WHAT: Louisiana-Monroe (5-1, 3-0 Sun Belt) at South Alabama (3-4, 2-1)

WHEN: 4 p.m., Saturday

WHERE: Hancock Whitney Stadium, Mobile

SERIES: Draw 5-5

TV: None (ESPN+)

LINE: South Alabama at 7.5

THIS GAME WILL DETERMINE IF: South Alabama can stay in the Sun Belt Conference West Division championship race.

RELATED: South Alabama looks for offensive consistency and reduced penalties

THREE THINGS TO LOOK FOR

1. Can South Alabama get its offense back on track?

The Jaguars have averaged just 17 points in their last three games in which they are 1-2. To beat ULM, South Alabama may not need to put up a lot more points, but it does need to improve its drives. Nineteen of the 25 points the Jaguars scored in their last game against inferior Troy came in the second quarter, and South Alabama will need more than 60 minutes to beat the Warhawks.

2. Can the Jaguars avoid momentum-killing penalties?

Bad times have really hurt South Alabama in recent weeks, especially in the loss to Arkansas State on October 5th. The Jaguars are the most penalized team in the Sun Belt Conference and one of the most penalized teams in the country. The violations range from being held up by tight ends to false starts by offensive linemen to pass interference and late hits by the defense. South Alabama will need to play with more composure to beat a disciplined team like ULM.

3. Will the trend of odd wins and losses continue in the US?

Since the end of 2022, South Alabama has not had a winning streak or losing streak that lasted longer than two games. This year the Jaguars started with two losses, then won two, then lost two. The good news is that the USA won their last game, so the trend suggests they will win this game. On the bad side, the Jaguars are 0-4 on Saturdays this season and 3-0 in midweek games. The weekend/weekday stats are probably meaningless, but South Alabama can erase them with a win against ULM.

KEY MATCHUP

South Alabama LBs vs. ULM RB Ahmad Hardy

Hardy has been the Warhawks' offense in many ways in recent weeks, amassing 309 yards and four touchdowns during ULM's three-game winning streak. The Jaguars have been excellent against the run and Blayne Myrick, Darius McKenzie and Dalton Hughes will have to keep Hardy from reaching the second level.

BY THE NUMBERS

3 – South Alabama's turnovers in seven games this season are the third-most in the country. Only Army (1), Vanderbilt (2) and Navy (2) among FBS teams have given the ball away less often than the Jaguars, although the Midshipmen have played one fewer game than the other three.