Lopez Cleared for Louisiana Game
South Alabama quarterback Lopez, who left his previous game with a concussion, has been cleared and will play in Saturday’s matchup against Louisiana-Lafayette. The team’s bye week allowed him the time to recover. Lopez had thrown only his second interception of the 2024 season before the injury. This year, he’s been highly efficient, with 14 touchdowns against just two interceptions, completing 150 of 230 passes for 1,889 yards. Additionally, he has 62 rushes for 393 yards (6.3 yards per carry) and four rushing touchdowns. Lopez’s performance will be put to the test against Louisiana-Lafayette, who currently leads the Sun Belt Conference.
Previous Game: Concussion Symptoms
In a 34-30 loss to Georgia Southern, Lopez had a solid outing, completing 22 of 30 passes for 257 yards, one touchdown, and an interception, along with seven rushes for 43 yards. He was removed from the game in the fourth quarter due to concussion-like symptoms and was unable to return. Backup quarterback Bishop Davenport stepped in, and Lopez’s status for the upcoming Louisiana-Lafayette game was uncertain, though head coach Major Applewhite expressed confidence that Lopez would be cleared in time.
Recent Performance: Solid but Not Needed
In South Alabama’s 46-17 victory over Louisiana-Monroe, Lopez didn’t need to do much, finishing 18-for-30 with 168 passing yards, one touchdown, and three rushes for 25 yards and a touchdown. The team dominated on the ground, rushing for 358 yards and six touchdowns. Through seven games, Lopez has thrown for 1,632 yards with a 13:1 touchdown-to-interception ratio and added 350 yards rushing with four touchdowns.
Clean Game in Win Over Troy
In a 25-9 win against Troy, Lopez completed 16 of 21 passes for 158 yards and one touchdown, adding 67 rushing yards and a touchdown on 11 carries. His performance was efficient, with no turnovers and a solid completion percentage of 76.2%. His season stats through six games were 110 completions on 170 attempts, totaling 1,464 passing yards and 325 rushing yards with six total touchdowns.
Solid Performance Despite Loss to Arkansas State
In a narrow 18-16 loss to Arkansas State, Lopez threw for 292 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception on 21 of 35 passing. He also added 54 rushing yards on 10 carries. Although it was his first interception of the season, Lopez’s TD-to-INT ratio remained strong at 12:1. He had his best rushing total of the season, bringing his season total to 258 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.
Challenges in Loss to LSU
In a tough 42-10 loss to LSU, Lopez threw for 171 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions, completing 16 of 22 attempts. His performance was solid, but he couldn’t keep pace with LSU’s offense. Lopez has struggled with fewer than 175 passing yards in back-to-back games, though he remains without an interception on the season, with a 10:0 TD-to-INT ratio.
Career-High Rushing Performance
In a dominant 48-14 win over Appalachian State, Lopez had a career day on the ground, rushing for 105 yards and one touchdown on seven carries. He also threw for 154 yards and two touchdowns. The redshirt freshman accumulated 259 total yards and scored three touchdowns in the game, continuing his impressive start to the season with a 9:0 TD-to-INT ratio through three games and 843 passing yards.
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