.5 points.
The game comes one week after Sun Belt Conference members Appalachian State, Marshall and Georgia Southern beat Texas A&M, Notre Dame and Nebraska, respectively.
Physical Win at Central Michigan
South Alabama beat Central Michigan 38-24 last week, controlling the first half for its second road win over a Mid-American Conference team in two seasons. The Jaguars won physically at the line of scrimmage, with the offensive line opening running lanes for La’Damian Webb and protecting quarterback Carter Bradley.
Head coach Kane Wommack and his staff have used a number of offensive linemen in the first two games to build depth. South Alabama ranks second in the nation in time of possession at 37:00 per game.
South Alabama is 10-40 in road games since becoming an FBS program.
UCLA Under Chip Kelly
Chip Kelly is 20-25 in his fifth season at UCLA. His first team lost its first five games and finished 3-9, followed by a 4-8 record in 2019, a 3-4 mark in the shortened 2020 season and an 8-4 record last season. UCLA’s scheduled Holiday Bowl appearance was canceled hours before kickoff because of COVID-19 protocols within the UCLA program.
Kelly went 46-7 at Oregon from 2009 to 2012, reaching a BCS bowl each season and losing to Auburn in the BCS National Championship Game. He went 26-21 in three seasons as head coach of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles and spent one season leading the San Francisco 49ers, who went 2-14. Kelly helped popularize the up-tempo, no-huddle zone-read offense at the FBS level.
UCLA has beaten Bowling Green 45-17 and Alabama State 45-7 this season.
Bruins Offense
The Bruins have 1,111 total yards through two games, averaging 555.5 yards, 311 passing yards and 244.5 rushing yards per game. They have three turnovers, have converted 14 of 28 third downs and 2 of 3 fourth downs, and have scored on 10 of 12 red zone trips with eight touchdowns. UCLA ranks 17th nationally in scoring at 45 points per game.
Quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson has completed 41 of 54 passes for 399 yards with three touchdowns and an interception, and he has rushed for 87 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries. Ethan Garbers entered against Alabama State when Thompson-Robinson left with an injury; Garbers is 17 of 22 for 223 yards with a touchdown and an interception and has two rushing touchdowns.
Running back Zach Charbonnet leads the team with 111 rushing yards and a touchdown on 21 carries but did not play against Alabama State for undisclosed reasons. Asked about the status of Thompson-Robinson and Charbonnet after that game, Kelly said only that they were “unavailable,” and he offered little about Charbonnet’s availability for Saturday. True freshman T.J. Harden ran for 56 yards and a touchdown on seven carries against Alabama State.
Kazmeir Allen leads the receivers with 14 catches for 115 yards and a touchdown. Keegan Jones has six catches for 87 yards and a touchdown, and Jake Bobo has six catches for 79 yards.
Bruins Defense and Special Teams
Under a new defensive coordinator, UCLA allows 236 total yards, 174 passing yards and 62 rushing yards per game. The Bruins have four takeaways, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries, and opponents are 1 of 2 in the red zone without a touchdown.
Kenny Churchwell III leads the team with 10 tackles but must sit out the first half Saturday because of a targeting penalty last week; Kelly’s appeal was denied. Grayson Murphy and Laiatu Latu share the team lead with two sacks each.
Alabama State gained 177 yards by the midpoint of the second quarter against UCLA, more than Bowling Green managed in its entire game. The Bruins intercepted two passes and allowed 46 passing yards after halftime.
UCLA allowed a blocked punt returned for a touchdown and muffed a punt at its own 11-yard line in its opener. Nicholas Barr-Mira has made 2 of 4 field goals with a long of 24 and averages 33.7 yards on three punts.
South Alabama Offense
South Alabama averages 505 total yards, 343 passing yards and 162 rushing yards per game and ranks 32nd nationally in scoring at 43 points per game.
Webb has 189 yards and four touchdowns on 38 carries, averaging 94.5 yards per game, including a 30-yard touchdown run at Central Michigan. Terrion Avery has 53 yards on 16 carries.
Bradley has completed 43 of 67 passes for 614 yards and six touchdowns. He threw his first interception of the season in the third quarter last week.
Jalen Wayne has 13 catches for 196 yards and three touchdowns, 10 of the catches coming against Central Michigan. He ranks sixth in school history in career receptions and receiving yards. Caullin Lacy has 11 catches for 169 yards, Devin Voisin has six catches for 61 yards and a touchdown and true freshman Braylon McReynolds has five catches for 55 yards and a touchdown.
South Alabama Defense and Special Teams
South Alabama ranks 14th nationally in rushing defense, 17th in total defense, 20th in third-down defense, 38th in scoring defense and 43rd in first-down defense. The Jaguars allow 251.5 total yards, 181.5 passing yards and 70 rushing yards per game, with opposing running backs averaging 2.6 yards per carry. Opponents have converted 7 of 28 third downs and 1 of 6 fourth downs.
Linebacker Quentin Wilfawn leads the team with 15 tackles, 11 solo, and 1.5 tackles for loss. Jaden Voisin has 11 tackles, two tackles for loss and a fumble recovery. AJ DeShazor has the team’s only interception, and James Miller, Wy’Kevious Thomas and CJ Rias have one sack each. South Alabama had 15 interceptions and 10 fumble recoveries last season.
Punter Jack Brooks, a Ray Guy Award watch list member, averages 42.8 yards per punt, with five of his 11 punts downed inside the 20. Kicker Diego Guajardo has made all three field goal attempts with a long of 48 and has missed one extra point, which hit both uprights and bounced back. Lacy has five punt returns for 56 yards. Omni Wells has moved ahead of McReynolds as the primary kickoff returner. South Alabama has averaged 90 penalty yards per game.
Watch Parties in Mobile
South Alabama will host a free watch party at the Mitchell Center from noon to 6 p.m., with concessions available. The university’s alumni will hold a ticketed watch party at Nexus Cinema Dining.
