South Alabama coach Major Applewhite said Monday that he is hopeful quarterback Gio Lopez will be able to play Thursday night vs. Northwestern State after missing last weekend’s game at Ohio with turf toe.
Lopez, a redshirt freshman, was injured during the Jaguars’ Week 1 loss to North Texas, but played the entire game. He set a Jaguars program record with 432 passing yards and 497 yards of total offense in a 52-38 loss.
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“He’s doing just like he did last week,” Applewhite said. “He’s practicing as he can and our hope is to have him for the game on Thursday. If not, we’ll have to wait another week.”
Lopez participated in parts of practice last week and in preliminary warmups on game day. However, he sat out in favor of sophomore Bishop Davenport, who played the entire Ohio game behind center.
Davenport, a former Utah State transfer, completed 22 of 37 passes for 236 yards and a touchdown in a 27-20 Jaguars loss. It was his first extensive game action since he played in three games (starting one) as a true freshman at Utah State in 2022.
Braylon McReynolds, South Alabama’s starting running back, also missed the Ohio game with an undisclosed injury. When asked about McReynolds’ status for Thursday’s game, Applewhite replied “I think he’ll be back this week.”
South Alabama (0-2) hosts Northwestern State (0-2) at Hancock Whitney Stadium, with kickoff set for 6:45 p.m. It’s the the first of two straight Thursday games for the Jaguars, who also travel to Appalachian State for the nationally televised Sun Belt Conference opener on Sept. 19.
