MONTGOMERY, Ala. — South Alabama plays in its third consecutive bowl game when the Jaguars meet Western Michigan in the IS4S Salute to Veterans Bowl, a matchup that closes Major Applewhite’s first season as head coach.
Both teams enter at 6-6 overall and 5-3 in conference play. The game comes one season after South Alabama earned the first bowl victory in program history in the 68 Ventures Bowl in 2023.
A Return to Montgomery
The game brings the Jaguars back to the site of their first bowl appearance. Ten years ago, South Alabama, then coached by Joey Jones, played in the inaugural Camellia Bowl in 2014.
South Alabama and Western Michigan learned of their selection early. Both teams accepted their invitations early last week, ahead of the official bowl selection show, allowing preparations to begin in earnest for a game that opens the bowl season.
How They Got Here
South Alabama closed the regular season with a 45-38 home loss to Texas State. The Jaguars committed three turnovers and were penalized eight times in the loss.
Western Michigan, a member of the Mid-American Conference, beat Eastern Michigan 26-18 in its regular-season finale to become bowl eligible and end a three-game losing streak. The Broncos are playing in a bowl game for the first time since 2021 and for the first time under head coach Lance Taylor.
Taylor’s Alabama Roots
Taylor is a native of Mount Vernon and played high school football at Citronelle. He walked on at the University of Alabama, where he played from 1999 to 2003, appeared in 38 consecutive games and served as a special teams captain under then-head coach Mike Shula.
After a brief stint in the Arena Football League, Taylor began his coaching career as a graduate assistant under Nick Saban at Alabama in 2007 and 2008. He coached receivers at Appalachian State in 2009 and spent 2010 through 2012 with the New York Jets as an offensive quality control coach and assistant tight ends coach.
He then made two stops with the Carolina Panthers, with a stint at Stanford in between. At Stanford, he coached running backs including Heisman Trophy runner-up Christian McCaffrey and recruited Bryce Love, who also finished as a Heisman runner-up. Taylor spent three seasons at Notre Dame as running backs coach and run game coordinator and served as offensive coordinator at Louisville before being hired at Western Michigan.
South Alabama Offense
Quarterback Gio Lopez has completed 205 of 311 passes (65.9 percent) for 2,557 yards with 18 touchdowns and five interceptions in 11 games. He has also rushed for 465 yards and seven touchdowns. Lopez was injured and forced out of the Texas State game, and his availability for the bowl is unknown.
Bishop Davenport has completed 33 of 55 passes (60 percent) for 333 yards and a touchdown this season and has added 76 rushing yards. Davenport started against Ohio in the second week of the season.
Jamaal Pritchett finished the regular season with 91 receptions for 1,126 yards and nine touchdowns. Jeremiah Webb has 30 catches for 467 yards and three touchdowns, Devin Voisin has 31 catches for 365 yards, and DJ Thomas-Jones has 22 receptions for 191 yards and three scores.
Fluff Bothwell led the Jaguars in rushing with 834 yards and 13 touchdowns on 112 carries, but his status is uncertain after he announced he is entering the transfer portal. Kentrel Bullock is second on the team with 702 yards and six touchdowns on 135 carries. Braylon McReynolds has 113 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries in eight games.
Defense and Special Teams
Linebacker Blayne Myrick leads South Alabama with 92 tackles, 41 of them solo, along with two sacks, seven tackles for loss and an interception. Jaden Voisin is second with 74 tackles, including 38 solo, with 2.5 tackles for loss and a team-high five interceptions.
Punter Aleksi Pulkkinen averages 40.5 yards per punt, with 21 fair catches, 16 punts downed inside the 20, two touchbacks and two punts of 50 or more yards. His long is 67 yards.
Kicker Laith Marjan has made 16 of 17 field goal attempts, with his only miss from beyond 50 yards, and has a long of 49. Marjan has also announced he is entering the transfer portal, and his status for the bowl is uncertain. If he does not play, true freshman Davis Little or redshirt freshman Hamilton DiBoyan will handle placekicking.
Western Michigan Offense
Broncos quarterback Hayden Wolff has completed 191 of 285 passes (67 percent) for 2,212 yards with 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Tight end Blake Bosma, Western Michigan’s leading receiver with 37 catches for 403 yards and six touchdowns, has entered the transfer portal and is not expected to play. Fellow tight end Chris Toudle has eight catches for 91 yards and a touchdown in seven games.
Kenneth Womack has 34 receptions for 456 yards and a touchdown in nine games, and Anthony Sambucci has 31 catches for 376 yards and two touchdowns in 10 games. Zahir Abdus-Salaam has 28 receptions for 227 yards and a touchdown.
Jaden Nixon leads the ground game with 876 yards and 12 touchdowns on 132 carries. Jalen Buckley has 657 yards and eight touchdowns on 120 carries in nine games, and Abdus-Salaam has 567 yards and three touchdowns on 104 carries. Broc Lowry has 123 yards and three touchdowns on 22 carries in 10 games.
Broncos Defense and Special Teams
Linebacker Donald Willis leads Western Michigan with 99 tackles, 58 solo, along with a sack and six tackles for loss. Safety Tate Hallock is second with 78 tackles, 47 solo, with a team-high four interceptions and five tackles for loss.
Isaiah Green leads the Broncos with three sacks, Mason Nelson has two, and nine other players have one sack each.
Punter Ryan Millmore averages 40.3 yards per punt, with 21 fair catches, 21 punts downed inside the 20, seven punts of 50 or more yards and a long of 60. Kicker Luka Zurak has made 10 of 12 field goal attempts with a long of 45. Both misses came from 40 yards or longer, one of them from beyond 50.
Numbers to Watch
Penalties have been an issue for South Alabama. The Jaguars finished the regular season tied for 127th nationally in fewest penalties, with only four teams flagged more often, and ranked 124th in fewest penalty yards.
Both teams are plus-8 in turnover margin but have arrived there differently. South Alabama has relied more on interceptions, while Western Michigan has forced 23 fumbles and recovered 13.
Both teams have had two weeks off since their final regular-season games. Both rosters have also been affected by the transfer portal, with several Western Michigan players on both sides of the ball entering the portal along with South Alabama’s Bothwell, Marjan and Jordan Scruggs.
South Alabama opened as a 10.5-point favorite, and the line has moved to 7.5 points at some sportsbooks, with the movement attributed in part to the portal departures and Lopez’s injury.
