TROY QB Goose Crowder: 22 of 40, 347 yds, TD, 4 INT TROY WR Chris Lewis: 7 rec, 160 yds, TD TROY Offense: 2.2 yards per rush, 27% 3rd Down Conv. USA CB Ricky Fletcher: 7 tackles, INT USA CB Reggie Neely: 6 tackles, INT USA ILB Taylor Milton: 5 tackles, INT USA DE Lamondre Brooks: 1 tackle, sack, INT (Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week)
ULM QB General Booty: 21-31, 135 yds, TD, INT ULM Offense: 0.1 yds per rush, 4 first downs USA OLB Taylor Milton: 4 tackles, 3 TFL USA NT Maurice Strong Jr: 4 tackles, 3 TFL, sack USA CB Ricky Fletcher: 2 tackles, INT, TD (Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Week)
GSU QB Dexter Williams II: 28 of 46, 324 yds, TD, 2 INT GSU HB O.J. Arnold: 17 car, 35 yds, fumble (lost) USA S Wesley Miller: 6 tackles, TFL, 2 INT USA NT Maurice Strong Jr: 3 tackles, 2 TFL, 1.5 sacks USA DE Jalyn Durgan: 2 tackles, 2 TFL, 1.5 sacks
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Current Record
7-2, 5-0 Sun Belt
Season Rank (Sun Belt)
Scoring Defense: 2nd
Total Defense: 4th
Passing Defense: 10th
Rushing Defense: 1st (1st in nation)
Sun Belt Standings West
1. South Alabama, 7-2, 5-0
2. Texas State, 7-1, 3-1
3. Southern Miss, 5-3, 3-1
4. Louisiana, 6-2, 3-1
5. Troy, 4-5, 2-3
6. Arkansas State, 3-5, 1-3
7. UL Monroe, 1-7, 0-5 East
1. Marshall, 6-2, 4-0
2. Old Dominion, 5-4, 4-1
3. Georgia Southern, 3-6, 3-2
4. Coastal Carolina, 2-6, 1-3
5. James Madison, 4-4, 1-3
6. App State, 3-6, 1-4
7. Georgia State, 2-6, 0-4
Injury List
None
Upcoming Schedule
at Louisiana (6-2)
at Southern Miss (5-3)
vs. Texas State (7-1)
This pace is exhausting.
Who has been a player that has stepped up?
Who has been a play that's let you down?
Which player have you enjoyed controlling the most?
What do you think has been a key to you having the nation's #1 rush defense?
How has recruiting gone for the team with you leaving it on auto?
South Alabama DC Jerome Singleton downplays recent public praise but does not commit to South Alabama beyond 2024
Doug Dunning -- 247 Sports South Alabama Insider
The Jaguars are one win away from matching last year's win total and with Louisiana's loss to Texas State, are in poll position to represent the Sun Belt West division in a few weeks in the conference championship game. For all of his success in Mobile, that's something that former head coach Kane Wommack never accomplished in his three seasons with the Jaguars.
Major Applewhite's rehabilitation tour is off to a fantastic start after being fired at Houston but a name to watch in the coming weeks is South Alabama defensive coordinator Jerome Singleton who has been getting a lot of buzz among coaching circles as a name to watch come December for P4 defensive coordinator jobs.
"I look at a team like Colorado or Stanford and (Singleton) might be just what the doctor ordered to come in and fix their defense," said 247 Sports' Josh Pate in his most recent show, listing Singleton in his 35 Under 35 List which featured the top-35 assistants in college football under the age of 35.
Singleton has publicly shut down all rumors of him potentially being a 'one and done' at South Alabama, citing that Applewhite is 'building something special' at South Alabama.
"If I didn't believe in (Applewhite) vision, I wouldn't have moved my family here," said Singleton, who acknowledged that situations are always fluid.
"I enjoy it here," added Singleton, "My family has been adjusting to the culture, the change of scenery and all that so it's not something that I take lightly but I also understand that these things change so all we can do is be fully committed to the task at hand and handle that when it gets there."
This pace is exhausting.
Who has been a player that has stepped up?
James Calhoun has been a surprise and entered the reason as a backup WILL but is now essentially a co-starter at MIKE with Taylor Milton. He's got 53 tackles with two interceptions and seven pass breakups.
Who has been a play that's let you down?
I thought DE Jalyn Durgan would be more of an impact player, just 1.5 sacks on the year but he does have six tackles for loss and helps out in the running game.
Which player have you enjoyed controlling the most?
I use different players and typically choose base on responsibility, not the player. I've been controlling FS Jaden Voisin a lot more when in Cover 3 and he's pretty fun and reliable
What do you think has been a key to you having the nation's #1 rush defense?
NT Maurice Strong had sixteen tackles for loss and we have four other players with 10+ TFL so just our guys shooting the gaps and making plays behind the line of scrimmage. I've also noticed that the AI abandons the running game way too early. The only team that kept at it was App State and they also had the best running performance against us. I don't think we're a great run defense, teams just don't run it against us and we're good enough to be efficient when they do
How has recruiting gone for the team with you leaving it on auto?
Not great. Coach Singleton has recently zero'd in on a safety prospect and if we do land him, it'll be the only recruit over a 1-star this cycle (article coming soon). We have the worst class in the Sun Belt and one of the worst in the country, ranked 123th. I think I'm going to have to manually recruit for the entire team next year or the team will be unplayable.
What are the tips? I'm about to start my DC career.
Avoid M2M unless you got the athletes for it. FCS teams are no longer pushovers. Do not let the CPU auto recruit, especially if you're a lower level school. I'd bump the injury sliders up to near 50, had no injuries the entire season at 35 even with wear and tear
