BREAKING NEWS: Mike Varga Out As Jaguar Soccer Coach
South Alabama Athletic Director Joel Erdmann announced that the University will not renew the contract for head soccer coach Mike Varga and that a national search for his replacement will begin immediately.
Varga has been the head coach at South Alabama for the last 14 seasons and compiled a 121-131-26 record over that time period. He also led them to a share of the 2000 Sun Belt Conference regular-season title. He also led them to the championship match in the 2005 conference tournament.
Coach Varga has a record of 186-155-32 in his 18 seasons as a head coach. He was previously the head coach at Lincoln Memorial in Tennessee.
The Jags were 8-10-3 this season and hosted the Sun Belt Conference soccer championship tournament at The Cage on campus. The Jags, a #7 seed in the eight team tournament, were eliminated in the first round by Middle Tennessee State.
“Mike has been a loyal and trustworthy member of the University and Jaguar Athletics,” Erdmann said. “We deeply appreciate his service and wish him the best in all future endeavors.”
“We will conduct a national search beginning immediately,” he continued. “The search is wide open and and we will pursue the best-qualified candidate for our program.”
Karl Benson Talks Answers Some Questions For AL.com
Press-Register writer Tommy Hicks asked Sun Belt Conference commissioner Karl Benson five questions while he was in Mobile attending the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Saturday.
He was also in town to present the conference championship trophy to the winner of the Women’s soccer Championship North Texas who defeated FIU in the championship match. South Alabama hosted this season’s championship tournament at The Cage.
You can view the questions and answers here.
Jags Prepare For Trip To North Texas
Jaguar tight end Wes Saxton catches a pass from Ross Metheny over the middle in the Jaguars loss to FIU on Saturday.
South Alabama’s preparation for their trip to North Texas this weekend is well underway as they try to put behind their loss to Florida International on Saturday.
The Jags had a chance to tie the game in the fourth quarter but opted to kick a field goal that bounced off the left upright, no good. However they had equal parts good and bad from the game. They went into halftime with a 21-7 deficit but halftime adjustments allowed them to score 13 points and shut-out the Golden Panthers in the second half.
The Jags produced 458 total yards, their most productive game offensively this season. But they still struggled to score touchdowns in the red zone with only one touchdown in four trips into the red zone.
The Jags played well enough to win for the fourth consecutive game, but could not come out on top except for the Florida Atlantic game in double overtime.
The loss dropped the Jaguars record to 2-7 (1-4 SBC) for the season. The loss also sealed the Jaguars first losing season in program history. However they can still end the season on a positive note in the next four games. But, if the Jags want to end the season on a positive note in their final four games of the season, they will have to do it on the road. The Jags only have one game left at home when they host Middle Tennessee in two weeks.
North Texas will enter the game with a 3-6 record (2-3 SBC) coming off a loss to Arkansas State by a score of 37-19.
The Jags will begin to correct their mistakes on Monday afternoon when they return to the practice field. “We’re going to go back, look at this, make some corrections and focus on North Texas,” quarterback Ross Metheny said. “North Texas has a good football team as well. We’re going to focus on ourselves and have a good week or preparation and go to Denton and do what we do.”
Coach Joey Jones said his team dug a hole too deep when they allowed FIU to build a 28-7 halftime lead. He also said that the Jaguars are competitive in the conference, but that the conference is very competitive from top to bottom.
“There are a lot of good teams in this league and there’s not a lot of difference from the top to the bottom,” Jones said. “(FIU is) just as good as anybody and we’re playing close ball, but we just didn’t finish this game. We play North Texas (this) week and we’re going to try to go up there and get a win. It’s a tough conference.”
The combined records of the Jaguars final four opponents is 15-20, but Middle Tennessee State is tied with Louisiana-Monroe for first place in the conference (4-1 SBC) and MTSU is tied for fourth in the conference with a 3-2 record in conference play.
UNT will be the second Sun Belt foe in a row that will be leaving after the end of the season to move to Conference-USA. Both North Texas and Florida Internation accepted invitations to join Conference-USA in the prior to the beginning of the football season.
Jaguar Men’s Basketball Hosts Spring Hill College Tonight
The South Alabama Men’s basketball team will play an exhibition game on Monday night at the Mitchell Center. The Jaguars will host Spring Hill Badgers with tip off set for 7:05pm.
The game will not be broadcast on 105.5 FM WNSP due to the New Orleans Saints Monday night football game, but it will be broadcast on their website www.wnsp.com. You can view the game if you are a subscriber to the Jaguars All-Access service on USAJaguars.com.
This will actually be the team’s fourth preseason game. They had a three game exhibition tour of Canada where the Jags went 2-1.
“The biggest thing is, we got the experience,” Arrow said of the Canadian trip. “Unfortunately when we got back and we got started, Aug went out for three weeks and Javier was out for two weeks, so that put them behind. We’re just now getting everybody back healthy. We have some catching up to do.”
This will be the 20th meeting between the Jags and the Badgers with South Alabama holding a 16-3 edge in the series. “We hope that our fans come out and watch,” Arrow said. “I know Spring Hill will bring a nice group and we hope to have all of our fans come see what we have for this year.”
The Jags won last season 88-64 with an 18 point night by Augustine Rubit and a double-double from Mychal Ammons.
Coach Ronnie Arrow was pleased to get the team extra practices for the trip through Canada, but he says that there is still work to be done. “We still need a lot of work on different things,” Arrow said. “We’re working on the defensive part of all five guys on the floor getting after it. Offensively, with the things we’ve put in, the personnel is catching on a lot more quickly than last year.”
Spring Hill enters the game 0-2 so far this season with an overtime loss to Fisk 74-70 and an 83-46 loss to #24 Southern-New Orleans. They return four starters including Todd Martin, a former Jaguar who is the team’s top returning scorer.
Jags Fall To FIU After Valiant Rally In Second Half
Bryant Lavender hauls in the pass from Ross Metheny at the goal line against FIU, but would be called down inside the one yard line.
South Alabama put up a valiant fight in the second half but just could not erase the first half deficit to fall at home against Florida International 28-20.
Coming into the game the FIU Golden Panthers were chosen to win the Sun Belt Championship in the preseason, but where 1-8 and were 0-5 in the Sun Belt. Head coach Joey Jones told everyone all week that FIU was a better team than what their record said. They definitely were a big team and played well in the first half.
The South Alabama defense held FIU to 31 yards in the second half, a mere 18 yards rushing and 13 yards passing to help the team fight it’s way back into the game.
The Jags scored first but FIU would score 28 consecutive points in the first half to go into halftime with a 28-7 lead. But the Jags would not allow them to score again for the remainder of the game.
“Obviously we dug too big a hole in the game and got behind 28-7 at the half,” coach Jones said. “We made a good comeback but we didn’t score down there in the red zone in the second half. That was the tale-tale sign of the game right there. We dug too big a hole early.”
“They’re very athletic on the defensive front and they just get after you,” Jones said of FIU. “They held Western Kentucky to 14 points and we knew they were good on defense.”
South Alabama’s first score came on their first possession. They drove 53 yards in nine plays after Pat Moore recovered a fumble. T.J. Glover scored on a 15 yard run around the left side, which was his first rushing touchdown since November of the 2010 season, to take a 7-0 lead with 7:36 left in the first quarter.
FIU would answer the Jaguar score with a 76 yard drive on eight plays and capped off by a 26 yard touchdown pass from Jake Medlock to Willis Wright. They would score again with a 27 yard pass before the first quarter ended to take a 14-7 lead.
In the second quarter FIU would score their third touchdown of the game on a 19 yard run by quarterback Medlock with 7:45 left in the second quarter to make the score 21-7 FIU.
Later Kendrick Rhodes would score with on a 2 yard rush to pull ahead 28-7 with 1:07 left in the second quarter.
The Jags would down the second half kickoff for a touchback to start on the 25 yard line. On the first play from scrimmage in the second half, Ross Metheny would find an open Corey Besteda over the middle and he would take it in for a 75 yard touchdown to cut the FIU lead down to two scores, 28-14. That touchdown reception was the longest pass play in school history.
The Jaguar defense would hold FIU to a three and out on their first possession of the second half. Glover would return the punt down to the FIU 19 yard line, but they would not be able to put the ball into the end zone. Michel Chapuseaux would connect on the 39 yard field goal attempt to further cut into the FIU lead, 28-17.
FIU would drive from their own 32 yard line down to the Jaguar 42 before the drive would stall out and force a punt. Glover would call for the fair catch at the Jaguar 9 yard line. On third and seven from their own 30 yard line, Demetre Baker would rush for four yards but would fumble the ball and it would be recovered by FIU at the Jaguar 33 yard line.
Again the Jaguar defense would force a three and out. The FIU punt would fly into the end zone for a touchback.
On first down from their own 20 yard line, Metheny would run for 13 yards out to the 33 yard line. After Terrance Timmons rushed for a five yard gain, Metheny would hit Wes Saxton for a 24 yard gain to the FIU 38 yard line. Metheny would come back and hit Corey Besteda for an 11 yard gain to the FIU 27 yard line. Then the Jags would be forced to call a time out.
After the time out, Metheny would complete another pass to Saxton for five more yards to the FIU 22 yard line. Metheny would run for two yards to set up a third and 3 at the FIU 20 yard line, when FIU would call a time out with 19 seconds left in the third quarter.
After the time out, Metheny would complete a pass to Bryant Lavender for 13 yards to the FIU 7 yard line and the end of the fourth quarter. After the break, Trey Fetner would come in to run the wildcat for a three yard gain to the FIU 4 yard line. The Jags would be forced to call a time out as the play clock was running down.
After the time out, Metheny would complete a pass to Lavender again to inside the one yard line. Fetner would come in again to take a snap from under center, but Demetre Baker, who had lined up at tight end, moved early to draw a false start penalty. Instead of third and less than one, it becomes a third and goal from the five yard line. Metheny’s pass would fall incomplete intended for Lavender again. Chapuseaux’s kick would split the uprights to make the game a one score game at 28-20 with 13:05 left in the game.
Yet again the Jags defense would hold strong and force a three and out. After a 36 yard punt the Jags would start at their own 25 yard line.
After being sacked for five yard, Metheny would run for 20 yards out to the Jaguar 40 yard line. On first down at the FIU 47 yard line, Metheny would hit Saxton again for 25 yards down to the FIU 22 yard line. Terrance Timmons would then run three consecutive times for 2, 8 and 4 yards respectively to put the ball at the FIU 8 yard line. Houston would then run for two yards to set up a third down and four at the FIU 6 yard line. Metheny’s pass intended for Saxton in the end zone would be tipped and fly incomplete for a fourth down. Chapuseaux’s kick would bounce off of the left upright, no good with 5:17 left in the game.
The Jags would force yet another three and out to get the ball back with 4:15 left in the game. After driving from their 33 yard line down to the FIU 43 yard line, Metheny would throw three consecutive incomplete passes to face a fourth down and 10. Demetre Baker would take the pitch and gain seven yards to turn the ball over on downs with 3:00 left in the game.
Once more the Jags would force a three and out and get the punt at the Jaguar 31 yard line with 35 seconds left in the game.
Metheny would be flushed out of the pocket and goes down after gaining one yard. They would get up to the line and spike the ball. On third and nine, Metheny’s pass would fall incomplete then the fourth down pass would fly high and be intercepted at the Jaguar 32 yard line. FIU would kneel on the ball once to run the final seconds off the clock.
Overall the Jags led in all offensive categories. The Jags rushed for 188 yards to FIU’s 181, threw for 270 yards to FIU’s 153 for a total yardage of 458 for the Jags to 334 for the Golden Panthers. The Jags had 22 first downs in the game to FIU’s 20 and the Jags held a 30:07 to 29:53 time of possession advantage.
The Jags committed four penalties for 33 yards while FIU committed five penalties for 49 yards in the game.
Unfortunately leading all of those statistical categories does not mean much when you don’t convert that into points on the scoreboard.
Demetre Baker beat out Ross Menthey for the leading rusher for the Jaguars. Baker rushed 15 times for 74 yards while Metheny rushed eight times for 56 yards. Glover also ran four times for 30 yards and Timmons rushed eight times for 27 yards. Fetner and Houston also got carries in the game.
Metheny went 19-of-37 for 270 yards a touchdown and two interceptions. He also took two sacks in the game.
Wes Saxton was Metheny’s favorite target in the game with six receptions for 92 yards. But Corey Besteda had the most receiving yards with 96 on three catches including the 75 yard touchdown catch to open the second half. Lavender caught four passes for 26 yards, Jereme Jones caught three for 34 yards. Waldon, Glover and Baker also caught passes in the game.
FIU’s Kendrick Rhodes rushed 27 times in the game for 149 yards to lead all rushers. Quarterback Jake Medlock was 9-of-19 for 153 yards and two touchdowns.
Jake Johnson lead all defenders with 15 total tackles, seven of them being solo including one sack and a quarterback hurry. Alex Page, Enrique Williams and B.J. Scott all were next on the team with six total tackles. Enrique Willaims had one pass breakup and two quarterback hurries as well.
Montavious Williams and Will Thompson both recorded sacks in the game.
While some fans were disappointed that the Jags let a win get away from them, it is still amazing to think that in the Jags first season as an FBS transitional team we are disappointed that we should have won a game against a fellow FBS and Sun Belt team.
The Jags will travel to Denton, Texas to take on North Texas. Kickoff is scheduled for 4pm according to the schedule on the UNT Football website.
Jags Looking To Finish Season Strong Beginning With FIU
The South Alabama Jaguars celebrate their first FBS win over Florida Atlantic on Saturday, October 20th 2012. The Jags look for another celebration this evening against FIU.
The practices this week has had a focus on two things. The obvious one is Florida International but the other is finishing the season on a strong note. The motto that has cropped up this week has been the word “finish”.
They want to finish games and they want to finish the season. “The theme for the rest of the year for us is finish, finish this week, finish the games, finish the season, and I think they’ve got a great attitude toward that right now, I really do,” said Jaguar head coach Joey Jones after Thursday’s practice.
Finishing the season has a beginning and that beginning is this weekend against Florida International. If they wish to have a winning season, they must win all five of their remaining games to achieve it. It’s not outside the realm of possibility for this team.
The Jags enter today’s game with a 2-6 record overall and a 1-3 Sun Belt Conference record. While FIU enters the game desperate for a win. After being chosen as the favorite to win the Sun Belt Championship, they have an overall record of 1-8 and are winless in all five Sun Belt Conference games they have played this season.
However coach Jones is not taking this game lightly. He has continually told anyone within earshot that FIU is a good team and not to get caught up in with their record. They have a number of NFL prospects on their team and they were chosen to win the Sun Belt Championship for a reason.
“I said earlier in the week we’ve got to be physical and we’ve got to play physical with them because they are a very physical football team and if we don’t match that then we won’t play very well in the game,” Jones said. “Obviously penalties and turnovers, like every coach says every week are important, but I think in this game especially the physical aspect is going to be very important.”
As noted yesterday when we broke down the conference stat rankings between USA and FIU, we noted that FIU is averaging 24.6 points per game and 386.4 yards per game, however their defense is allowing an average of 34.8 points per game and 416.8 yards per game. On the other side, South Alabama is averaging 19.6 points per game and 324 yards per game offensively while allowing 29.5 points per game and 368.5 yards per game defensively.
“The thing about this league, and I can honestly say from top to bottom there’s really not a lot of difference,” Jones said. “Obviously somebody has to win and somebody has to lose each week, But when you look at the teams from top to bottom I don’t see a team that can’t beat anybody in the league. I really don’t. Now there are some that are above some of the others, but the pack is pretty tight.”
“We want to finish strong,” Jones continued. “We want to climb the ladder in the Sun Belt and we want to get some wins at the end of the season. We have challenged our kids to do that and I think it’s very important for our football program.”
“We’ve made a mark and we’ve done some good things. But I think we could make an even more significant stamp on our team if we finish this season with some wins.”
The Jaguars and the Golden Panthers kickoff at Ladd-Peebles Stadium at 2:30pm. The Jaguar Prowl will take place in the south parking lot around 12:10pm. Stadium gates will open at 12:30pm.
With five games remaining, they have plenty of time remaining to make their statement known around the conference. Finish.
The Jags Offense Continue To Improve As They Head Into Their Game Against FIU
Offensive lineman Drew Dearman, his father and Offensive Coordinator Robert Matthews after the annual Red & Blue Spring football game.
The Jags offense has been improving over the last few weeks. When offensive coordinator Robert Matthews evaluated where the South Alabama offense rated at the beginning of the season and how it rates now, he said they were getting better.
“I think we’re getting better,” Matthews said. “We’re certainly not where we want to be yet, but there’s been a lot of improvement. Really, we’re still learning. Every game you should get better. We’re in Season One of this offense and obviously the first four or five games we were rotating two quarterbacks and that was the plan we had. I think since we’ve had just one guy in there we’ve shown a lot more consistency. I think that we’ll continue to get better as the kids continue to work hard.”
The Jags began the season with a 1-4 record before they dumped the two-quarterback rotation. At the time they averaged 13.4 points per game and 300 yards of total offense per game. However since they chose a starting quarterback to play the entire game, the Jags are 1-2, is averaging 30 points per game and 364 yards of offense per game.
More consistency has been achieved from Ross Metheny working with the offense and getting a majority of the snaps in practice, rather than splitting the reps with the first team offense 50-50. This has helped bolster his confidence and the teams confidence around him.
“I think the guys need to know who the guy behind the center is,” Matthews said. “I think that’s important. And that’s not to say that playing two quarterbacks can’t work because a lot of teams do it and it is very effective. Look what Troy is doing with (Deon Anthony) and (starter Corey Robinson). It is a nice change of pace for them.”
“I think every team needs to find what their niche’ is,” Matthews continued. “For us and for this offense, one quarterback is the way we want to go with it. I think it helps the guys just from a practice reps standpoint. It’s hard to get two quarterbacks ready for everything. We still practice two quarterbacks for each game, but Ross gets the majority of the reps and the reps aren’t split as much and I think that helps his productivity too.”
But the changes to the offense has not been limited to choosing a starting quarterback. Defensive back Gabe Loper has made the move from defense to wide receiver in the last few games. That allowed T.J. Glover to move from receiver to running back to give the Jags backfield another speed option to get to the edge.
“That’s what our job as coaches is, trying to get the players in the best position as possible so they can make plays,” said Matthews. “I know that sounds really generic, but it’s true. We try to evaluate it every day. Certainly getting Gabe has helped us. It gives us another guy who can stretch the field. He has good height and great ball skills and that move has helped us. Its freed up some other guys to play some different positions which has been able to keep us more balanced.”
In the 10 teams that comprise the Sun Belt, we will compare the statistical rankings between South Alabama and FIU.
South Alabama ranks 9th in scoring offense with an average of 19.6 points per game through eight games while FIU ranks 7th with an average of 21 points per game through nine games.
The Jags rank 8th in the conference in scorind defense by giving up an average of 29.5 points per game through eight games. FIU ranks last in 10th place with an average of 34.8 points per game through nine games.
South Alabama ranks 10th in the conference in total offense with 324 yards per game average through eight games. FIU ranks 8th in the conference with an average of 386.4 yards per game through their nine games this season.
The Jags rank 3rd in the conference in total defense by allowing an average of 368.5 yards per game. FIU ranks 8th in the conference as they are allowing an average of 416.8 yards per game.
The Jags rushing offense has moved up to 9th in the conference with an average of 133 yards per game while FIU is just ahead of the Jags in 8th place with an average of 140 yards per game.
South Alabama’s rushing defense is ranked 3rd allowing 142.9 yards per game while FIU allows an average of 167.2 yards per game. The Jags pass defense is ranked 4th in the conference by allowing an average of 225.6 yards per game while FIU is ranked 7th while allowing an average of 249.6 yards per game.
The Jaguar pass offense is ranked 10th in the conference with an average of 191 yards per game while FIU is ranked 4th in the conference with an average of 246.4 yards per game.
In special teams stats the Jags rank 6th behind FIU’s 3rd place rank in kickoff returns. FIU averages 22.6 yards per return while the Jags average 20.5 yards per return. Again South Alabama ranks 5th place behind FIU’s 2nd place rank. FIU averages 8.1 yards per punt return while the Jags averaged 7.1 yards per return.
FIU is ranked 8th in 3rd down conversions while the Jags are ranked last in 10th place. The Jags average is 29.8 percent conversion average while FIU is converting 37.1 percent of their attempts.
South Alabama is tied for last place in the conference with Troy with penalty yards per game average. Both schools average 74 yards per game in penalty yards while FIU is one spot ahead of them in 8th with an average of 73.2 yards per game.
In time of possession stats the Jags rank 6th place with an average ToP of 29:28 per game while FIU is ranked in 5th place with an average ToP of 31:02 per game.
In the turnover margin stat, South Alabama ranks 9th in the conference with a -5 turnover margin which is one spot ahead of FIU who ranks 10th in the conference with a -6 turnover margin.
In red zone stats, the Jags rank 5th in red zone offense while FIU ranks 8th in the same stat. THe Jags are converting 81.2 percent of their trips to the red zone while FIU is converting 75.9 percent of their trips.
In red zone defense the Jags rank 1st in the conference by only allowing their opponents to score 73.7 percent of the time they get into the red zone. FIU ranks last in 10th place allowing opponents to score 88.6 percent of the time.
South Alabama Wraps Up Preparation for Florida International
The Jaguars held their final practice on Thursday in full pads. It lasted about two hours and, according to head coach Joey Jones, the team made good improvements in several areas.
While they prepared to face Florida International, they also spent time working on themselves to shore up some areas of concern. “It was a good practice,” Jones said. “The theme for the rest of the year of us is to finish, finish this week, finish the games, finish the season, and I think they have a great attitude toward that right now, I really do.”
“The leadership is really starting to come out,” he continued. “Because when you’ve got to pull it out of them all the time, you’re probably not going to get it. But when they start doing it, when the peers start doing it, then you’ve really got something.”
On Friday, the Jags will have a short walk-through practice.
In Jeff Sagarin’s computer rankings of all 245 FBS and FCS schools South Alabama ranks #153, which is the lowest ranking for a Sun Belt team. FIU is ranked #146 while FAU, the team the Jags defeated two weeks ago, is ranked #138. While ULM is the highest ranked Sun Belt team at #46. Mississippi State is the highest ranked team on the Jaguars schedule this season at #28.
In the poll by CBSSports.com, who ranks all 124 FBS school, the Jags ranked #118, which is again the lowest ranked team in the Sun Belt. FIU is ranked #102, FAU is #109, ULM is #32 and Mississippi State is the highest ranked team on the Jags schedule as they rank #15.
Fans are encouraged to wear BLUE for the game on Saturday as the team will wear their Blue Jerseys and Blue pants.
Kickoff at Ladd-Peebles Stadium between the Jaguars and the FIU Golden Panthers is set for 2:30pm on Saturday.
Jaguar Volleyball To Close Out Home Schedule This Weekend
South Alabama Volleyball will close out the home portion of their schedule this weekend when they welcome MTSU and #19th ranked Western Kentucky.
They will face the Blue Raiders at 7pm on Friday then Western Kentucky at noon on Sunday.
“This weekend we will face two teams with two different systems and strengths,” South Alabama head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said. “Middle Tennessee is an aggressive and physical team that will run a fast offense and use their speed to earn points. Western Kentucky is a very disciplined team that is playing consistent and error free volleyball. For us to be successful, we will also look to be aggressive and focus on taking care of the ball on our side. I know our team will compete and look for them to play relaxed and enjoy being at home.”
The Jaguars will honor it’s five seniors, Katariina Kananen, Olivia Mohler, Elina Strautniece, Valerie Podczasy and Lindsay Schwartz.
The Jags will enter this weekend with a 13-13 overall record and 6-5 record in Sun Belt play. They are in a three way tie for the 4th best record in the conference with Arkansas State and North Texas. Currently the Jags would be a 6 seed due to tiebreakers.
Go Jags!!
Coach Jones Very Pleased With Wednesday’s Practice
Offensive lineman running position drills in preseason camp.
The South Alabama Jaguars hit the practice field again on Wednesday where they took part in position drills, offense versus defense drills along with work on special teams play. Head coach Joey Jones was quite happy with what he saw in practice.
“(This was) much better,” he said. “I thought we came to win today. Life’s about choices and they made a choice to come and have a good practice today. I think the second choice these young men have made is they are going to finish this season in a strong way, and we can control that. We can control what we do and that’s all we can do.”
“I thought that they came out and you see so much more leadership coming out right now,” Jones continued. “I thought offensively I was watching them and you see guys smiling and confident and believing in what they’re doing. You go to the defensive side of the field and you see the same thing. I’m watching a team grow and it was evident today.”
He even indicated that it may have been one of the teams best practices in recent weeks and that they made a big positive step forward. They will need that when Florida International comes to Mobile this weekend because their record is not indicative of how good they are. They may be 1-8 on the season, but they have a number of NFL prospects on their team.
Defensive end Pat Moore rejoined the team on Wednesday. Last week is mother passed away unexpectedly and her funeral was on Saturday, so he was not in Monroe with the team. He ranks second on the team with 4.5 sacks with 18 total tackles, eight of them being solo. Additionally he has 8.5 tackles for loss, a pass breakup, two quarterback hurries and two blocked field goals.
During this weeks routine activities coach Jones talked about freshmen on the team and how only one true freshman has seen action for the Jags. Cameron Broadnax, a wide receiver, is the only true freshman who has seen playing time on the field, but the rest of the freshman class has seen action, just on the scout team.
Previously, freshmen who entered the program were immediately put on the depth chart. It was done as much for their talent level as it was the necessity to have them in the depth chart. But the key to building a program is allowing most of the incoming freshmen the ability to get acclimated, not only to the accelerated speed of the game, but also to college life in general. They need time to get used to the speed of life at University and to memorize the expanded playbook used in college football.
“Number one, it shows our program is finally growing a little bit to where we have older guys that have been fighting for positions and holding on to those positions,” Jones said. “In years past, we’ve had freshmen come in and play automatically. Pretty much all of them. But now a guy has to earn his way.”
“Now, if a freshman comes in here and earns his way on the field he’s going to play,” Jones continued. “We’re going to play the best players, there’s no doubt about that and we always will. But it’s good that we’ve finally got some depth on the team and we can allow guys to mature and grow and get over there on the scout team where the get a ton of reps. It’s amazing how much growth they have through that year. I think all the guys who have gone through it realize how good that year is for them.”
The most noticeable area for this is the offensive line. They are such a key piece every season, which is modified when you are a young program like South Alabama is. But they have been able to avoid using their freshmen offensive linemen in order to develop depth at those positions.
Daniel Aust, Joseph Scelfo, Clay Machen and Steven Foster have been able to take advantage of their redshirt year to lots of reps with the scout team. They will in essence have a years worth of study time in the offense and studying defenses before they ever hit the field on gameday for the first time.
“The bottom line is you’re going against the best. If you’re an offensive player you’re going against the best defensive players and if you’re a defensive player you’re going against the best offensive players every day,” Jones said. “You line up against a starter on a Division I football team every day and that makes you better just going up against good competition. Secondly, you get a ton of reps. As a scout team player you’re in there every play. We’re really not rotating many guys, so you get a lot of time on the field. You get better simply by reps.”
“It’s fun to talk to the coaches on each side of the ball about the guys on the scout teams that are getting better,” Jones continued. “Brandon Bridge is one of them. He’s really improved at quarterback. We’ve had guys on the offensive line who are learning a lot and who are playing good and the coaches have said they are really going to help us next year. The same thing on defense. There are some defensive guys who have really made a lot of progress.”
Brandon Bridge, a transfer from Alcorn State, isn’t a freshman, but is using the year to learn the system since he is required to sit out as a transfer student. He and Grant Powell both get to use their redshirt seasons to study and learn.
They are learning the process of the system. While it may be difficult to work every day without seeing the playing field on gameday, but it is best for them in the future.
“I know they don’t realize it right now,” Jones said. “It’s probably the worst time in their life, at least to them, but they’re really getting better. If they can be mature enough and really understand that, that this is a great opportunity for them to get better and to use it as a tool for that, yes, this is a big help. I’m not saying 100 percent of them are using it that way, but the guys that do take advantage of that will get better.”
“If you look at next year, I would think there will be about eight to 10 guys (who are being redshirted) who are going to be real contributors and are going to make our team better. So when you start stock-piling them like that, and this is the first year we’ve been able to do it, it will start showing up in years two, three and four.”
The future is bright for this program.