The postgame report: South Alabama 52, ULM 35

South Alabama piled up 570 total yards of offense — averaging 8.8 yards per play — and scored on five of its first seven possessions in a 52-35 homecoming win over ULM at Hancock Whitney Stadium on Saturday night.

Jared Hollins completed 14 of 19 passes for 321 yards and three touchdowns with zero interceptions, averaging a staggering 16.9 yards per attempt. The rushing attack added 249 yards on 46 carries behind three different backs who found the end zone. The Jaguars had their first 50-point game since an 87-10 rout of Northwestern State in 2024.

But the defense allowed ULM quarterback Aidan Armenta to throw for 355 yards and two touchdowns on 25-of-41 passing while the Warhawks racked up 442 yards of total offense — this from a team that entered the game 0-4 and averaging 21.3 points per game. Each time South Alabama pushed the lead to 24, ULM answered — cutting the deficit to 17 three separate times, including on the game's final drive to produce a final margin that made the game look closer than it was.

WHAT IT MEANS

South Alabama is 3-2 and 1-0 in the Sun Belt, its first 3-0 home start since 2022 and the best under Major Applewhite. The win extended the Jaguars' winning streak over ULM to five games and moved the all-time series to 8-5 in South Alabama's favor. It was also the first homecoming win since a 46-17 victory over ULM on Oct. 26, 2024, pushing the Jaguars to 11-4 in homecoming games. The Jaguars are now 4-5 in Sun Belt Conference home openers.

THE TURNING POINT

On the second play from scrimmage, Hollins hit Brendan Jenkins on a 72-yard touchdown — the longest pass by a South Alabama quarterback since Bishop Davenport connected with Jeremy Scott for 74 yards at Georgia State in 2025. The two-play, 75-yard drive took 52 seconds. On ULM's ensuing possession, Damyrion Darby forced a fumble that Masey Lewis scooped and returned 21 yards for a touchdown — South Alabama's first fumble return for a score since 2016 against San Diego State. The game was 107 seconds old and the Jaguars led 14-0. ULM never recovered.

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

Good: The run game was balanced and physical. Trae'von Dunbar led the way with 91 yards on 12 carries, including a 32-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. PJ Martin added 58 yards and a one-yard score on 13 carries, and Keenan Phillips chipped in 42 yards and a one-yard touchdown on 12 carries. Freshman Caleb Wynn provided a spark with 34 yards on just two carries, including a 32-yard burst. South Alabama scored a touchdown on its opening possession for the third straight home game. The offense converted 6 of 13 third downs (46.2 percent) and went 2-for-3 on fourth down.

Bad: The kickoff unit remains a work in progress. Three different kickers handled kickoff duties — Dylan Freebury (3 attempts, 63.0 average, 1 touchback, 1 out of bounds), Davis Little (5 attempts, 58.6 average, 0 touchbacks, 1 out of bounds) and Peyton Argent (1 attempt). Two kicks sailed out of bounds, giving ULM free field position. ULM also went 3-for-3 on fourth-down conversions, each one extending a drive that eventually produced points.

Ugly: ULM's Armenta outgained Hollins through the air, 355 to 321. The Warhawks topped their season scoring average by nearly 14 points, and too many of those yards came after contact. South Alabama's defense logged 3.0 tackles for loss and a sack but generated just two turnovers despite 41 Armenta pass attempts. Eight pass breakups helped, but not enough to offset the leaky run fits and missed tackles in space.

THE STATS THAT MATTER

10 points off turnovers, ULM 0 — Darby's forced fumble that Lewis returned for a touchdown accounted for seven, and Damyrion Darby also had the team's lone interception that set up another scoring drive. South Alabama created 10 points off two ULM turnovers. The Warhawks created none. In a game where the defense struggled, the turnover margin was the difference between a comfortable night and a nervous one.

ULM 3-for-13 on third down (23.1 percent) — For all the defensive issues, South Alabama's defense was stout on third down, forcing the Warhawks into fourth-down situations repeatedly. The problem: ULM converted all three of its fourth-down attempts, negating the third-down stops and keeping drives alive.

South Alabama 21 first-quarter points — A season high, topping the 19 scored against Southeastern Louisiana. The Jaguars' early avalanche — a 72-yard touchdown pass, a fumble return for a score and a rushing touchdown — put them in control before ULM could settle in. South Alabama led 31-14 at halftime after a Davis Little 37-yard field goal with six seconds left in the second quarter.

WHAT THEY SAID

Jared Hollins, on the offense's improvement up front:

"I think our strain up front has become a lot better as a unit. Those guys have played lights out from game one to now, but it just continues to gel and continues to get better. And obviously hitting our shots is a big thing. And I think something that we haven't been as good at in the past is capitalizing on those opportunities, and we just have to continue to get better and we can't get complacent in what we've done so far."

Anthony Eager, on having success after waiting for his opportunity:

"It's a blessing, for real. We had guys come in, you know, Jamaal Pritchett, Jalen Wayne. You had all those guys that had to wait, but I was learning from them, picking it up, and showing them I belong here too."

Masey Lewis, on the fumble return for a touchdown:

"I was just doing my job. It was a great play that Coach Orlando drew up, and I was able to just do my assignment. Shout out to Damyrion Darby. He made that play possible, pressured the quarterback, and I just did the easy part of catching the ball."

Major Applewhite, on Hollins:

"He did extremely well. There were some plays that weren't so well called, and there was some ad lib that went on, and he made great decisions with the football. Our wide receivers did a great job, the offensive line did a great job. Some of those balls, most of those balls, if not all those balls, don't get completed. There's not great protection. So pleased with his level of play and just continue to stay humble and go develop."

3 STARS

1. Jared Hollins, QB, South Alabama — 14-of-19, 321 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, 16.9 yards per attempt. The first South Alabama quarterback to throw for 300 yards since Gio Lopez tossed for 423 against North Texas in 2024. Added 24 rushing yards on seven carries.

2. Anthony Eager, WR, South Alabama — 4 catches on 8 targets for 168 yards and 2 TD, with a long of 69. Set a new career high, surpassing his previous best of 91 yards at LSU in 2024, and became the first Jaguar with at least 150 receiving yards in a game since Devin Voisin reached the mark against Tulane in 2025.

3. Masey Lewis, DL, South Alabama — 2 tackles (1 solo, 1 assist), 1 fumble recovery returned 21 yards for a touchdown, 1 quarterback hurry. His scoop-and-score 55 seconds after the opening touchdown set the tone for the entire game.

FINAL TAKEAWAYS

The two-quarterback system continues to give South Alabama distinct identities on offense. When Hollins is in, Applewhite opens the playbook vertically — the results were six completions of 15 yards or longer, including scoring strikes of 72, 35 and 69 yards. Hollins completed 73.7 percent of his passes and averaged 22.9 yards per completion. Anthony Eager's breakout performance gives the passing game a legitimate deep threat, and Brendan Jenkins' three-catch, 91-yard night with the game-opening 72-yard touchdown showed the Jags have multiple targets who can hurt defenses down the field.

The defensive concerns are real but not unfixable. Jordan Williams led the team with 10 tackles (2 solo, 8 assists), and Jayvon Henderson added seven tackles and two pass breakups. The secondary had eight breakups as a unit. But the tackling in space was poor — ULM ball carriers consistently broke first contact and turned routine stops into extended gains. Armenta's 355 passing yards were the most allowed by South Alabama this season, and the Warhawks' five scoring drives averaged 71.6 yards.

The special teams picture is mixed. Little was 7-of-7 on extra points and drilled a 37-yard field goal. The hands team on kick returns again did its job, the second time in three weeks it prevented an opponent from stealing late momentum. But the three-kicker rotation on kickoffs needs to settle into a primary option.

South Alabama now faces its toughest stretch of the season — at Arkansas State on a short week Thursday, then at Marshall on Oct. 20. The offense has proven it can score. The defense has to prove it can stop someone.

NEXT UP

South Alabama visits Arkansas State on Thursday, Oct. 8, at Centennial Bank Stadium in Jonesboro, Ark.