MOBILE, Ala. – More eyes than ever will be on the University of South Alabama football team when it returns to action this weekend.

That's because the Jaguars' contest at Tennessee, which kicks off at 11:21 a.m. CDT Saturday at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, can be seen on television sets in 33 states — as well as Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico — with the game slated to be televised nationally on the SEC Network (for a full list of affiliates carrying the game, click here).

"Being on a national stage, seeing the name South Alabama on TV for three hours, is great for us.  It's something we are striving for — we want to be nationally known — and this is one step in that process," said USA head coach Joey Jones.  "We're excited about it, but one thing I have told our players is that this is not about TV, radio, the crowd, all of that really doesn't matter.  What matters is how good we are, how well we practice and how much we bring from the practice field to the game.

"All the other stuff is extra, though we certainly like having our name out there; for a young program in its first year in [NCAA] Division I, playing on national TV is exciting for us."

Another reason for an increased level of excitement within the Jag program is that, following a 31-24 Sun Belt Conference victory over Western Kentucky on Sept. 14, USA enters a game coming off back-to-back wins for the first time since November 2011.

Trailing the Hilltoppers by 11 at the break, the Jaguars evened the score on an Aleem Sunanon 43-yard field goal and four-yard touchdown run from Jay Jones in the third quarter before going on to force three turnovers in the final five minutes of the contest.  Tyrell Pearson's interception — the first of two in the waning moments — and 49-yard return set up a one-yard scoring run from Trey Fetner that provided the final margin of victory with one minute, 38 seconds left in regulation.

Offensively, USA recorded 414 yards against WKU while averaging more than six yards per snap, as Ross Metheny and Brandon Bridge combined to throw for 270 yards.  Bridge added 42 on the ground — he led the Jags to scores on all three of his drives after the intermission — while Metheny completed 11-of-15 attempts for 193 yards. Wes Saxton and Jeremé Jones collected four receptions each, with the former gaining a team-best 91 yards, while Jay Jones paced the ground attack with 11 carries for 49 yards.

Saxton is in the top 10 in the SBC in both receptions and receiving yards per game with 12 catches for 185 yards through three contests.  Jeremé Jones stands sixth in catches per game with a team-best 13 for 144 yards, and Shavarez Smith is immediately behind Saxton in receiving yards per outing with 181 on 10 receptions.  Metheny is among the league leaders in passing efficiency (third, 163.19 rating), total offense (fourth, 231.33 ypg) and passing yards per game (sixth, 198.33), while Jay Jones has rushed for 205 yards on 31 carries to stand fourth in the conference with 68.33 yards per contest.

The Jaguar defense comes into the game leading the Sun Belt allowing 372 yards per game, also ranking in the top three in rushing and pass efficiency defense as well as sacks.  Qudarius Ford and Enrique Williams are tied for the lead on the squad with 26 stops apiece — which is tied for third in the SBC — following three contests after recording 12 and 11, respectively, against the Toppers.  Charles Watson had eight tackles last time out, standing third on the team with 22 overall, while the trio of Romelle Jones, Alex Page and Clifton Crews are among the top 10 in the conference in sacks with a total of six combined; Jones and Page were credited with 1½ stops for loss each in the WKU win, with the latter also grabbing the first interception of his career and breaking up another pass.

Ford stands second in the league with five passes defended, while Pearson's performance marked the first time since Oct. 30, 2010, that a Jaguar picked off two passes in the same game.

In addition to Pearson being selected the conference Defensive Player of the Week after the win, Sunanon earned Special Teams Player-of-the-Week accolades with a career-best three field goals and two extra points in the victory.  The redshirt freshman paces the team with 25 points, leading the Sun Belt with 1.67 field goals per outing and ranking third in scoring.  USA has the best kickoff return unit in the league with an average of 27.40 yards per effort — T.J. Glover is second individually with 29.75 yards per return, also tying for fourth running back punts (6.00 ypr) — and is third with a net punt average of 37.10 yards per kick as Scott Garber is averaging 40.3 yards per effort.

"I think that our offense, defense and special teams are all one now, it's not a situation where one group is talking about the other," Jones explained.  "The defense went out on the field after we fumbled last week and said, 'Coach, we got it.'  They weren't complaining.  The offense went on the field after we gave up a touchdown and said, 'We got it.'

"That means you're part of the team.  It doesn't matter what the offense, defense or special teams do individually, it matters what we do as a whole, and I think our kids really understand that now."

The Volunteers enter the contest 2-2 having opened the season with victories over Austin Peay and Western Kentucky while scoring a combined 97 points before dropping back-to-back outings against nationally-ranked foes; after falling 59-17 at second-ranked Oregon, UT was defeated 31-17 by No. 19 Florida last week.

The Vol offense has been paced by the rushing attack, which ranks 46th in the country gaining nearly 200 yards per game as the top four members of the backfield are all gaining at least five yards per carry.  Raijon Neal heads the group with 299 yards and four scores on 55 attempts, while Marlin Lane has rushed for 214 yards and Deanthonie Summerhill 115.

Marquez North and Alton Howard have recorded 112 yards on 12 and eight catches, respectively — the latter has scored twice — while Josh Smith has added six receptions for 98 yards.  As a team, the Volunteers are averaging 141.5 yards through the air, and 341.2 overall, as Justin Worley has completed 56.2 percent (45-of-80) of his pass attempts for 521 yards.

Defensively, UT is paced by A.J. Johnson's 27 tackles, with Brian Randolph supplying 25 stops, Dontavis Sapp 21 and LaDarrell McNeil 20.  Randolph has two interceptions as well, while Marlon Walls has made four of his 11 stops behind the line of scrimmage.  The Volunteers are plus-three in turnover margin, and have run back three of eight interceptions for scores.

Michael Palardy handles both placekicking and punting duties for the Vols, leading the team with 26 points while ranking 26th nationally with an average of 43.8 yards per punt — he hasn't missed a kick on the year, making all three field-goal attempts and hitting 17 straight extra points.  Vincent Dallas stands 43rd in the nation averaging 23.5 yards per kick return, while Devin Young (2-21) and Jacob Carter (3-19) have combined to record an average of 8.7 yards running back punts.

"Probably just sheer size – they are huge on the offensive line, and the defensive line may be even bigger on the inside," Jones said his biggest concern is taking on the Volunteers.  "They have big linebackers, they have done a great job recruiting there.  That will probably be the biggest thing you see.

"And then just the fact that we are playing an SEC team," he continued.  "They lose by 14 points to one of the top 20 teams in the country last week, a lot of teams are going to lose by 14 points to a team like that, or by more.  They have a real good football team, I've been impressed with their coaching.  I watch film, I understand the guys are teaching technique, they are very well-coached in all phases.

"It's going to be a great challenge for us, but one our kids are looking forward to."

A challenge that can be seen by many from coast to coast as the Jaguar football program receives its most exposure to date.

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

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