Gameday: South Alabama vs Idaho
Both South Alabama and Idaho look to get their first conference win of the season. South Alabama’s offense has been disappointing as they return 9 of 11 starters from a year ago, but just have not found that spark to make them gel on a consistent basis.
After scoring 16 points in the first half against Kent State, the Jaguars have only managed to score 16 points in the last 10 quarters and only seven points in the second half. They average under 11 points per game and rank in the bottom half of the conference in most offensive statistics. Their highest ranking is in rushing offense per game with 130 yards which is good for 6th in the conference.
Defensively the Jaguars are playing very well but the statistics don’t show it. They have been put in some tough positions and have done as well as expected. Despite the offensive production being lackluster and +3 in turnovers, they still rank in the top half of the conference in several categories. But they will be tested by Idaho this week. The Vandals enter the game with the top ranked passing offense in the conference. But they are very one dimensional because they rank last in the conference in rushing with just over 75 yards per game. They can put points on the board.
This is a huge game for the Jaguars, particularly the offense. They enter a stretch of five games where their combined records are 3-15 with both Idaho and Troy both winless. The Jags cannot afford to lose this game and fall to 0-2 in the conference.
Here are the key statistics for the Jaguars and the Vandals.
| South Alabama (SBC Rank) | Idaho (SBC Rank) | |
| Offense | ||
| Scoring Offense | 10.7 (11th) | 29.3 (6th) |
| Total Offense | 329.3 (9th) | 422.0 (6th) |
| Rushing Offense | 130.0 (7th) | 75.7 (11th) |
| Passing Offense | 199.3 (10th) | 346.3 (1st) |
| Pass Efficiency | 92.0 (11th) | 130.3 (4th) |
| Sacks Against | 12 (T9th) | 11 (8th) |
| First Downs (avg/game) | 20.7 (10th) | 23.7 (7th) |
| 3rd Down Conversions | 17-49 34.7% (10th) | 25-54 46.3% (5th) |
| 4th Down Conversions | 1-4 25.0% (T9th) | 6-7 85.7% (T1st) |
| Red Zone Conversion Percentage | 3-6 50.0% (11th) | 8-10 80.0% (T5th) |
| Defense | ||
| Scoring Defense | 25.3 (5th) | 39.7 (9th) |
| Total Defense | 403.7 (6th) | 507.7 (11th) |
| Rushing Defense | 229.0 (8rd) | 221.7 (7th) |
| Passing Defense | 174.7 (4th) | 286.0 (11th) |
| Pass Defense Efficiency | 123.0 (5th) | 172.0 (11th) |
| Opponent 1st Downs (avg/game) | 19.0 (4th) | 23.3 (T9th) |
| Opponent 3rd Down Conversions | 19-43 44.2% (7th) | 13-35 37.1% (3rd) |
| Opponent 4th Down Conversions | 1-1 100.0% (T9th) | 2-5 40.0% (4th) |
| Opponent Red Zone Conv. % | 7-9 77.8% (4nd) | 12-14 85.7% (6th) |
| Special Teams | ||
| Kickoff Return Average | 23.9 (2nd) | 18.4 (9th) |
| Punt Return Average | 2.0 (T9th) | 2.0 (T9th) |
| Punting | 36.2 (7th) | 44.1 (1st) |
| Field Goals | 1-2 (T7th) | 3-3 (T1st) |
| Penalties | 15 92yds 30.7yds/G (4th) | 24 230yds 76.7yds/G (10th) |
| Opponent Penalties | 15 125yds 41.7yds/G (8th) | 24 197yds 65.7yds/G (3rd) |
| Turnover Margin | -1 (8th) | -5 (9th) |
Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00pm CDT. Pregame will begin on 99.9FM WMXC at 3:00PM CDT followed by play-by-play with JD Byars and Color commentary by Pat Greenwood. The game can be viewed on ESPN3.
Go Jags!
Know Your Stadiums – Idaho’s Kibbie Dome
A view inside the Kibbie Dome from the end zone. It shows the hanging field goal posts. Photo: boards.sportslogos.net
We like to spotlight the story and history behind any new stadium that the Jaguars are set to visit. This week the Jags travel to Idaho to visit the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho. It is a one-of-a-kind domed stadium that only diehard college football fans know anything about.
The University of Idaho’s unique stadium is officially known as the William H. Kibbie-ASUI Activity Center or more commonly known simply as the Kibbie Dome. It seats 16,000 which makes it the smallest venue in Division I FBS. It set a record with a crowd of 17,600 for their rivalry game against Boise State in 1989. It is situated with the field running east and west, but even with new translucent upper end walls that were completed in 2009 and 2011, sun location is not an issue.
The Kibbie Dome is a multi-purpose athletic stadium on the campus of the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho and is the hope of the Idaho Vandals. It is used for intercollegiate competition in four sports: football, basketball, tennis and indoor track and field.
The story of the Kibbie Dome begins in 1937 with the wooden Neale Stadium which was used between 1937 – 1968. The dome was built in stages over several years. Originally the new stadium was to be outdoors and seat over 23,000 spectators with an adjacent 10,000 seat indoor arena for basketball.
Construction on concrete grandstands began in February 1971 after a fire destroyed the previously condemned wooden Neale Stadium. It had been condemned in the summer before the 1969 season due to soil erosion beneath the grandstands. The next two seasons the football team played its limited home schedule at Washington State University’s Rogers Field in Pullman. A fire heavily damaged Rogers Field’s south grandstands in April 1970. WSU moved all of it’s games to another stadium while Idaho played at Rogers for four “home” games in 1970.
A revised plan called for a smaller capacity football stadium that would be enclosed to allow use as a basketball arena, indoor track and tennis. The multi-purpose concept was used recently at Idaho State which opened in 1970.
Construction was delayed due to weather and put the opening a month behind schedule. The 1971 team played their first home game in Boise and their second two weeks later in Spokane. The uncompleted stadium debuted on October 9 with a 40-3 win over Idaho State in front of 14,200 spectators. It was the first game on campus in almost three years.
For the first four seasons from 1971 – 1974 the stadium was outdoors. In the summer of 1972 a Tartan Turf field was installed over a four-inch asphalt bed with a roll-up mechanism behind the west end zone. It was the first one-piece field in the world.
In November 1974 approval was granted by the board of regents to enclose the stadium. An arched roof and vertical end walls were completed in time for the 1975 season opener on September 27.
The enclosed stadium was renamed for William H. Kibbie, a construction executive from Salt Lake City and the primary benefactor of the project. He donated $300,000 in 1974 to initiate the funding drive. He was a student at UI for less than a month in 1936 when he withdrew due to family hardship.
At the time steel and aluminum were the products most used for domes and large unsupported structures. Trus-Joist, who bid on and won the contract, saw the stadium as a chance to demonstrate the strength, durability and economy of their engineered wood products. From final design to the end of construction the enclosure project took only 10 months and $1 million to complete. The roof won the “Structural Engineering Achievement Award” from the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1976.
After the first season of football indoors, the asphalt underneath the field was covered with Tartan Polyurethane in January 1976. The first basketball game was played on January 21, 1976 and the first Vandal Invitational indoor track meet was held three days later.
The roof of the dome spans 400 feet from sideline to sideline and reaches a maximum height of 150 feet above the hashmarks.
Shortly after completion in 1975 problems began to arise with the roof’s exterior. The outer surface of hypalon and underlying polyurethane foam were improperly applied. A second attempt to seal the roof with Diathon was completed in the late 1970s but did not succeed. Leaks continued to occur and wood rot was potentially a problem by 1980.
An infrared scan of the roof in the spring of 1981 exposed that half of the roof was moist and the insulating foam was in bad condition. Various attempts to stop the leaks took place in 1981. Various finger pointing and threatening of legal action occurred until finally an out-of-court settlement was reached. A new superstructure made of composite materials was built over the existing roof and completed in the fall of 1982 and coincided with the completion of the East End addition which provided the entire athletic department with locker rooms, offices, a weight room, athletic training facility and equipment room. Previously the football and basketball teams as well as visitor teams had to dress in Memorial Gym and make a lengthy walk or run west towards the Kibbie Dome, often in rain or even snow, which had been the practice since the opening of Neale Stadium in 1937.
In February of 2007, the state board of education appropriated funds to study expansion possibilities. On December 6, the board approved funding to begin design work for $52 million in improvements which included expansion to 20,000 seats, lowering the playing field and other safety and spectator improvements to the stadium.
Upgrades began in 2009 with the west wall being replaced with a non-combustable assembly of translucent plastic panels on the upper half and opaque metal siding on the lower half. They added field level exiting to the new west wall, added handrails to the seating isles, smoke exhaust system and other safety and code mitigation. The second phase completed in 2011 with the replacement of the east wall. A new press box was constructed above the north grandstand and the former press box above the south grandstand became premium seating.
Up until 2007, the artificial turf could be rolled up at the bast of the west wall to expose the 93,000 square feet of polyurethane tartan surface which is used for indoor tennis and track and field. It has five lanes of of track that are 320 yards in length and includes 9 tennis courts lined on the infield. Basketball and volleyball courts are also lined on the tartan infield.
In 2007 the turf was replaced with RealGrass Pro which is an infilled synthetic turf similar to Field Turf. Unlike the field of old, it is not easily rolled up in a continuous reel so it has to be removed in sections. Each section is five yards in width and run from sideline to sideline. They are attached to each other with velcro.
The basketball configuration is positioned at midfield on the south sideline in front of the press box and south grandstand with temporary seating on the other three sides. The main court was originally a smooth, hard tartan rubber poured directly onto the pavement floor which was a big home court advantage in the early 1980s. After eight seasons it was replaced with a conventional hardwood floor in the fall of 1983.
During basketball games the stadium is referred to as the Cowan Spectrum after Bob and Jan Cowan who financed the configuration.
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- A view of Neale Stadium. Photo: tomandrobna.com
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- Another view of Neale Stadium. Photo: dnews.com
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- A view of the construction of the first rib of the Kibbie Dome structure.
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- Arial photo during the construction of the dome. Photo: timber.ce.wsu.edu
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- Aerial View of the Kibbie Dome. Photo: imagearcade.com
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- Aerial view of the Kibbie Dome. Photo: uidaho.edu
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- A view of the Kibbie Dome from the East practice field after the renovation to add transparent upper walls to allow light in. Photo: id.Cityseekr.com
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- A rather small photo showing how the basketball court is set up in the Kibbie Dome. Photo: Valdalhoopscamp.com
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- Photo from up high in the Kibbie Dome. Photo: templefootballforever.blogspot.com
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- A view inside the Kibbie Dome showing the large video board. Photo: idahostatesman.com
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- A view inside the Kibbie Dome from the end zone. It shows the hanging field goal posts. Photo: boards.sportslogos.net
Monday Press Conference Reflects on GSU; Previews Idaho
Maleki Harris, a senior from Cordova, Alabama, recorded his second double-digit tackle total against Mississippi State where he also forced two fumbles. The Sun Belt Conference named him the Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, September 15, 2014.
University of South Alabama head football coach Joey Jones was joined by linebacker Maleki Harris for their weekly press conference on Monday. They reflected on the Jaguars loss to Georgia Southern and previewed this weekends visit to Idaho.
Coach Jones began with his opening statement. “It’s obviously a big game this week. Idaho is scoring a lot of points, and really playing better defense as I have watched them throughout the year. Our focus is on that. I told the guys yesterday that last week doesn’t mean anything. We have to move forward; that’s the way life is. I wish we would have played a little better. We did some really good things and did some bad things, but our kids are playing their tails off. They’re playing with great effort. We’re going to fix some things this week and get ready to play.”
Jones stressed that the team is not playing at the level they need to be playing at in order to win games. On Sunday, he talked to the offense about what is going on and what they need to do in order to make corrections and win games.
“We have good players and we’re calling good plays; we’re doing a lot of things right,” Jones said. “But out on the field some of the things are clicking. We have to get to where everyone on offense is being more consistent, and that’s really all it boils down to. We addressed a lot of issues as an offense and we are going to implement those, but the bottom line is we have to go get it done on the field. We’re not far off and we’re not going to panic right now, but we certainly have to pay attention to detail and get better. If we don’t get any better on offense then we’re going to have a tough time. I feel like our defense and special teams are playing well enough to win right now, the offense just needs to pick it up a bit.”
“Offensively, their quarterback is a very talented player,” Jones said turning his attention to Idaho. “He stands in the pocket and throws the ball. He has a good arm and understands where to go with the ball. Defensively, they have improved. They were giving up some points early in the year, but their coaching staff has done a good job of simplifying their scheme. They are much more sound right now. It’s going to be a tough ball game, it always is. This conference has a lot of good teams, and we have to be ready for each one. But we have to get better ourselves and concentrate on that, more so than concentrating on Idaho.”
Maleki Harris told the media that the coaches are putting them into good positions to make plays, but the players need to go make the plays. He pointed out that Idaho is a good team and that he and the team need to go up there focused and take care of business.
When asked about his play, Harris said that he is listening to his coaches and they are putting him in good positions to make plays. “They are giving us a good game plan each week, and they have us prepared for every game. It’s just a matter of going out there and making sure I do everything they coach me on and just follow what they tell me to do.”
“I feel like our defense is as good, if not better than last year,” Harris said when asked about the defense. “We’re playing at a higher level. I feel like our secondary is playing better than they were last year. Our linebackers are playing well, and our defensive line is talented and has depth. Defensively, I feel like we’re on pace to pick up where we left off last season.”
“One of the things Coach (Jones) has been preaching is the little things are what separates the good teams from the great teams,” Harris answered when asked about the team. “We have to capitalize on opportunities when they are there, and just make plays and do our jobs and handle our responsibilities. The little things are the difference in us being 3-0 and 1-2.”
Coach Jones, the players and staff look to get back to even on the season when they travel to Idaho to take on the 0-3 Vandals. Kickoff is scheduled for 4pm CDT and can be heard on 99.9 WMXC or viewed on ESPN3.
Eagles Use Strong Running Game to Defeat Jags 28-6
The offense looks to the sideline for the play call against Georgia Southern on Saturday, September 20, 2014. GSU won their first Sun Belt Conference game 28-6.
Dropped passes, missed opportunities and inconsistent offensive play was the story for the second consecutive week for the Jaguars. The opportunities were there within reach, but they could not capitalize on them.
Brandon Bridge was 13-of-34 for 149 yards, a touchdown and two late interceptions while being sacked four times. Many of the incomplete passes were in receivers arms, but they could not be caught and it was frustrating to fans in the stands. Shavarez Smith led the receivers with four catches for 69 yards and the only touchdown of the game.
On the ground the Jaguars gained 147 yards with Kendall Houston leading the attack with 38 yards on seven carries. Jay Jones and Xavier Johnson both gained 37 yards on 12 and seven carries respectively.
The Jaguar defense played brilliantly at times, but were worn thin when the offense could not sustain a drive to give them a breather. Overall the defense allowed yards, 335 of them rushing on 52 carries. Georgia Southern quarterbacks were 6-of-11 for 85 yards and an interception.
The first quarter saw neither offense playing particularly well until the final play when GSU’s Matthew Breida went off left tackle and outran the Jaguar defense to the end zone for a 64-yard score and a 7-0 lead.
About five minutes into the second quarter the Eagles struck again on a 1-yard touchdown run by L.A. Ramsby. The highlight of their drive was a 48 yard pass completion from Kevin Ellison to receiver B.J. Johnson that was well defended by Qudarius Ford, but Johnson was able to haul in on the bounce.
The Jaguars responded late in the first half. Facing fourth and 1 at the GSU 28, Jaguar head coach Joey Jones called a time out to set up the offense. Shavarez Smith ran a short pattern near the right sideline and found a soft spot pass the first down marker, Bridge connected with him and Smith broke the tackle and sprinted 28 yards for the touchdown. Aleem Sunanon’s extra point attempt would be no-good, leaving the Jaguars trailing 14-6 at halftime.
Midway through the third quarter the Eagles extended their lead on a Breida touchdown from one yard out to make the score 21-6.
South Alabama had an opportunity to add to their score, but facing fourth-and-goal from the 7 yards line, Bridge suffered one of his four sacks to end the threat.
The Jags would a break when the Eagles field goal attempt would sail widel left, but again the Jaguar offense could not take advantage of that or any other opportunities the rest of the game.
GSU would score once more with 3:21 on a six yard touchdown run by Ellison for the final score of 28-6.
Breida led Georgia Southern on the ground with 187 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns while averaging 8.9 yards per carry. Ellison added 96 yards on 16 carries.
B.J. Johnson caught five of the six completed passes for 76 yards. Kentrellis Showers caught the other complete pass for nine yards.
The loss drops the Jaguars to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play. Georgia Southern evens their record at 2-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
South Alabama travels to Moscow, Idaho to face the 0-3 Vandals in the Kibbie Dome. Georgia Southern has a short week as they host Appalachian State on Thursday evening.
Preview: South Alabama vs Georgia Southern
South Alabama has worked all week to put Mississippi State behind them because they have a very good football team in Georgia Southern coming into Mobile on Saturday.
Let’s break down the Eagles. Through three weeks this season the Eagles lost to NC State by one point, 23-24, drummed Savannah State 83-9 with 599 yards rushing, and lost in the final minute of the game to Georgia Tech 38-42.
We’re going to throw out the numbers against Savannah State because they should give a more realistic statistics to compare the two teams.
Georgia Southern:
In the two games the Eagles offense has scored 61 points and allowed 66 points for an average score of 30.5 for the Eagles and 33 points for their opponent. They have rushed for 529 yards on 85 carries for an average of 6.2 yards per carry. The Eagle’s are 23-of-39 for 437 yards and two touchdowns through the air. That is 19.0 yards per reception and 11.2 yards per attempt.
Defensively the Eagles have given up 521 yards rushing on 88 carries for an average of 5.9 yards per carry and seven touchdowns. Through the air they have allowed 479 yards and seven touchdowns as opposing quarterbacks have gone 39-of-64 for an average of 12.2 yards per reception and 7.5 yards per attempt. The defense has six tackles for loss in the two games we are counting for an average of three per game. They have two sacks, one in each game. Turnovers wise, they have no fumbles but one interception. Six passes broken up, three per game.
On the special teams they have seven punts with an average of 45.7 yards per punt and a long of 60 against NC State in a game in which they had three 50+ yard punts. Kickoffs average 64.7 yards and have led to nine touchbacks. Placekicking, the Eagles have attempted four field goals and have made all of them with the longest being 37 yards.
South Alabama:
In the Jaguars two games this season they have scored 26 points and allowed 48 points for an average score of 13 for and 24 against. The Jaguar offense has rushed for 243 yards on 77 attempts for an average of 3.2 yards per rush. Through the air the Jags are 43-of-80 with one touchdown and two interceptions for 449 yards. That comes out to 10.4 yards per reception and 5.6 yards per attempt.
Defensively the Jaguars defense has given up 352 rushing yards on 73 carries for an average of 4.8 yards per carry. Through the air they have given up 439 yards as opposing quarterbacks have gone 33-of-64 for four touchdowns which is an average of 13.3 yards per reception and 6.9 yards per attempt. They have eight tackles for loss, three sacks, and 14 passes broken up. USA has forced three fumbles and recovered two of them, both against Mississippi State, and one interception.
On special teams, Brandon McKee has punted 17 times for an average of 40.1 yards per punt, with a long of 51 yards. He has downed six inside the 20. Aleem Sunanon’s kickoffs average 54.8 yards per kick with two touchbacks. Placekicking, Sunanon has attempted two field goals and made one from 26 yards, he had a 31 yard attempt blocked against Mississippi State.
SBC Statistics:
NOTE: These statistics, unlike the ones above, are based on all three games Georgia State has played. Above we excluded Savannah State because of the exorbitant numbers. Every team in the conference has played three games except USA, Appalachian State, Idaho and Texas State.
Georgia Southern leads the conference in scoring offense with their 48 points per game average. The Jags fall last on the rankings with an average of 13 points per game. USA is tied for second in scoring defense with an average of 24 points per game allowed, while Georgia Southern is a close fourth with an average of 25 points per game allowed.
GSU is second in the conference in total offense with 550 yards per game average, they are beat out only by Texas State who average 569.5 yards per game. South Alabama is 10th out of 11 schools with an average of 346 yards per game.
By far the Eagles lead the conference in rushing offense with 364.3 yards per game, and is nearly 70 yards per game more than the next team on the ranking. The Jags rank 8th with 121.5 yards per game rushing.
South Alabama ranks 7th in the conference in passing offense with 224.5 yards per game through the air, Georgia Southern is last with an average of 185.7 yards per game passing.
South Alabama ranks fifth in the conference in total defense at 395.5 yards per game average while Georgia Southern ranks seventh with an average of 431.7 yards per game.
The Jaguars rushing defense ranks third in the conference with an average of 176.0 yards per game allowed on the ground. Georgia Southern ranked 7th by allowing 202.7 yards per game rushing.
The Jags rank 5th in pass defense allowing 219.5 yards per game through the air while Georgia Southern comes in one spot behind them allowing 229.0 yards per game.
Both teams lost last week as the Jaguars struggled to find consistency on offense with several dropped passes. Defensively they had at least two dropped interceptions. GSU lost to Georgia Tech last weekend on a touchdown in the final seconds of the game.
Historically, the Jaguars have had a tough time against triple-option defenses. Georgia Southern runs it a little different though. They run the triple option out of the shotgun but that does not affect their effectiveness to run the ball.
Georgia Southern converts 56.7% of their third down attempts, tops in the conference. South Alabama ranks 9th converting 40% of their third down attempts.
Defensively Georgia Southern also tops the conference in opponents third down conversions by only allowing them to convert 31.8% of the time while the Jags rank 10 allowing opponents to convert 50% of their third downs.
The Jags are the least penalized team in the conference with nine penalties for 42 yards, which average 21 yards per game. Georgia Southern is tied for 4th in the conference with an average of 36.7 yards per game of penalties.
USA is second in the conference in time of possession with an average of 31:26 while Georgia Southern ranks 8th with an average time of possession of 27:53.
Conclusion:
Just looking at all of the raw numbers and rankings, you can tell it should be a close game. Each team is set up to exploit the weakness of the opponent.
This begins an eight-game stretch of conference games for South Alabama, while this is the first conference game for Georgia Southern so expect both teams to come in with high expectations. Hopefully the Jaguars have put the loss to Mississippi State behind them and have correct the issues that hampered them against the Bulldogs.
AD Erdmann Addresses #JagNation Concerning Policy Changes At Ladd-Peebles
South Alabama athletic director Joel Erdmann releases letter to Jaguar fans concerning the water availability situation at Ladd-Peebles Stadium during the Jags sold-out game against Mississippi State on Saturday, September 13, 2013. Photo Credit: Matt Weaver | Special to Thunderjags
South Alabama Athletics Director Joel Erdmann release an open letter to fans on Wednesday addressing the water situation at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. In the letter he outlines the changes that USA and Ladd-Peebles will implement in future games to try to prevent the same situation from happening again.
Here is a link to a PDF of the letter.
September 17, 2014
Jaguar Fans and Customers;
The September 13th football game versus Mississippi State University will be remembered as one of the remarkable moments in South Alabama history. Beginning with the crowded Pep Rally Friday evening in downtown Mobile and carrying through to the tailgating and the game itself, tens of thousands of Jaguar fans experienced a tangible swell of pride and unity.
Please note that the 3:00 p.m. game time was established to allow for a nationally televised game on ESPNews. We anticipate and hope that similar opportunities present themselves in the future. The festive atmosphere of Saturday’s game combined with the sheer numbers of a sell-out crowd and the heat of a mid-September afternoon in Mobile, Alabama, exposed selected operational areas which will be addressed as follows.
1. Water – customers experienced access to warm bottled water at selected areas within the stadium. Moving forward:
• Spectators will be allowed to bring into the stadium two bottles of water per person. Small to medium-sized soft-sided coolers are now allowed and are subject to search. Please be sure such items are sized appropriately to fit within the designated seating area and does not intrude on adjacent fans.
• There will be roving vendors with beverages in both the West and East grandstands.
• Refrigerated trucks will be located in designated ground-level areas of the stadium. These locations will serve as points of sale with cold bottles of water assured. Due to various logistical and safety restrictions, water from these areas cannot be distributed to the concourses – thus a short walk to the areas will be required.
• All efforts will be made to continue to provide cold water in the concourses.2. Shuttles – Customers have access to ride the Wave Transit System from the Bel Air Mall parking lot (Near JC Penney) to Ladd-Peebles and return. The shuttles run non-stop from four hours prior to a game to two hours after. The cost for a round trip is $2.50. At peak times prior to Saturday’s game there were in excess of 30 buses in rotation. Moving forward:
• We will increase the number of buses in the rotation at peak-use times and balance those numbers with the desire to keep the cost of the shuttle at $2.50 per round trip.As our football program continues to grow, we have been provided a tremendous opportunity to call Ladd-Peebles Stadium our home. We view this opportunity as a true partnership between the Stadium and Jaguar Athletics. When issues which negatively impact the experience of our fans occur, we will be diligent in working together as a team to find reasonable solutions.
We deeply appreciate your support. Go Jags!!
Joel
Maleki Harris Named Defensive Player Of The Week
Maleki Harris, a senior from Cordova, Alabama, recorded his second double-digit tackle total against Mississippi State where he also forced two fumbles. The Sun Belt Conference named him the Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, September 15, 2014. | Photo: usajaguars.com
South Alabama’s Maleki Harris earned Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against Mississippi State on Saturday.
Harris, a 6’1″ 210-pound senior linebacker from Cordova, Alabama, was credited with a career-best 14 tackles, 6 solo, and a pair of forced fumbles both of which were recovered by the Jaguars. The first fumble came on a five yard tackle for loss on Mississippi State’s first snap after taking over at the USA 31 yard line on a turnover and keeping the score 7-0 late in the first quarter.
The second turnover came in the red zone at the five yard line to stop another scoring opportunity.
This was the second double-digit tackle game for Harris and it was enough to push his career over 100 tackles for his career.
South Alabama (1-1) will host Georgia Southern (1-2) for a 6:30pm kickoff on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, the first of eight consecutive Sun Belt Conference games. Locally the game can be heard on Lite Mix 99.9FM and worldwide on iHeartRadio. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN3.
Paul Finebaum And Bleacher Report Both Pick South Alabama To Upset Mississippi State
Both Bleacher Report and Paul Finebaum think the Jaguars can upset the Bulldogs at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. What a time to be a Jaguar?!?
Wow. @finebaum just predicted a South Alabama Jaguar upset over Mississippi State! #jagnation #soldout pic.twitter.com/iSMj5AvNfz
— Joe Jones (@Whojoejones) September 10, 2014
No Deviations In Preparation For Mississippi State
How do you prepare for one of the most anticipated games of the season, if not for the history of the program up to this point? Keep doing what you normally do and keep treat it just like every other game.
That is exactly what head coach Joey Jones and his staff are doing. It can’t be easy with a fan base that is literally chomping at the bit for the Jaguars to take a bite out of Mississippi State. But according to Jones there hasn’t been a different atmosphere among the players this week.
Mississippi State has put up some big numbers this season. They average 48 points and 533 yards of total offense per game. But their defense is giving up big numbers too. At least through the air. The defense has only been allowing 92 yards per game rushing, the secondary gave up three touchdowns of over 75 yards against UAB last Saturday.
Meanwhile the Jaguars have only played one game this season and it wasn’t an impressive outing, but it was only their first outing of the season. Typically a team makes its largest improvement between their first and second games of the season, which sets up South Alabama well if the trend holds true. In the 23-13 win over Kent State, the Jags had trouble late in the first half until near the end of the game when a touchdown with a little over a minute to go sealed the win.
Coach Jones has the same goal as what he had last year when the Jags played Tennessee. They will keep fighting through the game into the fourth quarter and try to win the football game. If they can stay in the game late, they feel they have a chance to win, just like any other football game. Mississippi State has some big players so the worry is that the Jaguars could wear down by the third or fourth quarter against their SEC-sixed players.
UAB has several coaches that formerly coached at South Alabama who are now at UAB. Bill Clark was defensive coordinator at USA is head coach, Duwan Walker was secondary coach is now defensive coordinator, Bryant Vincent was quarterbacks coach is now offensive coordinator and Chuck Dunn continues coaching linebackers as he did at USA. But Jones said that what you see on video is the big thing. They have talked to different people with some ideas, but Jones said that they are good at what they do and they will just have to go out and execute.
With only one practice left on Thursday morning for the Jaguars, the gameplan is set and the rest is up to them to execute on gameday and for the fans to be the 12th man for the team.
South Alabama To Host First-Ever Sell-Out Crowd
C.J. Bennett reads the defense while head coach Joey Jones looks on from the sidelines in Starkville Mississippi on September 22, 2012. The Bulldogs would win the game 30-10.
South Alabama has officially sold out their game against Mississippi State on Saturday. Let me repeat that once more for you.
South Alabama vs Mississippi State is SOLD OUT.
The South Alabama Athletic Ticket Office sold out the final 300 general admission tickets before lunch on Tuesday. This marks the first sell-out in the Jaguars five-plus seasons of football. The largest crowd the Jaguars had previously was their debut against Hargrave Military Academy on September 5, 2009 which was recorded as 26,783. With over 38,000 tickets sold, this is surely to eclipse that total.
This will also mark the first time a Southeaster Conference school has played at Ladd-Peebles Stadium since the fall of 1968.
South Alabama and Mississippi State will kick off at 3pm on Saturday. The game will be telecast on ESPNews and radio coverage will be on Lite Mix 99.9FM beginning at 2PM.