One of the more unusual stats regarding South Alabama’s 2024 football season is that the Jaguars are 0-4 on Saturday, but 3-0 on every other day of the week.
South Alabama (3-4, 2-1 Sun Belt Conference) last played last Tuesday, beating Troy 25-9 to win the “Battle for the Belt” for the first time since 2017. The Jaguars are back in action on Saturday this week, hosting first-place Louisiana-Monroe (5-1, 3-0) on homecoming at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
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Head coach Major Applewhite doesn’t see anything significant in his team’s inability to win on Saturday, though he acknowledges the schedule disruption a mid-week game can cause.
“The day of the week, I don’t know, I wish I could tell you,” Applewhite said. “I don’t get into stuff like that. … I just don’t think what day of the week you play has a damn bit of difference to do with how you play. I think it has to do with where your focus is, where your roster is, are you healthy, are you playing your starting quarterback?
“I think a lot of those things have a lot to do with winning games, not, is it Thursday or Wednesday or Friday? Yes, it’s all jumbled up, but that’s college football nowadays. Until they figure this thing out, we’re gonna be playing whenever Disney or ABC or ESPN or whoever it is wants us to play. That’s the reality of it.”
ULM is the surprise team in the Sun Belt if not in the country, having cast aside nearly three decades of mediocrity to stand in first place in the West Division at the halfway point of Bryant Vincent’s first season as head coach. The Warhawks have lost only to SEC power Texas, with conference wins against Troy and Southern Miss in addition to a 21-19 stunner over James Madison in Monroe on Oct. 5.
Vincent has roots in the Mobile area, having been a state championship coach at Spanish Fort High School in 2010 and a long-time assistant under program founder Joey Jones at South Alabama. Vincent was the Jaguars’ assistant head coach and offensive coordinator from 2015-17 in between stints on Bill Clark’s staff at UAB, and said he’s been impressed with what Applewhite has done in his first season as head coach.
“They’re coached extremely well,” Vincent said of South Alabama. “I’ve got a lot of respect for Major Applewhite. I’ve known him in this business a long time. I think he’s tough. I think he’s demanding. I think he’s a really good coach.
“… In time of possession, they’re second in the league, we’re third. So, possessions are gonna be at a premium in this game. I think they’re coached really well in all three phases and they play really good complementary football.”
South Alabama is coming off its biggest win of the season against Troy, and also knocked off preseason conference favorite Appalachian State on the road back on Sept. 21. The win over the Trojans came in the first of three straight home games, the next two against first-place teams (East leader Georgia Southern visits on Nov. 2). Despite ULM’s outstanding record, South Alabama has been installed as about a touchdown favorite to win on Saturday. The Jaguars average nearly 35 points per game, but the Warhawks — whose defensive coordinator is former South Alabama assistant Earnest Hill — haven’t allowed more than 21 to anyone other than Texas.
“They’re really good and Earnest has them playing extremely hard,” South Alabama offensive coordinator Rob Ezell said. “They’re extremely sound on defense, play with great technique, great discipline. And they’ve got good pressure packages, sound coverage, kind of force you to beat them, but also have the right mixture of that along with creating negative plays.
“So, they’re tough. You’ve got to be pretty sound and dialed into your game plan when you’re getting ready to play these guys.”
ULM is also one of three South Alabama opponents this season that are or were coming off a bye week when they face the Jaguars. Arkansas State also had extra rest when it beat USA 18-16 on Oct. 5.
But South Alabama will have had a 10-day break from playing by the time it hosts the Warhawks, giving it a better chance to rest and heal. Quarterback Gio Lopez (turf toe) and offensive guard Reed Buys (hamstring) are among those Jaguars players who have been dealing with nagging injuries.
Buys, arguably South Alabama’s top offensive lineman, did not start at right guard vs. Troy, but played a few series in the fourth quarter. Freshman Asher Hale started at left guard, with regular left guard Kenton Jerido moving to the right side.
“We’re just trying to figure out the best combinations with injuries — when to play, when to sit, is it too much time off?,” Applewhite said. “Is it better to play the older guy first or the younger guy? So we’re just working through all those things as you would on the offensive line about this time of year. There’s just a lot of maneuvering around. That’s why we do all that in spring ball and fall camp, so we can kind of see how those pieces many end up playing out in situations like this.”
Kickoff Saturday for South Alabama-ULM is set for 4 p.m. at Hancock Whitney Stadium. The game will stream live via ESPN+.
