Jags Jungle picks: South Alabama at Marshall

It may feel like the 2026 season must have ended with the agonizing 56-49 victory at Arkansas State, but that is not correct. We've all been enjoying a Fun Belt-style bye, with a break from the Thursday night matchup in Jonesboro, through the following week until a Tuesday night game in Huntington, WV against Marshall, to be followed by another 10-day pause until a return home to take on Louisiana Tech.

The Arkansas State game featured some of the best and worst South Alabama football has to offer. The running game was on point, recording 296 yards with 5.9 per carry, including a final drive to end the game when the Red Wolves knew it was coming and couldn't stop it. The passing game only contributed 76 yards, but it didn't need to do any more than that. Even those who didn't watch the game can guess what the negatives were: the Arkansas State passing game looked like Kurt Warner had pulled a Chad Powers (Check it out on Hulu) and resurrected the Greatest Show on Turf that night as they torched the USA secondary for 418 yards and four touchdowns. It wasn't all negative for the stop troops, though. They did record a pair of sacks, generated three turnovers and forced a couple of punts. Just enough, it turned out, to eke out a win.

Now the Jaguars turn their attention to the Thundering Herd, who mounted an impressive comeback against Coastal Carolina their last time out but came up short in a 27-21 loss. A preseason darling to finish high in the East, injuries have contributed heavily to their 3-3 start, but they will undoubtedly be looking at South Alabama as their opportunity to turn things around.

Our panel weighs in on their chances of doing so.

Doug Konkel

Even though this game is not against an opponent from the West, this game still has significant importance for the Jags. A win would mean a 3-0 conference record and a tremendous head start towards winning the West, but also would be the team's fifth win of the season, meaning they would be one victory away from bowl eligibility with five more to play.

It's difficult to imagine this group of Jaguars not being able to score on just about anyone and I expect that will be true again this week. USA brings in the conference's third-best scoring offense (38.8 points per game) and third-best offense by yardage (437.8 yards per game) against a Marshall defense that is 11th in points surrendered (33.7) and 13th in yardage given up (447.3). The Herd gives up 5.5 yards per rush, one of the worst averages in the league, and has only registered a total of five sacks generated and five turnovers forced. Unless South Alabama uncharacteristically stops taking care of the football, there should be a fair amount of points scored.

Unfortunately, the same may hold true when Marshall has the ball. USA's defense stands only a little better than Marshall's in terms of yardage surrendered (429.0 yards per game) and slightly worse in points allowed (34.5 points per game). Meanwhile, the Herd moves the ball well through the air (247.8 yards per game) and on the ground (158.7 yards per game), but their tendency to turn the ball over (seven fumbles and seven interceptions) has contributed to their humble average of only 22 points per game scored.

One would think that another Arkansas State-style score may be in the offing, I don't think so. For one, Marshall has had a pretty long break themselves and will have had a couple of extra days to plan for the Jag offense, but, more importantly (I hope), I think there are reasons to think the South Alabama defense is ready to have a better showing than we've seen of late. Not only have they had the extra time to get healthy and game plan for Marshall, but I think recent comments by defensive coordinator Todd Orlando indicate that we may see more members of the talented freshman class getting snaps this week, but we may finally see veterans like DJ Moore and Emmanuel Waller finally able to return to the field after injuries have kept them away for much, if not all of, the year. A loss in West Virginia wouldn't be the end of the world (or season) for the Jaguars, but I don't think we'll need to worry about that. Put me down for expecting a win by the big cats over the noisy bovines in the neighborhood of 31-27.

Caleb Seaver

South Alabama did not play this past week, but what a week it was across the Sun Belt. James Madison announced their departure for the American and many fanbases across the Sun Belt have made their displeasure known. Marshall fans have been particularly upset with the direction the conference is headed and many fans have voiced their desire to separate from the Sun Belt west schools. South Alabama has a great opportunity to prove to that fanbase that west schools are (oftentimes more so) competitive.

This will be the first meeting between the two schools in Huntington, the only other meeting occurring in 2023. The Jags won that game 28-0 in Mobile. South Alabama has a lot to gain with a win, as they are undefeated in conference play. A loss would not be the end of the world though, as the Jags still have games against ULL, Troy and Louisiana Tech remaining. South Alabama enters this one fresh off back-to-back wins against Arkansas State and ULM. The offense has really been humming with Jared Hollins under center, South Alabama scoring more than 50 points in back-to-back games. The Jags are run-heavy and they have really run the ball well with both PJ Martin and Keenan Phillips playing a major role. Despite a quiet week against the Red Wolves, Hollins has also shown flashes of brilliance in games against Kentucky and ULM. The Jags will really look to exploit a weak Marshall run defense, so look for Phillips and Martin to play a very big role. Despite the great offensive play, the defense has struggled the past few weeks. South Alabama has been exploited in the pass game, really struggling to stop explosive plays. Arkansas State was able to throw for over 400 yards against the Jags.

The good news is, Marshall has struggled in their past three games. Losses against Coastal Carolina and James Madison, along with a last-second win against FCS Gardner-Webb. A fairly balanced team, but the offense has been the biggest weak point. Quarterback and Sun Belt preseason offensive player of the year Carlos Del Rio-Wilson getting benched in the loss against Coastal. If this wasn't troublesome by itself, head coach Tony Gibson actually said in a postgame press conference following the loss "I thought Carlos played horrible ..." They have not yet named their starter, but look for Marshall to rely heavily on the run game. Their defense has been decent, but they have really struggled against the run. It will be a tough environment for the Jags on Tuesday night, but they match up very well against the Herd. I'm taking the Jags to win in another close one, 33-31.

Tres Harrison

The Jags are fresh off a rest after a barn burner at Arkansas State. Offensively, the Jags have been clicking but defensively, there have been some struggles. That said, the Jags have shown up when it counted on many occasions. Never count the Jags out, but Marshall's Thundering Herd may just be an even greater road test than the Red Wolves if they've used their mutual rest wisely.

Marshall is, admittedly, dangerous on offense. When their offense gets to striking, the Herd aptly thunders. (Hilarious, I know.) They can put up yards and launch a comeback. This is something the Jags have allowed numerous times, but only once have not been able to withstand. Now, defensively, the Herd is not incredible. In fact, I would be so bold as to say they are not too good. But anyone can figure it out on the right night. What has truly troubled Marshall for much of the season, and may be hard to correct in a single bye week, is Marshall's generally embarrassing ball security problem. As lackluster as the Jags have been on defense in terms of tackling, they've been all over the turnover game. Combine that with the Jags' offensive ball security, and you've got a recipe for success.

Call me disgustingly optimistic, call me a fool. I truly believe that with the ball security issues that Marshall has had in recent days and their poor defensive performances all season, there shouldn't be much doubt in this game. If the defense can get a few stops (preferably takeaways), our passing game stays effective, and our Cerberus backs can get their feet pounding. I don't see a reason the Jags won't be 5-2 come Wednesday. In fact, should all three happen, I don't think it will be particularly close. All of this could happen if the Jags ride their momentum and keep their foot on the gas. I'll say they will and bring in a W. 45-31

South Alabama and Marshall will kick off from Huntington at 6:30 p.m. CT on Tuesday. This game will be carried by ESPN2, but the South Alabama broadcast on the Jag Radio Network with JT Crabtree, Pat Greenwood and the rest of the crew is the way to go for this one.

Radio — Varsity Network App, Hot 94.1 FM, JOX 660 AM, 104.1-HD3 FM

Sirius XM Channel 263 (channel will change weekly)

Website — http://usajags.co/ListenLive