MOBILE, Alabama - Louisiana-Lafayette came into Saturday night's game against South Alabama with an 8-3 record, at least a share of the Sun Belt Conference championship and a spot in the New Orleans Bowl. But in the Ragin' Cajuns' final regular-season game, South Alabama looked more like the team that should be in the postseason. The Jaguars' 30-8 victory at Ladd-Peebles Stadium made USA bowl-eligible at 6-6, although that does not assure it of receiving a bowl invitation.

Louisiana-Lafayette had scored 225 first-half points, but trailed 30-0 at halftime. USA turned three Louisiana-Lafayette turnovers and a failed fourth-down attempt into 24 points, with Qudarius Ford capping the first half by returning an interception 42 yards for a touchdown with 16 seconds left in the second quarter.

The Cajuns were playing without regular quarterback Terrance Broadway, who suffered a broken arm in ULL's previous game, and they used freshmen Brooks Haack and Jalen Nixon in his place. The pair completed nine of their 26 passes for 143 yards and a touchdown with two interceptions.

Lousiana-Lafayette entered the game averaging a Sun Belt-best 221 rushing yards per game. The Cajuns had 69 against South Alabama.

Leading the USA defense were linebackers Enrique Williams, with eight tackles, and Pat Moore, with seven, including two behind the line of scrimmage.

USA running back Jay Jones rushed for 105 yards on 19 carries. South Alabama senior quarterback Ross Metheny completed 13 of 23 passes for 171 yards. He also ran for 46 yards.

An incomplete pass on a fake punt and two lost fumbles, including one on a kickoff, in the first quarter by Louisiana-Lafayette gave USA the ball at the Cajuns 48-, 28- and 30-yard lines.

Aleem Sunanon kicked the first of his three field goals - a 40-yarder -- to open the scoring, and running back Kendall Houston bulled in for two touchdowns in the first quarter.

South Alabama had to work harder for its next two scores -- second-quarter field goals of 19 and 20 yards by Sunanon - by going 83 yards on 12 plays and 77 yards on 10 plays before being stopped inside the Louisiana-Lafayette 5-yard line on both series.

The Cajuns, who had averaged scoring a Sun Belt-leading 37 points per game, had 114 yards in the first half and started the second half with five three-and-outs.

Louisiana-Lafayette ended that run of offensive futility by not only getting its first three first downs of the second half, but also getting on the scoreboard when Nixon hit Ricky Johnson with a 47-yard touchdown pass with 4:50 left to play. The touchdown came on the snap after the Cajuns' Alonzo Harris ran 14 yards on a fourth-and-1 snap.

South Alabama didn't do much on offense in the second half either - punting on its first six possessions before being stopped on downs after reaching the Louisiana-Lafayette 16.

South Alabama safety Charles Watson capped the game with two interceptions on Louisiana-Lafayette's final series. The first was wiped out by a roughing-the-passer penalty, but he came right back with another that counted with 38 seconds left in the game.

Louisiana-Lafayette finished tied at the top of the Sun Belt standings with Arkansas State with a 5-2 conference record. The Cajuns, who lost their final two regular-season games, still will play Tulane in the New Orleans Bowl on Dec. 21.

South Alabama closed its regular season with three consecutive victories.

Last season, Louisiana-Lafayette defeated South Alabama 52-30, the most points that USA has given up in one game in program history.

Fifteen of South Alabama's 28 seniors who played their final game at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on Saturday night had been with the USA program since its first season in 2009.