MOBILE, Ala. – Tyrannace Brazil provided the only points of the second half on a seven-yard touchdown run, and Damian McGaskin forced a fumble at the goal line with a minute and a half remaining to lead the Blue to a 17-10 victory in the University of South Alabama football program’s annual Red & Blue Game Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

Brazil’s touchdown came with 7:37 remaining in the final quarter, capping a four-minute and 58-second drive that covered 80 yards in 12 plays.  After taking over with 45 seconds to go in the third period, Brandon Bridge connected with Jeremé Jones for a 16-yard gain and a first down on the first snap of the possession.  A 20-yard completion to Brazil helped move the Blue across midfield, with Bridge moving the chains again with a 10-yard completion to Wes Saxton on fourth-and-one at the Red-35.

Bryant Lavender caught a pass for nine yards, with the ball moving to the Red-7 after a personal foul called on the play, and two snaps later Brazil crossed the goal line to give the Blue a 17-10 advantage.

The Red had an opportunity to tie the contest on its ensuing possession, but McGaskin stripped Anthony Ingram at the two-yard line after a 67-yard gain on a completion from Myles Gibbon, leading to a touchback for the Blue team.  After a three-and-out, Byron Sneed sacked Trey Fetner for a loss of six yards, with Charles Watson stopping Austin Powell short of a first down on fourth-and-12 from the Red-43 to seal the victory.

“It looked like he got stripped,” observed Jaguar head coach Joey Jones.  “That’s a lesson on both sides of the ball; on offense, securing the ball all the way across the goal line is paramount, and defensively to never give up.  That was a great play to never give up.”

After trading interceptions to start the game, the Blue got on the board first after C.J. Bennett led the squad on a six-play, 61-yard drive that culminated with a three-yard Demetre Baker touchdown run.  Following a nine-yard rush from Baker, Bennett completed three straight passes to Jones, Tyrome Bivins and Baker, moving the team to the Red-10.  Baker picked up seven yards on first-and-goal before scoring with 6:40 remaining.

The Red team cut its deficit to four by answering with an 11-play march that ended with a 31-yard field goal from Michel Chapuseaux in the final minute of the opening quarter.  Trey Fetner went 4-for-4 on the drive for 44 yards, and Terrance Timmons collected 42 all-purpose yards including an 18-yard pick up to start the possession and a 22-yard catch on third-and-13 from the Blue 38-yard line.

Julien Valentin provided the Red with its only lead, 10-7, with three minutes to go in the opening half after he scored on a 45-yard run in which it initially appeared he was stopped for a short gain.  “It was a freaky play, I don’t know where it came from but I had to just keep fighting and keep going,” he explained.  “The next thing you know I’m in the open field and the ref is running with me, so I just ran as hard as I could to the end zone.

“I wanted to come in here and have fun, keep my mind clear and not think too much.  I just tried to play as hard as I could and make something happen for myself.”

Chapuseaux tied it up 41 seconds before the halftime break with a 28-yard field goal for the Blue, with Bennett hitting all but one of his six pass attempts in moving the team 64 yards in eight plays.  That included two completions to J.J. Keels — the second for a 35-yard gain —as the Blue advanced to the Red-11 before the drive stalled.

Keels, Bivins and Lavender all had three catches to lead the team, with Keels posting a squad-high 52 yards, while Jones and Baker recorded a pair of receptions each.  Bennett finished 11-of-14 passing for 128 yards, and Bridge completed 4-of-7 attempts for another 55, as the Blue picked up 192 of its 217 total yards through the air.

“We talked and bickered back and forth all week, it’s kind of fun going against each other and putting the pads on for real; in practice, they [the coaches] always want to stop you,” said Bennett.  “It was a friendly game, I thought everyone played well, and the Blue team came out on top.

“I think the offense is coming along great, as you saw here we are capable of some long drives and getting that ball moving.  If we take care of the ball, I think we have big things ahead of us.”

Jake Johnson paced the Blue with six total tackles, and he also intercepted a pass on the Red’s first snap of the day.  Dylan Hutto posted five stops, and Davin Hawkins and Dionté McDuffy collected four apiece.  The quartet of Logan Bennett, Jonathan Cameron, Robert Terrell and Watson joined McGaskin with three tackles each.

“I thought we did well, we’ve come a long way since the first practice of the spring,” stated Johnson.  “But we still have leaps and bounds to get better.  I was impressed with a lot of the guys, we were mixed and matched but we all showed great ability out there.”

Valentin had 88 yards on 10 carries, adding two receptions for 10 more, and Ingram ended with four catches for 98 yards as the duo shared game-high honors in all-purpose yards.  Timmons chipped in with 50 yards, with 26 coming on four rushes, and 24 on two receptions as well.

Fetner was 7-of-14 for 69 yards passing, with Gibbon finishing 3-of-5 for a team-best 84 yards through the air; the Red had 294 yards of total offense, with 131 coming via the ground attack and 163 passing.

Qudarius Ford, Darrius Morrow and Andrew Philon shared team-high honors for the Red, with each recording five total stops.  Justin Walker was credited with four, and Cordivido Grice, Desmond LaVelle and Pat Moore posting three apiece — the latter had a game-best 1½ tackles for loss.

“We kept both teams handcuffed — the defense could run a couple of fronts, the offense could only run so many plays,” Jones said.  “We achieved what we wanted to, I don’t think anyone was hurt badly.  Our evaluations through the first 14 practices were really what it was all about, we know where we are.”

The Jaguars will begin the 2012 season — their first competing in the Sun Belt Conference, and the last in a two-year transition to NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (formerly NCAA I-A) status — on Thursday, Aug. 30, with a home game against Texas-San Antonio.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com.  Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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