It’s hard to imagine two more decisive performances for South Alabama in back-to-back weeks than what we’ve seen the last two Thursday nights.
The Jaguars defeated Sun Belt Conference favorite Appalachian State 48-14 on the road on Thursday, a week after defeating Northwestern State 87-10 in Mobile. The 135 points in two games are the most by a Sun Belt team in conference history.
READ: South Alabama scores dominant road win at Appalachian State
South Alabama is now 2-2 overall, but a crucial 1-0 in the conference. The Jaguars have 10 days off before perhaps their biggest challenge of the season, a trip to LSU on September 28th.
Before that, here are three takeaways from South Alabama’s nationally televised victory over App State:
1. South Alabama’s offense is currently playing at an all-time level
It was easy to dismiss the 87-10 victory over Northwestern State as the result of a historically bad opponent (and the Demons are undoubtedly awful), but that performance looks a little less accidental now that coordinator Rob Ezell’s offense has trounced the Mountaineers. In the three games quarterback Gio Lopez has played this season (he missed Week 2 at Ohio with turf toe), South Alabama has averaged 57.8 points and 558.7 yards on offense. The running game was the deciding factor Thursday, with 320 yards, with both Lopez and freshman phenom Fluff Bothwell rushing for over 100 yards. Jamaal Pritchett had another all-around good game with 68 receiving yards and 67 punt return yards, while Jeremiah Webb and DJ Thomas-Jones also had key moments in the passing game. Credit also goes to the offensive line with tackles Jordan Davis and Malachi Carney, guards Kenton Jerido and Reed Buys, and center Malachi Preciado, who both created gaps in the running game and kept the pressure off Lopez in the passing game.
2. The Jaguars defense delivered its best performance of the season
South Alabama’s young defense has grown up over the past two weeks after looking helpless in the season opener against North Texas and failing to get off the field when it mattered most in Week 2 against Ohio. The Jaguars gave up nearly 400 yards on Thursday but never let App State quarterback Joey Aguilar take control of the game. The Mountaineers’ two touchdowns came on a Hail Mary on the final play of the first half and against the second-string defense with 52 seconds left in the game (and that offense was only kept alive by a pass interference call on fourth down). South Alabama has played the entire season without No. 1 cornerback Ricky Fletcher, but freshman Amarion Fortenberry has improved each week. Jordan Scruggs, who is transferring from junior college, has taken over the important Husky (nickel) position and made the defense’s biggest play on Thursday with a goal-line interception. Linebackers Blayne Myrick, Gavin Forsha and Aakil Washington are also getting better and better. If Will Windham’s defense stays average and doesn’t become a liability, this team’s chances of competing for the conference championship improve dramatically.
3. South Alabama’s season goals and expectations have now been reset
Just two weeks ago, the Jaguars seemed hopeless, and even the most optimistic observers would find a path to bowl berths difficult to imagine. But after Thursday’s win over the preseason favorite from the Sun Belt, there’s no reason to believe the Jaguars can compete not only for the postseason, but even the conference crown. Even if next week’s road game at LSU brings in little more than a paycheck, South Alabama can still accomplish all of its goals in October. After the road game at Arkansas State on Oct. 5 to close out the first half of the season, the schedule gets a lot less demanding down the stretch. The Jaguars are likely favorites at home against Troy (Oct. 15), Louisiana-Monroe (Oct. 26) and Georgia Southern (Nov. 2), then have road games against Louisiana (Nov. 16) and Southern Miss (Nov. 23) before closing out the regular season on Black Friday, Nov. 29, against West Division favorite Texas State. Consistency has been a problem for the Jaguars in the past, just look as far as 2023. South Alabama dismantled Oklahoma State 33-7 on the road in Week 3, then came home the following Saturday and lost to Central Michigan. But if they can play at the level they have over the last two weeks (and especially against App State), an 8- or 9-win season is possible.
Next: South Alabama travels to LSU on September 28. The game starts at 6:45 p.m. and will be televised on the SEC Network.
