Lady Jags Fall To Rebels 72-56
The South Alabama women’s basketball team fell to Ole Miss at the Mitchell Center on Monday night 72-56. The win extends the Rebels winning streak to seven-consecutive to improve to 8-4 on the season while the loss broke the Jaguars two game winning streak and dropping their record to 2-7 on the season.
Ole Miss’ Tia Faleru sparked a 16-4 run early in the second half and earned her seventh double-double of the season. She scored 24 points and pulled down 13 rebounds, 18 of those points came in the second half against the Jaguars.
Jaguars Colby Davis led the Jaguars with a career-best 17 points for the third time in her last four games. Meghan Dunn added 11 points while Brittany Webb tied her career-high with her second consecutive 10-point game. Ronneka Robertson pulled down 12 rebounds to lead the Jags.
Olivia Mohler made her debut late in the game and pulled down her first rebound. She joined the team on Friday.
South Alabama will travel to Winston-Salem, NC to face Wake Forest on Friday.
South Alabama Sports Weekend Roundup
Women’s Basketball
Senior Olivia Mohler against Jackson State during the 2012 season.
South Alabama has a familiar face returning, but in a different capacity.
Olivia Mohler, former Jaguar volleyball standout, has returned to South Alabama but will be joining the Jaguar basketball squad.
She decided to play volleyball over basketball at USA and her volleyball eligibility expired after the 2011-2012 season. She was then offered the opportunity to play a season of basketball for the Lady Jaguars but she chose to persue a professional volleyball career overseas. However, when she failed to get her visa in time and had to return home, the opportunity resurfaced when she returned to USA to complete her work for her degree.
On Friday, she joined the lady Jags for her first basketball practice since high school.
First head Jaguar head coach Terry Fowler noticed her 6’2″ height coupled with her athleticism and competitive nature was a perfect fit for the basketball team.
The Lady Jaguars are on a two-game winning streak as they are set to host Ole Miss on Monday night at the Mitchell Center. She may see her first minutes of playing time then with only three practices under her belt.
“When the volleyball didn’t work out (overseas) and I came back, I talked to the coaches again and I decided to give it a shot,” Mohler told AL.com. “I’ve always loved the sport. They had said that I could contribute if I worked hard. I wanted to see if that opportunity was still there and it was. I guess it depends on how hard I work (how quickly she appears in a game). Hopefully, if I continue to work hard the coaches have said I can definitely contribute to the team the rest of the season.
“As far as volleyball and basketball go, as far as the level of play, playing volleyball and basketball is pretty much the same competition-wise, but the sports really don’t have a lot in common. There’s a lot more jumping in volleyball than basketball but the conditioning I’ve been doing is a whole lot different than what I’ve done in past years. … My basketball knowledge, just getting that back, I’ve been telling the coaches I’m working hard to get that back. I’m going to give it everything I’ve got. They are giving me the opportunity to play and I’m going to do everything I can for them. Hopefully my basketball knowledge will come back real quick.”
“I missed it a lot more than I thought I would, actually,” Mohler continued with AL.com. “It was kind of an easier decision to make when I was in high school. My dad and my brother both played basketball in college (at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College) and they were always pushing (me) toward basketball. Every year that I played volleyball I found myself watching (basketball) more and playing it more because I missed it a lot. I guess because it is in the family and it was hard because it was something I didn’t completely stop doing.”
Welcome back Olivia!
Men’s Basketball
Augustine Rubit was named to the All-SBC First Team and also SBC Preseason Player of the Year. Photo by John Adams | usajaguars.com
Augustine Rubit scored a career-high 35 points but Gonzaga held on for a 68-59 win over the Jaguars in the “Battle in Seattle” on Saturday.
The Bulldogs built up a 22-3 lead over the Jaguars with 9:49 left to play in the opening half, but Augustine Rubit connected on a 3-pointer which sparked the Jaguars to begin clawing their way back into the game.
With 9:39 left in the half, Rubit hits his first three-pointer, then after a Gonzaga dunk Rubit answered with one of his own, then after a turnover by Gary Bell Jr, Rubit hit a second three-pointer. A steal by Rubit on the other end of the court would set up Antoine Allen to nail a three and just like that the Jaguars were within ten points, 24-14 with 8:28 left until halftime.
South Alabama would cut the lead down to seven points with 3:45 left in the half after two free-throws by Rubit made it 30-23, but USA would only only net one basket the rest of the half and would go into the locker room down 41-25.
USA would open the second half on a 10-3 run, which included another 3-pointer by Rubit, to cut the lead to single digits again. But the Jaguars could only get within eight points of the ‘Zags the rest of the way.
Rubit took the team on his back as he was the only Jaguar in double-digits scoring for the game. He had 35 points and seven rebounds to lead the Jags on 11-of-16 shooting while making all 10 of his free-throw attempts. Aakim Saintil was the next closest scorer with eight points. Antoine Allen added six points and six rebounds.
Gonzaga had three to score in double-digits with Bell Jr leading the way with 20 points to go along with six rebounds. Sam Dower Jr. added 12 points and 11 rebounds and Kevin Pangos put in 10 points.
The Jaguars fall to 5-5 on the season as Gonzaga improves to 10-1. The national press calls the ‘zags win “ugly” and “too close for comfort”. Both teams struggled from the field as Gonzaga shot 41% and USA shot 32% for the game.
USA returns home to the Mitchell Center to face Dillard on Tuesday night for a 7:05pm tipoff.
Football
South Alabama receivers coach Jerry Mack is among four candidates for the head coaching position at North Carolina Central. Along with Mack, Winston-Salem head coach Connell Maynor, Southern University head coach Dawson Odoms and Nevada tight ends coach James Spadey are the top four for the position.
Mack is a native of Memphis and began playing at Jackson State before transferring to Arkansas State. As an assistant coach he has had stints at Delta State, Jackson State, Central Arkansas, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Memphis prior to South Alabama. He has also had internships in the NFL with the New York Jets and Buffalo Bills.
We could hear who they decide to hire by Thursday.
27 current and former Student-Athletes Graduate
South Alabama had 27 current and former USA student-athletes graduate Saturday at the Mitchell Center during the schools annual fall graduation ceremony. Among them six where All-Sun Belt Conference honorees and a pair of Player of the Year honorees.
Augustine Rubit was the 2012-2013 Player of the Year, but he was unable to attend due to the game against Gonzaga. Brittany Fowler was the softball Player of the Year also earned her degree.
Nolan Earley, Romelle Jones, Shelby Owen, Eddy Cabrera, Matt Calcagnini, Clifton Crews, Charles Harris, Bryson James, Kenneth Johnson, Alonzo Long, Byron Sneed, Montavious Williams, Drew Cofield, Jeff DeBlieux, Anthony Izzio, Brent Mitchell, Graham Odom, Ashton Krause, Jeff Long, Josh Nelson, Veronica Cherizol, Camille Reynolds, Chris Bockstael, Elina Strauniece were among the student-athletes who earned their degrees on Saturday.
Congratulations Jaguars!!
USA Men’s Basketball Travel To Seattle To Face Gonzaga
South Alabama men’s basketball team is traveling to Seattle to face #16 ranked Gonzaga.
The Jags, 5-4 overall but 0-3 in road games so far this season and coming off of a triple-overtime loss at Rice on a 3-pointer at the buzzer of the third overtime for the win.
Gonzaga, 9-1 on the season, are ranked #16 in the coaches poll and #25 in the AP Poll.
The game on Saturday night is being called the “Battle in Seattle” by Gonzaga and coach Graves says it’s accurate. “Statistically, they are one of the top five teams in the country on the offensive end of the floor,” Graves told AL.com about Gonzaga. “They are really skilled and savvy and can hurt you in a lot of different ways. It’s going to put an extreme test on our abilities defensively. First and foremost, to get back in transition; they’re unbelievable in getting the ball up the floor and either getting a quick layup or hitting an open three. And then they’ve got two bigs – 7-1 (Przemek Karnowski) and 6-9 (Sam Dower) – that are very good around the rim and very efficient at scoring the basketball. We’re certainly going to have our hands full there.”
Gonzaga do not rely only on the inside game. Four players average at least 10 points per game and a fifth is only one-tenth of a point away from averaging 10 points per game as well. Defensively teams have to be able to not only guard them in the paint, but also on the perimeter.
Kevin Pangos is leading the Bulldogs by averaging 19.6 points per game, Dower averages 14.9 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, Gary Bell Jr. adds 13.9 points and 3.2 rebounds per game, Gerard Coleman adds 10.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per game and Przemek Karnowski adds 9.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. They average 89.4 points per game while allowing only 71.9. They also out rebound opponents 371-319.
The Jaguars are led by Augustine Rubit’s 16.6 points per game and 10.0 rebounds per game. Mychal Ammons follows that up with 9 points per game and 8 rebounds per game. Ken “Juice” Williams averages 8.8 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, Barrington Stevens III averages 8.5 points and 2 rebounds per game, ANtoine Allen averages 8.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game and Aakim Saintil averages 7.6 points and 1.5 rebounds per game.
USA and Gonzaga tips off in the “Battle in Seattle” on Saturday at 9pm CST. The game will be carried on 105.5FM WNSP and will be on the Root Sports Network for television.
USA Softball Releases Their Schedule
South Alabama head softball coach Becky Clark announced the Jaguars 2013 schedule which includes six top-25 foes, which include UAB and Mississippi State as well a challenging road games.
“Our spring schedule is our toughest to date,” eighth year head coach Becky Clark said. “We will be playing 10 teams who participated in the NCAA Regional tournament last season and three of those who moved on to Super Regionals. We know that we have a tough schedule, but our kids love the challenge and have worked hard all summer and fall to prepare themselves.”
“We will open our season with our annual Mardi Gras Tournament, and I am looking forward to showcasing our field renovation and new construction,” she added. “The addition of our covered hitting facility will be a huge upgrade for our student-athletes, and the renovations around the field are going to go a long way in improving our fan’s experience on game day. We are very fortunate to have an administration that is so committed to providing a first class experience for our players and fans.”
“This is the first year for the Gulf Coast Classic held in Gulfport, Miss., and should prove to be a strong tournament,” Clark concluded. “This is a great opportunity for our fans to enjoy some highly-competitive softball without having to travel a great distance.”
February 6 will see the Jags hosting UAB at a newly renovated Jaguar Field to begin a five-game home stretch ahead of their annual Mardi Gras Tournament which will feature two games with Syracuse on February 7 & 8, plus single games against McNeese State on February 8 and Austin Peay on February 9.
USA will travel to Georgia for the Bulldog Invitational on February 14-16 and will face the Bulldogs twice. USA will also take on Ohio, Mercer and Furman. USA will travel to Birmingham for a rematch against UAB.
USA will participate in the 2014 Diamond 9 Classic at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort in the Florida panhandle.
They will also travel to Orlando on February 21-23 with Georgia Southern, East Carolina, Lehigh, Mercer and Georgia. The Mississippi Gulf Coast Classic will have USA, Ohio, Nicholls State, UT-San Antonio, Baylor and Chattanooga.
Then they will return to Boca Raton to visit former Sun Belt foe Florida Atlantic on March 7-9 where the Jags will also face Marshall, Virginia Tech, Michigan State and Illinois.
They will go to Sillwater, OK for the Oklahoma State’s Cowgirl Classic for a two-day trip where they will face Oklahoma State twice after facing New Mexico.
The full schedule can be found on the USA Softball website by clicking here.
Non-AQ Top Ten 12-10-2013
Louisiana-Lafayette’s 30-8 loss to South Alabama drops them and the Sun Belt out of the top ten.
Four teams have received first place votes with the top two separated by a mere two points.
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Non-AQ Top 10
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RK
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TEAM
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RECORD
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PTS
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1
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Northern Illinois (2)
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12-1
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80
|
|
2
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Fresno State (4)
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11-1
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78
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3
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Brigham Young (2)
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8-4
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68
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4
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Bowling Green (1)
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10-3
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68
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|
5
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Ball State
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10-2
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50
|
|
6
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Rice
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10-3
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48
|
|
7
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Marshall
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9-4
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28
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|
8
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Utah State
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8-5
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20
|
|
9
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East Carolina
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9-3
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17
|
|
10
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Boise State
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8-4
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14
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Dropped from rankings: Louisiana.
Others receiving votes: Louisiana 10, Buffalo 7,
North Texas 4, Toledo 2, Western Kentucky 1.
USA Has 10 Players Honored By Conference, Coach Jones Selected Coach Of The Year
Ten Jaguars were named to the All-Sun Belt football team today including head coach Joey Jones being named Sun Belt Coach of the Year.
First team selections were: tight end Wex Saxton, offensive lineman Chris May, defensive end Alex Page and defensive lineman Romelle Jones. Second team selection: quarterback Ross Metheny, wide receiver Shavarez Smith, offensive lineman Ucambre Williams and linebacker Enrique Williams.
Honorable mention honors went to placekicker Aleem Sunanon and running back Jay Jones.
South Alabama was chosen to finish seventh out of eight teams in the preseason coaches poll. Coach Jones led the Jaguars to a bowl-eligible 6-6 season and 4-3 record in conference play, including three consecutive wins to end the season. Through five seasons at the helm at USA, a program he started, Jones is 31-21.
Western Kentucky’s Antonio Andrews was named Player of the Year for the conference as well as Offensive Player of the Year. Defensive Player of the Year went to Xavius Boyd also from Western Kentucky. Louisiana-Lafayette’s Elijah McGuire was named Freshman of the Year.
Arkansas State led the conference with 12 players being named to either the first or second team list. ULL and Troy both had nine and South Alabama had eight. WKU, who won the player, offensive and defensive players of the year honors, had seven players on the two teams. ULM had six and newcomers Georgia State and Texas State both had two representatives on the two teams.
Saxton, a 6’4″ 240-pound junior from Hueytown caught 50 passes to tie for the team lead and gained 635 yards on the season.
Page, a 6’1″ 235-pound senior from Prattville had 51 tackles with 14 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks, both best on the team.
Romelle Jones, a 6’2″ 270-pound senior from New Orleans had 42 tackles with 13.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks.
Metheny, a 6’3″ 205-pound senior and the conference leader in total offense, threw for 2,622 yards and 15 touchdowns. He also rushed for 604 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Smith, a 6’1″ 200-pound junior from McDonough, GA, caught 50 passes to tie for the team lead and gained 940 yards with six touchdowns.
Enrique Williams, a 6′ 235-pound senior from Mobile led USA in total tackles with 105 with 7.5 of them being for a loss.
Sunanon, a 5’7″ 185-pound redshirt freshman from Orlando went 18-of-23 handling the placekicking duties this season, including setting a new school record with 12-consecutive to end the season. His 91 points was the most on the team.
Jay Jones, a 5’9″ 190-pound junior from Horn Lake, MS. led the Jaguar rushing attack with 737 yards with five touchdowns.
Arkansas State’s Harsin Accepts HC Position At Boise State
Arkansas State will be playing in the GoDaddy Bowl for the third consecutive season and also for the third consecutive season they have lost their head football coach to another program.
Former Red Wolves head coach Bryan Harsin has accepted the offer to become the head football coach at Boise State, the position that came open when Chris Peterson left for the head coaching position at Washington State. The announcement was made Wednesday morning.
Harsin when 7-5 last season in his first season as a head coach with the Red Wolves. He is returning to a familiar place as he was quarterback for the Broncos from 1995-1999. He began his coaching career at Eastern Oregon University where he coached running backs and quarterbacks in 2000. In 2001 he returned to Boise State as a graduate assistant. In 2002 he was hired as tight ends coach and stayed in that position until 2005 until he was promoted to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach in 2006, in which he guided the offense to an undefeated season. In 2008 he guided freshman Kellen Moore to the WAC freshman of the year while setting freshman records for completion percentage with 69.4%. He had a 61-5 record as offensive coordinator with the Broncos with two Fiesta Bowl victories over Oklahoma and TCU.
In 2011 Harsin joined Mack Brown’s staff as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach with Major Applewhite as his co-offensive coordinator. He accepted the head coaching position with Arkansas State after the 2012 season.
Arkansas State lost first year head coach Gus Malzahn to the head coaching position at Auburn University last year. Prior to that, they lost their first year head coach, Hugh Freeze, to Ole Miss in 2011.
USA’s Allison, Oram, Hernandez Are Part Of 10 SBC Players Selected For All-South Region Team
The University of South Alabama Women’s Soccer team pose after wining their first-ever Sun Belt Conference Championship by defeating Western Kentucky 1-0 on Sunday in San Marcos, Texas. | sunbeltsports.org
Ten Sun Belt Conference women’s soccer players were selected for the NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA All-South Region team as announced by the NSCAA office.
Highlighting the list was Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player and Freshman of the Year Lauren Allison. She led the conference in points, points per game, goals, goals per game, assists, assists per game and game-winning goals. She and teammate Jessica Oram were both selected to the All-South Region First Team.
Jaguars Clarrisa Hernandez was selected to the second team.
Along with the three Jaguars, UL-Lafayette’s Grace Howell-Harries, who was selected SBC Defensive Player of the Year, was selected to the second team and Annika Schmidt was selected to the third team.
Troy freshman Necee Jennings was selected to the Third Team. WKU’s Nora Abolins, Chrissy Tchoula and Iris Dunn were all selected to the Second Team with Chandler Clark being selected to the Third Team.
Allison, Dunn, Jennings and Schmidt are all freshman and are just four of several players returning who will be impact players for the 2014 season. Additionally, each of the four returning players are ranked in the top ten in goals scored this season.
Howell-Harries is a junior and will also return for the 2014 season.
Sun Belt soccer looks to be a very exciting season.
Monday Press Conference
Head coach Joey Jones was joined by linebacker Bryson James and receiver Bryant Lavender for the Jaguars Monday press conference. They recapped the win over Louisiana-Lafayette and recapped the 2013 season. Below are highlights from the press conference.
Coach Jones opened by talking about the program’s next step. “The seniors in this program have done a great job of putting this program together. We improved drastically over last season. The challenge now is to improve that much more next year. We have set a standard for a lot of things. You have to build tradition, and we’re starting to build it. Obviously we are a long way from having a lot of deep tradition like most schools have, but we have some traditions intrinsically with the way we do things. Our staff and players understand that and are doing things the right way. But can we improve? Heck yes we can improve. That’s the challenge for the next season.”
Jones then spoke about moving forward to next season. “I have looked forward a little bit because I’m not a guy who is going to look back much anyway, win or lose. You have to move forward. But my mind is pretty heavy in recruiting right now to help us next season. We have thought about the different scenarios of who will play what and the shuffling around of positions, as well as who we have to recruit to make this 2014 team the best that it can be. We have certainly shifted our focus to next year. The answers to a lot of that will be in recruiting.”
Talking about what he will remember the most about this season he said the following. “I’ll remember the way we fought back. It was tough to come in on a Sunday and talk to the team after a one-point loss. You have to keep them going, but that was difficult. It was very hard for me. I had to put on a face in front of them to where they didn’t see any panic. When I went home at night I was distraught at times. But when I got up the next day and faced the (coaching) staff and players, we had to move on. That life lesson that they learned from being in that situation and fighting through it and finishing strong no matter what happened before, I have always preached those lessons but never really had to live them. I’ve been pretty fortunate as a player and coach to have been on a lot of winning teams. Some of those things were real, and we had to live through them.”
On the imporantance of next season relative to the growth of the program he had this to say. “I don’t know where it stands, all I know is we need to improve. Every year I am going to have a two-day staff meeting where we talk about ways we can improve for the following year in every facet. You have to assess yourself every year no matter how good you are or how the previous year went. You have to assess yourself and get better. That’s the essence of having a championship-type football program, by improving every year. Where that will be next year as far as wins and losses go, I don’t know. But we need to improve and set the standard even higher to become a conference champion. Our goal is certainly to get there, and we have to do a lot of things between now and then to get there.”
He talked about any disappointment on this season. “The way we finished made us feel a lot better. Sure we’re disappointed from some standpoint, but we did have a good year. We realize how close we are in our first year of Division I of achieving our goals. We achieved one out of the two, and next year we’ll have the same two goals. It’s disappointing because you are so close to having a ring on these guys’ fingers. But it’s a positive that we’re that close too.”
Finally, talking about replacing 28 seniors from this team. “I’m concerned about some positions, but the positive side of it is they have laid the groundwork for this next group of seniors who will come through. We’re starting to get normal-sized senior classes that we have never had before. Even though you lose them on the field, it’s almost like some of them are still there because of the things that they created in leadership and work ethic. It’s all still going to be there rubbing off on those juniors, sophomores and freshmen behind them to come fill their shoes.”
Bryson James spoke about the ULL win. “That game was very personal for me. I have a lot of high school teammates and classmates that go to school there. It was just very emotional. It was awesome being out there for the last time and getting a big win.”
He then reflected on the season. “We weren’t playing as a whole at the beginning of the year, but we were trying to get there. By the end of the season I felt like we came together and played as one team, as brothers. The seniors and a lot of the younger guys were playing the role of leader on and off the field, and that’s what brought us closer together. We played off the charts this season.”
James then spoke about the progression of the program. “There was nothing but red dirt and trees when we came in to the program. Just having to build this program and for Coach Jones to have to get all the guys on the same page is tough to do. It was crazy. People were coming from everywhere (to play). I actually didn’t know anything about Mobile or the University of South Alabama. But Coach Jones and (former assistant) Coach (Kurt) Crain came and talked to me and told me about the program. They told me it was a way to make history. And as the years went by and we were going into the last game, I just thought how amazing it’s going to be to come back 25 or 30 years from now knowing we helped start this program. Every year I have been around a bunch of guys who were positive. They helped lead me toward the right way of doing things. The coaches, trainers and the entire staff showed me the right ways and kept my head right. I felt like it was beyond the players. There was steady growth. We were expecting so much of a challenge this past season that we knew we had to step up our preparation. But it’s not about football. This is preparing you for life. I tried to instill that into the minds of the younger guys and let them know that it’s not all about you. It’s about bettering yourself and your life for when you have a family so you can pass it along to your kids.”
James talked about what he will remember most about the season. “The most memorable moment for me is how we finished strong. We showed everyone that we aren’t just a push-around – we’re not going to give up. We stayed focused even though we had some tough losses, and that’s what Coach Jones stressed to us. Were we going to lay down? And we responded each week. It was tough going through one-point losses and knowing we could have been in a bowl game this year. But I’m just happy that we finished the way we did this year.”
Finally, he spoke about looking forward as being a spectator for the games rather than a player. “It’s going to be tough knowing that I’m not going to step into that locker room and put on a uniform. But I’m always going to be close and will participate any way I can to help out. I’m going to be on the sideline supporting the program as much as I can. But it’s going to be different. It didn’t hit me until we were getting our plaques on Senior Night. Just having the fans, my loving family and teammates’ families there – there’s nothing like it. It’s going to be tough leaving my teammates, but I’m always going to be around.”
Bryant Lavender also talked about the win over ULL. “I have a former high school teammate who kicks at ULL. It was good to see and talk to him. It wasn’t as emotional for me as it was for Bryson, because he is from Louisiana. But it was emotional enough to go out and leave everything on the field because it was my last collegiate game and the last time I would put on a South Alabama uniform. It just meant a lot to go out with a bang the way we did, knocking off the conference champions. It was nice.”
He also reflected on the season. “We had a new motto coming into the season, and we wanted to make sure every time we stepped onto the practice field, the weight room or into meetings that we took that and used it as a reminder each day. That’s why we were so resilient in being able to come back after a loss. We took it and improved as the season went on. It was like boxing – we took a hit but kept on punching.”
Then he talked about the progression of the program. “I didn’t know anything about South Alabama heading into my senior year of high school. But I went to a camp and that’s when the coaches offered me. It was exciting because I wasn’t sure what it was going to be like. There were people coming from everywhere. I didn’t know them and they didn’t know me, but we were together every day in the summer in the heat lifting weights, running and just trying to get better. I thanked Coach Jones for allowing us to come help build this program into what it is now. The journey we have taken has been a pleasure, because we improved each year. If you look at the losses when we started playing a full FBS schedule, we didn’t lose by that much. There were maybe two or three games where we got blown out, but every year was a step forward. It’s a continuous growing process, but I feel like we set a great foundation for the house to be built. This football program is destined for greatness. We have opened a lot of eyes and caught a lot of people’s attention with the way we have played. Most of the teams we have played understood what we’re about once we played them. Respect is what we wanted more than anything because as the new kid on the block you don’t get respect. As a senior and captain, I tried to instill in the guys that regardless of how you feel about someone you have to do everything the right way. In the end, they’re going to remember how you did it. If they remember you doing it the right way, then you’ll always called back. It was very important for us as we got older to set the example for the younger guys. We pushed them and each other, and that’s why we became bowl eligible our first year in FBS. It was a great year for us mentally and physically as far as growing as a program. That’s something that the coaches and players that are still here can take and build upon. Everything has fallen into place for us to hand the reigns over and let everyone else take over and finish what we started.”
Lavender spoke about what he will remember most about the season. “I’ll remember the fight that we kept having to put up. We were in every game, besides the Navy game. We put ourselves in a position to win the ballgame (each week). That’s the only thing you can ask for out of yourself and the coaches. Just give us an opportunity to win the game, and we had that opportunity. Sometimes we came up short and sometimes we didn’t. But just the resiliency that we had as a group, coaches included, to keep pushing and not let up is what I’ll remember. We just wanted to fight and let everybody know that South Alabama isn’t going anywhere.”
Finally, he also spoke about what it will be like to be a spectator at future games rather than a player. “I’m looking forward to it just to see what bricks are going to be laid next after we leave. Am I excited about being a spectator? No, I hate watching football. I like to play. But this is something that is a part of me. It’s always a pleasure to see my alma mater do well. And I’ll always be around as much as I can because that’s what we’re here for. We’re the ones who are going to have to come back and tell guys how it started and what it was like. That’s something that comes with the territory. But spectating will be fun because I know where the coaches’ minds are. The hard part will be when none of the coaches are here and you don’t know any of the kids because you don’t know what’s going on; you feel out of the loop. But for right now we’ll still feel in the loop, we just won’t be able to put on the suit. It will be good, but the hard part will be in the next 10 to 15 years when they ask you to come back and you don’t know any of the coaches or players and they don’t know you. But you let them know if they need something, the players and coaches who started it are here for the program.”
Pair Of Jaguars Earn Weekly Player Of The Week Honors After Regular Season Finale
South Alabama claimed both the Sun Belt Conference Offensive and Defensive players of the week in the final week of the 2013 regular season. On Monday, the conference office announced that Jay Jones was selected as the Offensive player of the week and Pat Moore was selected the defensive player of the week.
The Jaguars defeated Sun Belt Conference Co-Champion Louisiana-Lafayette 30-8 with Jay Jones rushed for a career best 105 yards on 19 carries. Pat Moore recorded a career-high seven tackles in the win.
South Alabama concluded its first season competing as a full member of the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision with an overall record of 6-6 and a 4-3 record in conference games. Their conference record was good enough to tie for third place in the conference. While the overall record was good enough to qualify for postseason play, they along with several other Conference teams were not selected for bowl games.
Jones, a 5’9″ 190-pound junior from Horn Lake, MS. rushed for over 100-yards for the second consecutive game It was the fifth time this season that he led the team in rushing yards. He has also rushed for 737 yards on the season and ranks second in the school’s season record list. He ranks sixth in the league in rushing with an average of 61.4 yards per game.
With his effort, the Jags gained 363 yards of toal offense and controlled the ball for almost 36 minutes of the game. As the Jaguars built a 17-0 lead in the first quarter, he gained 53 yards including rushes for 27 and 28 yards on their first touchdown drive.
Moore, a 6’3″ 260-pound Southaven, MS native, recorded seven tackles included a pair of tackles for loss as the defense held Lafayette to a season-low 212 yards of total offense which was also the fewest allowed by USA this year. He totalled five tackles in the first three quarters while helping the Jaguars defense hold ULL to only 95 total yards.
This is the second time Moore has been honored with a weekly honor as he was selected as Special Teams Player of the Week on October 22, 2012. He finished the regular season tied for third in the conference with 13.5 tackles for loss and tied for fith with 5.5 sacks.