USA vs UTSA Moved To Saturday
Official word has come that the South Alabama vs Texas-San Antonio game has been moved to Saturday, September 1 with kickoff scheduled for 1pm at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
South Alabama Is More Experienced Than Many Think
The Offensive line gets set while Coach Clark directs the defense during a practice early preseason camp.
You may already know the cliche “defense wins championships.” Over the last three college football seasons you can see that a stifling defense does win championships. While South Alabama is far from that level, they do have a very experienced defense.
The team was unclassified by the NCAA in their first two years of competition so the players who joined the team were allowed to participate in games during their redshirt season. This allows them to play in all five of their seasons of eligibility.
The defense is the more experienced side of the ball. Four seniors, six juniors and a sophomore on the first team defense. The senior starters are Anthony Taylor at Jack linebacker, Jake Johnson at Mike linebacker, B.J. Scott at safety and Andy Dalgleish at nose tackle.
Junior defensive starters include Montavious Williams at tackle, Alex Page at end, Clifton Crews at Sam linebacker, Enrique William at Will linebacker, Darrius Marrow at cornerback and Tyrell Pearson at cornerback. Alonzo Long is the only sophomore starting on the defense at strong safety. Long and Pearson are both JuCo transfers.
There are five sophomore starters on the offense with five of them entering into their third season of play. They are joined by one senior, two juniors and one redshirt freshman. Trey Clark at Center is the only Senior slated in as a starter with Tremain Smith listed as a possible starter at right tackle. Junior starters are Bryant Lavender with Greg Hollinger and Corey Waldon both listed as optional starters. Sophomore starters are Drew Dearman at left guard, Shaun Artz at right guard, C.J. Bennett at quarterback and Demetre Baker at running back with Wes Saxton at tight end, Ucambre Williams at left tackle, Melvin Meggs, Jereme Jones at receiver are all optional starters.
So when the Jags hit the field on *Thursday, they will be an experienced team ready for competition. While they are not eligible for the Sun Belt Conference championship hopefully the experience on the defense, and on offense for that matter, will translate into a very competitive season.
The size and experience is what worries UTSA defensive coordinator Neal Neathery. He mentioned that Baker and Kendall Houston took turns exploiting holes opened up by the offensive line in the Jaguars 30-27 win in the Alamodome. “Both of the (backs) they played were physical, strong, in between the tackles runners. I thought it was a game where we didn’t feel great about ourselves when it was over when it comes to who was the tougher team,” Neathery said.
“Just as a unit last year they were probably the toughest, most physical offensive line we played,” Neathery said. “They were really good, and their running backs had a lot to do with that.”
* Currently the Jaguars are set to kickoff on Thursday, August 30th against Texas-San Antonio but Tropical Storm Isaac could postpone the game.
Mid-Day Weather Update
As of 12:30pm, the South Alabama vs UTSA game is STILL scheduled to be played at 6:30pm on Thursday, August 30th at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
The long range forecase on www.weather.com currently has Thursday night with a low of 78 degrees with diminishing rain at around 40% with winds from the Southeast at 10mph.
The University continues to monitor Isaac for any changes in pattern and will continue to send updates.
Jag Volleyball Starts Season Well
The South Alabama Volleyball team had a great start to the season over the weekend. After an opening loss to Central Arkansas, they rebounded and defeated Southern Miss (straight sets) and Louisiana Tech to start the season 2-1.
Jenna Hassell and Olivia Mohler were both named to the Southern Miss Invitational All-Tournament team for their efforts. This win over La. Tech was the Jags first since the 2000 season.
Mohler let the Jags on both sides of the net for the last two matches in a row. In the win over La. Tech, Mohler had 14 kills, five block assists, and hit .423. Melissa Waelter added 12 kills while Lindsay Schwartz added 10. Jaguar setter Katariina Kananen had 39 assists and 16 digs for her 15th career double-double. Junior libero added 15 digs of her own.
The Jags will head to St. Louis, Mo. for the Active Ankle Challenge hosted by St. Louis. They will open against Southern Illinois at 4:30pm on Friday.
Fan Day Success While Eyes Watch The Tropics
The coaches and players set up in the Mitchell Center for the annual South Alabama Fan Day. The players were set up at tables that lined the edge of the Mitchell Center floor with the USA Bookstore, Ticket Office and USA National Alumni Association in the center. The bookstore had a limited setup with tumblers, Nike game jersey’s, hats, seat cushions, autograph footballs and a new design t-shirt.
The lines were long as fans lined up to get autographs of the Jaguar’s student-athletes. But the impending storm in the tropics has everyone wondering if the Thursday night game is going to go on as scheduled or if it will need to be rescheduled.
The weekend forecasts kept inching the projected path further west with each update going from Panama City to Mobile itself then to the Biloxi area and now it is projected for New Orleans. However, there is a cone where they predict it to make landfall within. As of the 6am CDT update, Mobile is not currently within that cone, but Mobile does not need to be in the cone to drastically affected. The strongest winds and storm surge are on the eastern side of the eye of a hurricane.
Currently classes are going to meet as normal on Monday and a decision will be made by noon as to further class schedules this week. Any decision on the South Alabama versus Texas-San Antonio game will probably be made by 5pm on Monday. The current options look to be rescheduling the game for a Saturday evening or Sunday evening game. This depends on when UTSA would be able to fly into Mobile for the game.
As soon as any official decision is made, Thunderjags will post it online on the website, twitter and facebook.
2012 Football Fan Day Will Be Held On Sunday From 5-7pm
South Alabama “Fan Day” will be held on Sunday, August 26, 2012.
South Alabama’s “Fan Day” will be held Sunday, August 26th from 5-7pm at the Mitchell Center on the campus of the University of South Alabama.
The fans will be able to meet Head coach Joey Jones, his staff and the 2012 Jaguar football team. It will take place on the mail floor of the Mitchell Center and will feature an autograph session with the coaches and players. Fans are encouraged to bring memorabilia to be signed and cameras for pictures.
This event is free and open to the public. Parking is also free and available at the Mitchell Center in the south lot off of Old Shell Road.
Additionally, fans will have the chance to “select your seats” for the 2012 football season as the Athletic Ticket Office will be on-site with information on season tickets, flex plan tickets and individual game tickets. You can also find out how to purchase parking passes or away game tickets.
The USA Bookstore will be set up and selling official JagWear merchandise and tailgating supplies.
Overview Of 2012 Football Rules Changes
Review of the 2012 football rules changes.
Kickoff and touchback starting line
Most football fans have already heard the news that kickoffs have been moved from the 30 yard line up to the 35 yard line. Also the kicking team’s players cannot line up any further than five yards away from the 35 yard line at the kick. The NCAA rules committee adopted this change in order to limit the running start kicking teams have during the play. They also voted to move the starting yard line for a touchback to the 25 yard line instead of the 20 yard line, which had been the starting spot for a very, very long time. This rules change was adopted to encourage more touchbacks.
Loss of Helmet During Play
The rules committee voted to treat the loss of a helmet during play, unless it was the result of a foul by the opponent, like an injury. If a player loses their helmet during the game, they will not be allowed to participate for the next play. Also, if a player loses his helmet during a play, he must not continue to participate in the play.
Blocking below the waist
The NCAA rules committee made a change last season that was meant to allow blocking below the waist when the opposing player is likely to be prepared for thsi contact. However that was not the case. Their clarification changed blocking below the waist is only allowed by offensive players in the tackle box at the snap that are not in motion. All other players will be restricted from blocking below the waist with a few exceptions such as straight ahead blocking.
Shield Blocking on Punts
The Rules committee reviewed several examples of shield blocking from last season. This new scheme has become more popular for teams. Viewers may have seen teams have players on the line of scrimmage and usually a line of three players half-way between the line and the punter. In several cases, the receiving team player who attempts to rush or block the punt will attempt to jump over this type of scheme. In some cases, these players were contacted and ended up flipping in the air and landing on their head or shoulders. They decided to adopt a rule similar to the leaping rule on place kicks. That rule on place kicks does not allow the receiving team to jump over blockers unless the player jumps straight up or between two players.
Additional protection to kick returners
Officials will have to interpret the rule that provides a one yard cushion to field the catch before the kicking team is allowed to make contact. This one yard cushion will only extend in front of the returners.
Bounty Program Education
The NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports which is responsible for overseeing NCAA health and safety rules, along with the NCAA Committee of Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct, dicussed the issue at their summer meetings. They reaffirmed the rules prohibiting such activity. Specifically they strictly prohibit the targeting of opponents with intent to injure and will not be tolerated. Any programs proven to be in violation of these rules will be held accountable by existing NCAA rules. NCAA members, and student-athletes are encouraged to anonymously report potential violations involving bounty programs.
Health guidelines for the start of football practice
Preseason football practices begin with a five-day acclimatization period that applies to all student-athletes, including those who start practicing after the first day. Here is how the process is conducted:
- All incoming student-athletes must undergo a medical examination administered by a physician prior to participating in any preseason workouts.
- During the acclimatization period, participants are not to engage in more than one on-field practice per day which can last no more than three hours.
- During the first two days of that period, helmets are the only piece of protective equipment student-athletes may wear. After that, only helmets and shoulder pads may be worn on the third and fourth days of acclimatization. On the final day of that period, and on any days thereafter, student-athletes may practice in full pads.
The remaining preseason practice period follows these steps:
- Teams can practice in full pads after the five-day period. However, an institution may not conduct multiple on-field practice sessions (e.g., two-a-days or three-a-days) on consecutive days.
- Student-athletes can not participate in more than three hours of on-field practice activities on the days in which one practice is permitted.
- Student-athletes may not participate in more than five hours of on-field practice activities on the days in which more than one practice is permitted.
- On days that teams conduct multiple practice sessions, student-athletes must be provided with at least three continuous hours of recovery time between the end of the first practice and the start of the last practice that day. During this time, student-athletes may not attend any meetings or engage in other athletically related activities (e.g., weightlifting). Time spent receiving medical treatment and eating meals may be included as part of the recovery time.
General Guidelines For All Fall Sports
The NCAA recommended additional procedures to be followed as a best practices for fall sports.
- Plan for a heat acclimatization period where student-athletes gradually increase exposure to hot, humid summer weather for a minimum of 10-14 days at the beginning of preseason activities. Activity during each exposure to heat should gradually increase in intensity and duration until the exercise is comparable to the exposure likely to be experienced in competition. During periods of intense heat, it is recommended that practices be scheduled during cooler times of the day.
- Walk-through sessions are not considered practices during the preseason, but just like multiple practice days, student athletes should also be given a rest period of at least three hours between practice and the walk-through. During the walk-through, student-athletes should not wear any equipment related to the sport or perform conditioning exercises.
- Student-athletes should not participate in practice sessions for more than six consecutive days. This includes any organized physical activity related to the sport, such as warm-ups, stretching, scrimmaging, weight lifting, fitness testing, conditioning, pilates, cool downs and non-medically related rehabilitation or captain’s practices.
Johnson And Scott Named To 2013 Senior Bowl Watch List
Just two short years ago South Alabama had it’s first player, Courtney Smith, selected to participate in the Senior Bowl. As the Jags enter into it’s fourth season, they have two players placed on the 2013 Senior Bowl watch list.
Linebacker Jake Johnson and Safety B.J. Scott were both named to their first-ever “Watch List” on Thursday. The comprehensive list names over 300 seniors and top NFL draft prospects from 114 different schools.
Johnson, a 6’1″ 240lb inside linebacker lead the Jags with 83 tackles last season and finished second with 6.5 TFL’s. He was selected as a Second-Team All-Sun Belt Conference selection by Phil Steele Publications. He led the team in tackles in all 10 games last season with two games where he reached double-digits in tackles.
Scott, a 5’11” 205 pound safety, is set to begin his second season with the Jags after transferring in from the University of Alabama. The Prichard, AL native started the first seven games last season before suffering a season-ending injury to his knee. Even after missing the final three games he still finished fifth in tackles with 48 and a team-best four passes defended. He also set a school record with 180 kick return yards against Georgia State in the Georgia Dome last season.
The 2013 Senior Bowl is set for Saturday, January 26 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The top 100 seniors will be invited to participate and appearing on the watch list is not a requirement for a player to earn an invitation.
Go Jags!!
Jaguar Fans Watching The Tropics
TS Isaac projected path from advisory 13A.
South Alabama is slated to open the 2012 football season on Thursday, August 30 against Texas-San Antonio with kickoff set for 6:30pm. However, the weather could cause problems with the game and possibly preparation.
Currently tropical storm Isaac is approaching Haiti and the Dominican Republic however the current track has the center of the storm very near Mobile by 2am Wednesday. If Isaac continues at it’s current speed, it should not gain much strength over the warm Gulf waters and make landfall as a Category 1. However if it slows then it could strengthen.
We will keep our eyes on the tropics this coming week and hope that it does not interfere with the game and preparation leading up to the game.
Jag Hold Final Preseason Scrimmage
Head Coach Joey Jones talking with wide receiver Carr Tigner during preseason practice.
Thursday morning the South Alabama football team held their final of three scrimmages in preparation for the 2012 football season. The scrimmage lasted about an hour and a half and was conducted in full pads, however there was no tackling during the scrimmage. The Jags did run through numerous game situations though.
The first and second team offensive and defensive teams took numerous snaps on the field. Additionally they worked on all aspects of special teams play with work on kickoff and punt coverage, kickoff and punt returns, field goals, Point after conversions and kick blocking. Later in the scrimmage they focused on several special game-like situations the Jags could face this season.
The team will return to the practice field for over an hour on Friday morning beginning around 8am then they will work out at 2:30pm on Sunday following a day off on Saturday. Also on Sunday, the coaches and players will be at the Mitchell Center from 6-7pm for “Fan Day”.
Head coach Joey Jones commented about the scrimmage afterwards.
“I think they were sharp today, I don’t think we had anybody miss from a substitution standpoint,” he said. “We were calling guys in and out, having the special teams running out there, and they were very alert. That’s what I was looking for today. Obviously it wasn’t a physical scrimmage, and we didn’t want it to be. It was three-quarter speed. But the mental side of it was real good.”
“I know the kids are excited and we are too,” Coach Jones continued. “Any time you have been in camp for three weeks straight you are ready to play somebody else, that’s just the way it is. You do all this to play games. I told the kids that we have done a good job in camp, now we can focus on our opponent. If you can’t get ready now, then you don’t need to be playing football.”
Additionally South Alabama formally announced that the Jags game vs Nicholls State will be televised by ESPN3 with kickoff scheduled for 4pm. Also the Jags road Sun Belt finale at Louisiana-Lafayette will also be broadcast on ESPN3 and Cox4 in the state of Louisiana.