MOBILE (Interstat) — South Alabama used a balanced offense and timely defense to defeat Ohio 41-36 on Saturday, Sept. 19 at Hancock Whitney Stadium. The Jaguars improved to 2-1, while the Bobcats fell to 1-2. In a Football Bowl Subdivision game that featured rapid scoring and several momentum swings, South Alabama did enough late to protect its home field. Jared Hollins led the Jaguars with an efficient passing day, completing 13 of 20 attempts for 192 yards and one touchdown while adding 18 yards on five rushing attempts. Ohio quarterback Matt Vezza countered with 12-of-16 passing for 113 yards and two touchdowns, plus 46 rushing yards on nine carries, but the Bobcats could not complete the comeback.

South Alabama opened the scoring in the first quarter when Keenan Phillips broke through the middle for a 6-yard touchdown run with 12:07 remaining. Ohio answered later in the period when Vezza found Riley Neer on a short pass to the right that covered 5 yards for a touchdown with 4:37 left. The Jaguars regained the lead before the quarter ended as Hollins connected with Rod Gibbs on a short pass to the right that turned into a 34-yard touchdown with 1:39 remaining. That score gave South Alabama momentum heading into the second quarter. The Jaguars added to their lead early in the second when Trae’von Dunbar rushed through the middle for a 32-yard touchdown with 14:24 on the clock. Ohio’s defense tightened for much of the rest of the half, but South Alabama added a 32-yard field goal by Davis Little with 52 seconds left before halftime.

Ohio came out of the locker room with renewed energy in the third quarter. The Bobcats cut into the deficit when V. Rosa rushed through the middle for a 33-yard touchdown with 13:59 remaining. Less than two minutes later, Vezza again found Neer on a short pass to the left, this time for a 9-yard touchdown with 12:09 left in the quarter. That pushed Ohio closer and quieted the home crowd. South Alabama appeared to have a response when Hollins hit Keenan Phillips on a short pass to the left that went 64 yards to the end zone, but the touchdown was nullified by an illegal block in the back penalty. The Jaguars still managed to score later in the quarter when PJ Martin rushed through the middle for a 1-yard touchdown with 8:05 remaining.

South Alabama extended its advantage in the fourth quarter when Dunbar scored his second rushing touchdown of the game, a 5-yard run through the middle with 8:21 remaining. Ohio refused to fade. With 5:20 left, L. Davis completed a short pass to the left to AJ Miller for a 10-yard touchdown, and a successful pass attempt on the conversion added two more points. The Bobcats continued to pressure, but South Alabama’s defense made enough plays to keep the visitors from taking the lead. Little added a 21-yard field goal with 1:10 remaining to help seal the outcome.

Hollins was the top star for South Alabama, managing the offense with poise and distributing the ball to multiple playmakers. Jeremiah Jones-Thomas caught six passes for 74 yards. Micah Woods added a 49-yard reception. Gibbs finished with two catches for 33 yards and a touchdown. Keenan Phillips was productive on the ground and through the air, rushing 18 times for 116 yards, catching two passes for 25 yards, returning one kickoff for 8 yards, and scoring once. Dunbar carried six times for 52 yards and two touchdowns, while Martin rushed 21 times for 80 yards and one score. Defensively, Jordan Williams led the Jaguars with seven tackles. Parker Shattuck and Cole Blaylock each recorded six tackles. Shattuck also had half a sack and a quarterback hurry. Damyrion Darby posted four tackles and 1.5 sacks. Stephen Johnson, Christian Ross, and Bradley Thomas each made three tackles. Tre’Mon Henry, Tre Brown, and Jaylen Moson added four tackles apiece. D.J. Moore intercepted a pass for South Alabama. Aleksi Pulkkinen punted three times for 86 yards.

Ohio received a strong defensive effort from Michael Molnar, who recorded 16 tackles. DJ Walker added nine tackles, while JT Haskins and Ronald Jackson Jr. each had eight. Barry Dillon made six tackles. Evan Herrmann, Isaiah Street, and Kendall Bannister each finished with four tackles. Street also recorded a quarterback hurry. Bobby Miller and Nathan Hale each made three tackles. Vezza guided the Bobcats with two touchdown passes, and Neer was on the receiving end of both. Irving Brown had one reception for a loss of 5 yards. The Bobcats had entered the game after a 29-27 overtime win against Jacksonville State on Sept. 12 and a 49-21 loss at Nebraska on Sept. 5. South Alabama had lost 28-24 at Tulane on Sept. 12 and opened the season with a 39-14 win over Southeastern Louisiana on Sept. 5.

The Jaguars will next travel to Kentucky on Sept. 26. They then host Louisiana-Monroe on Oct. 3 before visiting Arkansas State on Oct. 8. South Alabama is scheduled to play at Marshall on Oct. 20, host Louisiana Tech on Oct. 31, visit Louisiana on Nov. 7, host Troy on Nov. 14, visit Southern Mississippi on Nov. 21, and host Appalachian State on Nov. 27. Ohio will host Stonehill on Sept. 26 before visiting Kent State on Oct. 3. The Bobcats then host Central Michigan on Oct. 10, visit Sacramento State on Oct. 17, host Eastern Michigan on Oct. 24, visit Akron on Nov. 3, visit Miami (Ohio) on Nov. 10, host Ball State on Nov. 17, and host Toledo on Nov. 27.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of South Alabama 33, Ohio 29. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Ohio with a 75.8 percent probability to win. Ohio had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of +6.5. The total score of 77 went under the over/under line of 48.5.