South Alabamaâs Wommack updates status of 3 injured players
South Alabama running back Braylon McReynolds is “very questionable” to play vs. Southeastern Louisiana, head coach Kane Wommack said Monday.
Safeties Yam Banks and Jalen Jordan should be ready by Saturday, however, Wommack said. All three were injured during the season-opening 37-17 loss at Tulane.
RELATED: 5 takeaways from South Alabama’s 37-17 loss to Tulane
“Yam is doing fine and moving in the direction that he’s going to play,” Wommack said. “I think Braylon will be very questionable for this upcoming Saturday, but we’ll find out a little bit more information later in the week. Jalen Jordan, same deal. We’ll find out a little bit more as we (practice) here later in the week.
“But optimistic for Jalen. Yam’s going to play; he’ll be fine. And Braylon, I would say, it would be questionable.”
McReynolds, the primary backup to starting running back La’Damian Webb, suffered a shoulder injury while returning a kickoff in the second quarter vs. Tulane. With McReynolds out the lineup, Ole Miss transfer Kentrel Bullock worked as the No. 2 running back behind Webb the rest of the way.
Banks, a preseason All-Sun Belt Conference pick, suffered what appeared to be a head injury while forcing a fumble on the opening series of the third quarter. Walk-on Christopher Wallace filled in at Husky (nickel) safety the rest of the way.
Jordan, who rotated at free safety and rover with starters Keith Gallmon and Jaden Voisin, suffered a foot injury early in the game. Baylor transfer Mike Harris played most of the second half at free safety.
• South Alabama was penalized seven times for 60 yards on Saturday, but one was particularly confusing to Wommack and many other observers.
Long snapper Travis Drosos was hit with a kick catch interference penalty when he tackled Tulane punt returner Jay’Quan Jackson in the second quarter. Jackson had called for a fair catch on the play, but juggled the ball and grabbed it out of the air just as Drosos hit him.
“I’ll be honest, I needed some clarity myself on how we were supposed to handle that,” Wommack said. “What I was told, the ball goes on the ground, we all know that’s a live ball, we can go get it. If the ball is in his frame, in his cylinder, you’re still supposed to allow him to catch the ball. But if it goes slightly outside his cylinder, you can now hit him.
“And so to ask a young man moving 18 miles per hour down the field to make a split second decision when the ball is up in the air, I think that’s probably challenging. We’ll fix it moving forward and we’ll teach our players, but probably a bit of a nitpicky call.”
South Alabama was penalized 15 yards on the play, moving the ball from the Tulane 32-yard line the 47. The Green Wave scored a touchdown two plays later to go up 24-7.
• Ten newcomers saw their first action for the Jaguars on Saturday against Tulane, though none started.
Bullock saw action on both offense and special teams, totaling 81 all-purpose yards rushing, receiving and on kickoff returns. Wide receiver Javon Ivory, Memphis transfer, also played on offense, but did not catch a pass.
Defensive backs Jamarrien Burt, Brian Dillard and Reggie Neely all played on special teams. Burt transferred to South Alabama from Oklahoma, while Dillard and Neely came in from junior college.
Harris played several snaps at free safety in the second half, totaling two tackles. Linebacker Gavin Forsha, a Kansas State transfer, played both defense and special teams.
Offensive line transfer Reed Buys (Mississippi State) played a number of snaps at left guard, while lineman Jordan Davis (South Carolina) played on special teams. Jack Martin made his South Alabama debut as the team’s primary punter and holder, punting the ball 45 yards in his lone attempt.
• Linebacker James Miller will wear the honorary No. 5 jersey for Saturday’s home-opener vs. Southeastern Louisiana. Miller totaled seven tackles, with 1.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery, vs. Tulane.
Wide receiver Devin Voisin wore No. 5 vs. Tulane. The jersey is given to a different South Alabama player every week in honor of Anthony Mostella, who died in a motorcycle wreck in 2011.
• South Alabama kicker Diego Guajardo scored five points with a field goal and two extra points on Saturday, giving him a program record 244 points in his career. Aleem Sunanon, the Jaguars’ kicker from 2013-15, held the previous career record with 240 points.
South Alabama hosts Southeastern Louisiana at 4 p.m. Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium. The game will be streamed live via ESPN+.