Gameday: USA vs Tennessee
It’s gameday, one of the largest in South Alabama history literally. They will be playing in Neyland Stadium, one of the largest in the nation with a capacity of over 102,000 seats.
The game will kick off at 11:21am CDT and will be broadcast by the SEC Network. It will also be broadcast on 105.5 FM WNSP in Mobile and world wide on www.wnsp.com. Lee Shirvanian will handle play-by-play while Rick Cleveland will over color commentary.
The key to South Alabama having a chance to win the game starts with turnovers. Tennessee is #1 in the SEC and #3 nationally in forced turnovers with 12. They have eight interceptions and four fumble recoveries. THe Jags cannot afford to turn over the ball againt a big SEC team.
Tennessee quarterback Justin Worley will be starting for the Vols. Last week he was benched in favor of redshirt freshman Nathan Peterman against Florida. However he was injured on top of not playing well which returns Worley to his starting position.
Probably the most experienced and talented groups on the Tennessee team is their offensive line. They will be relied upon to get the Volunteer offense going. Conversely the Jaguar defense may be the best unit for the Jaguars depth and experience wise.
South Alabama utilizes two, and sometimes three, quarterbacks. Coach Jones said it’s a bit of a gut-feeling as to when a change of pace is warranted.
In the Jaguars previous game against Western Kentucky, Ross Metheny played the entire first half before Brandon Bridge started the second half to help ignight the Jaguar offense to a 31-24 win after trailing at halftime 21-10.
Danny Sheridan has South Alabama listed as a 19-point underdog in the game. While this does not sound good for the Jaguars, it could be some big motivation for the team. The Jags are not expected to win but this game is a must win for the Vols as they have just dropped the last two games and will face two top-15 teams in the next two weeks when they play Georgia and South Carolina.
South Alabama also comes into this game with confidence. They rebounded from a season-opening loss to Southern Utah with wins over Tulane and Western Kentucky. They have learned what it takes to win and they have learned their strengths and weaknesses. But they may also fall into a crack where the UT players are not motivated for a ‘new program’. They just came off of road losses to #2 Oregon and #21 Florida and will face Georgia and South Carolina after the Jags.
Tune it for the 11:21am CDT kickoff to see how the game plays out.
Go Jags!