Jags Continue Preseason Camp And Hold Media Day Today
Practice four was held on Saturday, August 9 in shells.
Head coach Joey Jones thought the team worked very hard with good intensity. He acknowledged that there were a couple fights on the field, which is good that they have that intensity but bad in other ways. Overall he thought it was a good practice.
Defensively Jones thought they played very aggressive and worked on finishing by trying to create turnovers. The defensive staff has been emphasizing that two or three turnovers a game will go a long way to helping your team to win.
Melvin Meggs was selected as the Offensive player of the Day. Offensive coordinator Robert Matthews explained that he is continuing to come back after he was sidelined last season with a knee injury. He progressed in the spring and has continued to improve since camp started. “I’m really happy to see the way he’s moving around, his physicality and the way he has fallen right back into it,” Matthews said.
Defensively, the Player of the Day was E.J. May. Defensive coordinator Travis Pearson thought he looked very good in 1-on-1 drills, 7-on-7 drills and during the team drills. “He’s getting better every day, he’s got a chance to be a really good player for us,” Pearson explained. “Today he did exactly what he was supposed to do and he was where he needed to be.”
Some highlights from the practice included Steven Fuller stripping a ball loose from a receiver and Montell Garner picking it out of midair in 7-on-7 drills. May also had an interception in 7-on-7 drills where he grabbed a ball over his shoulder at the goal line to save a touchdown. Garner had a big stop on third and five when he stopped Jake Howton for no gain after a completion.
Matt Floyd hit Tony Ray Parnell for a 50-yard completion in the final team drill of the day. He also completed a 20-yard pass to DeMarrion Buford-Hughes.
Xavier Johnson also had a good play when he broke through the offensive line near midfield and had one man to beat for a touchdown, however the play was called before he actually reached the end zone.
The offense also worked on their tempo. They had three periods of team drills, each lasting 15 minutes each. The first saw 24 snaps of the ball as they worked on second and long situations. The second they had 32 snaps where they worked on moving the ball while working on tempo. Then the final set they ran 26 more plays as they were working on moving the ball on first, second and third downs.
Practice five was held on Sunday, August 10 and was their first practice in full pads in the middle of the afternoon.
Coach Jones said the defense really picked up their game on Sunday. The offense ran the ball well against them on Saturday and they were not going to let that happen again. Jones also mentioned that he really likes the chemistry on the team, they care about each other and they really know how to practice.
Jones continued by stating that the team played with great tempo and were physical without being too physical. He wants to continue to stress that they need to be great fundamentally over the next two weeks of practice. “If we don’t block or tackle then it isn’t going to matter,” Jones said. “You have to keep pressing to be great fundamentally.”
He thought the team is doing really well with their pass rush, something that the team struggled with early last season. He didn’t single out anyone in particular, but he mentioned that some guys had some great blitzes and were able to get off their blocks well in order to get to the quarterback. Several would have been sacks. He also mentioned that the secondary is playing much better with good breaks on the ball and did not give us as many long passes as they did in previous practices.
However the area of improvement coach Jones singled out was trusting the call the coaches are making and to play fundamentally so they will be good in whatever the team does.
Jay Jones was singled out by the coaching staff as the Offensive player of the Day. Coach Matthews said that last seasons leading rusher has provided lots of leadership by the way he practices and how he carries himself. He broke some good runs, particularly noticeable on third downs. He converted a third-down play into a 50-yard touchdown during the team period.
Defensively Terrell Brigham was selected as the Player of the Day. Coach Pearson pointed to his consistent play from last season, through spring and now during preseason camp. “He’s consistent with his communication; his play is always consistently good,” Pearson explained. “He lines everyone up and makes all the calls. That guy is invaluable to me.”
Another running back made a big play on the day. Xavier Johnson, who broke a long run the previous practice, scored on a 34 yard touchdown run during the final team period as the offensive worked on third-down conversions.
Continuing on the previous days work, the defense intercepted a pass inside the 5 yard line during 7-on-7 drills, this time it was Margo Reed with the pick.
Hunter Vaughn threw a touchdown pass to Cameron Broadnax during the team session while working inside the red zone.
Practice six was held on Monday, August 11 and was their first two-a-day practice with the afternoon session focusing on special teams work.
Talking about the morning session, Coach Jones said he thought it was a good practice. He pointed to a number of offsides incidents that his team needs to work on as well as a couple of fumbles in the backfield that concerned him.
Reflecting back on the first six practices of camp, Jones said his team has been very attentive and they are listening to what the coaches are teaching them. They continue to get better at what they need to do.
Offensively, the Player of the Day was T.J. Glover. Coach Matthews pointed to Glover’s versatility for the team as he has played receiver and running back and continues to make big plays. “He had some big plays today, making really nice cutbacks for big gains; it was good to see him get loose with his speed,” Matthews explained.
Defensively it was Theo Rich who was selected at the Defensive player of the Day. Coach Pearson pointed to his consistency as a big factor in his play. “The kid is in shape, he has come in this year with a different attitude to be a player,” Pearson explained. “You’re talking about a 260-pound guy that can drop underneath and get his hands on balls. He’s been consistent throughout preseason camp, I’m thoroughly impressed with that kid.”
Hunter Vaughn connected with Nathan Sassaman for a 45-yard gain. Vaughn found him open in the left flat then Sassaman broke it down the left sideline for the big gain. Senior tight end Ryan Onkka caught three passes on the day as well.
Jay Jones continued to pay off on his hard work. He went up the middle and twice broke free for gains of 20 yards or more in the second of the three team sessions on the day.
Today head coach Joey Jones, the offensive and defensive coordinators and selected student-athletes will participate in the team’s annual preseason media day at the Football Field House.
Jags Add Another Commit For 2015
Nigel Lawrence gave his verbal commitment to the Jaguars on Sunday. Photo: rivals.com
Head coach Joey Jones and his staff hauled in another recruit on Sunday when Smiths Station High School student-athlete Nigel Lawrence announced he had chosen South Alabama to play football and baseball.
His recruiter talked to him last month and went over how he would be able to achieve his degree and how he would compete for playing time at safety immediately. This sat well with Lawrence and the three-star prospect selected the Jaguars over Georgia State, Western Kentucky, Cincinnati, Mercer, UAB and Troy.
Lawrence, a 6′ 178-pound prospect fell in love with the atmosphere on campus when he visited in July and plans to attend the Mississippi State game in September. He also wants to attent football games at a couple other schools as well, including Auburn. But Lawrence hit social media hard after making his commitment public. He touted the rise of the Jaguars team and how he wants to be part of making history at the University.
Football Gets Started With Preseason Camp
After a brief hiatus, we are back covering South Alabama football preseason camp.
The Jaguar football team reported to camp and held their first practice on Wednesday, August 6.
Head coach Joey Jones spoke after the team’s first practice and mentioned they had a few guys who were probably not in the shape they wanted, but that about 95% of the team came into camp in good shape. They need to improve quickly because “we can’t have any weak links on this team, everybody has to be in shape and ready to go” Jones said.
Jones said it was too early to analyze how Brandon Bridge looked, though he did state that he had a good summer and seems to be doing some good things through the first practice. He also talked about Wes Saxton earning national recognition in the preseason. Jones stated that he is a competitor and that he does not worry about him and that he will do well this season.
As for what coach Jones hopes to accomplish before the team is able to practice in full pads, he said they can work on the passing game. In their first practice they worked on two-minute drills and didn’t rush the quarterback since they were not wearing pads. They also working on the kicking game. In general, it was a teaching experience as they have lots of new student-athletes that need to learn their role on the team.
At the conclusion of the first practice, coach Jones announced that Jereme Jones was selected to wear the #5 jersey this season, honoring Anthony Mostella. Each season a member of the senior class is chosen to wear the number in honor of Mostella, who wore #5 in the Jaguars first season of football in 2009 but passed away the due to a motorcycle accident on June 13, 2010.
Jones, a four-year letterwinner, is the school’s all-time leading receiver with 121 catches for 1,317 yards and 14 touchdowns. He also enters the season with streak of 39 consecutive games with a catch.
After practice, Jones spoke about being chosen to wear the #5 jersey. “It’s a real great honor. I knew Mo [Anthony Mostella], we took a class together and getting to know him and the person he is I am really honored to be able to represent him by wearing his number.”
“I only knew him one semester, but he showed me where all my classes were and we started hanging out a little bit and I was able to get to know him better as the semester went on,” he continued. “The accident really hit me hard when it happened. He was a great person and fun to be around.”
In the first practice, Jereme Jones was selected as the Offensive player of the day as he hauled in a 15-yard touchdown pass from Bridge to cap off the first-teams 60-yard drive during a two-minute drill. Marvin Shinn earned honorable mention with an 18-yard catch one play before to convert a fourth-and-one and to set up Jones for the touchdown play.
Davin Hawkins earned defensive player of the day with several plays in key moments.
Practice two was held on Thursday, August 7 in hemets and shorts.
Coach Jones said that practice went a little bit better than the day before. The guys fought through and practiced at an energetic level with some new guys starting to pick up on their roles on the team. Jones also said that the coaching staff needs to continue to put things in progressively but that they cannot get too far ahead of themselves. They have to build on what they do well and keep working on things that they are not doing well yet.
Cameron Broadnax was selected as offensive player of the day as offensive coordinator Robert Matthews singling him out for his route running, ball catching and practicing hard. He also caught a 37-yard touchdown pass in the first drive during two-minute drills.
Maleki Harris was selected as defensive player of the day. Defensive coordinator Travis Pearson said that Harris has taken on more of a leadership role as he is more vocal and is doing everything at full speed. He is being a great example to the younger players on the team.
Davin Hawkins made the play of the day with a diving interception of a Brandon Bridge pass intended for Wes Saxton in 7-on-7 drills. He picked it out of the air with a full-extension dive.
Practice three was held on Friday, August 8 in shells (helmets and shoulder pads) and was the first morning practice.
Coach Jones said that they practiced late the night before and got up Friday morning for meetings at 6am. They had a few cramp up and others who were fatigued but they fought through it. Jones said they have to get mentally tougher to compete for a conference championship and they are working on that.
But Jones said that the team was coming together a little bit and that he is seeing the younger players starting to pick up on things. But they have to keep making progress in order to be ready for the season.
Joseph Scelfo was selected as the offensive player of the day. Coach Matthews said he had really good snaps and protected good. He was making good calls and that he did not see a lot of busted assignments along the offensive line during the blitz and team periods.
Jesse Kelley was selected as the defensive player of the day. Coach Pearson said that it was based on all three days of practice. Kelley is a 300-pounder who did not miss a single rep. He has come into camp ready to play and is making those plays. He’s also been a vocal and emotional leader on the team who leads by example with hard work, which is what they need to be able to win this fall.
Play of the day went to Brandon Bridge, who rolled right to escape pressure and found Jereme Jones for a 35-yard gain. He also connected with Braedon Bowman for a 45-yard touchdown to start the last team period of the day.
After practice Maleki Harris said that the first couple days of preseason camp are always the toughest as their bodies get used to the heat and the workouts. But the sports medicine staff continue to tell them to hydrate, use cold tubs, eat and sleep.
Harris also mentioned that the defense needs to work on stopping the run. They did an alright job on the first day, but he will not settle on being “alright.” He also said that they are giving up big plays. A championship defense does not do that and that is what they strive to be.