Texas State outlasts South Alabama 45-38 in regular-season finale

Texas State denied South Alabama a shot at the Sun Belt Conference title with a 45-38 victory at Hancock Whitney Stadium on Friday.

The Bobcats outscored the Jaguars 24-10 in the final two periods, and took advantage of three second-half turnovers for the comeback win. South Alabama (6-6, 4-3 Sun Belt) is now eliminated from the possibility of a West Division championship and will await its bowl assignments on Dec. 8.

After South Alabama led 35-31 heading into the final quarter, Texas State used a 12-play, 90-yard drive to take a 38-35 lead with 11:39 to play. Jordan McCloud hit Joey Hobart from 17 yards away for the score, which came after the Bobcats had run the ball on eight straight plays.

South Alabama then drove to the Texas State 40, but the Bobcats’ Mannie Nunnery picked off a short Gio Lopez pass and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown and a 45-35 lead with 7:27 to play. Lopez got up limping after the play, and was replaced by Bishop Davenport on the following series.

Laith Marjan’s 21-yard field goal with 1:32 remaining pulled South Alabama within seven. The Jaguars failed on an onside kick attempt, however, and Texas State ran out the clock for the victory.

South Alabama led 28-21 at after a first half that saw numerous big plays by both teams. The Bobcats got rushing touchdowns of 8 yards by McCloud, 11 yards by Brad Jackson and 33 yards by Ismail Mahdi to take a 21-14 lead with 8:59 left in the second, but missed another chance to score when the Jaguars’ Devin Voisin made a leaping interception in the end zone early in the second quarter.

South Alabama scored on Fluff Bothwell’s 51-yard touchdown run and Blayne Myrick’s 33-yard interception return for a touchdown, then tied the game on Lopez’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Jamaal Pritchett with 3:59 to go before halftime. After an 18-yard punt gave the Jaguars the ball on the Texas State 25, Lopez ran for an 8-yard touchdown to put South Alabama up 28-21 with 2:06 to go in the second.

The Jaguars’ defense turned in another big stop just before halftime, after Texas State drove into the USA red zone. Myrick and fellow linebacker Darius McKenzie stopped Bobcats receiver Chris Dawn two yards short of the first down on third-and-7, and Texas State — which had used all three of its timeouts on South Alabama’s previous possession — could not get another play off or stop the clock (because it was fourth down) before time expired.

Texas State tied the game at 28-28 with a 12-play scoring drive midway through the third quarter, with Lincoln Pare leaping into the end zone from a yard out. After South Alabama fumbled at its 29, the Bobcats went up 31-28 on Mason Shipley’s 32-yard field goal with 2:34 left in the third.

South Alabama went back on top with a quick scoring drive, using just three plays. Bothwell broke loose for a 29-yard touchdown run — his second of the game — to make it 35-31 after three quarters before the Bobcats owned the fourth.

South Alabama now awaits a bowl game assignment, which will be announced on Dec. 8.