South Alabama tops Southern Miss for 1st road win since 2017

Updated Sep. 4, 2020 12:52 a.m. ET

Associated Press

HATTIESBURG, Miss. (AP) — Desmond Trotter threw for 299 yards and two touchdowns, Jalen Tolbert had 169 yards receiving and two scores, and South Alabama beat Southern Mississippi 32-21 on Thursday night for its first road victory since 2017.

South Alabama, which had five combined wins in its last two seasons, snapped a 15-game road losing streak.

Tolbert highlighted the first half with a 73-yard catch-and-run on the third play of the game. He added an acrobatic grab for a 31-yard score on South Alabama’s first possession of the second half for a 10-point lead.

Southern Miss pulled to 29-21 with under six minutes to play, but South Alabama sealed it with a eight-play, 59-yard drive ending in a 34-yard field goal by Diego Guajardo.

Jalen Wayne caught six passes for 101 yards, marking the first time in South Alabama's history to have two 100-yard receivers in the same game. Trotter also carried it nine times for 41 yards for the Jaguars (1-0).

Jack Abraham was 22-of-32 passing for 314 yards and Tim Jones made six catches for 139 yards for Southern Miss (0-1). Frank Gore Jr. added 32 yards on the ground.