Melvin Meggs To Miss 2013 Season; First Three Kickoff Times Announced
Shaun Artz (73) and Melvin Meggs (77) practice run blocking during the preseason camp in 2012. Meggs will miss the 2013 season with a torn ACL.
South Alabama’s most experienced offensive lineman, Melvin Meggs, will miss the 2013 season due to a torn ACL suffered in offseason workouts head coach Joey Jones announced on Monday.
Meggs, a 6’3″ 310-pound junior from Petal, Mississippi, had been earning plenty of preseason attention as the 2013 season approached but will miss entire season with his injury.
Meggs came to South Alabama from Petal High School and signed with the Jaguars when they were unclassified by the NCAA. Thus he had the opportunity to play all five seasons, including what is considered his redshirt season. Which means he cannot claim the 2013 season as a redshirt season, however he will be able to return for his senior season in 2014.
Meggs was credited with 76 knockdown blocks and graded 90 percent or better in six of the Jaguars 13 games last season including a 94 percent grade against Middle Tennessee State.
Meggs was one of two offensive players who started all 13 games last season. He was on the field for all but 15 of the Jaguars’ 938 offensive plays while only allowing one sack. He was not called for a holding or false start penalty all season.
Coach Jones said that losing an experienced player on offense will be a tough blow. But his surgery went well and is expected to be ready in six months. Though they never want to lose an experienced player like Melvin, Jones did say that they have more depth than the program has ever had in it’s short history. He said most of that depth is coming from the Jaguars redshirt freshmen class.
Additionally, Clay Machen will miss about four weeks with surgery to correct a torn meniscus but will be ready when camp begins this summer.
The University announced kickoff times for the first three contests late last week. The Jags season opener against Southern Utah will kick off on Thursday, August 29 at 6:30pm. The Jags road game in New Orleans on September 7 will kick off at 2:30pm and the Jags first Sun Belt Conference game of the season on September 14 against Western Kentucky will kick off at 6:30pm.
They did not announce if any of the first three games will be available on television. The kickoff times for remaining nine games of the 2013 schedule will be announced at a later date.
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One Response to “Melvin Meggs To Miss 2013 Season; First Three Kickoff Times Announced”
Big lost. Wish both gentlemen a healthy recovery. Be smart and don’t allow them to push your recovery. Healing takes time. Now let’s see who coach will decide on as a replacement. We need MEAT upfront, Big Bulky guys not these little thin guys you have on the OL that should be on the DL. Make sure they have some big triceps and thighs with some power behind them. BULK, BULK, BULK is the word coach. We are watching.