2021 South Alabama Jaguars football team

The 2021 South Alabama Jaguars football team represented the University of South Alabama during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Jaguars played their home games at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile, Alabama. They competed in the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference.

2021 South Alabama Jaguars football
Conference	Sun Belt Conference
Division	West Division
Record	5–7 (2–6 Sun Belt)
Head coach	Kane Wommack (1st season)
Offensive coordinator	Major Applewhite (1st season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple spread
Defensive coordinator	Corey Batoon (1st season)
Base defense	Multiple 4–2–5
Home stadium	Hancock Whitney Stadium

2021 Sun Belt Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
East Division
Appalachian State xy		7	–	1					10	–	4
Georgia State		6	–	2					8	–	5
Coastal Carolina		6	–	2					11	–	2
Troy		3	–	5					5	–	7
Georgia Southern		2	–	6					3	–	9
West Division
No. 16 Louisiana xy$		8	–	0					13	–	1
Texas State		3	–	5					4	–	8
Louisiana–Monroe		2	–	6					4	–	8
South Alabama		2	–	6					5	–	7
Arkansas State		1	–	7					2	–	10
Championship: Louisiana 24, Appalachian State 16
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions y – Championship game participant Rankings from AP Poll

Prior to the season, South Alabama saw a near complete overhaul of its coaching staff, including Kane Wommack taking over as head coach, Major Applewhite taking over as offensive coordinator, and Corey Batoon taking over as defensive coordinator.

Preseason

Recruiting class

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40‡	Commit date
Jake Bentley QB	Lexington, SC	Opelika HS South Carolina Utah	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	–	Feb 3, 2021
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Jason Brooks DB	Mobile, AL	Mobile Christian	5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	–	Dec 16, 2020
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 73
Lamondre Brooks LB	Birmingham, AL	Huffman HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	–	Feb 3, 2021
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 73
Cole Daniels DL	Sumrall, MS	Sumrall HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	–	Dec 16, 2020
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Travis Drosos LS	Gilbert, AZ	Perry HS Colorado	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	–	Dec 16, 2020
	Star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:    ESPN:
Reid Gavin OL	Ellisville, MS	South Jones HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	325 lb (147 kg)	–	Dec 16, 2020
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 71
Dalton Hughes LB	Tupelo, MS	Tupelo HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	–	Dec 16, 2020
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 72
Trey Kiser LB	Sulphur, OK	Sulphur HS Northeastern Oklahoma A&M JC	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	–	Dec 16, 2020
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 70
Antawn Lewis OL	West Palm Beach, FL	Dwyer HS Louisiana Tech	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	320 lb (150 kg)	–	Dec 16, 2020
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:
Chris Rias LB	Carrollton, MS	J. Z. George HS Copiah-Lincoln CC	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	–	Feb 3, 2021
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 71
Lincoln Sefcik TE	Enid, OK	Enid HS Northeastern Oklahoma A&M JC	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	–	Dec 16, 2020
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 70
Edward Smith IV DL	Tuscaloosa, AL	Central HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	260 lb (120 kg)	–	Dec 16, 2020
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 70
Adrein Strickland OL	Panama City, FL	Mosley HS	6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)	320 lb (150 kg)	–	Dec 16, 2020
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 75
Jay'juan Townsend WR	Eufaula, AL	Eufaula HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	–	Dec 16, 2020
	Star ratings: Scout:   Rivals:   247Sports:    ESPN:   ESPN grade: 71

Source:

Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released

Preseason

Award	Player	Position	Year
Maxwell Award	Jalen Tolbert	WR	JR
Allstate AFCA Good Works Team	Keith Gallmon	S	JR
Biletnikoff Award	Jalen Tolbert	WR	JR
Ray Guy Award	Jack Brooks	P	SO
Wuerffel Trophy	Keith Gallmon	S	JR

Sources:

Sun Belt coaches poll

The Sun Belt coaches poll was released on July 20, 2021. The Jaguars were picked to finish third in the West Division.

West Division

Predicted finish	Team	Votes
1	Louisiana	49 (9)
2	Arkansas State	38 (1)
3	South Alabama	27
4	Texas State	25
5	Louisiana–Monroe	11

East Division

Predicted finish	Team	Votes
T1	Coastal Carolina	44 (6)
T1	Appalachian State	44 (4)
3	Georgia State	24
4	Georgia Southern	20
5	Troy	18

Sun Belt Preseason All-Conference teams

Offense

1st team

• Jalen Tolbert – Wide Receiver, JR

Defense

2nd team

• Keith Gallmon – Defensive Back, JR

Personnel

2021 South Alabama Jaguars football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 1 Desmond Trotter So WR 4 Jalen Wayne Jr WR 7 Jamel Thomas Jr WR 8 Jalen Tolbert Jr WR 9 Devin Voisin So QB 10 Tanner McGee  Fr WR 11 Nae'Saan Dickerson Fr WR 12 Cade Sutherland Jr QB 13 Jake Bentley Sr QB 14 Brian Garcia Fr RB 15 Joshua Carter So WR 16 Hunter Jednat Fr QB 17 Eli Gainey Fr QB 18 Tylan Morton Jr WR 19 Caullin Lacy Fr TE 20 Brandon Crum So RB 21 Jared Wilson So RB 22 AJ Phillips  Fr RB 24 Damean Bivins  Fr RB 25 Terrion Avery Jr TE 27 Jacob Hopper Fr RB 31 Bryan Hill Jr RB 33 John Tank Miller So TE 35 Lincoln Sefcik So TE 40 Destin Myers So TE 41 Cameron Hatcher-Owens So RB 44 Keaton Halfacre Fr TE 46 Todd Justice  Fr TE 47 Trent Tyre Jr OL 51 Tyler Jernigan So OL 52 Jack Green Fr OL 54 Antawn Lewis Jr OL 56 Cade Gothard Fr OL 58 Trey Simpson So OL 61 Max Smith  Fr OL 62 Zack Nerbonne Fr OL 63 Dustin Woodham Fr OL 65 Josh McCulloch So OL 67 Reggie Smith So OL 68 Nate Howard Fr OL 69 Kent Foster Jr OL 70 Luke Hammond Fr OL 72 John Gill  Fr OL 73 Hadon Merchant Jr OL 75 Wyatt Green So OL 79 Braden Moody  Fr WR 82 Parker Kahlert  Fr WR 83 Christian Wortham Fr WR 84 Victor McClinton Jr WR 86 Jay'juan Townsend Fr WR 88 Keyshawn Woodyard Fr	Defense Pos. # Name Class CB 1 Davyn Flenord Jr S 2 Jaden Voisin So ILB 3 A. J. Deshazor Jr S 4 Tré Young Sr CB 6 Devin Rockette Sr OLB 7 Chris Henderson Sr S 8 Patrick Rosette Jr ILB 9 Kelvin Johnson Jr ILB 10 Quentin Wilfawn Jr DL 11 Jamie Sheriff Jr S 13 CJ Thompson Jr CB 15 Yam Banks Fr S 16 DJ Exilhomme Sr CB 17 Ryan Melton So CB 18 Darrell Luter Jr. Jr CB 19 Dallas Gamble  Fr ILB 20 Latarius "Kado" Carr Fr OLB 22 CJ Rias So OLB 24 Shawn Jennings Sr CB 26 AJ Sims Fr S 27 Dewayne Betts Jr. Jr CB 28 Isaac Mason Fr S 29 Keon Voisin So DL 30 Charles Coleman III So S 31 Doug Sullivan  Fr S 32 Kwameh Lewis Sr S 33 Keith Gallmon Jr S 34 Nic Bunkosky  Fr ILB 35 Nick Ruggs  Fr CB 37 Brady Wiggins Fr OLB 39 Dalton Hughes Fr OLB 42 Zivaiishe Smith So ILB 45 Trey Kiser So ILB 46 Nick Mobley Jr DL 48 Gi'Narious Johnson Jr OLB 49 Christian Bell Sr DL 50 Jamall Hickbottom So DL 53 Ed Smith IV Fr DL 55 Maurice Strong Jr. So ILB 57 Sullivan Altman  Fr DL 81 Markes Johnson Jr DL 89 Zyon Walker Fr DL 90 Carlos Johnson Fr DL 91 Terry Perry So DL 93 Ethan Rinke  Fr DL 95 Brock Higdon  Fr DL 96 Cole Daniels Fr DL 98 Zeke Chapman Jr DL 99 Wy'Kevious Thomas  Fr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class LS 34 Cooper Charlton Fr K 36 Diego Guajardo So LS 37 Travis Drosos Fr LS 38 Gabe Adkins Fr P 89 Brady Phillips Fr P 92 Jack Brooks So P 94 Noah Karwacki  Fr P 97 Frankie Onate Jr	Head coach Kane Wommack (Southern Miss) Coordinators/assistant coaches Major Applewhite (Texas) Offensive coordinator/qb Corey Batoon (Long Beach State) Defensive coordinator/s Jamael Lett (Tennessee Tech) Special teams coordinator Rob Ezell (Alabama) Tight ends Earnest Hill (West Alabama) Running backs Michael Smith (Kansas State) Wide receivers Gordon Steele (LSU) Offensive linemen Landius Wilkerson (Tennessee Tech) Defensive linemen Dwike Wilson (Mississippi) Cornerbacks Will Windham (Mississippi State) Linebackers Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: 9 July 2021

Schedule

The 2021 schedule consists of 6 home and 6 away games in the regular season. The Jaguars will travel to Sun Belt foes Texas State, Louisiana–Monroe, Troy, and Appalachian State. South Alabama will play host to Sun Belt foes Louisiana, Georgia Southern, Arkansas State, and Coastal Carolina.

South Alabama will host two of the four non-conference opponents at Hancock Whitney Stadium, Southern Miss of the Conference USA and Alcorn State, from NCAA Division I FCS Southwestern Athletic Conference, and will travel to Bowling Green of the Mid-American Conference and Tennessee of the Southeastern Conference.

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	7:00 p.m.	Southern Miss*	Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, AL	ESPN+	W 31–7	20,156
September 11	3:00 p.m.	at Bowling Green*	Doyt Perry Stadium Bowling Green, OH	ESPN+	W 22–19	15,105
September 18	7:00 p.m.	Alcorn State*	Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, AL	ESPN3	W 28–21	15,204
October 2	7:00 p.m.	Louisiana	Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, AL	ESPN+	L 18–20	16,764
October 9	6:00 p.m.	at Texas State	Bobcat Stadium San Marcos, TX	ESPN+	L 31–33 4OT	16,223
October 14	6:30 p.m.	Georgia Southern	Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, AL	ESPNU	W 41–14	16,089
October 23	6:00 p.m.	at Louisiana–Monroe	Malone Stadium Monroe, LA	ESPN3	L 31–41	11,723
October 30	4:00 p.m.	Arkansas State	Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, AL	ESPN+	W 31–13	15,043
November 6	2:30 p.m.	at Troy	Veterans Memorial Stadium Troy, AL (Battle for the Belt)	ESPN+	L 24–31	26,211
November 13	1:30 p.m.	at Appalachian State	Kidd Brewer Stadium Boone, NC	ESPN+	L 7–31	29,348
November 20	6:30 p.m.	at Tennessee*	Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN	ESPNU	L 14–60	75,203
November 26	2:30 p.m.	Coastal Carolina	Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, AL	ESPN+	L 21–27 OT	13,242
*Non-conference game Homecoming All times are in Central time

Game summaries

Southern Miss

Southern Mississippi at South Alabama

1 2 3 4 Total Golden Eagles 7 0 0 0 7 • Jaguars 0 14 10 7 31 Date: September 4, 2021 Location: Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, AL Game start: 7:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 23 minutes Game attendance: 20,156 Game weather: 89 °F (32 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: 3 MPH Referee: Kevin Vicknair TV announcers (ESPN+): J. D. Byars (play-by-play) and Pat Greenwood (analyst)

Scoring summary 1 03:55 USM Trey Lowe 1-yard rush (Briggs Bourgeois kick) (16 plays, 73 yards, 7:56) USM 7–0 2 12:27 USA Trent Tyre 1-yard pass from Jake Bentley (Diego Guajardo kick) (5 plays, 68 yards, 2:23) TIE 7–7 10:29 USA Kareem Walker 5-yard pass from Jake Bentley (Diego Guajardo kick) (4 plays, 23 yards, 1:50) USA 14–7 3 11:48 USA Jake Bentley 1-yard rush (Diego Guajardo kick) (7 plays, 75 yards, 3:12) USA 21–7 09:51 USA Diego Guajardo 48-yard field goal (5 plays, 47 yards, 0:50) USA 28–7 4 00:44 USA Davyn Flenord 48-yard interception returned (Diego Guajardo kick) (0 plays, 0 yards, 0:00) USA 31–7

See also: 2021 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team

Pregame line	Over/under
USA –2.0	57

Statistics	Southern Miss	South Alabama
First downs	19	13
Total yards	259	300
Rushing yards	126	31
Passing yards	133	269
Turnovers	4	1
Time of possession	31:27	28:33

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern Miss	Passing	Trey Lowe	13/29, 133 yards, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Frank Gore Jr.	19 carries, 81 yards
	Receiving	Jakarius Caston	3 receptions, 38 yards
South Alabama	Passing	Jake Bentley	17/22, 269 yards, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Kareem Walker	18 carries, 26 yards
	Receiving	Jalen Tolbert	5 receptions, 168 yards

At Bowling Green

South Alabama at Bowling Green

1 2 3 4 Total • Jaguars 0 6 6 10 22 Falcons 8 0 11 0 19 Date: September 11, 2021 Location: Doyt Perry Stadium Bowling Green, OH Game start: 4:05 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 25 minutes Game attendance: 15,105 Game weather: 78 °F (26 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: SW 15 MPH Referee: Wayne Winkler TV announcers (ESPN+): Jim Barbar (play–by–play) and Tyoka Jackson (analyst)

Scoring summary 1 13:08 BGSU Team Safety (4 plays, -8 yards, 1:52) BGSU 2–0 04:53 BGSU Darren Anders 27-yard interception returned (Nate Needham PAT failed) (3 plays, 97 yards, 0:45) BGSU 8–0 2 14:14 USA Diego Guajardo 22-yard field goal (13 plays, 40 yards, 5:39) BGSU 8–3 00:06 USA Diego Guajardo 41-yard field goal (6 plays, 25 yards, 0:38) BGSU 8–6 3 11:44 BGSU Nate Needham 40-yard field goal (8 plays, 53 yards, 3:16) BGSU 11–6 10:16 USA Kareem Walker 1-yard rush (two-point pass conversion attempt failed) (6 plays, 75 yards, 1:28) USA 12–11 09:08 BGSU Andrew Bench 33-yard pass from Matt McDonald (Tyrone Broden two-point conversion rush) (4 plays, 83 yards, 1:03) BGSU 19–12 4 01:39 USA Terrion Avery 13-yard rush (Diego Guajardo kick) (16 plays, 87 yards, 6:59) TIE 19–19 00:00 USA Diego Guajardo 44-yard field goal (0 plays, 0 yards, 0:00) USA 22–19

See also: 2021 Bowling Green Falcons football team

Pregame line	Over/under
USA –14.5	48

Statistics	South Alabama	Bowling Green
First downs	21	10
Total yards	371	318
Rushing yards	114	10
Passing yards	257	308
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	35:29	24:31

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Alabama	Passing	Jake Bentley	29/46, 257 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Terrion Avery	20 carries, 82 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jalen Tolbert	7 receptions, 95 yards
Bowling Green	Passing	Matt McDonald	23/32, 308 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Terion Stewart	5 carries, 16 yards
	Receiving	Christian Sims	8 receptions, 76 yards

Alcorn State

Alcorn State at South Alabama

1 2 3 4 Total Braves 0 14 0 7 21 • Jaguars 7 0 21 0 28 Date: September 18, 2021 Location: Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, AL Game start: 7:05 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 4 hours and 42 minutes Game attendance: 15,204 Game weather: 80 °F (27 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: SE 4 MPH Referee: Trennis Livingston TV announcers (ESPN3): J. D. Byars (play–by–play) and Pat Greenwood (analyst)

Scoring summary 1 02:11 USA Kareem Walker 1-yard rush (Diego Guajardo kick) (12 plays, 70 yards, 4:31) USA 7–0 2 06:50 ALCN Jason Longcor 0-yard fumble returned (Cristofer Thompson kick) (3 plays, -6 yards, 2:33) TIE 7–7 01:49 ALCN Javonta Leatherwood 1-yard rush (Cristofer Thompson kick) (6 plays, 62 yards, 1:59) ALCN 14–7 3 12:12 USA Kareem Walker 13-yard rush (Diego Guajardo kick) (6 plays, 59 yards, 2:43) TIE 14–14 10:27 USA Kareem Walker 35-yard rush (Diego Guajardo kick) (1 play, 35 yards, 0:08) USA 21–14 03:37 USA Bryan Hill 11-yard rush (Diego Guajardo kick) (10 plays, 71 yards, 4:56) USA 28–14 4 14:19 ALCN Juan Anthony Jr. 2-yard pass from Felix Harper (Cristofer Thompson kick) (7 plays, 30 yards, 2:24) USA 28–21

See also: 2021 Alcorn State Braves football team

Pregame line	Over/under
USA –21.5	45

Statistics	Alcorn State	South Alabama
First downs	13	22
Total yards	297	396
Rushing yards	32	238
Passing yards	265	158
Turnovers	1	4
Time of possession	32:00	28:00

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Alcorn State	Passing	Felix Harper	20/33, 265 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jonathon Bolton	7 carries, 16 yards
	Receiving	CJ Bolar	5 receptions, 128 yards
South Alabama	Passing	Jake Bentley	14/25, 158 yards
	Rushing	Kareem Walker	23 carries, 150 yards, 3 TDs
	Receiving	Jalen Tolbert	2 receptions, 54 yards

Louisiana

Louisiana at South Alabama

1 2 3 4 Total • Ragin' Cajuns 14 6 0 0 20 Jaguars 0 6 6 6 18 Date: October 2, 2021 Location: Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, AL Game start: 7:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 11 minutes Game attendance: 16,764 Game weather: Rainy • Wind: SE 6 MPH Referee: Marshall Lewis TV announcers (ESPN+): J. D. Byars (play–by–play) and Pat Greenwood (analyst)

Scoring summary 1 14:02 LA Chris Smith 10-yard rush (Nate Snyder kick) (3 plays, 13 yards, 0:58) LA 7–0 11:10 LA Levi Lewis 22-yard rush (Nate Snyder kick) (4 plays, 57 yards, 1:24) LA 14–0 2 11:23 LA Emani Baileyh 15-yard rush (Nate Snyder PAT failed) (2 plays, 31 yards, 0:42) LA 20–0 01:33 USA Bryan Hill 1-yard rush (Diego Guajardo PAT blocked) (11 plays, 60 yards, 5:09) LA 20–6 3 04:20 USA Bryan Hill 2-yard rush (Diego Guajardo PAT failed) (8 plays, 79 yards, 4:33) LA 20–12 4 12:51 USA Jake Bentley 1-yard rush (Jake Bentley two-point conversion pass attempt failed) (10 plays, 55 yards, 4:47) LA 20–18

See also: 2021 Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns football team

Pregame line	Over/under
LA –12.0	53

Statistics	Louisiana	South Alabama
First downs	17	18
Total yards	283	387
Rushing yards	225	144
Passing yards	58	243
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	23:13	36:47

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Louisiana	Passing	Levi Lewis	9/20, 49 yards
	Rushing	Emani Bailey	7 carries, 81 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Neal Johnson	1 reception, 18 yards
South Alabama	Passing	Jake Bentley	19/29, 243 yards
	Rushing	Bryan Hill	22 carries, 81 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Jalen Tolbert	6 receptions, 143 yards

At Texas State

South Alabama at Texas State

1 2 3 4 OT 2OT 3OT 4OT Total Jaguars 0 17 0 7 7 0 0 0 31 • Bobcats 7 0 3 14 7 0 0 2 33 Date: October 9, 2021 Location: Bobcat Stadium San Marcos, TX Game start: 7:00 p.m. CDT Game attendance: 16,223 Game weather: Sunny Referee: Jeremy Parker TV announcers (ESPN+): Brant Freeman (play–by–play), Keith Moreland (analyst), and Koral Riggs (sideline reporter)

Scoring summary 1 14:04 TXST Javen Banks 57-yard pass from Brady McBride (Seth Keller kick) (3 plays, 76 yards, 0:51) TXST 7–0 2 14:56 USA AJ Phillips 6-yard rush (Diego Guajardo kick) (3 plays, 43 yards, 0:59) TIE 7–7 08:04 USA Diego Guajardo 35-yard field goal (7 plays, 40 yards, 2:49) USA 10–7 00:02 USA Lincoln Sefcik 1-yard pass from Jake Bentley (Diego Guajardo kick) (8 plays, 32 yards, 1:42) USA 17–7 3 03:54 TXST Seth Keller 43-yard field goal (6 plays, 35 yards, 3:48) USA 17–10 4 14:12 USA AJ Phillips 5-yard rush (Diego Guajardo kick) (9 plays, 75 yards, 4:42) USA 24–10 07:17 TXST Brady McBride 13-yard pass from Brady McBride (Seth Keller kick) (9 plays, 41 yards, 5:17) USA 24–17 00:17 TXST Jahmyl Jeter 1-yard rush (Seth Keller kick) (13 plays, 85 yards, 3:00) TIE 24–24 1OT USA Jalen Tolbert 12-yard pass from Jake Bentley (Diego Guajardo kick) (6 plays, 25 yards) USA 31–24 TXST Brock Sturges 4-yard rush (Seth Keller kick) (7 plays, 25 yards) TIE 31–31 4OT TXST Brady McBride two-point conversion rush TXST 33–31

See also: 2021 Texas State Bobcats football team

Pregame line	Over/under
USA –4.0	53

Statistics	South Alabama	Texas State
First downs	20	23
Total yards	329	399
Rushing yards	140	212
Passing yards	189	187
Turnovers	3	3
Time of possession	28:24	31:36

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Alabama	Passing	Jake Bentley	19/26, 189 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	AJ Phillips	19 carries, 74 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Jalen Tolbert	5 receptions, 84 yards, 1 TD
Texas State	Passing	Brady McBride	18/28, 187 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs
	Rushing	Calvin Hill	11 carries, 70 yards
	Receiving	Javen Banks	4 receptions, 104 yards, 1 TD

Georgia Southern

Georgia Southern at South Alabama

1 2 3 4 Total Eagles 0 8 3 3 14 • Jaguars 10 21 7 3 41 Date: October 14, 2021 Location: Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, AL Game start: 6:30 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 15 minutes Game attendance: 16,089 Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: S 5 MPH Referee: Kyle Olson TV announcers (ESPNU): Drew Carter (play–by–play) and Mark Herzlich (analyst)

Scoring summary 1 10:16 USA Jake Bentley 12-yard rush (Diego Guajardo kick) (10 plays, 84 yards, 4:44) USA 7–0 02:03 USA Diego Guajardo 42-yard field goal (11 plays, 61 yards, 3:58) USA 10–0 2 14:00 USA Jake Bentley 6-yard rush (Diego Guajardo kick) (7 plays, 55 yards, 2:12) USA 17–0 12:29 USA Jalen Tolbert 40-yard pass from Jake Bentley (Diego Guajardo kick) (1 play, 40 yards, 0:08) USA 24–0 09:08 USA Jalen Wayne 5-yard pass from Jake Bentley (Diego Guajardo kick) (3 plays, 70 yards, 1:27) USA 31–0 02:00 GASO J. D. King 2-yard rush (Justin Tomlin two-point conversion pass to Amare Jones) (15 plays, 75 yards, 7:08) USA 31–8 3 10:22 GASO Alex Raynor 44-yard field goal (10 plays, 48 yards, 4:38) USA 31–11 03:41 USA Lincoln Sefcik 5-yard pass from Jake Bentley (Diego Guajardo kick) (5 plays, 82 yards, 2:37) USA 38–11 4 14:50 GASO Alex Raynor 34-yard field goal (10 plays, 58 yards, 3:51) USA 38–14 04:55 USA Diego Guajardo 31-yard field goal (7 plays, 49 yards, 3:49) USA 41–14

See also: 2021 Georgia Southern Eagles football team

Pregame line	Over/under
USA –2.5	50

Statistics	Georgia Southern	South Alabama
First downs	10	20
Total yards	233	545
Rushing yards	121	140
Passing yards	112	405
Turnovers	1	0
Time of possession	30:02	29:58

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Georgia Southern	Passing	Cam Ransom	2/12, 63 yards
	Rushing	Logan Wright	14 carries, 60 yards
	Receiving	Amare Jones	4 receptions, 90 yards
South Alabama	Passing	Jake Bentley	24/31, 389 yards, 3 TDs
	Rushing	Bryan Hill	8 carries, 65 yards
	Receiving	Jalen Tolbert	11 receptions, 174 yards, 1 TD

At Louisiana–Monroe

South Alabama at Louisiana–Monroe

1 2 3 4 Total Jaguars 7 10 14 0 31 • Warhawks 7 17 14 3 41 Date: October 23, 2021 Location: Malone Stadium Monroe, LA Game start: 6:05 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 4 minutes Game attendance: 11,723 Game weather: 83 °F (28 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: S 12 MPH Referee: Trennis Livingston TV announcers (ESPN+): Mike Hammett (play–by–play) and David Griffith (analyst)

Scoring summary 1 12:37 ULM Andrew Henry 20-yard rush (Calum Sutherland kick) (7 plays, 75 yards, 2:23) ULM 7–0 04:18 USA Jalen Wayne 10-yard pass from Jake Bentley (Diego Guajardo kick) (8 plays, 62 yards, 4:30) TIE 7–7 2 12:30 ULM Jared Sparks 12-yard pass from Chandler Rogers (Calum Sutherland kick) (6 plays, 49 yards, 1:48) ULM 14–7 09:13 USA Diego Guajardo 28-yard field goal (7 plays, 55 yards, 3:17) ULM 14–10 05:23 ULM Calum Sutherland 39-yard field goal (10 plays, 53 yards, 3:50) ULM 17–10 01:24 USA Lincoln Sefcik 12-yard pass from Jake Bentley (Diego Guajardo kick) (9 plays, 65 yards, 3:59) TIE 17–17 00:04 ULM Boogie Knight 9-yard pass from Chandler Rogers (Calum Sutherland kick) (11 plays, 75 yards, 1:20) ULM 24–17 3 10:17 USA Jalen Tolbert 8-yard pass from Jake Bentley (Diego Guajardo kick) (10 plays, 75 yards, 4:43) TIE 24–24 06:28 USA Jalen Tolbert 40-yard pass from Jake Bentley (Diego Guajardo kick) (4 plays, 66 yards, 1:44) USA 31–24 03:57 ULM Fred Lloyd Jr. 21-yard pass from Chandler Rogers (Calum Sutherland kick) (6 plays, 75 yards, 2:31) TIE 31–31 01:07 ULM Will Derrick 81-yard pass from Chandler Rogers (Calum Sutherland kick) (2 plays, 82 yards, 0:35) ULM 38–31 4 06:28 ULM Calum Sutherland 40-yard field goal (10 plays, 51 yards, 5:32) ULM 41–31

See also: 2021 Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks football team

Pregame line	Over/under
USA –13.5	51

Statistics	South Alabama	Louisiana–Monroe
First downs	22	25
Total yards	409	555
Rushing yards	89	186
Passing yards	320	369
Turnovers	3	1
Time of possession	34:18	25:42

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Alabama	Passing	Jake Bentley	30/41, 320 yards, 4 TDs, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Terrion Avery	14 carries, 87 yards
	Receiving	Jalen Tolbert	10 receptions, 155 yards, 2 TDs
Louisiana–Monroe	Passing	Chandler Rogers	25/35, 369 yards, 4 TDs
	Rushing	Andrew Henry	18 carries, 88 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Will Derrick	5 receptions, 135 yards, 1 TD

Arkansas State

Arkansas State at South Alabama

1 2 3 4 Total Red Wolves 0 7 3 3 13 • Jaguars 14 14 0 3 31 Date: October 30, 2021 Location: Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, AL Game start: 4:00 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 21 minutes Game attendance: 15,043 Game weather: 59 °F (15 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: WNW 7 MPH Referee: Marshall Lewis TV announcers (ESPN+): JD Byars (play–by–play) and Pat Greenwood (analyst)

Scoring summary 1 10:48 USA Jalen Tolbert 13-yard pass from Jake Bentley (Diego Guajardo kick) (8 plays, 79 yards, 4:12) USA 7–0 05:47 USA Jalen Tolbert 30-yard pass from Jake Bentley (Diego Guajardo kick) (7 plays, 75 yards, 3:24) USA 14–0 2 08:10 USA Terrion Avery 2-yard pass from Jake Bentley (Diego Guajardo kick) (18 plays, 99 yards, 8:31) USA 21–0 06:21 USA Brandon Crum 14-yard pass from Jake Bentley (Diego Guajardo kick) (2 plays, 61 yards, 0:41) USA 28–0 06:06 ARST Alan Lamar 100-yard kickoff returned (Blake Grupe kick) (0 plays, 0 yards, 0:00) USA 28–7 3 10:05 ARST Blake Grupe 32-yard field goal (13 plays, 61 yards, 4:55) USA 28–10 4 06:22 ARST Blake Grupe 43-yard field goal (13 plays, 60 yards, 4:30) USA 28–13 04:06 USA Diego Guajardo 39-yard field goal (5 plays, 29 yards, 2:16) USA 31–13

See also: 2021 Arkansas State Red Wolves football team

Pregame line	Over/under
USA –9.0	66

Statistics	Arkansas State	South Alabama
First downs	14	23
Total yards	224	421
Rushing yards	38	173
Passing yards	186	248
Turnovers	4	1
Time of possession	24:19	35:41

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Arkansas State	Passing	Layne Hatcher	19/37, 186 yards, 3 INTs
	Rushing	Lincoln Pare	8 carries, 32 yards
	Receiving	Corey Rucker	4 receptions, 67 yards
South Alabama	Passing	Jake Bentley	29/39, 248 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Terrion Avery	22 carries, 113 yards
	Receiving	Jalen Tolbert	8 receptions, 94 yards, 2 TDs

At Troy

South Alabama at Troy

1 2 3 4 Total Jaguars 7 7 7 3 24 • Trojans 10 21 0 0 31 Date: November 6, 2021 Location: Veterans Memorial Stadium Troy, AL Game start: 2:35 p.m. CDT Elapsed time: 3 hours and 15 minutes Game attendance: 26,211 Game weather: 62 °F (17 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NE 13 MPH Referee: Trennis Livingston TV announcers (ESPN+): Will Kollmeyer (play–by–play) and Ben Stanfield (analyst)

Scoring summary 1 10:24 USA Desmond Trotter 4-yard rush (Diego Guajardo kick) (10 plays, 88 yards, 4:13) USA 7–0 07:15 TROY Brooks Buce 22-yard field goal (6 plays, 17 yards, 1:55) USA 7–3 00:56 TROY Jamontez Woods 3-yard rush (Brooks Buce kick) (11 plays, 85 yards, 4:14) TROY 10–7 2 10:10 TROY Tez Johnson 31-yard rush (Brooks Buce kick) (5 plays, 76 yards, 1:39) TROY 17–7 05:36 TROY Jamontez Woods 3-yard rush (Brooks Buce kick) (6 plays, 53 yards, 2:05) TROY 24–7 04:55 TROY KJ Robertson 32-yard interception returned (Brooks Buce kick) (2 plays, 3 yards, 0:41) TROY 31–7 00:09 USA Terrion Avery 11-yard pass from Desmond Trotter (Diego Guajardo kick) (9 plays, 47 yards, 1:32) TROY 31–14 3 01:22 USA Terrion Avery 3-yard pass from Desmond Trotter (Diego Guajardo kick) (19 plays, 76 yards, 9:52) TROY 31–21 4 06:45 USA Diego Guajardo 34-yard field goal (13 plays, 49 yards, 6:08) TROY 31–24

See also: 2021 Troy Trojans football team and Battle for the Belt

Pregame line	Over/under
TROY –3.5	48

Statistics	South Alabama	Troy
First downs	22	17
Total yards	335	308
Rushing yards	148	107
Passing yards	187	201
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	36:25	23:35

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Alabama	Passing	Desmond Trotter	20/32, 138 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Terrion Avery	23 carries, 75 yards
	Receiving	Jalen Tolbert	4 receptions, 65 yards
Troy	Passing	Gunnar Watson	11/14, 121 yards
	Rushing	B. J. Smith	12 carries, 49 yards
	Receiving	Luke Whittemore	3 receptions, 59 yards

At Appalachian State

South Alabama at Appalachian State

1 2 3 4 Total Jaguars 0 7 0 0 7 • Mountaineers 14 0 3 14 31 Date: November 13, 2021 Location: Kidd Brewer Stadium Boone, NC Game start: 1:35 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 6 minutes Game attendance: 20,348 Game weather: 39 °F (4 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: NW 16 MPH Referee: Wayne Winkler TV announcers (ESPN+): David Jackson (play–by–play) and Avery Hall (analyst)

Scoring summary 1 02:39 APP Chase Brice 6-yard rush (Chandler Staton kick) (10 plays, 85 yards, 5:09) APP 7–0 01:43 APP Corey Sutton 17-yard pass from Chase Brice (Chandler Staton kick) (2 plays, 21 yards, 0:40) APP 14–0 2 03:50 USA Jacob Hopper 27-yard pass from Desmond Trotter (Diego Guajardo kick) (1 play, 27 yards, 0:09) APP 14–7 3 02:18 APP Chandler Staton 25-yard field goal (12 plays, 88 yards, 5:02) APP 17–7 4 08:23 APP Thomas Hennigan 14-yard pass from Chase Brice (Chandler Staton kick) (9 plays, 51 yards, 4:07) APP 24–7 02:37 APP Trey Cobb 100-yard interception returned (Chandler Staton kick) (8 plays, 82 yards, 2:56) APP 31–7

See also: 2021 Appalachian State Mountaineers football team

Pregame line	Over/under
APP –21.5	52

Statistics	South Alabama	Appalachian State
First downs	17	17
Total yards	284	330
Rushing yards	58	135
Passing yards	226	195
Turnovers	2	4
Time of possession	30:05	29:55

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Alabama	Passing	Desmond Trotter	21/38, 226 yards, 1 TD, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Terrion Avery	11 carries, 24 yards
	Receiving	Jalen Tolbert	7 receptions, 108 yards
Appalachian State	Passing	Chase Brice	14/26, 195 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs
	Rushing	Camerun Peoples	23 carries, 90 yards
	Receiving	Jalen Virgil	2 receptions, 57 yards

At Tennessee

 

South Alabama at Tennessee

1 2 3 4 Total Jaguars 0 7 0 7 14 • Volunteers 14 21 14 11 60 Date: November 20, 2021 Location: Neyland Stadium Knoxville, TN Game start: 6:37 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 23 minutes Game attendance: 75,203 Game weather: 46 °F (8 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: N 1 MPH Referee: Jason Autrey TV announcers (ESPNU): Clay Matvick (play–by–play), Rocky Boiman (analyst), and Tiffany Blackmon (sideline reporter)
Scoring summary 1 11:13 TENN Jabari Small 1-yard rush (Chase McGrath kick) (11 plays, 62 yards, 2:00) TENN 7–0 06:14 TENN Jaylen Wright 17-yard rush (Chase McGrath kick) (9 plays, 88 yards, 1:57) TENN 14–0 2 10:37 TENN Cedric Tillman 27-yard pass from Hendon Hooker (Chase McGrath kick) (8 plays, 87 yards, 2:38) TENN 21–0 06:41 TENN Princeton Fant 24-yard pass from Hendon Hooker (Chase McGrath kick) (3 plays, 36 yards, 0:55) TENN 28–0 01:36 USA Lincoln Sefcik 3-yard pass from Desmond Trotter (Diego Guajardo kick) (10 plays, 75 yards, 5:05) TENN 28–7 01:18 TENN Velus Jones Jr. 96-yard kickoff returned (Chase McGrath kick) (3 plays, 2 yards, 1:04) TENN 35–7 3 12:06 TENN Jabari Small 3-yard rush (Chase McGrath kick) (7 plays, 84 yards, 1:54) TENN 42–7 07:29 TENN Hendon Hooker 6-yard rush (Chase McGrath kick) (8 plays, 64 yards, 2:57) TENN 49–7 4 12:50 TENN Len'Neth Whitehead 5-yard rush (Chase McGrath kick) (6 plays, 80 yards, 2:06) TENN 56–7 11:02 USA Jalen Tolbert 68-yard pass from Desmond Trotter (Diego Guajardo kick) (4 plays, 75 yards, 1:48) TENN 56–14 06:37 TENN Team Safety (3 plays, -9 yards, 1:40) TENN 58–14 02:43 TENN Team Safety (6 plays, 26 yards, 2:18) TENN 60–14

See also: 2021 Tennessee Volunteers football team

Pregame line	Over/under
TENN –28.0	61

Statistics	South Alabama	Tennessee
First downs	13	28
Total yards	285	561
Rushing yards	69	250
Passing yards	216	311
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	37:00	23:00

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
South Alabama	Passing	Desmond Trotter	19/32, 216 yards, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Kareem Walker	7 carries, 29 yards
	Receiving	Jalen Tolbert	7 receptions, 143 yards, 1 TD
Tennessee	Passing	Hendon Hooker	17/20, 273 yards, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Jaylen Wright	13 carries, 83 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Velus Jones Jr.	6 receptions, 103 yards

Coastal Carolina

Coastal Carolina at South Alabama

1 2 3 4 OT Total • Chanticleers 0 0 7 14 6 27 Jaguars 7 3 0 11 0 21 Date: November 26, 2021 Location: Hancock Whitney Stadium Mobile, AL Game start: 2:30 p.m. CST Elapsed time: 3 hours and 21 minutes Game attendance: 13,242 Game weather: 58 °F (14 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: N 15 MPH Referee: Marshall Lewis TV announcers (ESPN+): J. D. Byars (play–by–play) and Pat Greenwood (analyst)

Scoring summary 1 06:42 USA Lincoln Sefcik 8-yard pass from Jake Bentley (Diego Guajardo kick) (12 plays, 88 yards, 5:05) USA 7–0 2 12:14 USA Diego Guajardo 30-yard field goal (10 plays, 58 yards, 4:20) USA 10–0 3 02:24 CCU Jaivon Heiligh 10-yard pass from Grayson McCall (Massimo Biscardi kick) (19 plays, 95 yards, 9:27) USA 10–7 4 14:49 CCU Shermari Jones 75-yard rush (Massimo Biscardi kick) (2 plays, 82 yards, 0:17) CCU 14–10 11:14 USA Diego Guajardo 33-yard field goal (7 plays, 50 yards, 3:35) CCU 14–13 04:24 USA Jalen Tolbert 57-yard pass from Jake Bentley (Jake Bentley two-point conversion pass to Caullin Lacy) (2 plays, 75 yards, 0:24) USA 21–14 00:39 CCU Bryce Carpenter 2-yard rush (Massimo Biscardi kick) (10 plays, 82 yards, 3:45) TIE 21–21 1OT CCU Grayson McCall 25-yard rush (Massimo Biscardi PAT failed) CCU 27–21

See also: 2021 Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football team

Pregame line	Over/under
CCU –15.0	55

Statistics	Coastal Carolina	South Alabama
First downs	25	20
Total yards	491	349
Rushing yards	315	-5
Passing yards	176	354
Turnovers	3	3
Time of possession	32:52	27:08

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Coastal Carolina	Passing	Grayson McCall	16/25, 176 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Shermari Jones	23 carries, 211 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Jaivon Heiligh	6 receptions, 87 yards, 1 TD
South Alabama	Passing	Jake Bentley	28/41, 354 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs
	Rushing	Terrion Avery	6 carries, 11 yards
	Receiving	Jalen Tolbert	10 receptions, 191 yards, 1 TD