It is not hyperbole to say the success or failure of South Alabama’s 2022 football season might be defined in the next 10 days.

The Jaguars (4-1, 1-0 Sun Belt Conference) open a two-game stretch on Saturday against Louisiana-Monroe (2-4, 1-2), then have a short week before facing arch-rival Troy in the “Battle for the Belt” on Oct. 20, a Thursday. Both games take place at Hancock Whitney Stadium and both will be nationally televised.

South Alabama would not necessarily lock up the Sun Belt Conference West Division title by winning its next two, but doing so would mark the Jaguars as the unquestioned front-runners for a spot in Dec. 3 Sun Belt title game. A 2-0 mark vs. the Warhawks and Trojans would also make South Alabama bowl-eligible for the first time in six years.

“We’re going to walk in here every week, and if we continue to take care of business, we’re going to say ‘these next games are important’ — because they are,” South Alabama coach Kane Wommack said. “When you start winning at a high level, every game becomes vitally important, because the standard has been set.

“Behind closed doors, those expectations are very high. We’re not going to talk about those things in the building and in the program, but I’m certainly aware of the implication of what every win will mean. We’re glad to be able to do that at home. I think that’s a huge advantage for us as we get geared up for this 10-day stretch.”

South Alabama is a 17-point favorite against Louisiana-Monroe, which is 0-3 on the road this season. The Jaguars are 3-1 vs. the Warhawks all-time in Mobile, including a 38-14 victory at Hancock Whitney in 2020.

USA and ULM have two common opponents, against which both are 2-0. The Jaguars beat Nicholls 48-7 on Sept. 3 and Louisiana 20-17 on Oct. 1; the Warhawks beat the Colonels 35-7 on Sept. 10 and the Ragin’ Cajuns 21-17 on Sept. 24.

“We did not play our best football against Louisiana, and I think our guys are well-aware of that,” Wommack said. “On one end, we were excited to get that win — and I think there’s something to be gained from responding after an emotional win. But at the same time, we recognize that we need to continue to get better in our process and make sure that we show up with more consistency, particularly in the first half, vs. Louisiana.”

South Alabama had the benefit of an open date last week, which ULM did not. The Warhawks lost 28-21 at home to unbeaten Coastal Carolina on Saturday.

The bye gave the Jaguars a chance to recover from a number of nagging injuries to key personnel. Wommack said the trio of tight end Brandon Crum, linebacker Quentin Wilfawn and cornerback Jamar Richardson — all of whom missed the Louisiana game due to injury, as well as offensive lineman Dontae Lucas — who was injured during the game — should be back on Saturday.

Tight end DJ Thomas-Jones continues to be evaluated after collapsing on the sideline during the third quarter at Louisiana, Wommack said. He also could return as soon as this week.

“We’re starting to move in the right direction with all those guys,” Wommack said. “That’s the nice thing about a bye week, you’ve got guys who are starting to move back toward game time and being able to execute.

“… DJ is doing really well. The tests we’ve had, in terms of getting him back to playing, have all come through positively. But there are more to come. I think we’re probably ahead of where we might be at this point, and that would mean potentially as early as this week, and probably not far after that if it is not this week.”

Louisiana-Monroe ranks last in the Sun Belt in both scoring offense (20.3 points per game) and scoring defense (35.3), though those numbers are a bit skewed by games at Texas (a 52-10 loss) and at Alabama (63-7). Against “peer” competition (Nicholls, Louisiana, Arkansas State and Coastal Carolina), the Warhawks are outscoring opponents by an average of 26.3-24.3.

Veteran quarterback Chandler Rogers is back for the Warhawks, having passed for 1,066 yards and six touchdowns this season. He threw for 369 yards and four touchdowns in last year’s 41-31 win over the Jaguars in Monroe.

“Defensively, if we start strong up front with our D-line and if we protect in the perimeter, we’ll be fine,” cornerback Darrell Luter said. “(Rogers) is really athletic, for sure. We have to watch out for that, just contain him. … You have to watch (his) eyes. He is fast, so if he starts to scramble, you have to take good angles on him as well.”

Kickoff Saturday for South Alabama-ULM is set for 6 p.m. at Hancock Whitney Stadium. The game will be televised live by NFL Network.