by Jeff Clark, Staff Writer
MONROE (GG) — The South Alabama Jaguars’ defense didn’t allow any points in the second half Saturday to help lead the Jaguars to a 26-14 victory on the road at ULM (University of Louisiana Monroe). The victory improves the Jags to 3-7 and 2-4 in the Sun Belt Conference.
The WarHawks jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, scoring on its first drive on an explosive 29-yard touchdown run by Bryalon McReynolds. Louisiana-Monroe would find the endzone one more time about midway in the first quarter on a fumble forced by Andre Mack that created a scoop-and-score for Noah Flemmings. The Warhawks did not score again the rest of the game.
“It took us a while to get going in the second quarter, but I was proud of the way the guys hung in there,” said South Alabama Head Coach Major Applewhite. “It’s daunting being down 14-0. We got a second-quarter score after spotting them seven points on the turnover. The way our defense played from that point on was phenomenal. We pitched a shutout, got multiple stops, and had a takeaway. Very proud of the way our team played in the second half.”
South Mississippi native running back Kentrel Bullock and quarterback Bishop Davenport led the Jags in scoring with two touchdowns each. Bullock found the endzone first after punching it in on a one-yard run early in the second quarter. Davenport would have two short runs for touchdowns in the third quarter, and Bullock had an eight-yard rush early in the fourth quarter to make the final score 26-14.
“It took us a while to get going in the second quarter, but I was proud of the way the guys hung in there. It’s daunting being down 14-0. We got a second quarter score after spotting them seven points on the turnover,” said USA Head Football Coach Major Applewhite. “The way our defense played from that point on was phenomenal. We pitched a shutout, got multiple stops, and had a takeaway. Very proud of the way our team played in the second half.”
Davenport went 17-23 for 162 yards passing. He also rushed for 50 yards and had two touchdowns. Bullock rushed for 85 yards on 20 attempts and had two rushing touchdowns. The running back scored the 20th rushing touchdown of his career in South Alabama’s win over ULM. He later scored again to get to 21. Bullock now owns 24 career touchdowns in a South Alabama uniform.
The Jags had 362 yards of offense compared to 154 total by the Warhawks. ULM was penalized eight times for almost 10o yards. The penalties proved costly for the Warhawks.
South Alabama will host its final home game of the season Saturday against conference and regional rivals Southern Mississippi Saturday, November 22. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile.
The Golden Eagles enter Saturday’s game with a record of 7-3 after falling to Texas State in their last outing, 41-14. Charles Huff is in his first season as head coach of the program, and owns an overall coaching record of 39-23. Braylon Braxton quarterbacks the Golden Eagles. He has accounted for 2,186 passing yards and 19 touchdowns to go with 220 rushing yards and another score.
South Alabama and Southern Miss have played each other five times previously with the Jaguars winning every one of those games. Most recently, South beat Southern Miss, 35-14, in Hattiesburg during the end of the 2024 season. Southern Miss is one of two FBS programs South Alabama has played more than once and never lost to.
(Photo by Aimee Cronan/The Gazebo Gazette via Associated Press. Story contributed to by Hunter Dawkins/The Gazebo Gazette via Associated Press)
