Alabama
Jaguar buzz: South Alabama hosts first-place Georgia Southern
WHAT: Georgia Southern (5-3, 3-1 Sun Belt) at South Alabama (4-4, 3-1)
WHEN: 6:30 p.m., Saturday
WHERE: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile
SERIES: Georgia Southern leads 7-2
TV: ESPNU
LINE: South Alabama by 6
THIS GAME WILL DETERMINE IF: South Alabama can get over the .500 mark for the first time all season and stay in the Sun Belt West championship race
South Alabama running game back on track behind Kentrel Bullock
THREE THINGS TO LOOK FOR
1. Will South Alabama end its bizarre up-and-down streak?
Dating to the end of the 2022 regular season, South Alabama has not won or lost more than two consecutive games at any stretch. The Jaguars began this season with two losses, followed by two wins, two more losses and then two wins. A victory over the Eagles would give South Alabama its first three-game winning streak in more than two years. The Jaguars would also stay in the hunt in the Sun Belt West, where they are one of three teams (along with ULM and Arkansas State) a game back of first-place Louisiana.
2. Can the Jaguars’ running game shine once again?
South Alabama ran all over Louisiana-Monroe to the tune of 355 yards, the most in program history against an FBS opponent. Georgia Southern is better against the run than the past, but it’s still likely the Jaguars will keep it on the ground at least in the beginning in order to keep the Eagles’ explosive passing game on the sideline. Look for a steady dose of Kentrel Bullock, Fluff Bothwell and maybe even Braylon McReynolds in the first half on Saturday.
3. Which Georgia Southern team will show up this week?
The Eagles have been even more Jekyll-and-Hyde than the Jaguars this season, looking dominant against the likes of Georgia State and James Madison, but needing a second-half miracle to beat Marshall before getting throttled by Old Dominion last time out. Georgia Southern doesn’t air it out quite as much under new offensive coordinator Ryan Aplin as it did in previous years, the Eagles have a tendency to turn the ball over (13 times in 8 games).
KEY MATCHUP
South Alabama QB Gio Lopez vs. Georgia Southern secondary
The Eagles have allowed a Sun Belt-worst 2,180 yards and 15 touchdowns through the air, but do have seven interceptions this season. Lopez has thrown just one pick all year, and could test the Georgia Southern secondary early and often with both his arms and legs.
BY THE NUMBERS
+10 — South Alabama’s turnover margin this season, second-best in the Sun Belt and tied for ninth among 133 FBS teams nationally.
Alabama
Oklahoma DC Zac Alley Alabama Postgame
Carson Field has worked full-time in the sports media industry since 2020 in Colorado, Texas and Wyoming as well as nationally, and he has earned degrees from Arizona State University and Texas A&M University. When he isn’t covering the Sooners, he’s likely golfing, fishing or doing something else outdoors.
Twitter: https://x.com/carsondfield
Alabama
Alabama Football at Oklahoma Injury Updates
NORMAN, Okla.–– The Alabama football team stayed relatively healthy in last week’s game against Mercer after suffering a few season-ending injuries in the weeks before with guys like Cole Adams and Que Robinson.
Adams, Robinson and defensive back on Keon Sabb are the only three Crimson Tide players who have showed up on the official SEC availability report this week as Alabama prepares to face Oklahoma on Saturday night. However, the Sooners have a long list of players on the report
Follow along for injury updates throughout Saturday’s game between the Crimson Tide and Sooners.
In-game injury updates
First Quarter
- 11:30- Overton is back on the field for Alabama’s second defensive series.
- 14:30- Alabama defensive tackle LT Overton goes down on the first drive of the game. He is brielfy looked at by medical staff, but is able to walk off the field on his own. However, he headed straight for the injury tent.
Pregame
Alabama Final Availability Report
- Keon Sabb, DB – Out
- Cole Adams, WR – Out
- Que Robinson, LB – Out
Oklahoma Final Availability Report
- Jayden Gibson, WR – Out
- Jalil Farooq, WR- Out
- Nic Anderson, WR – Out
- Andrel Anthony, WR – Out
- Gentry Williams, DB – Out
- Kendel Dolby, DB – Out
- Geirean Hatchett, OL – Out
- Jacob Sexton, OL – Out
- Jake Taylor, OL – Out
- Deion Burks, WR – Out
- Jovantae Barnes, RB – Game-time decision
- Joshua Bates, OL – Out
Read more: What Happened to the Players who Transferred From Alabama Last Year?
Why One Alabama Assistant Has Been Losing Sleep this Week
Where Alabama Football Ranks in the College Football Playoff Poll
Alabama
Oklahoma-Alabama GameDay Preview: Under the Radar
These can feel like grasping at straws sometimes, but in this case, I really think Jacob Jordan can be the difference for the OU passing game. Deion Burks probably isn’t going to play. Jalil Farooq has already been downgraded to questionable after he gave it a try two weeks ago at Mizzou. The return of those two players — for better or worse — did almost nothing for the offense in Columbia. Meanwhile, as the coaching staff inserted their stars back into the lineup, it came at the expense of Jordan, the true freshman walk-on who had blossomed in a three-week stretch, catching six passes for 86 yards against South Carolina, six for 38 and a touchdown at Ole Miss and three for 36 against Maine. At Mizzou? Jordan got to play one snap and was relegated to the end of the bench. OU defenders say he’s a frustrating player to cover because he runs such precise routes and catches almost everything. Also, when Jackson Arnold was benched and running the scout team, he developed some chemistry with Jordan. The Sooner staff would be wise to utilize him against the Crimson Tide.
— John E. Hoover
Alright, a Butkus Award semifinalist and the heartbeat of Oklahoma’s football team is probably too high-profile to qualify as “under the radar,” but it’s Senior Night and I’m going to bend the rules. Stutsman was everywhere against Missouri, totaling 19 tackles and preventing the Tigers from having much of a rushing attack at all. He’s going to say all the right things, but Stutsman’s final game on Owen Field means a great deal to him and his family, and I expect we’ll see another fantastic outing from the talismanic linebacker. And Oklahoma will need it. Jalen Milroe’s ability on the ground makes Alabama’s entire offensive operation go. The teams that have had success bottling him up, Vanderbilt and Tennessee, were able to upend the Crimson Tide. Any path to a shock OU victory runs through a night to remember for Stutsman — something he’s completely capable of on Saturday.
— Ryan Chapman
Even though Saturday marks Senior Day in Norman, the Sooners will be leaning heavily on a true freshman against the Crimson Tide. Coming off a career-high 56 yards on nine carries against Missouri, running back Xavier Robinson said he’s burning his redshirt seems to be in line for an increased share of the team’s carries this week when Alabama comes to town. If the Oklahoma City product has another strong performance, it could be enough to spark Oklahoma’s offense and keep the Sooners in contention against a formidable opponent who has been able to light up the scoreboard this season.
— Randall Sweet
The Sooners will need explosive plays to have a chance to take down Alabama. With receiver Deion Burks injured and sidelined again, the speedy Brenen Thompson might be OU’s best chance at a big play. Thompson has reached the end zone twice this season, and the last time was a 54-yard touchdown connection with Jackson Arnold, proving what Thompson is capable of if he and Arnold get the time they need. Alabama might also overlook the 5-foot-9 receiver and focus on a bigger threat like Jalil Farooq, possibly freeing Thompson, if even for one big play.
— Dekota Gregory
Oklahoma’s wide receiver room has been a hot topic of conversation all season long. The Sooners have been banged up and the passing game has been extremely quiet. Whether it’s the quarterback spot, the offensive line, or the short handed receiver group, it’s been an all-around failure. Jalil Farooq has been injured for most of the season, but returned to the lineup against Missouri two weeks ago. He was expected to have a breakout campaign, but injuries have hampered his time on the field. Farooq looked rusty in his first week back, and it looked like he might not fully trust his foot yet. With a bye week in the past, this is the time for Farooq to make a difference, though. Oklahoma will desperately need him with no other starting receivers healthy, and could force feed him early and often.
— Ross Lovelace
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