South Alabama Head Coach Kane Wommack Admits his Team a Little Beat Up
STILLWATER – This saturday’s trip to Stillwater is a game that South Alabama (1-1) and their head coach Kane Wommach has had circled for this season. After losing last season at UCLA 32-31 in a game they easily could have won, the Jaguars have been hungry for another try at a Power Five school. After losing to a Power Five skin owner in Tulane 37-17 to open the season, South Alabama got their first win over Southeast Louisiana 35-17 last week. That win may have been more costly than you would like.
“Braylon McReynolds will be out for the foreseeable future, possibly the season,” Wommack said of his explosive home run hitter at running back. “We’ll see what postseason implications look like. He’s got a broken clavicle that we went ahead and had surgery this past week, got that fixed. The surgery was successful, things went well, so we’re looking forward to him having a good recovery.”
McReynolds was a contributor in the running game, the passing game, and also on special teams as a returner. He had barely got started this season, but in the 10-win 2022 campaign he averaged 23.1-yards per kickoff return. He also rushed for 331-yards and a 5.5-ypc average. He caught 21 passes for 226-yards and a touchdown.
Leading rusher La’Damian Webb (121-yards, two touchdowns, and a 7.6-ypc this season) is coming back from offseason surgery and the Jaguars were hoping for the “more the merrier” approach at running back. There is Kentrel Bullock, who is also helping carry the load in a run game that has been somewhat paltry overall.
“The surgery he had in the offseason was very successful,” Wommack said of Webb. “It was just about kind of easing him back into the load that he’s normally used to carrying. I thought he took a pretty big step forward the last two weeks — played in the game, got live reps and then got a pretty good load in practice. And that showed up on game day.”
“Kentrel Bullock is a very dynamic player, very explosive,” Wommack said of Bullock, who has 119-yards rushing and a touchdown this season. “We’ve already seen him do some things in the first two weeks. I think as he continues to get used to some of the reads in our run game, he’ll only get better. Pritchett have been operating. So I’m looking forward to seeing him step up this week, if need be.”
Starting wide receiver Devin Voisin is doubtful for the game at Oklahoma State. He left last week’s game vs. Southeastern Louisiana in the third quarter with an apparent knee injury after being tackled on the sideline.
“We’ll have some answers later in the week, where he is and what things look like for him moving forward,” Wommack said of Voisin. “But I would say questionable, but probably doubtful, for this week’s game.”
That could be serious as quarterback Carter Bradley and the passing game have been hitting on all cylinders. The Jaguars are averaging 225.5-yards passing a game and Voisin had five receptions for 77-yards and a touchdown.
On the defensive side of the football, Wommack expects to have safeties Jalen Jordan and Keith Gallmon back.
Jordan sat out the win over Southeast Louisiana with an ankle injury and Galmon was injured early in the game last Saturday and never returned/
Jordan did not play vs. Southeastern Louisiana after suffering a foot or ankle injury vs. Tulane. Gallmon sustained an undisclosed injury early in the SLU game and did not return.