College football breakdown: How South Alabama got to the Arizona Bowl
See how South Alabama reached the Dec. 30 Arizona Bowl in Tucson.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Sept. 3
• Where: Starkville, Mississippi
• What went down: Westin Graves’ 28-yard field goal missed wide left, and the upstart Jaguars held on to upset Mississippi State in the teams’ season opener. Dallas Davis completed 24 of 34 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns and hurdled a defender in the biggest win in South Alabama’s young program history. The Jaguars entered the game as 28-point underdogs.
• The big number: 17. South Alabama trailed Mississippi State 17-0 at halftime before rallying to win.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Sept. 10
• Where: Mobile, Alabama
• What went down: The visiting Eagles rushed for 304 yards and upset South Alabama, one week after the Jags’ program-defining win. South Alabama managed just three field goals, one week after hanging 21 points on a Southeastern Conference school.
• The big number: 16.5. Davis’ quarterback rating in Week 2 was ugly, due in part to his 50 percent completion clip and one interception.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Sept. 17
• Where: Lafayette, Louisiana
• What went down: Elijah McGuire scored on a 68-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to give the Ragin’ Cajuns a win over the visiting Jaguars. McGuire finished with 223 rushing yards.
• The big number: 2. South Alabama averaged just 2 yards per carry. The team ran 34 times for 74 yards in the loss.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Sept. 24
• Where: Mobile
• What went down: South Alabama’s defense stopped Nicholls’ Dontrell Taylor on a 2-point conversion try, giving the Jaguars a one-point win in overtime. The stop came one play after a South Alabama interception appeared to have ended the game; however, the play was called back due to an offside penalty.
• The big number: 103. USA running back Xavier Johnson rushed for 103 yards and two scores.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Oct. 1
• Where: Mobile
• What went down: Backup quarterback Cole Garvin threw for 241 yards and three scores, and the Jaguars took down their second big-school opponent of the season. SDSU entered the game ranked No. 19 nationally and was led by Donnel Pumphrey, who would go on to become the NCAA’s career rushing leader. USA outgained its visitors, 331 yards to 316.
• The big number: 3. South Alabama scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns to seal the win.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Oct. 15
• Where: Jonesboro, Arkansas
• What went down: Arkansas State scored two second-quarter touchdowns and added a third-quarter field goal to hold off a sluggish Jaguars team.
• The big number: 255. South Alabama managed just 255 yards of total offense.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Oct. 20
• Where: Mobile
• What went down: Brandon Silvers threw for a career-high 395 yards and Troy scored the final 18 points to win.
• The big number: 585. South Alabama surrendered 585 yards of total offense in the loss, the most all season.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Oct. 29
• Where: Mobile
• What went down: Gavin Peterson kicked a 30-yard field goal with 2 seconds remaining to break the tie and help South Alabama win its first Sun Belt Conference game and snap a two-game losing streak. The game-winner came after Georgia State called back-to-back timeouts in an attempt to “ice” the Jaguars’ kicker.
• The big number: .500. The win allowed South Alabama to pull to 4-4 for the season.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Nov. 5
• Where: Monroe, Louisiana
• What went down: Marcus Green caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Caleb Evans in overtime, and the Warhawks beat the Jaguars by a score. Louisiana-Monroe sacked Davis on fourth-and-long on USA’s overtime possession to seal it.
• The big number: 2. Thomas Koufie scored fourth-quarter touchdowns of 9 and 2 yards to give Monroe the lead in regulation. USA tied it on Dami Ayoola’s 14-yard touchdown run with 50 seconds remaining.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Nov. 14
• Where: Mobile
• What went down: The Jaguars rushed for 251 yards and three touchdowns in a walkover win over its small-college foe. Florida and LSU bought out USA and Presbyterian, respectively, in order to reschedule an Oct. 8 game between the SEC foes that was postponed due to Hurricane Matthew. Rather than take added bye weeks, the suddenly richer Jaguars and Blue opted to play each other.
• The big number: 418. USA outgained Presby, 418-275.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Nov. 21
• Where: Moscow, Idaho
• What went down: Matt Linehan threw for 231 yards and Idaho topped the Jaguars to secure the program’s first bowl berth since 2009. USA had a chance to tie the game on its final possession, but ran out of time on the Vandals’ 32-yard line.
• The big number: 10. Jaguar cornerback Jalen Thompson finished with 10 tackles and intercepted two passes in the losing effort.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Nov. 28
• Where: Mobile
• What went down: Johnson rushed for a career-high 154 yards and three touchdowns and the Jaguars became bowl-eligible with a 7-point win over the visiting Aggies. It didn’t come easily: Josh Magee, Johnson and Ayoola all scored fourth-quarter touchdowns, part of a scoring bonanza that saw the teams combine to post 35 points.
• The big number: 984. The teams combined for 984 yards.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Sept. 3
• Where: Starkville, Mississippi
• What went down: Westin Graves’ 28-yard field goal missed wide left, and the upstart Jaguars held on to upset Mississippi State in the teams’ season opener. Dallas Davis completed 24 of 34 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns and hurdled a defender in the biggest win in South Alabama’s young program history. The Jaguars entered the game as 28-point underdogs.
• The big number: 17. South Alabama trailed Mississippi State 17-0 at halftime before rallying to win.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Sept. 10
• Where: Mobile, Alabama
• What went down: The visiting Eagles rushed for 304 yards and upset South Alabama, one week after the Jags’ program-defining win. South Alabama managed just three field goals, one week after hanging 21 points on a Southeastern Conference school.
• The big number: 16.5. Davis’ quarterback rating in Week 2 was ugly, due in part to his 50 percent completion clip and one interception.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Sept. 17
• Where: Lafayette, Louisiana
• What went down: Elijah McGuire scored on a 68-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to give the Ragin’ Cajuns a win over the visiting Jaguars. McGuire finished with 223 rushing yards.
• The big number: 2. South Alabama averaged just 2 yards per carry. The team ran 34 times for 74 yards in the loss.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Sept. 24
• Where: Mobile
• What went down: South Alabama’s defense stopped Nicholls’ Dontrell Taylor on a 2-point conversion try, giving the Jaguars a one-point win in overtime. The stop came one play after a South Alabama interception appeared to have ended the game; however, the play was called back due to an offside penalty.
• The big number: 103. USA running back Xavier Johnson rushed for 103 yards and two scores.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Oct. 1
• Where: Mobile
• What went down: Backup quarterback Cole Garvin threw for 241 yards and three scores, and the Jaguars took down their second big-school opponent of the season. SDSU entered the game ranked No. 19 nationally and was led by Donnel Pumphrey, who would go on to become the NCAA’s career rushing leader. USA outgained its visitors, 331 yards to 316.
• The big number: 3. South Alabama scored three fourth-quarter touchdowns to seal the win.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Oct. 15
• Where: Jonesboro, Arkansas
• What went down: Arkansas State scored two second-quarter touchdowns and added a third-quarter field goal to hold off a sluggish Jaguars team.
• The big number: 255. South Alabama managed just 255 yards of total offense.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Oct. 20
• Where: Mobile
• What went down: Brandon Silvers threw for a career-high 395 yards and Troy scored the final 18 points to win.
• The big number: 585. South Alabama surrendered 585 yards of total offense in the loss, the most all season.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Oct. 29
• Where: Mobile
• What went down: Gavin Peterson kicked a 30-yard field goal with 2 seconds remaining to break the tie and help South Alabama win its first Sun Belt Conference game and snap a two-game losing streak. The game-winner came after Georgia State called back-to-back timeouts in an attempt to “ice” the Jaguars’ kicker.
• The big number: .500. The win allowed South Alabama to pull to 4-4 for the season.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Nov. 5
• Where: Monroe, Louisiana
• What went down: Marcus Green caught a 7-yard touchdown pass from Caleb Evans in overtime, and the Warhawks beat the Jaguars by a score. Louisiana-Monroe sacked Davis on fourth-and-long on USA’s overtime possession to seal it.
• The big number: 2. Thomas Koufie scored fourth-quarter touchdowns of 9 and 2 yards to give Monroe the lead in regulation. USA tied it on Dami Ayoola’s 14-yard touchdown run with 50 seconds remaining.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Nov. 14
• Where: Mobile
• What went down: The Jaguars rushed for 251 yards and three touchdowns in a walkover win over its small-college foe. Florida and LSU bought out USA and Presbyterian, respectively, in order to reschedule an Oct. 8 game between the SEC foes that was postponed due to Hurricane Matthew. Rather than take added bye weeks, the suddenly richer Jaguars and Blue opted to play each other.
• The big number: 418. USA outgained Presby, 418-275.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Nov. 21
• Where: Moscow, Idaho
• What went down: Matt Linehan threw for 231 yards and Idaho topped the Jaguars to secure the program’s first bowl berth since 2009. USA had a chance to tie the game on its final possession, but ran out of time on the Vandals’ 32-yard line.
• The big number: 10. Jaguar cornerback Jalen Thompson finished with 10 tackles and intercepted two passes in the losing effort.
- Staff and Wire Reports
• Date: Nov. 28
• Where: Mobile
• What went down: Johnson rushed for a career-high 154 yards and three touchdowns and the Jaguars became bowl-eligible with a 7-point win over the visiting Aggies. It didn’t come easily: Josh Magee, Johnson and Ayoola all scored fourth-quarter touchdowns, part of a scoring bonanza that saw the teams combine to post 35 points.
• The big number: 984. The teams combined for 984 yards.
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