# 2018 South Alabama Jaguars football team

The 2018 South Alabama Jaguars football team represented the University of South Alabama in the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Jaguars played their home games at Ladd–Peebles Stadium in Mobile, Alabama, and competed in the West Division of the Sun Belt Conference. They were led by first-year head coach Steve Campbell. They finished the season 3–9, 2–6 in Sun Belt play to finish in fourth place in the West Division.

## Preseason
### Award watch lists

Listed in the order that they were released
| Award | Player | Position | Year |
| Fred Biletnikoff Award | Jamarius Way | WR | JR |
| Ray Guy Award | Corliss Waitman | P | JR |
| Wuerffel Trophy | T.J. Brunson | LB | JR |

### Sun Belt coaches poll

On July 19, 2018, the Sun Belt released their preseason coaches poll with the Jaguars predicted to finish in third place in the West Division.
West Division :
| Predicted finish | Team | Votes (1st place) |
| 1 | Arkansas State | 49 (9) |
| 2 | Louisiana–Monroe | 37 |
| 3 | South Alabama | 26 (1) |
| 4 | Louisiana | 25 |
| 5 | Texas State | 13 |

### Preseason All-Sun Belt Teams

The Jaguars had five players selected to the preseason all-Sun Belt teams.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 6:00 p.m. | Louisiana Tech* | Ladd–Peebles StadiumMobile, AL | ESPN+ | L 26–30 | 13,457 |
| September 8 | 7:00 p.m. | at Oklahoma State* | Boone Pickens StadiumStillwater, OK | FSN | L 13–55 | 53,923 |
| September 15 | 6:00 p.m. | Texas State | Ladd–Peebles StadiumMobile, AL | ESPN+ | W 41–31 | 16,051 |
| September 22 | 7:00 p.m. | at Memphis* | Liberty Bowl Memorial StadiumMemphis, TN | ESPN3 | L 35–52 | 27,765 |
| September 29 | 2:30 p.m. | at Appalachian State | Kidd Brewer StadiumBoone, NC | ESPN+ | L 7–52 | 25,862 |
| October 6 | 2:30 p.m. | at Georgia Southern | Paulson StadiumStatesboro, GA | ESPN3 | L 13–48 | 17,622 |
| October 13 | 4:00 p.m. | Alabama State* | Ladd–Peebles StadiumMobile, AL | ESPN+ | W 45–7 | 16,231 |
| October 23 | 7:00 p.m. | Troy | Ladd–Peebles StadiumMobile, AL (Battle for the Belt) | ESPN2 | L 17–38 | 25,878 |
| November 3 | 2:00 p.m. | at Arkansas State | Centennial Bank StadiumJonesboro, AR | ESPN+ | L 14–38 | 20,671 |
| November 10 | 4:00 p.m. | Louisiana–Monroe | Ladd–Peebles StadiumMobile, AL | ESPN+ | L 10–38 | 14,096 |
| November 17 | 4:00 p.m. | at Louisiana | Cajun FieldLafayette, LA | ESPN3 | L 38–48 | 15,168 |
| November 23 | 2:00 p.m. | Coastal Carolina | Ladd–Peebles StadiumMobile, AL | ESPN+ | W 31–28 | 10,670 |
| *Non-conference gameAll times are in Central time |||||||

## Game summaries
### Louisiana Tech

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bulldogs | 7 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 30 |
| Jaguars | 0 | 7 | 6 | 13 | 26 |
at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, Mobile, AL
* Date: September 1
* Game time: 6:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 79 °F (26 °C); partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 13,457
* Referee: Steve LaMantia
* TV: ESPN+
Game information :
First quarter
LT - Jaqwis Dancy 8-yard TD run, Bailey Hale kick good, 8:41 (LT 7-0)
Second quarter
LT - Dancy 1-yard TD run, Hale kick no good, 13:18 (LT 13-0)
USA - Kawaan Baker 28-yard TD run, Gavin Patterson kick good, 7:54 (LT 13-7)
LT - Bobby Holly 1-yard TD pass from J'Mar Smith, Hale kick good, 0:34 (LT 20-7)
Third quarter
LT - Hale 23-yard field goal, 11:42 (LT 23-7)
USA - Baker 3-yard TD pass from Cole Garvin, two-point conversion attempt no good, 6:59 (LT 23-13)
Fourth quarter
USA - Maurice Mayo 5-yard TD run, Patterson kick good, 8:18 (LT 23-20)
LT - Adrian Hardy 8-yard TD pass from Smith, Hale kick good, 2:19 (LT 30-20)
USA - Baker 4-yard TD run, Patterson kick no good, 1:11 (LT 30-26)
Top passers
LT - J'Mar Smith - 19/29, 209 yards, 2 TD, 3 INT
USA - Cole Garvin - 7/16, 47 yards, TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
LT - Jaqwis Dancy - 15 carries, 144 yards, 2 TD
USA - Evan Orth - 2 carries, 74 yards
Top receivers
LT - Adrian Hardy - 3 receptions, 73 yards, TD
USA - Jamarius Way - 2 receptions, 31 yards :

### At Oklahoma State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jaguars | 7 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 13 |
| Cowboys | 14 | 17 | 10 | 14 | 55 |

### Texas State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bobcats | 17 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 31 |
| Jaguars | 3 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 41 |

### At Memphis

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jaguars | 7 | 14 | 6 | 8 | 35 |
| Tigers | 7 | 14 | 10 | 21 | 52 |

### At Appalachian State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jaguars | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Mountaineers | 21 | 21 | 3 | 7 | 52 |
at Kidd Brewer Stadium, Boone, North Carolina
* Date: September 29
* Game time: 2:35 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 71 °F (22 °C); partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 25,862
* Referee: Kyle Olson
* TV announcers (ESPN+): Harrison Battle, Pierre Banks
Game information :
First quarter
APP – Zac Thomas, 54-yard TD run, (Chandler Staton kick), 13:11 (APP 0–7)
USA - Kawaan Baker, 2-yard TD run, (Gavin Patterson kick), 6:12 (TIE 7–7)
APP – Jalin Moore, 7-yard TD run, (Chandler Staton kick), 5:37 (APP 7–14)
APP – Zac Thomas, 7-yard TD run, (Chandler Staton kick), 3:10 (APP 7–21)
Second quarter
APP - Corey Sutton, 2-yard TD pass from Zac Thomas, (Chandler Staton kick), 12:22 (APP 7–28)
APP – Jalin Moore, 2-yard TD run, (Chandler Staton kick), 4:45 (APP 7–35)
APP – Marcus Williams, 27-yard TD pass from Zac Thomas, (Chandler Staton kick), 2:41 (APP 7–42)
Third quarter
APP – Chandler Staton, 23-yard field goal, 0:46 (APP 7–45)
Fourth quarter
APP – Collin Reed, 3-yard TD pass from Peyton Derrick, (Chandler Staton kick), 3:04 (APP 7–52)
Top passers
USA – Evan Orth – 20/33, 225 yards, INT
APP – Zac Thomas – 8/18, 146 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
Top rushers
USA – Tra Minter – 9 carries, 44 yards
APP – Jalin Moore – 19 carries, 123 yards, 2 TD
Top receivers
USA – Kawaan Baker – 4 receptions, 89 yards
APP – Thomas Hennigan – 4 receptions, 65 yards
APP – Corey Sutton – 2 receptions, 46 yards, TD
Top defenders
USA – Nigel Lawrence – 7 tackles
APP – Akeem Davis-Gaither – 8 tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss (TFL)
APP – Tae Hayes – 4 tackles, interception :

### At Georgia Southern

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jaguars | 0 | 6 | 0 | 7 | 13 |
| Eagles | 7 | 10 | 10 | 21 | 48 |

### Alabama State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Hornets | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Jaguars | 7 | 21 | 10 | 7 | 45 |

### Troy

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Trojans | 16 | 15 | 0 | 17 | 48 |
| Jaguars | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |

### At Arkansas State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jaguars | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| Red Wolves | 0 | 14 | 14 | 10 | 38 |

### Louisiana–Monroe

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Warhawks | 10 | 14 | 14 | 0 | 38 |
| Jaguars | 7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 10 |
at Ladd–Peebles Stadium • Mobile, AL
* Date: November 10
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. CST
* Game weather: 74° · Sunny · SW – 11 mph.
* Game attendance: 14,096
* Referee: Jason Autrey
* TV: ESPN+
Game information :
First quarter
USA - Jordan McCray 34-yard TD pass from Cephus Johnson, Gavin Patterson kick good, 10:58 (USA 7-0)
ULM - Craig Ford 21-yard field goal, 7:27 (USA 7-3)
ULM - Caleb Evans 4-yard TD run, Ford kick good, 0:36 (ULM 10-7)
Second quarter
USA - Gavin Patterson 31-yard field goal, 9:34 (TIE 10-10)
ULM - Jonathan Hodoh 29-yard TD pass from Evans, Ford kick good, 6:24 (ULM 17-10)
ULM - D'Marius Gillespie 5-yard TD pass from Evans, Ford kick good, 0:22 (ULM 24-10)
Third quarter
ULM - Marcus Green 10-yard TD run, Ford kick good, 12:34 (ULM 31-10)
ULM - Evans 15-yard TD run, Ford kick good, 5:50 (ULM 38-10)
Leading Passers
ULM - Caleb Evans - 27/32, 367 yards, 2 TD
USA - Cole Garvin - 13/19, 95 yards
Leading Rushers
ULM - Marcus Green - 2 carries, 68 yards, TD
USA - Tra Minter - 12 carries, 61 yards
Leading Receivers
ULM - D'Marcus Gillespie - 7 receptions, 159 yards, TD
USA - Jordan McCray - 3 receptions, 45 yards, TD :

### At Louisiana

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Jaguars | 0 | 17 | 7 | 14 | 38 |
| Ragin' Cajuns | 10 | 14 | 17 | 7 | 48 |

### Coastal Carolina

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Chanticleers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 28 |
| Jaguars | 10 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 31 |