MONROE, La. — South Alabama looks for its first Sun Belt Conference road win of the season, and its first win ever in Monroe, when it visits Louisiana-Monroe on Saturday.
The Jaguars (4-2, 1-2 Sun Belt) are 13.5-point favorites against the Warhawks (3-3, 1-2 Sun Belt), who upset Liberty 31-28 last week. Louisiana-Monroe leads the all-time series 4-3 and has won every meeting in Monroe, while South Alabama has won three of four games in Mobile.
Jaguars Rout Georgia Southern
South Alabama beat Georgia Southern 41-14 last week, ending a seven-game winless streak against the Eagles. The win came one week after a four-overtime loss at Texas State that left the Jaguars without running back Kareem Walker, receiver Caullin Lacy, center James Jackson, Shawn Jennings and Trent Tyre, and with several other players limited in practice.
For the first time this season, South Alabama gained a first down on its opening drive, going 84 yards for a touchdown on the first possession. The Jaguars converted first downs on five consecutive plays during the drive.
Quarterback Jake Bentley threw for a school-record 389 yards and accounted for five touchdowns and was named Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Week.
Bowden, Rodriguez Lead Warhawks
Louisiana-Monroe is in its first season under head coach Terry Bowden, the son of Hall of Fame coach Bobby Bowden. Terry Bowden succeeded Pat Dye as head coach at Auburn in the 1990s and later spent about 10 years in broadcasting, including with ABC Sports.
Bowden returned to coaching at North Alabama in 2009, going 29-9 with three straight NCAA Division II playoff appearances. He went 35-52 at Akron from 2012 to 2018, improving from a 1-11 first season and leading the Zips to their first Mid-American Conference championship game appearance since 2005 and the second in program history. He then spent two seasons as an offensive analyst at Clemson.
Offensive coordinator Rich Rodriguez rose to prominence at West Virginia from 2001 to 2007 with his zone-read offense. He later coached at Michigan and then at Arizona from 2012 to 2017, where his 33 wins in his first four seasons were the most in school history over a four-year span and his teams reached four consecutive bowl games for the first time in program history. He was offensive coordinator at Ole Miss under Matt Luke beginning in 2018.
Before beating Liberty, Louisiana-Monroe lost 59-6 to Coastal Carolina and 55-21 to Georgia State, allowing 291 and 323 rushing yards in those games. The Warhawks also upset Troy 29-16 at home on Sept. 25. Against Liberty, they trailed 14-0 at halftime, scored 28 consecutive points in the second half and won on a 53-yard field goal with 1:44 remaining after Liberty tied the game.
Warhawks Offense
Louisiana-Monroe averages 18.2 points, 259 total yards, 164.5 passing yards and 94.5 rushing yards per game. The Warhawks have converted 25 of 92 third downs (27.2 percent) and 6 of 8 fourth downs and have scored on 11 of 12 red zone trips, with six touchdowns.
Chandler Rogers has completed 44 of 75 passes for 590 yards with four touchdowns and two interceptions and has rushed for 213 yards on 77 carries. Rhett Rodriguez, the offensive coordinator’s son, is 35 of 62 for 337 yards and a touchdown but has missed three games with a punctured lung. Andrew Henry leads the rushers with 283 yards and two touchdowns on 66 carries.
Boogie Knight leads the receivers with 23 catches for 285 yards. Zach Jackson has 17 catches for 239 yards and two touchdowns, and Jared Sparks has 17 catches for 162 yards.
Warhawks Defense and Special Teams
Louisiana-Monroe allows 35 points, 455.3 total yards, 275.3 passing yards and 180 rushing yards per game. Opponents have converted 42 of 79 third downs (53.2 percent) but only 1 of 7 fourth downs and have scored on 19 of 22 red zone trips, with 17 touchdowns.
Linebacker Traveion Webster leads the team with 46 tackles. Cornerback Adam Sparks has 39 tackles and a fumble recovery. Defensive end Ty Shelby leads the team with 6.5 tackles for loss and five sacks, and linebacker Zack Woodard has 34 tackles, four tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks.
Kicker Calum Sutherland has made 10 of 14 field goals with a long of 53 and all 11 extra points. Punter Devyn McCormick averages 42.1 yards on 40 punts with a long of 56.
South Alabama Offense
South Alabama averages 28.5 points, 387.7 total yards, 253.5 passing yards and 134.2 rushing yards per game. The Jaguars have converted 32 of 85 third downs (38 percent) and 8 of 13 fourth downs and have scored on 22 of 27 red zone trips, with 19 touchdowns.
Bentley has completed 122 of 179 passes (68.2 percent) for 1,505 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. Jalen Tolbert has 36 catches for 718 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 119.7 yards per game and 19.9 yards per catch. Jalen Wayne has 24 catches for 307 yards and a touchdown, and Lacy has 23 catches for 170 yards.
Bryan Hill leads the team with 214 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 52 carries in four games. Walker, who has missed the last two games with a quad injury, has 208 yards and four touchdowns on 53 carries. Terrion Avery has 199 yards and a touchdown on 59 carries, and AJ Phillips has 78 yards and two touchdowns on 23 carries in two games.
South Alabama Defense and Special Teams
South Alabama’s defense allows 19 points, 297.8 total yards, 177.2 passing yards and 120.7 rushing yards per game. The Jaguars have eight interceptions and four fumble recoveries and are plus-3 in turnover margin.
Yam Banks leads the team with 28 tackles. Keith Gallmon Jr. has 27 tackles, 2.5 sacks and an interception. CJ Rias leads with three sacks, and Tre Young leads with two interceptions.
AJ DeShazor was ejected for targeting in the second half against Texas State and sat out the first half against Georgia Southern; he was also flagged for targeting in the season opener against Southern Miss. A targeting call on Banks during a kickoff return against Georgia Southern was overturned on review.
Kicker Diego Guajardo has made 7 of 10 field goals with a long of 48 and has 15 touchbacks on 33 kickoffs. Punter Jack Brooks averages 40.9 yards on 28 punts with a long of 54.
