The 2024 Salute to Veterans Bowl will feature a pair of 6-6 teams from the Sun Belt and MAC. The South Alabama Jaguars will be playing close to home with the game at the legendary Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama. The Western Michigan Broncos will be making a long trip from the north. This will be the 11th installment of the bowl game, but the first under the new name. All previous games were known as the Camellia Bowl. The Sun Belt has had a representative nine times, going 5-4. For the MAC, they hold a 4-4 record. In 2014, South Alabama played in the inaugural game and lost 33-28 to Bowling Green. Western Michigan has never appeared in the bowl.
2024 Salute to Veterans Bowl
South Alabama Jaguars
The South Alabama Jaguars finished fourth in the Sun Belt’s west division this season with a 5-3 conference record. It was sort of a rebuilding year for the Jaguars with Major Applewhite taking over as head coach. The former head Kane Womack left the team after last season to become the defensive coordinator at Alabama. The team also had a 6-6 regular season in 2023 and closed it out with a 59-10 win over Eastern Michigan in the 68 Ventures Bowl. A highlight of the season was when South Alabama defeated the Troy Trojans in the annual “Battle for the Belt” game 25-9.
Offensively the Jaguars ranked second in the Sun Belt with 434.4 yards per game. They feature a balanced attack through the air (241.2 yards per game) and the ground (193.3 yards per game). South Alabama also averages 34.8 points per game. The unit is led by quarterback Gio Lopez and his top target Jamaal Pritchett. Lopez passed for 2,559 yards and 18 touchdowns. He also scored seven times on the ground. Pritchett was one of the best receivers in the Sun Belt this season. He led the conference with 1,127 yards. Pritchett also added 91 receptions and nine touchdowns. Leading rusher Fluff Bothwell will be missed after entering the transfer portal. Bothwell rushed for 832 yards this season and found the endzone 13 times.
The Jaguars’ defense was in the middle of pack this season. In total defense, South Alabama ranked seventh in the Sun Belt giving up 397.4 yards per game. The strength of the unit was against the run. They gave up 144.2 yards per game, and that total ranked second in the Sun Belt. On the flipside, the pass defense ranked next to last giving up 253.3 yards per game through the air. The defense is not without stars though. Defensive back Jaden Voisin led the conference with five interceptions on the season. The Salute to Veterans Bowl will be his final game. Linebacker Blayne Myrick led the team this season with 92 tackles and two sacks.
Western Michigan Broncos
The Western Michigan Broncos concluded the regular season with fifth place finish in the MAC at 5-3. The Broncos are led by head coach Lance Taylor who was in his second season. Western Michigan showed improvement by going from 4-8 last season to 6-6 this season. Saturday’s game will be their first bowl appearance since 2021. That year the Broncos defeated Nevada 52-24 in the Quick Lane Bowl.
The Western Michigan offense ranked fourth in the MAC this season with 374.4 yards per game. The strength was the rushing attack that ranked fourth at 188.2 yards per game. The Broncos led the conference in scoring with 29.4 points per game. The Western Michigan rushing attack features three backs in Jaden Nixon (874 yards), Jalen Buckley (657 yards), and Zahir Abdus-Salaam (567). The trio combined for 2,098 yards and 23 touchdowns. Senior quarterback Hayden Wolff was a solid performer during the season passing for 2,214 yards and 17 touchdowns. He threw just seven interceptions and completed 67% of his passes. Tight end Blake Bosma was a go-to target during the season with 37 receptions for 403 yards and six touchdowns. He entered the transfer portal on Monday, so the Broncos will need someone else to fill those shoes.
The defense had their struggles during the season. The Broncos ranked ninth in the MAC giving up 404.9 yards per game. The rushing defense ranked next to last giving up 186.3 yards per game. The pass defense was the strength of the unit. Safety Tate Hallock is a star for the Broncos and was second in the MAC with four interceptions. Hallock also collected 47 tackles on the season. Linebacker Donald Willis was an All-MAC selection and led the team with 99 tackles on the season. He also had one sack and one forced fumble.
Who Wins the 2024 Salute to Veterans Bowl?
South Alabama enters the game as the favorite and should have the home-field advantage by playing in their home state. The Broncos will be limited in the passing game and will need to rely heavily on their trio of running backs. South Alabama will need to be more reliant on the passing game with depth at running back being low. It will be a close game, but the Jaguars win 20-13.
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