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After getting stomped by Oklahoma State in their home opener, South Alabama was able to pick up a nice bounce back win against FCS Alabama A&M yesterday. Without starting quarterback Cole Garvin, Dallas Davis recorded his first start in 2017 as he threw for three touchdowns to pace the South Alabama offense.
The story of the night was the two non-offensive touchdowns South Alabama recorded in the first quarter. The Jags would block a field goal and Gus Nave would return it 83 yards for a scored right around the six minute mark. Three minutes later, defensive end Rocel McWilliams would recover a fumble in the endzone to put the Jags up 24-0 and it would be total domination from that point forward.
After struggling against a talented Oklahoma State defense, Dallas Davis bounced back strong as he threw for 255 yards on 12 attempts for two scores. Jamarius Way once again posted a solid game as he pulled in 85 yards on two receptions. For the year, the junior college transfer has nine receptions for 193 yards and is emerging as the best player on the offense. It was refreshing for South supporters to see Sa’Mory Collier and Jahmmir Taylor to make some big plays in the passing game against Alabama A&M.
The Jags were able to get 158 yards on the ground against the FCS competition as nine different players received carries. Denzel Foster led the team on the ground with 44 yards on 11 carries. But it was a very balanced attack and senior Xavier Johnson contributed two touchdowns.
It was another solid effort from the South Alabama defense and this group will be one of the best in the Sun Belt this fall. South pitched a shutout and held Alabama A&M to 172 total yards. For the season, the South Alabama run defense has been really strong as they are only giving 3.7 yards per carry to opponents.
Not much went well for Alabama A&M and they finished their FBS run 0-3 while being outscored 125-7. It’s going to be a long year for James Spady’s club in the SWAC.
Moving forward, this was a nice win for the Jags as the offense showed some signs of life after being dominated by Oklahoma State in their home opener. The defense continued it’s solid play and they could do some special things in the Sun Belt this fall. Dallas Davis looked much better this week at quarterback and some of the offensive woes should be solved as the competition level decreases. South Alabama will have a very solid chance this weekend to pick up a nice when Paul Petrino and the Idaho Vandals roll into Mobile.