Preview: South Alabama vs Texas State – Claws Out
South Alabama enters Saturday night’s game against Texas State backed into a corner. And when you back a wounded animal into a corner, they become very dangerous.
The Jags know they need this game most of all, it will put them at six wins on the season and get them bowl eligible for the second consecutive season. But it could very well be for an actual bowl slot. You might as well call this a ‘winner take bowl’ game.
Beginning this season, the Sun Belt Conference has automatic ties with three bowl games up from the two bowl tie-in’s they had in previous seasons. The addition of the Camellia Bowl in Montgomery is to thank for that. Georgia Southern is one win away from an undefeated SBC record, but they are ineligible to go to a bowl game barring there not being enough bowl eligible teams to fill all the bowl slots. I have not gone back through all of the caveats to that rule change, but if memory serves me right, they would be among the top choices to fill a slot.
Louisiana-Lafayette, also currently undefeated in conference play, could still get a share of SBC title if they win out. But it’s pretty much a lock that, if they keep playing at the level that they have the past couple of weeks, Lafayette and Arkansas State are going to be the top two teams filling the New Orleans and GoDaddy bowl slots. Which leaves South Alabama and Texas State fighting for that last slot.
This is the Jaguars final conference game while Texas State still has two more after the Jaguars. The Bobcats will face a red hot Arkansas State team, where they will be underdogs, and then wrap up the season against Georgia State where they will be favored (has GaSt been favored in any game this year??). If the bobcats only win at Georgia State (which they should) then USA and TXST will have the same record, but (not so fast) USA will hold the tiebreaker due to winning the head-to-head match-up.
Over recent weeks the Jaguars have been been beat up. Last week they had eight starters out against Arkansas State and it showed. They have lost Jay Jones and most recently Marvin Shinn to season ending injuries.
The big question is: “Have they been able to mend their wounds enough to win this week?” and “Have the reserves stepped up their game to fill those empty cleats?”
So after all that, what does South Alabama need to do to win?
Jags and Gamecocks to Play in Regionally Televised Game on November 22
It was announced on Monday that South Alabama’s game against South Carolina will be regionally televised.
The Jaguars will face the Gamecocks on Saturday, November 22 with an 11am CST kickoff. The game will be broadcast live on FOX Sports South.
USC will be the second Southeastern Conference opponent on the Jaguars’ schedule this season. They were defeated by current #1 Mississippi State in the home opener at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
This will be the Jaguars first non-conference game after playing eight-consecutive conference games since September.
Monday Press Conference – Texas State Edition
Colby Sawyer with South Alabama student-athletes during his visit with coach Jones and and the team prior to the Monday press conference. | Photo: al.com usajaguars.com
The University of South Alabama head football coach Joey Jones met with the media on Monday for his weekly press conference where he and two Jaguar student-athletes reflect on their previous game and look ahead at their upcoming match up.
This week Coach Jones was joined by defensive lineman Jesse Kelley and offensive lineman Joseph Scelfo. Below are highlights from that press conference.
Head coach Joey Jones’ opening statement. “Obviously last week was disappointing. We had eight starters out, and we didn’t play as well as we could have without those guys. But I’m looking forward to this week. It’s a big week for our football program. Our players understand what’s at stake here, but this biggest thing for me was a real-life example of what you need to do when you get kicked in the gut. I’ve watched our players the past couple of days, and I know how we will respond. I’m looking forward to this ballgame.”
Jones on what the team is doing to move forward after the loss to Arkansas State. “We didn’t do much Sunday on the previous game; we started on this week’s game. It doesn’t happen many times in your coaching career, but that is one of those games you just put away and move on. Our guys are doing that. They’ve been challenged, but they have good character and understand what we’re talking about here. The way they respond is what’s most important to me – not so much the win as how they respond this week and how they go out there and get after it.”
Jones on the importance of this week’s game in the scope of the team’s goals this season. “On the positive side, here we are in a game that’s going to determine whether or not we can go to a bowl. We’ve put ourselves in a position to do that. Had we lost some other games earlier in the year, we might be out of the race. But we’re in the race right now to get into a bowl game, and exciting to know that we can win this one and get to our first-ever bowl game.”
Jones on what he wants to see this week from his team as they prepare for Texas State. “First of all I want to see those (injured) guys back out there. We’re missing five starters on the offensive side and two or three on defense, so getting those guys back out there in practice is going to be big this week. It’s just one of those deals where they weren’t ready to go on Saturday. We thought they might be able to go, but we got to the game and they just weren’t able and it was disappointing at that time. They’ll be ready to go this week, and I think we’ll be back to full strength other than the fact that we lost (wide receiver) Marvin Shinn for the season and Jay Jones earlier in the year.”
Jones on Texas State. “They are a much-improved team. (Head) Coach (Dennis) Franchione has done a great job with them. Offensively they can run it and throw it. They have a quarterback who can do both; he was a freshman last year and he didn’t throw quite as much. But now that he has a year of experience, he is throwing the ball more and they can trust him doing it. They are very effective on offense. Defensively, Coach John Thompson has been around a long time. He coached at Alabama and Arkansas State, and he knows what he’s doing. I have coached against him for about three years now, so we know what we’re getting into there. They are very well-coached, so it’s going to be a good ballgame. It’s two very similar teams, and I think it’s going to be a knock-down, drag-out.”
Defensive lineman Jesse Kelley on this weekend’s game against Texas State. “Both teams have a common goal coming into this game – get a sixth win and get into a bowl game. So I expect this will be the most physical game we will have played this year. We know that on the defensive side of the ball that they are very physical. They ran the ball downhill, and I expect the same thing this year. The quarterback has started to throw the ball a little more, but if we have to stop the run game. This is our Super Bowl. If we don’t win this game, we’re not going to a bowl game. Win and we’re going to a bowl game – it’s that simple. We have to prepare this week like we never have before, and go in with the mindset that we must win.”
Kelley on the importance of playing in front of a hometown crowd. “I think it makes a real difference. We need all of our fan support this Saturday. This game makes our season. I know all of our fans want to make a bowl game, so we really need them to come out and support us.”
Offensive lineman Joseph Scelfo on this weekends game against Texas State. “It’s definitely going to be a physical game judging by last year. It came down to the wire, and they beat us late in the game so we still have that taste in our mouth. They bring some blitzes defensively, and are strong up front. It’s going to be a really physical game, but we’re physical on the offensive line and we have some skill guys who can go up and make some plays. We just have to create the holes up front and protect for (Brandon) Bridge and give him time.”
Scelfo on last week’s game. “We just had to be able to flush it out of our system and move on. Coach Jones challenged us yesterday in the team meeting to be all-in with this team and completely buy in. I think we are, so we just have to continue to get better this week and take every opportunity we can to improve and be ready for Saturday.”
Scelfo on the importance of playing in front of a hometown crowd. “When you step out onto the field and there’s a packed crowd like there was against Mississippi State, it’s electric out there. I know the fans want it for the city, and we want it for the fans. We’re going to give the fans our all out there. We’re going to leave it all on the field because we know how big this game is for not only the team but our fans. We have great fans; they’re loud and are proud to be a part of Jag Nation and we’re proud to play in front of them. We really need them to be loud this weekend.”
Scelfo on playing with a sense of urgency. “If we don’t win, then we don’t go to a bowl game. Last year they took it away from us, so this year we want to take it away from them and get into a bowl game. This win is crucial; we need this sixth win.”
Coach Jones and the players had a very special guest for the press conference on Monday. 11-year old Colby Sawyer signed his National Letter of Intent with South Alabama. Colby is a leukemia patient at USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital.
Colby also had a few words to say. Colby on signing his NLI with USA. “I was a little nervous for the press conference, but I got through it. I’m excited about the game Saturday, and I really want us to win. I’m happy about being on the sideline, and I’m looking forward to a win. It feels really good to be a part of the team.”
Colby talking about meeting Coach Jones and the team. “It was really cool because Coach Jones is letting me come to the game and watch on the sidelines. They gave me a locker; that’s my favorite thing. I’m going to keep my jersey and football stuff in it.”
South Alabama and Texas State is scheduled for a 6:30pm kickoff at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
USA vs TXST Kickoff Time Announced
The Sun Belt Conference office and the University of South Alabama announced the kickoff time for the Jaguars final Sun Belt Conference game of the season.
South Alabama and Texas State will kickoff at 6:30pm on Saturday, November 15 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
The Jaguars (5-4, 4-3 SBC) will try to earn bowl eligibility against Texas State (5-4, 3-2 SBC).
South Alabama Falls to A-State 45-10
South Alabama did not have an answer for Arkansas State’s Fredi Knighten on Saturday. The conference’s leader in total offense showed why he tops that category as he threw for 186 yards and rushed for 80 more. He accounted for three touchdowns in the game as well.
South Alabama’s offense struggled to move the ball the whole game. They only managed 22 yards of total offense in the first half and only had 35 total yards late in the third quarter before Terrance Timmons pass reception and run gained 50 yards.
The Jaguars defense played a very good first quarter against the Red Wolves, but they could not keep the flood gates closed for long. A 17-point onslaught in the second quarter firmly put the game in A-State’s favor.
USA entered the game with a laundry list of injuries to starters. They lost starting running back Jay Jones a couple games ago against Georgia State, but they entered Jonesboro without quarterback Brandon Bridge, tight end Wes Saxton, offensive lineman Drew Dearman, linebacker Maleki Harris, and cornerback Qudarius Ford.
A number of other players saw little to no practice time such as Clay Machen and center Joseph Scelfo.
But matters go worse towards the end of the first quarter when wide receiver Marvin Shinn suffered a broken leg on a 4th down pass play into the end zone.
An uncharacteristic number of turnovers also plagued the Jaguars on Saturday. Three interceptions and a lost fumble led to 17 points for the Red Wolves.
Davin Hawkins led all players with 14 total stops.
Matt Floyd went 8-of-20 for 86 yards and two interceptions filling in for the injured Bridge before being pulled late in the game in favor of Hunter Vaughn. Vaughn went 1-of-5 for 4 yards passing but led the team with 38 rushing yards.
The Jaguar offense posted a season-low 201 yards of total offense, most of which came late in the game.
Berron Tyson rushed for 34 yards while Xavier Johnson added 28 yards on the ground. Braedon Bowman, Cameron Broadnax and Shavarez Smith each caught two passes.
“They [Arkansas State] came out and just played hard,” South Alabama head coach Joey Jones said after the game. “We had a lot of guys [eight starters] out; it makes a difference even if it shouldn’t have. I just don’t think we played very well, we didn’t run it or throw it well on offense. Defensively, we weren’t our usual self. We had three starters out on that side of the ball including Maleki [Harris], who is our team captain and our quarterback out there. They were on the field entirely too much.
“I think it’s going to come down to us and Texas State for that third bowl game,” Jones continued. “I told the kids that we have to put this one behind us. It’s a loss and a bad loss, but we have to do something about next week. We want to go to a bowl, and our kids will bounce back. They’re hurting right now, but they’ll bounce back tomorrow.”
The Jaguars have the week to get ready for Texas State (5-4, 3-2 SBC) who are also looking to reach bowl-eligible status. They came up short against conference leading Georgia Southern in a 28-25 loss at home. USA needs to get as many injured players back as possible and find reserves to step up and fill those positions if any of them cannot go against the Bobcats.
Preview: South Alabama at Arkansas State
The Jaguars travel to Jonesboro for their next-to-last Sun Belt Conference game of 2014 needing one win to be bowl eligible. But the coaches want at least two more wins to feel that they are in a more comfortable position for a bowl game.
Injury List Looming Large
The South Alabama football team are nursing a laundry list of injuries to key starters as they prepare for their road trip to Jonesboro, Arkansas to face defending co-Sun Belt Champion Arkansas State on Saturday.
On the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Brandon Bridge is considered an game-time decision after he suffered two injuries in the last two weeks. He suffered an AC Joint injury to his non-throwing shoulder against Troy that brought him out of the game just before halftime, but he was able to return in the second half though visibly in pain at times.
Last week against Lafayette, he injured his right ankle in the third quarter and did not return to the game.
Tight end Wes Saxton sprained his left ankle against Troy two weeks ago and only played briefly against Lafayette and is considered questionable against Arkansas State and will also be a game-time decision.
Center Joseph Scelfo re-injured his right ankle against the Cajuns but was able to return and finish the game. While he has not practiced this week, he is listed as probably against the Red Wolves.
Offensive lineman Clay Machen is expected to be ready for the game on Saturday after being sidelined with a lower back injury. However the news for left guard Drew Dearman is not as good. He suffered a concussion against the Cajuns and has not cleared the test protocols to be cleared to play. Currently Dearman is listed as doubtful for Saturday’s game.
Defensively two key players are injured. Linebacker Maleki Harris, the team’s second leading tackler, will miss the game with a knee injury. He had 50 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, five pass breakups, three forced fumbles, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Cornerback Qudarius Ford is a game-time decision with a right knee injury. He has not practiced this week and missed a game earlier in the season with a concussion. He has 27 tackles and five pass breakups.
A-State Preview
J.D. McKissic is questionable for the game against the Jaguars. McKissic is the Red Wolves leading receiver with 43 catches for 512 yards on the season and averaging 64 yards per game. If he cannot go they will look to Tres Houston and Dijon Paschal among others to step up and fill his cleats.
Key an eye on junior running back Michael Gordon, he’s the Red Wolves leading rusher with 680 yards on 79 carries. Gordon tied the conference record for most rushing touchdowns in a game (5) against Idaho. He is known to break long runs and the Jaguars defense can be suspect against the run. Fredi Knighten, the quarterback, is the next in line with 467 yards on 138 attempts.
Also keep an eye on freshman defensive end Ja’Von Rolland-Jones. He was named the SBC Defensive player of the week for his five tackles for loss and four sacks against the Vandals. He with Chris Stone makes for a solid pair of defensive ends.
Arkansas State struggled against Idaho last week even though they forced eight turnovers. They will look to capitalize on any and all turnovers that go their way this week.
Jags Win If
In order for the Jaguars to win, and this has been said week in and week out, the offense must play more consistently. In order to do so they have to be able to hit on some of their vertical passes. In most of their wins they have used it to prime their offense and keep the opposing defense honest. But when they can’t, the entire team struggles (see Georgia Southern, Mississippi State, Lafayette, Georgia State and Troy).
This game is hard to predict with the injury situation. If Bridge doesn’t start, how ready is Floyd to take over the offense? He has kept his cool whenever he’s been in the game previously, especially last week when he was two yards short of leading the Jaguars back into the lead towards the middle of the fourth quarter.
A-State is about a 3.5 point favorite at home, the Jaguars have typically played their best on the road, and the players seem focused and ready to pounce on the Red Wolves.
Monday Press Conference – ULL Recap, Previewing ASU
Head Coach Joey Jones speaks to his team after the conclusion of practice.
The University of South Alabama held their weekly press conference. Head coach Joey Jones was joined by tight end Braedon bowman and defensive back Montell Garner on Monday to recap their game against Louisiana-Lafayette and to preview their upcoming conference game at Arkansas State this weekend. Below are highlights of press conference.
Head coach Joey Jones’ opening statement.
“All year long we’ve talked about getting over the previous game whether we won it or lost it, we’re going to move on to the next one, so I don’t think it will be a problem getting our guys ready [for Arkansas State]. They understand what we need to do to get prepared for the next ballgame. The Louisiana-Lafayette game was real physical on both sides, there was a lot of great defense out there. They did a good job defensively of bending but not breaking against us, they didn’t give up too many big plays. We got down there late in the fourth quarter and didn’t punch the ball in the end zone, we just didn’t make plays like we could have, so the challenge to our team is to continue to improve there. We’ve been making those pretty much all year long but didn’t come through on that one.
“Next week is a new challenge for us, we’ve got another great team to play in Arkansas State. They are very, very good and explosive on offense and they play great defense so it’s going to be a challenge for our guys to go up there, but we are looking forward to it.”
Jones talked about how the ULL and Arkansas State offenses differ.
“I think they are a lot different. Offensively UL-Lafayette is a big power team and Arkansas State works more on the perimeter, they throw the ball out there a lot and try to get their running backs outside on the edges. They have a real athletic quarterback who is as good as any runner at the position that we’ve faced other than the guy at Georgia Southern, but he can throw it as well. They are more of a true spread team.”
He then talked about the opportunity the team has with its next two conference games against Arkansas State and Texas State.
“The next two weeks are our last two [Sun Belt] conference games. We’re sitting here at 4-2 and would like to finish strong. To win these two would ice bowl game possibilities, that’s big for our guys — they want to get that done and understand what is at stake.”
Jones fielded a question about the quarterback situation. Brandon Bridge came out with an ankle injury and Matt Floyd led the team down to the 2 yard line before a turnover kept them out of the end zone.
“I think Matt (Floyd) is a winner, and that he will come in and do well if need be. We’ll see how it goes this week, we don’t know how it will end up with injuries, but all I know is that I feel real comfortable with either one of them. It’s good you can say that as a head coach that you believe your back-up guys can come in there and play.”
He spoke about the Jaguar defense next.
“We play with a lot of passion over there, [defensive coordinator] Coach [Travis] Pearson and his staff have done a great job with them. They play hard, and our defensive front has played very well. We knew we had some really good starters coming back, our concern coming into the season was depth. But we’ve fixed some of those depth issues, obviously our starters on the defensive front are probably a little bit better than our backups, we’ve got guys who can rotate in there and play. Other than [linebacker] Maleki [Harris] getting hurt we’ve been injury free on defense as well, which has helped.”
Then the focus turned to the offense.
“We are struggling on third down, we were 4-of-15 last week; you have to convert third downs in order to keep drives alive. On deep-play balls we’ve had a lot of guys open for touchdowns and not been able to convert some of those. When you play Arkansas State and Louisiana-Lafayette you better hit some of those big plays, they can change the game. It just comes down to execution, it’s not a matter of any secret X’s and O’s or some special play. It is just a matter of throwing and catching the ball most of the time.
“When you throw a long ball the percentage chances are less than a five-yard pass, so we have to hit some of those because if we can make some big plays with this offense, and we’re very capable of doing that, it’s going to make a difference in the game. You look at the Appalachian State game earlier in the year, we had a couple of big pass plays that just broke the ice where things started flowing very well. Sometimes that’s all it takes to get that going for our offense, and if we do that we can be a really good offensive football team.”
Tight end Braedon Bowman talked about bouncing back from the loss.
“We just have to execute on offense. We can’t get down into the red zone three or four times and come out with three or six points. We have to put it in the end zone. And we just need the defense to get the ball back quickly for us so we can keep scoring.”
Previewing Arkansas State
“They have a good offense that can put up a lot of points. Offensively, we need to execute our plays and keep the ball out of their offense’s hands. They have a powerful offense as well. We just need to move the ball and put it in the end zone.”
Bowman then talked about how physical the game against the Cajuns was.
“It was tough. Their ends squeezed hard, and they had some big linebackers that really filled the gaps hard. Running the ball was difficult. It was a physical game.”
Reflecting on the offense, Bowman finished by saying.
“I feel like we’re so close to the offense exploding. We left a lot of points out on the field (last week) that could have easily been a swing here or there. Our coaches will put together another great plan for us this week.”
Defensive back Montell Garner on bouncing back from the loss to ULL.
“From a defensive standpoint, we just have to keep chopping wood. We just have to do whatever is necessary to keep them (Arkansas State) out of the end zone.”
Garner on the defense.
“We’re taking good coaching, and one thing about being a good defense is you have to be consistent. You have to be disciplined and play sound in the gaps. We practice those things and we watch a ton of film. We’re real students of the game to where once we get into the game, we know what’s going on. We just have to continue to be consistent and play disciplined. We demand turnovers on defense – they change the ballgame.”
Talking about how physical the game was against the Cajuns.
“It was a very physical game. It’s just the mindset you have to have. You know they like to run the ball so you know it’s going to be a physical game. They try to bring it downhill, and you have to hit them in the mouth. It’s just the mindset that we all have to have defensively. We have to prove that week-in and week-out. Our coaches prepare us, and you have to overcome adversity and understand you’re never really out of a game.”
Previewing Arkansas State
“They have a running back with good speed, so we’re going to have to knuckle up and tackle. They live off the play-action deep ball and big plays, so we’re just going to have to be disciplined.”
Finally, Garner spoke about the defensive unit’s improvement throughout the season.
“We know what to expect when we see guys line up in formations. We see it on film and if everyone does their assignment according to how the defense is set up, it builds a wall. We really just key off of everyone doing their assignment and going 110 percent.”
South Alabama and Arkansas State will kickoff on Saturday in Jonesboro, Arkansas at 2pm. The game can be heard locally on 99.9FM with pregame starting at 1:30pm. You can also watch the game online on ESPN3.com.
Jags Fall To Cajuns In Lafayette 19-9
Louisiana-Lafayette’s Elijah McGuire gained over 150 yards in the second half as he gained 229 all-purpose yards to lead the Cajuns to a 19-9 win over the Jaguars in Lafayette Saturday evening.
The Jaguar defense had held McGuire to just 23 yards rushing through three quarters before he broke free for a 33-yard run on the Cajun’s first drive of the fourth quarter. That drive would lead to a Lafayette field goal to take a 12-9 lead over the Jaguars.
Matt Floyd would lead the Jaguar offense down the field to answer the Cajun score with completions of 26 and 41 to Braedon Bowman and Marvin Shinn respectively. But on a third-and-goal from the Lafayette 2 yard line a miscommunication on a zone read play resulted in a fumble that would be recovered by Christian Ringo for the Cajuns to end the scoring threat.
The turnover would result in the Cajuns driving 91 yards for a game-sealing touchdown. McGuire would figure prominently in the drive again with a 31-yard catch and an 8 yard touchdown run to cap off the drive. The Jaguars would be unable to mount another threat with under five minutes remaining.
The Cajuns would open the scoring after the Jaguar defense held them to a field goal in the opening quarter.
South Alabama would answer answer early in the second quarter with a 20-yard field goal. Then later in the quarter, Bridge would connect with Shavarez Smith for a 58-yard gain on a 3rd-and-8 and two plays later they would find the end zone for a 9-3 lead after a failed extra point.
Leading 9-6, the Jags would have an oppotunity to extend their lead, but Aleem Sunanon’s 49-yard attempt would be hooked left of the uprights as time expired.
Xavier Johnson led the Jaguars on the ground with 43 yards on 10 carries. Kendall Houston rushed for 42 yards on 15 carries. Louisiana’s McGuire rushed for 116 yards on 18 carries and a touchdown. Terrance Broadway added 54 yards rushing for the Cajuns on 11 carries.
Brandon Bridge was 16-of-27 for 177 yards and a touchdown. Matt Floyd came in after Bridge injured his ankle and went 4-of-8 for 93 yards.
Shavarez Smith caught eight passes for 116 yards to lead the Jaguar receivers. Braedon Bowman caught three for 54 yards, Jereme Jones also caught three passes for 35 yards and a touchdown. Shinn caught two for 51 yards.
McGuire caught nine passes for 90 yards with James Butler adding four passes for 91 yards for the Cajuns.
Terrance Broadway went 16-of-28 for 216 yards through the air.
Terrell Brigham led the defense with 10 total stops, nine solo. Jerome McClain had the lone Jaguar sack.
USA fell to 5-3 overall and 4-2 in conference play. Lafayette improved to 5-3 overall and 4-0 in conference play.
The Jags will look to earn bowl eligibility next Saturday when they travel to Jonesboro to face Arkansas State (5-3, 3-1 SBC) for a 2pm kickoff.
South Alabama Looks To Sour Cajun Homecoming
South Alabama rides a four-game winning streak into Lafayette to face the Ragin’ Cajuns* on Saturday as their homecoming opponent. The Jaguars are just one win away from being the first Sun Belt team to reach bowl eligibility**. But this game is not a gimmie.
South Alabama began the season with a road win over Kent State, then tough losses to current #1 Mississippi State, and conference newcomer and Sun Belt leader Georgia Southern (6-2, 5-0 SBC), both at home. They responded with wins over Idaho, Appalachian State, Georgia State, and Troy which have a combined record of 5-25 overall and 3-14 in conference play. Not the best resume to hang your hat on.
The Jaguars schedule gets considerably more difficult in November. The Jags have games against Arkansas State in Jonesboro, Texas State, South Carolina in Columbia and the season finale against Navy which are a combined 16-14. But it all begins with Lafayette (4-3, 3-0 SBC).
USA is undefeated on the road and have been touting their 30-8 season finale win over Lafayette last season which spoiled the Cajuns outright championship and gave Arkansas State a share of the title. But the Cajuns were without star quarterback Terrance Broadway in that game. A win would have also given them the most wins in school history. In the end, it was Lafayette who ‘won’ as they were one of only two Sun Belt teams (the other was co-champion Arkansas State) to earn a bowl invite in a conference that had seven bowl-eligible teams.
A year later both teams are trying to keep up with Georgia Southern, but the Cajuns have revenge on their mind as they are set to host the Jaguars for a Homecoming matchup at Cajun Field.
The Cajuns have rebounded from losing three-consecutive games to win their last three games. Those three losses were against Louisiana Tech, Ole Miss and Boise State. Not bad losses, mind you. The three wins came against Georgia State (okay, maybe not so good), Texas State and Arkansas State (both 4-3, 2-1 SBC). Not bad wins and it makes you glad that South Alabama does not have the word “State” in their name.
Lafayette cleared a big hurdle with a 55-40 win over Arkansas State last Tuesday. They have one of the easiest conference schedules of any Sun Belt team.Their remaining schedule begins with the Jaguars (5-2, 4-1 SBC) and continues with New Mexico State, ULM, Appalachian State and Troy which are a combined 8-22 overall and 5-10 in conference play. Only one of those last four has a real shot at being .500 or above for the season.
By the numbers
Monday Press Conference – Cajun Invasion Edition
Head coach Joey Jones observes the Jaguars scrimmage on Saturday, August 15 2014 at St. Paul’s Episcopal School.
South Alabama football head coach Joey Jones met with the media on Monday along with defensive back E.J. May and running back Xavier Johnson to reflect on the Jaguars 27-13 win over Troy and to preview their upcoming trip to face Louisiana-Lafayette. Below are highlights from the press conference.
Coach Jones’ opening statement: “That was a big win on Friday night for us, I thought our guys played really well. Obviously there are some things we could have done better, but overall our players fought and got after it. We’re looking forward to this week, Louisiana-Lafayette was the unanimous choice to be No. 1 in the league — rightfully so — because they have really good players and a great coaching staff. [ULL head coach] Mark [Hudspeth] has done a tremendous job with that program.”
Jones spoke about the offensive effort by the Jaguars against Troy. “I thought the offensive line played great, they had a look in their eyes that they wanted to play some physical football; that was real good to see. Our running backs played lights out, Kendall had the best game of his career and Xavier came in as a freshman and ran the ball really well. That was a plus on that side of the ball to have those guys play like that.”
He then turned his attention to ULL by talking about the Cajun offense. “Elijah McGuire, in my opinion, is the best player in this league. Then you look at all the other talent they have around him, it’s not like you can just focus on him. Terrance Broadway is a great player, a three-year starter who understands their offense and has played in a lot of big game, and they have big linemen; they probably average 320 [pounds] up front. Our defense is looking forward to the challenge.”
Jones on ULL’s defense. “They are very good and very big on the defensive front, they are probably the biggest defensive front we will face. I haven’t looked at South Carolina yet, but I know the size of these guys is bigger than anybody in the Sun Belt. They’re well-coached and run to the football, they play with a lot of passion as you would imagine. They are a very good defense.
“When you have a team with a good offense that’s all people want to talk about, but their defense plays very well.”
Speaking about the challenge this game will present, Jones had this to say. “This is why you play football. As we were going through our conference schedule a couple of weeks ago I told them the next game is the most important one, I know it’s cliché but it’s the truth. I believe if Louisiana-Lafayette doesn’t have the best environment in the Sun Belt then it is top two, they have great crowd support. Last time we went over there it didn’t go very well, so we’d like to go over there and play better this time.”
Jones was asked what he attributes his team’s success on the road this season to. “That was a point of emphasis for me, I stressed it to the players during the offseason, I’m not taking credit for it, I’m just saying it started there. We took two trips during the summer to different high schools to get ready for a game, so to speak, and I think that helped us. And there is a mental toughness aspect to it, our strength staff did a great job with those guys in the offseason; no matter what happens, our guys are going to come out ready to compete.”
Jones talked about his team being one game away from bowl eligibility. “It enters your mind, but the truth is we have to focus on what we have to do to win this ballgame or any ballgame. That’s one of our goals and something we certainly want to get done, but what we are focusing on is practice every day so we can achieve those goals.”
Defensive back E.J. May talked about the team’s confidence. “The difference I see is that we’re playing more as a team, everyone is playing for something. We’re just more of a family, and that has helped build some of our confidence coming into this week’s game.”
“I have so much confidence in our front seven; I feel like we have one of the best defensive fronts in the country. That’s what it’s going to come down to, but the defensive backs are going to have to hold it down in the back too.”
May continued by talking about the team’s success on the road. “That was kind of our weak point last year, but we made a commitment as a team to win on the road. We just have to prepare like we have every other week. We’re playing great football right now.”
He then talked about ULL. “We just have to prepare for them like we do every other opponent. They have a one-two punch at running back, and the quarterback is very good too. But we just have to watch film and do the same thing we’ve been doing to prepare.”
On being just one win away from eligibility, he said “It’s just a boost to know that we’re that close, right there on the edge. We just need to keep working hard. It’s going to play out.”
Redshirt freshman running back Xavier Johnson, who wore #8 in honor of Jay Jones who suffered a season ending knee injury against Georgia State, began by talking about the win over Troy. “We blocked well Friday night. Coach (Jones) told us at halftime to just keep grinding, and we came out in the second half and executed offensively.”
Johnson addressed the team’s confidence by saying, “We’re playing with a lot of confidence right now. We are playing with a chip on our shoulder, and each week we’re playing for (injured running back) Jay Jones. We just need to come out with good intensity and a good attitude this week at practice.”
Johnson talked about the offensive units improvement throughout the season up to now. “We’ve made a big improvement from game one. We weren’t playing selfish in game one, but we weren’t playing like brothers. We realized as the season progressed that if we play together then we can have more success.”
South Alabama and Louisiana-Lafayette are scheduled to kickoff at 4pm on Saturday from Cajun field. Pregame and play-by-play can be heard locally on Lite Mix 99.9FM or iHeartRadio. The game will be televised on ESPN3.com.