South Alabama Runs Past Georgia Southern 38-31

Saturday, November 5

Statesboro, GA

4 PM

Georgia Southern University

5-4 , 2-3

South Alabama

7-2 , 4-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

South Alabama

Georgia Southern

Jalen White gets around the edge for in a 54-yard touchdown run.

11/5/2022 8:01:00 PM | Football

Box Score Photo Gallery

The Eagles return to action at Louisiana Thursday.

By: Marc Gignac

STATESBORO – La'Damian Webb rushed 35 times for a career-high 247 yards and four touchdowns, and South Alabama allowed just seven points in the second half as the Jags rallied for a 38-31 Sun Belt football victory over Georgia Southern Saturday afternoon in Allen E. Paulson Stadium.

Webb carried six times for 73 yards on the decisive drive, and his 9-yard touchdown run with 5:50 remaining gave the Jags their first lead of the game and proved to be the game winner.

Georgia Southern picked up one first down on its next possession and elected to go for it on 4th-and-5 from the South Alabama 47-yard line with 4:23 to play. Kyle Vantrease completed a pass to Dalen Cobb, but the freshman was stopped short of the line to gain.

Webb ran twice for two yards, and on 3rd-and-8, Carter Bradley connected with Omni Wells on a swing pass for a 17-yard pickup. Webb ran for nine yards on first down, and Georgia Southern called a timeout with 1:53 to go. Webb went for 10 yards on the next play, enabling the Jags to kneel three straight times to seal the win.

Eagles of the Game:
Vantrease threw for 278 yards and a touchdown, and Derwin Burgess Jr. caught eight passes for 96 yards and a score. Khaleb Hood had seven receptions for 76 yards, and Jalen White ran 10 times for 65 yards and a touchdown.

Key Moments:
South Alabama overcome a 14-point second-half deficit, and the Jags scored touchdowns on three straight possessions to take their first lead of the game. Webb capped a 75-yard drive with a 5-yard touchdown run to make the margin 31-24 with three minutes left in the third quarter. After the Jags forced the Eagles to go 3-and-out, South Alabama drove 83 yards, and Webb scored again on a 5-yard touchdown run to tie the game 3:16 into the fourth quarter.

Georgia Southern (5-4, 2-3) led 24-17 at halftime and used a methodical drive to open a 31-17 lead on a 7-yard touchdown pass from Vantrease to Jjay Mcafee midway through the third quarter. Eight of the nine plays in the drive were passes, including a 30-yarder to Mcafee and an 18-yard completion to Burgess Jr.

The Eagles got off to a great start. On the second play from scrimmage, Khadry Jackson tipped a Bradley pass up in the air to himself, beat Bradley to the edge and had nothing but green turf in front of him. The 43-yard interception return for touchdown was the Eagles' first in over a year.

After the Eagle defense stopped South Alabama (7-2, 4-1) on 3rd-and-8 from its own 40, Vantrease tossed three straight completions for 24 yards, and then handed it off to White. White broke around the left side, tip-toed down the sideline and scored on a 54-yard run, giving the Eagles a 14-0 cushion 5:40 into the contest.

Key Stats and Notes:
- South Alabama picks up its first victory in Paulson Stadium (1-4).
- Vantrease increased his streak of games with a touchdown pass to nine.
- The teams combined for 20 penalties for 178 yards.
- The Jags gained 514 yards of total offense and ran for 321 yards.

Next Up:
The Eagles have a short week before traveling to The Pelican State to take on Louisiana Thursday night. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. on ESPNU.