Monday press conference previewing Georgia State
Jaguars taking the field vs UT-Martin
Anton Graphenreed joined head coach Joey Jones for Monday’s press conference at the University of South Alabama Football Fieldhouse.
Coach Jones opened the press conference with the following statement reflecting back on the Jags win over UT-Martin. “I thought our kids were extremely ready to play. They came out from the first play mentally, physically and emotionally ready to go. When you do that you’ve got a chance, and that was our challenge to them the last two weeks. We played a really good football team, in the first half I think our offense had it 48 plays and their offense had it 20 plays. We did all we could do to keep it away from their offense. Our defense came out and played great, and our offense kept it away from them in the first half, which was the difference in the half. We continued that in the third quarter and played really well, but in the fourth quarter their offense showed what it can do. They have a really good offense and scored 17 points in the quarter to make it a real close game there at the end.”
“I was real proud of our guys, I thought we played the game very well. We could’ve wrapped it up a little better, but as far as the way we played, I was extremely proud of that.”
Coach Jones commented on the homecoming crowd that was present for the game on Saturday. “It was a great crowd. One of the most exciting parts was getting off the bus when we went to the Jaguar Prowl, it’s probably the biggest crowd we have had for that since I’ve been here. They [the players] were excited, and the fans were very excited. The one thing our kids continue to do , they’re shaking hands and hugging little girls and having a good time walking through, it’s been a great tradition for us that I think will only get better and better as time goes on.”
When asked how well the defense played in the first three quarters, coach Jones answered with the following statement. “I think the whole team played well. The defense played real well, we stopped what they did well running the football, and that’s where you start trying to stop an offense. The stretch play — which is an outside running play — we did a great job of stopping that, and that was the best play they had in their offense. When they didn’t have that anymore, they had to resort to something else which I think helped. And again, offensively, keeping the ball away from them, running the clock, getting the third-and-twos and making it to move the ball as methodically down the field as possible; that’s the kind of team we are. And we didn’t have any turnovers. If we don’t have any, we have a chance to play with anybody.”
Coach Jones then began talking about this weekend’s contest in Atlanta against Georgia State. “As far as Georgia State, it all starts with the head coach. Bill Curry is a great football coach and a great man. They’re putting a program together like we are and have recruited some really good, athletic players. I have all the respect in the world for their coaching staff.”
“Offensively, quarterback Drew Little really makes them go. He gave us a hard time last year, completing a lot of passes. He’s a big guy, a Roethlisberger-type who is 6-foot-4, 250 pounds and can really deliver the ball. They’ve got two more quarterbacks that they’ve rotated into games, so you really don’t know what to prepare for other than to prepare for all of them. I think they are more athletic than they were on defense last year, they’ve done a good job recruiting real tall, rangy athletic guys. They run a lot of different looks, they’re real hard to prepare for from a standpoint of what we’re going to do so we have to cut our game plan down some offensively to be able to attack all the looks they have.”
Coach Jones was then asked what Georgia State does offensively that might concern him. “The biggest thing is the multiplicity of it, they have Kelton Hill who is a great runner and a good thrower, Drew Little is more of a thrower and not a runner, then you’ve got Schlechter, who is a combination of the two. The difficulty is being able to have plans when those guys come in the game, and our guys realizing when they come in and making adjustments accordingly.”
Another question asked about playing in a domed stadium again, the Jags won their previous experience in a dome against UT-San Antonio in double overtime. “That was a great atmosphere we played in at San Antonio. Our kids liked it, they really did. It was a little difficult to communicate with the crowd as loud as it was, but the kids really liked the atmosphere. I think they are very excited about going to the Georgia Dome, a lot of them haven’t been there so it will be the first time for most of them playing in the dome. It’s a great place and it’s their Homecoming so I would think they have a good crowd there as well.”
Jaguar cornerback Anton Graphenreed commented on the defensive performance in the first half against the Skyhawks. He said that they “We pretty much just stuck to what we practiced all week. I think we held on to our fundamentals a lot longer this game, especially in the first half. Everything was just dominant from the snap of the ball. I just wish we could have come out in the fourth quarter and put the nail in the coffin, but that’s something that we just have to work on and stay on each other about not letting up because no one is going to let up on us.”
Graphenreed also mentioned that this weekends game will be a bit of a homecoming for him being from Georgia. Lots of his family and friends will be there for the game. He also has experience in the Georgia Dome twice in high school.
He also said that last years game was similar to the last weekends game against UT-Martin. He said that the Jags jumped out early but didn’t finish well. He wants to make sure that they go out and not let up this weekend.
Jags hold on to 33-30 homecoming victory over UT-Martin
One of several punishing runs by Kendall Houston vs Tennessee-Martin.
South Alabama held on after a late charge by the UT-Martin Skyhawks to win 33-30. Although, their rally was aided by some questionable calls down the stretch by the officials.
South Alabama again did not play a complete game. They came out with an opening drive score but would continue to play well in the first three quarters. However the fourth quarter would see the Skyhawks put up 17 unanswered points.
The first half was all Jaguars statistically. They rolled up 239 yards to only 64 for the Skyhawks and possession the ball for over 21 minutes.
“Our guys were really physically and mentally ready to play, and I thought we had a great game plan. The coaching staff did a great job offensively, defensively and special teams,” said coach Jones. “We played really good football for three quarters. Had we not done that, we would have lost the ball game. There were a lot of positives in this game, so I was real proud of the way we came out ready to play. When we are ready to play, we’re a good football team.”
Coach Jones continued by talking about the Skyhawks. “That is a really good football team. After the first three quarters, people watching might not have thought so because we were playing so well. But you saw what they could do in the fourth quarter. They are very well-coached and they never quit.”
Stats wise, South Alabama and UT-Martin both had 325 yards of total offense. The Jags picked up 197 yards on the ground while adding 179 yards passing. The Skyhawks rushed for 131 yards and threw for 211 for their total.
The Jags dominated the time of possession statistic with 38:02 of possession time to UT-Martin’s 21:58. The Jags held the ball for 11:48 seconds in the second quarter alone.
Kendall Houston lead all rusher with 85 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns. Demetre Baker added 51 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown. While C.J. Bennett went 12-of-19 for 179 yards and a touchdown and zero interceptions.
Corey Besteda had three catches for 64 yards and the one touchdown through the air. Lamontis Gardner added 40 yards on three catches and Kevin Helms added 44 yards on two receptions.
Scott Garber punted seven times for an average of 43.4 yards per punt with one spectacular 64 yard punt. Jordan Means added two field goals of 21 and 32 yards but did have a PAT blocked.
Gabe Loper picked off a pass by Derek Carr from a deflection and returned it 27 yards for the Jags.
South Alabama had two good drives that consumed a fair amount of time off of the clock in the second quarter for points. The first was a nine play, 80 yard drive for a touchdown consuming 5:05 off of the clock. Their next possession was a 12 play 62 yard drive down to the UT-Martin 4 yard line but the Jags would have to settle for a field goal as time expired. It spanned 4:31.
In the third quarter, the Jags would capitalize on a turnover for a touchdown. After Gabe Loper intercepted the ball and returned it 27 yards, Kendall Houston would take the next play 16 yards and into the end zone.
UT-Martin would respond with an 80 yard drive in nine plays for a touchdown to cut the Jaguar lead to 10 points at 23-13 with 6:02 left in the third quarter.
The Jags would respond with a two play 42 yard touchdown drive. The drive would begin with a 40 yard completion from Bennett to Besteda to get to the UT-Martin two yard line. Then two plays later Kendall Houston would pick up the one yard needed for the touchdown to make it 30-13 with 5:07 left in the third quarter.
On UT-Martin’s ensuing possession, Alex Paige would force a fumble by Tevi Barksdale which he would recover at the Skyhawk 22 yard line. However the Jags were not able to put the ball in the end zone, but settled for a 32 yard field goal to extend their lead to 33-13 with 1:22 left in the third quarter.
UT-Martin would go three and out on their next possession as would the Jaguars in their possession after that.
UT-Martin would then begin their rally with a five play 40 yard drive to the South Alabama 21 yard line but would have to settle for a field goal.
The Jags would get the ball with 12:22 left in the game and would only manage one first down and use up 3:49 off of the clock before having to punt.
The Skyhawks would put together a 13 play, 87 yard drive in 4:39 to further cut into the Jaguar lead, 33-23 with 3:54 left in the game.
South Alabama would recover an onsides kick but keeping the ball on the ground with Kendall Houston would only get them six yards in three tries before having to punt. This gave the Skyhawks the ball with 2:07 left in the game.
UT-Martin would put together an 8 play 74 yard drive for a touchdown in 1:45. Another onsides kick would be recovered by the Jaguars effectively sealing the game with 22 seconds left. One kneel from the victory position would put the game to rest with the final score of 33-30.
South Alabama’s next game is their final road game of the 2011 season. The Jags will kick off against Georgia State in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia at 2pm central time with pregame coverage beginning on WNSP 105.5 FM at 1:30pm CT.
UT-Martin reminder
Remember that kickoff has been moved up to 2:30pm at Ladd-Peebles Stadium for today’s game against the University of Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks due to TV coverage. Also, we need a LOUD crowd today. Coach Jones has commented several times this week how UTSA fans were very loud and was disruptive and he has asked and almost pleaded for the fans to do the same to the Skyhawks.
If you don’t have a parking pass you can ride The Wave from Bel Air Mall to the stadium and back for a very affordable price of $2.50. The Wave will run for 90 minutes after the game to make sure everyone is shuttled back to their vehicles.
If you cannot make it out to the game at Ladd, then you can watch the Jags on UTV44 locally in the Mobile area or regionally on Comcast Sports Southeast (CSS) as well as nationally on ESPN3.com (depending on your internet service provider).
Among the local places carrying the game for you is Jags Grill at University and Old Shell as well as Baumhower’s Restaurant on Airport near I-65. Other locations may carry it as well.
Go Jags!!
Preview of the UT-Martin Skyhawks
The Skyhawks have a fairly prolific offense. They have a 3-2 record this season so far with wins over Union College (63-0), #24 Murray State (48-26) and Austin Peay (61-23). They dropped their opening game of the season to #9 Jacksonville State 24-23 and Tennessee Tech 34-31. They average 45.2 points per game while giving up an average of 21.4 points per game to their opponents.
UT-Martin has racked up 2,558 total yards of offense in quite a balanced attack. They have 1,144 yards rushing and 1,414 yards passing. Rushing, they have 230 attempts for an average of 5 yards per rush with 14 touchdowns and an average of 228.8 yards per game.
Passing, the Skyhawks quarterbacks have gone 100-for-168 with 6 interceptions and 13 touchdowns. They average 14.1 yards per catch and 8.4 yards per passing attempt for 282.8 yards per game.
Offensively, the skyhawks average 6.4 yards per play and averages 511.6 yards per game.
Defensively, UT-Martin allows an average of 316.6 yards per game for a total of 1,589 yards. Which averages out to 4.8 yards per play. Their rush defense has been pretty solid. They only allow an average of 130.4 yards per game which is 3.7 yards per rush and only 3 rushing touchdowns all season. Through the air, they have allowed 931 yards total which is an average of 186.2 yards per game, 11.2 yards per catch and 6.2 yards per attempt. They have allowed 8 passing touchdowns so far this season and have intercepted opposing quarterbacks five times.
However, they are heavily penalized with an average of 92.8 yards per game of penalty yardage while their opponents average 50.2 yards of penalties against them. The Skyhawks protect the ball very well with only three fumbles all season while only losing one of them. They have forced five fumbles of opposing teams and recovered four of them. So they are +1 in the turnover margin.
Again, the skyhawks are solid offensively by converting 49% of their 3rd down attempts and 50% of their 4th down attempts. Defensively their opponents only convert 22% of their 3rd down attempts and 40% of their 4th down attempts.
UT Martin scores well in the first three quarters but have been lacking in fourth quarter scoring. Defensivley, they are stingy in the first quarter but give up more points in the remaining three quarters, but still not a whole lot.
The Skyhawks have a good rushing tandem in McNair and Barksdale. Between the two, they have over 800 of the teams rushing yardage. Their quarterback Derek Carr isn’t much of a rusher but completes almost 60% of his passes.
Again receiving, they have two receivers who have seperated themselves from the rest of the receiving corps. Stephen Shiver and Quentin Sims have combined for 38 recptions and 591 yards and 6 touchdowns.
They have returned a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns while only allowing one kickoff return for a touchdown.
Behind Derek Carr passing, the next player with the most offensive yardage is McNair with 465 yards or 93 yards per game. But down rule out Barksdale with his 64.6 yards per game average too.
In order for the Jags to win the game, they will have to be able to stop this high-powered offense. They have to get pressure on Carr and keep McNair, Barksdale, Shiver and Sims all in check.
Offensively, C.J. Bennett will have to be efficient. The Jags cannot afford turnovers stalling drives. I would expect Coach Gregory to work high percentage passes to open up the run behind the experienced offensive line.
Coach Joey Jones Show Recap 2011-10-11
Bo Bishop from Baumhower’s Restaurant, the host and sponsor of the radio show, said that they will be carrying the Jags game on the TV’s for those who can’t make it out to Ladd-Peebles Stadium on Saturday.
After some technical difficulties, Coach Jones, Coach Antoine and Lee Shirvanian came back on the air, but unbeknown to Mr. Shirvanian we had missed all of his previous conversation with Coach Jones until the “return to air” moment.
Lee picked up with officiating in the game with UTSA. Lee mentioned the intentional grounding call when C.J. Bennett was out of the pocket, being hit and threw the ball to a place where a receiver was in the vicinity. Coach Jones said that that was a bad call and that he thought the referee admitted it afterwards.
The Fuego Mexican Restaurant, Whos Hot segement saw Coach Jones mention Demetre Baker having a break-out game with a big gain during regulation and the game-winning 25 yard run to cap it all off. Defensively Coach Jones recognized Jake Johnson again for another great game and is playing at a very high level for the team. When asked, Coach Jones said that the thought Johnson has NFL potential.
Coach Jones reported during the Orthopedic Group injury report that the Jags came out very well from San Antonio. Brian Krauskopf turned an ankle and is day-to-day right now, but is expected to be ready to play on Saturday. Tremain Smith will fill in for him if he is not ready to go. Probably the best thing was that Coach Jones feels that the young offensive line guys are coming along and that they are developing some depth there.
Coach Jones declined to say anything about Damond Smith’s suspention from the team. He did think it impacted the defense. Gabe Loper was their nickle player and mainly played safety, so a bit last minute they moved him to cornerback to fill in.
Lee asked an email question that stated that Jereme Jones seems to be the most sure-handed receiver on the team and asked why he is not more involved in the offense. Coach Jones said that their offense spreads the ball around alot and tries to get as many players involved as possible. He finished the answer by saying that they take what the defense gives them and don’t try to get any one person the ball.
Lee asked about the receiver rotation. Coach Antoine said that they want to be full speed on every route, so they are going to rotate players fairly often. They start with Lavender and Gardner on the outside with Jones and Walden as their inside guys. He also mentioned that freshman Jake Howton was very good for them and ran routes well.
When asked about how quarterbacks sometimes have go-to receivers, Coach Jones said he does not feel that Bennett has a specific go-to receiver, but does a good job of going through his progression and finding the right guy for the situation.
Another email question asked about getting some freshmen time in the game with Howton and Keels named specificly. They asked if the coaches wanted get them some experience playing or did they see a matchup that they wanted to exploit. Coach Jones said that they are slowly involving J.J. Keels by trying to fit him into certain situations. Ellis Hill fit in well and scored a touchdown. Howton was mentioned before and Hollinger is getting involved more as well.
Another email asked about the number of assistant coaches, previously the team had 10 but now they only have nine. Coach Jones said he will not be adding another coach because NCAA rules for FBS only allows 9 assistant coaches. Coach Jones indicated that they intend to redshirt the JuCo transfer Ceasare Johnson this year. They intend to move him from defensive end to an inside position and that he should be up around 300 lbs by then.
Coach Jones said he felt that the offensive line was the way to go late in the game because he could see the defense with their hands on their hips indicating that they were getting tired. He felt like they were controlling the line of scrimmage and he also felt very good going into overtime because of that. He also said that they had a secret two-point conversion play they could have fell back on that he felt would have caught them by surprise if he felt like they needed to use it.
When asked by Lee if he anticipated the fake punt, Coach Jones said yes, they warned about it in the huddle but on 4th and 1 they were still able to get the yard they needed for the first down.
Another person emailed about how the offense seems to come out and score on their opening possession but then goes a bit flat. Coach Jones said that they only had four possessions in the first half and they scored on two of them for 10 points. They could have scored on another one but an interception at the goal line ended that one. Another part of the question asked if they may be underestimating their opponents to which Coach Jones replied that they are “definitely not underestimating their opponents.”
Yet another email asked about the difference in Bennett’s touchdown to interception ratio and how this season it has almost flipped toward the opposite of last years good run. Coach Jones reiterated what he said a couple weeks ago. He said C.J. has matured and has expanded to the point where he really knows the offense, but he thinks in doing so he has opened to progressing to his third and fourth receivers but to a point tries to make a perfect throw every time to get the ball to the right person which has lead to some turnovers. He has made some great throws, but this is also part of the growing process for his position.
Another caller asked for a Brandon Ross update and if he might make it back this season or if they will try to get him a redshirt. Coach Jones said he has been out on the field some and is looking good and may be as much as 85-90% back. However, they will not play him unless they are sure he is 100% ready. They think if they really push him, that he might be back for the last couple games. But they don’t know if that is in the best interest for him. However they do know he will be back next year.
As for a redshirt, they will have to wait until after the season to petition the NCAA for a sixth year.
The last caller asked about the blocked kick versus UTSA, if that was something they work on every week or if they saw something they could exploit against them. Coach Jones said that they they work on it from time to time, but that they also put in either a punt block or a field goal block or sometimes both when preparing for an opponent.
Previewing UT-Martin coach Jones said that they will be the best team to come into Ladd-Peebles Stadium so far against the Jags. They score lots of points and are very good. They play Division I-AA (FCS) teams every week and do well. They had #9 Jacksonville State beat 23-10 but gave up the lead in the fourth quarter to lose the game. They had Tennessee Tech beat by a couple touchdowns but let them come back late to beat them as well.
Coach Antoine said that they will use lots of different coverages against the Jags. They will have man-to-man, cover 0, cover 1 and more. Some teams will settle into just a couple coverages, but it looks like UT-Martin will use several.
Coach Jones ended the show by asking for a big, loud crowd to come out to Ladd for the game. They want it to be a big advantage playing them in Mobile. So bring people out and get loud.
Jags end two game skid with 30-27 double-overtime victory
Coach Jones looks on as Demetre Baker looks to the sideline before blocking for a field goal attempt.
South Alabama went on the road for their third consecutive game this season and came away with a 30-27 double overtime victory over Texas-San Antonio to end their two game losing skid.
The Jags got on the board early after forcing UTSA to punt on their first series. Starting at their own 22 for their first drive, C.J. Bennett and Lamontis Gardner would spark the offense with a 35 yard pass. Then the Jags would methodically continue marching until Kendall Houston would put the ball in the end zone from the one yard line to cap off a 12 play, 78 yard drive that spanned 7:24 on the clock.
The Roadrunners would answer back on their next possession. After driving 25 yards out to mid field as the first quarter ended, they would open the second quarter with a 50 yard pass from Soza to Okotcha to tie the game at 7 each.
Again sparked by big offensive plays, the jaguars would respond on their ensuing possession. Bennett would find Gardner again for 11 yards to start the drive. Then would be forced to burn a time out when the play clock was running down. Coming out of the time out, Bennett would hit Kevin Helms for a 32 yard gain to go from the Jag 33 yard line to the 35 of UTSA. From there, the jags would have to settle for a 48 yard field goal by Jordan Means to retake the lead 10-7.
Not to be outdone, UTSA would mount their own drive but would stall at the Jaguar 31 yard line and also settle for a 48 yard field goal to tie the game again at 10 apiece.
The Jags next possession would start at their own 20 yard line and would drive out to the 43 before Kendall Houston would be hit in the backfield and fumbled the ball which would be recovered by UTSA at their own 48 yard line. Soza would connect with Kam Jones for 51 yards to the USA 1 yard line. Okotcha would take it in on the next play to take the lead over the Jaguars 17-10 with 2:54 left in the first half.
On the kickoff, Jereme Jones would find a seam and return it 55 yards to the UTSA 26 yard line before being forced out of bounds. However the defender would be flagged for a personal foul for a half-the-distance penalty to start the Jags at the UTSA 13 yard line. However the Jags offense never found forward gear. Houston would lose a yard on first down. Then an incomplete pass to Corey Waldon would bring up third and 11 going into the Roadrunner student section.
Brian Krauskopf would be flagged for a false start putting the Jags facing 3rd and 16 from the UTSA 19 yard line. After a time out, Bennett would float a lob pass towards the end zone which would be intercepted by UTSA ending the Jags hopes of tying the game before half time.
After running a few plays, the Roadrunners allowed the clock to run down and go into halftime with a 17-10 lead.
South Alabama would receive to open the second half and start at their 30 yard line. Houston would rush for no gain and five yards on back-to-back rushes to open the series. Then facing 3rd and 5, the Jags would burn their first time out of the second half with 13:33 left in the 3rd quarter when the play clock was running down again. Following the time out, Krauskopf would be flagged for another false start backing them up to the 30 and face a 3rd and 10. Bennett would find Gardner for six yards and would be forced to punt.
The Jags defense would hold the roadrunners to a three and out and force a punt. USA would be flagged for holding after the punt and would start their possession on their own 24 yard line. After a one yard run by J.J. Keels, Bennett would complete back to back passes. The first to Bryant Lavender for 17 yards then to Gardner for 18 yards to get into UTSA territory.
Keels would rush for no gain, then Bennett would be flagged for intentional grounding even though he was hit as he was trying to deliver the ball. After the 11 yard loss and loss of down, the Jags faced 3rd and 21 at their own 49 yard line. But Bennett would find Jereme Jones for 30 yards to get the first down at the UTSA 21 yard line. Demetre Baker would take it in from there to tie the game at 17 each with 8:09 left in the third quarter.
UTSA would start from their own 20 yard line after the kickoff. They would move down the field fueled by key long plays. The first was on 3rd down for 21 yards and a 16 yard pass on 4th and one at the Jaguar 46 yard line. However the defense would come up big and force a Soza fumble at the Jaguar 10 yard line which was recovered by Charles Harris.
Houston would end the quarter with three consecutive rushes for 6, 8 and 5 yards respectively.
As the drive continued to begin the 4th quarter, the Jags would again have to burn a time out when the play clock was running down with 13:20 left in regulation. Eventually the UTSA defense would hold and force a Scott Garber punt which would be downed at the 1 yard line.
The Roadrunners would move the ball out to the 25 yard line before a mishap on the snap would occur and be recovered by Soza back at the 3 yard line to face a 3rd and 32. A six yard pass would give the punter a little breathing room. Jereme Jones would field the punt at the UTSA 48 yard line.
Bennett would run for 10 yards and a first down to start the drive, but would then stopeed and forced to punt at the UTSA 44 yard line.
With 4:18 left in the game and UTSA in possession of the ball at their own 24 yard line, they began running the ball and the clock to set up a game winning score. Soza would start the drive with a 9 yard pass. Then Okotcha would run for eight yards and a first down. Soza would thrown on first down again, this time for five yards to their won 46 yard line. Then UTSA would rush four consecutive times to move the ball and continue winding the clock. Okotcha would go for five yards. Then Harrison for 18 to the USA 31 yard line but would go out of bounds to stop the clock.
Then Kam Jones for four more yards and again go out of bounds. Okotcha would rush for 6 yards and a first down to the USA 21. Kam Jones would try to throw the ball on first down but Gabe Loper, filling in for suspended Damond Smith, would be flagged for pass interference putting the ball on the USA 6 yard line with 1:12 left in the game.
Soza would be caught for a loss of 6 yards to the 12 yard line by Jake Johnson. Okotcha would rush on the right side for three yards to the 9 yard line. UTSA would take a time out with 3 seconds left on the clock to attempt a game-winning field goal. Coach Jones would take the Jags final time out to try to ice the kicker.
The 26 yard field goal attempt would be blocked by Randon Carnathan sending the game to overtime for the first time in Jaguar history.
USA would get the ball first to start overtime and would keep it on the ground. Baker would rush for 10, 2 and 12 yards to get the ball to the 1 yard line. Ellis Hill would take it in on the next play and Jordan Means would add the PAT to take the 24-17 lead.
UTSA’s ensuing possession would start with a false start. But Soza would hit Kam Jones for a 30 yard touchdown pass and add the PAT to tie the game at 24 and go into the second overtime.
UTSA would have the ball first and Okotcha would be dropped for a loss by Jake Johnson on the first play. Soza would rush for one yard then throw and incomplete pass as he was hurried by Montavious Williams. Ianno would kick a 43 yard field goal to take a 27-24 lead.
Demetre Baker would scamper 25 yards on the first play of the Jaguars possession to score the game winning touchdown for the final score of 30-27.
UTSA would outgain the Jags overall 409-351 and through the air 263-196. But the Jags would outgain them on the ground 175-146.
Demetre Baker would lead all rushers with 88 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns. Houston would gain 74 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown. Soza would be the leading rusher for UTSA with 70 yards on 15 carries.
C.J. Bennett went 11-of-17 for 176 yards and one interception while Soza was 15-of-22 for 263 yards and two touchdowns. UTSA’s Kam Jones would lead all receivers with 103 yards on five catches with a touchdown. Lamontis Gardner would lead the Jags with 70 yards on four catches.
UTSA held the ball longer, 33:51 to the Jags 26:09.
After the game Coach Jones had this to say. “We have a fighting spirit about us. It looked kind of bleak there for a minute when they had the ball down on the five-yard line. But we rushed through and sacked the quarterback and we block a kick, so they never quit. It was a big win for our program. I’m just so proud of them for fighting. We lost two games on the road, and to have another road game right behind them and to come back and win was real big for us.”
“I want to congratulate UTSA. I thought they came out and played a tremendous game — it was a big game for them,” Coach Jones also stated. “The crowd was into it; it was that typical home atmosphere. They had a great game plan and great coaching, and probably deserved to win the game in some ways. But on the other side of it, we said at halftime we were not going to quit.”
“We came prepared and had a good game plan. Good things happen when you fight your tail off,” said running back Demetre Baker. “Their defense was big and solid. I didn’t think they were very fast sideline-to-sideline, but they were much bigger physically.”
Linebacker Jake Johnson spoke highly of the roadrunners. “For a first-year program, they are a heck of a team. They had some great players and had a good game plan against us. I’m glad we came out on top. We had a few mistakes here and there, but that is all correctable. I’m just glad we got out of Texas with a win.”
South Alabama returns to Mobile for their first home game in five weeks when they host Tennessee-Martin for homecoming. The game will kick off at 2:30pm, earlier than normal, since it will be aired live on UTV44, Comcast Sports Southeast and nationally on ESPN3.com.
Jags travel without starting CB
Released yesterday, South Alabama has indefinitely suspended starting cornerback Damond Smith. When contacted for more information, Coach Joey Jones only confirmed that Damond Smith was indefinitely suspended and had no further comment about the situation.
When the Jags left Mobile yesterday, Smith was not with the team. On the depth chart, Eddy Cabrera is next in line to replace the 6′, 185 pound Junior. The secondary is deeper at Safety and could see someone move over to fill in at corner. If the Jaguars come out and get a big lead, I would look for Coach Clark and Coach Jones to try a few players at corner to find a good fit as Smith’s replacement.
University of Texas-San Antonio preview
The Jaguar Offense lining up against the Lamar defense.
UTSA is 2-3 on the season and is lead by former University of Miami head coach Larry Coker who was hired on March 6, 2009. He has been named National Coach of the Year twice. He posted a 60-15 record at Miami in his six seasons there. He won his first 24 games there and the first since Walter Camp in 1888-1889. He also led the Hurricanes to the 2001 National Championship in his first season and only the second coach in NCAA history to do so.
Through five games UTSA has outscored their opponents 135-101 or an average of 27-20.2. In first downs, they are fairly even with 105 for the season with a slight majority of them coming from the passing game with 52 with another 41 on the ground and 12 through penalties. While defensively they have allowed 74 first downs with 46 coming through the air and only 21 on the ground and a mere 7 by penalty.
Yardage wise they are still fairly balanced with 760 yards on the ground for the season so far. They have gained a total of 904 yards but lost 144 yards to attain that total. They have rushed 176 times for an average of 4.3 yards per rush and an average of 152 yards per game and 9 touchdowns.
Defensively they have held opponents to a total yards rushing gained of 606 yards but 156 yards lost brings that total down to 450 yards on the season. Opponents have rushed 157 times for a rushing average of 2.9 yards per carry and only 90 yards per game and 5 touchdowns through their five games this season.
Through the air, the UTSA offense has racked up 1056 yards during the season on 86-of-163 passing. They average 211.2 yards per game passing and 12.3 yards per catch with 7 touchdowns and 5 interceptions on the season.
Defensively they have given up 1263 yards passing on 95-of-164 and an average of 13.3 yards per catch. They give up on average 252.6 yards per game passing. They have 5 interceptions to 6 touchdowns allowed.
Total offense, UTSA edges out their opponents 1,816 to 1,713 with an almost identical yards per play average of 5.4 to their opponents 5.3. Per game, UTSA averages 363.2 yards of total offense while giving up 342.6 yards per game.
UTSA has been flagged 27 times for 249 yards this season for an average of 5.4 penalties per game for 49.8 yards per game.
Time of possession is almost even, with UTSA holding an ever so slight edge of 30:28 to 29:32. They are also converting 36% of their third down attempts and 57% of their fourth down conversion attempts.
When in the red zone, UTSA comes away with points 85% of the time. 65% of those trips are touchdowns. Their opponents only score 61% of the time in the red zone and of those trips, only 44% of them are touchdowns.
Scoring by quarters is pretty even for UTSA, their best quarter, the second quarter with 37 ponits, is only eight points better than their worst quarter, the fourth quarter with 29 points.
Defensively, their best quarter is the first quarter by only allowing 19 points which is pretty even with quarters two and three. However the fourth quarter they have given up 35 points. Being a new team, that stat doesn’t really surprise me, they would probably have depth issues considering they are a first year program.
UTSA’s quarterback, Eric Soza, is their second best rusher with 178 net yards on the season, though he does have 240 total yards gained before subtracting the negative yardage. Which is only one yard behind their best rusher Evans Okotcha with 179 net yards.
They also have two receivers that stand out from the rest so far. Both have 17 receptions and over 200 yards receiving through five games. Kam Jones has 261 yards and a touchdown while Brandon Freeman has 213 yards and two touchdowns. The next closes receiver has 9 catches for 153 yards and a touchdown. The rest of the receiver corps all have less than 100 yards receiving.
Kam Jones is the team’s leader in all-purpose yardage with 413 and an average of 82.6 yards per game. Kenny Harrison is second on the team with 286 yards with 199 yards of them coming from kick returns.
In short, UTSA is a pretty balanced offensive team with a defense that is strong against the run but susceptible through the air. Coach Jones said that this team reminds himself of the Jags just two short years ago when they began playing football.
I don’t think UTSA will win this game because of depth and size issues the Jags present. The Jags will have something to prove after back-to-back losses to FBS teams, though both times they did have stretches of very good play against bigger and faster opponents. With a week off to rest and prepare, the Jags will be ready to play and win.
Monday Press Conference
South Alabama Coaches talking together before the NC State game.
Monday’s press conference previewed the Jags upcoming game this weekend against the University of Texas-San Antonio in the Alamo Dome. The game is scheduled to kick off at 4:30 pm and will be televised on the Longhorn Network.
During the press conference Coach Jones said that the off week came at a good time both mentally and physically after two very physical games against FBS teams. He continued by saying, “As far as Texas at San Antonio goes, they are a very hungry football team. They remind me of us a couple of years ago, the way we came out that first year with a lot of hunger and excitement. They have some really good players. Offensively, they do a lot so we’re really working hard defensively this week to get prepared for all that they do. They are a really sound football team defensively; they’re very well-coached and have some real tough, hard-nosed guys inside. It’s not as multiple as their offense is, but they are very sound defensively. They are very similar to their offense in special teams; they do a lot of things with different return games and kickoffs. Their whole team is making us prepare for a lot of different things.”
Talking about the keys to preparing for a team with multiple sets. Coach Jones said that you have to prepare for everything they do and that it takes time away during the week. Coach Jones commented, “The key to their offense is the quarterback; he does a very good job. He can run and throw, and with that they can be multiple so we have to work on all of it because we don’t know what they are going to do.”
Coach Jones also spoke about having a bye week following two consecutive losses, the first two losses in the program’s short history. “I talked to the team today (Monday) about how the little things matter. When you do the little things right, the big things seem to work out. We have to work on us, and if we work on that this week and really concentrate on getting better then we’ll let the chips fall. But our kids are excited. They are excited about being back and playing games again, but that two-to-three day break helped us out.”
Safety B.J. Scott commented at the press conference that the off week allowed them to get their legs back underneath them and get to some rest. He wants to see how the team reacts after returning to play following two consecutive losses. While UTSA is hungry, he thinks the Jags are really hungry.
Scott continued talking about preparing for a multiple offense by saying his mindset is to watch as much film as possible to prepare. He said that UTSA has the most formations he has ever seen since he started playing football and that it’s going to take a lot of focus this week and during the game.
On improving as an individual contributor to the team, Scott said that he is never comfortable with his success or lack of it. He wants to play harder and that he never feels like his work is done and he feels that he has to get that through to his teammates as well. He wants them to follow the way he plays on the field.
Running Back Demetre Baker joined Scott in commenting at the press conference. Baker said that most of the players needed the week off to recover and allowed them to refocus and what they are doing wrong and to fix them. The loss helped them to refocus and remind them to stay hungry.
He continued saying that he is eager to get on the field again and that he thought the others guys were too. He said that is the point of the game, you’re going to win some and lose some, but when you lose it’s about how you respond. When you when it’s about what you learn from it. Every game is a battle and no game is going to be perfect, but the ones who fight the most are the ones who come out with the win.