G5 Football Daily

TAKEAWAYS: South Alabama Win Second Straight Postseason Game in Salute To Veterans Bowl

Kevin Barral

South Alabama Jaguars wide receiver Jeremiah Webb (81) clelbrates his touchdown catch with teammates against Western Michigan in the Salute to Veterans Bowl, held at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., on Saturday December 14, 2024.
South Alabama Jaguars wide receiver Jeremiah Webb (81) clelbrates his touchdown catch with teammates against Western Michigan in the Salute to Veterans Bowl, held at Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala., on Saturday December 14, 2024. / Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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Major Applewhite's South Alabama Jaguars earned him his first postseason win in his fourth try as an FBS head coach.

After South Alabama found themselves trailing 10-0, quarterback Bishop Davenport led the Jaguars' offensive outburst, scoring over 30-points for a third straight game and defeating the Western Michigan Broncos by a final score of 30-23.

Career night for Bishop Davenport

Hours before kickoff, quarterback Gio Lopez was reported to be out for the Jaguars bowl game. Starting the game would be redshirt sophomore Bishop Davenport, who completed 15 passes for 271 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for 85 yards and one touchdown.

Davenport's rushing touchdown came on a 50-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter of action. It was a career-high run for the Utah State transfer.

Jeremiah Webb with a record night

The South Alabama offense was down three key players, with one of those being Jamaal Pritchett, the team's leading receiver. Taking over the workload was redshirt senior Jeremiah Webb. He ended the night hauling in six receptions for 182 yards and two touchdowns.

For Webb, Saturday's performance marked a career-high in receiving yards and it was his first career multi-touchdown game. Webb's 182 receiving yards also marks the second most by a South Alabama receiver this season, with Jamaal Pritchett's 197 receiving yards against North Texas surpassing him.

Jaguars rushing offense doesn't miss a beat

Another offensive piece USA found themselves without was running back Fluff Bothwell, who entered the transfer portal. Taking over for the true freshman was Kentrel Bullock. He finished the night rushing for 130 yards and one touchdown on 17 attempts. It marked only his fourth 100-yard game of the season.

Broncos struggle on both sides of the ball

Despite taking an early 10-0 lead, the Broncos were being beat on both sides of the ball. The offense struggled to get anything going through the ground, somewhat atypical for them. The South Alabama defense limited them to 121 rushing yards, with their leading rusher having 45 yards on 11 attempts.

Quarterback Hayden Wolfe completed 17 passes for 196 yards, one touchdown and one interception. His lone touchdown pass came in the fourth quarter of action to make it a 23-20 game. His leading receiver on the night would be senior Kenneth Womack who caught five passes for 89 yards.

Defensively, this was a team that surrendered 186.3 rushing yards per game, the second-most in the MAC. They allowed a South Alabama team without their top running back to rush for 266 yards. Through the air, they allow 193.8 passing yards per game. They allowed the Jaguars, with a backup quarterback, to surpass those numbers.

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Kevin Barral
KEVIN BARRAL

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