Two Jaguars Named To 2015 Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List
The Reese’s Senior Bowl announced on Wednesday that quarterback Brandon Bridge and tight end Wes Saxton are among more than 350 student-athletes that are on the 2015 watch list.
The Senior Bowl, who’s home is in Mobile, Alabama and play at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, will invite a total of 110 individuals to compete in a week of drills and workouts in front of NFL coaches and analysts leading up to the game that is scheduled to be held on Saturday, January 24 at 3PM and will be broadcast on the NFL Network.
In South Alabama’s five seasons of football, three players have been invited to participate in the game. Courtney Smith was the first to represent the Jaguars in 2011. Both linebacker Jake Johnson and safety B.J. Scott were selected fro the 2013 game, though Johnson was unable to participate due to injury during drills.
Go Jags!
Jags Hear From Two Special Guests After Thursday’s Practice
The Jaguars Thursday morning practice last almost two hours in shells just two days ahead of their second scrimmage of preseason camp. They were also joined by university president Tony Waldrop and vice president of student affairs and special assistant to the president Dr. John Smith where each spoke to the team after practice.
Head coach Joey Jones noted that it was another hot day but his team continued to work through it. “They are working hard and doing the things necessary to win, so I am proud of what they’re doing,” Jones said. “They are continuing to work hard through the heat. But we can’t let that bother us, it can’t be a factor. We just have to keep working.”
As the Jaguars second week of camp is quickly coming to a close and about to start the third week, coach Jones understands that their time is limited before the season starts and that the team is about to start the toughest part of camp. “The toughest time is always at that third week of camp,” Jones explained. “Next week is going to be very critical. We’re going to work Monday through Thursday, and we have to have great practices that week because after that we are in game week. We have to understand that every minute and every rep matters. We’ve seen so many guys get better on this football team, and the more that improve then the better we are going to be. But everyone has to understand what they have to do.”
Quarterback Brandon Bridge was selected as the offensive player of the day. Offensive coordinator Robert Matthews praised Bridge for his work during Thursday’s practice and all of preseason camp. “Brandon had a good day today,” Matthews said. “He made some good throws. We had some different situational-periods with two-minute (drill) and third downs, and he made some really good decisions. He just continues to come out here and grind every day and try to make himself a better player, so I am happy to see that. There are times he shows things that are really, really good, and there are some times where he is still learning. But he just needs to take it one day at a time and continue to press. He will be fine.”
Defensive lineman Jerome McClain was selected the defensive player of the day. Defensive coordinator Travis Pearson tauted his consistency through camp so far. “Jerome has been really consistent and played really well through camp,” said Pearson. “I’m impressed with his conditioning. His play has increased. Everyone expects him to be the best. I expect him to work like he’s the best, and he’s doing that.”
Play of the day went to Marvin Shinn who caught a 20-yard touchdown pass from Bridge in the back corner of the end zone during the final team period on the final play of a two-minute drill.
Another big play was when transfer quarterback Hunter Vaughn ran for a 50-plus yard gain before it was whistled dead. At the time the first team was focusing on third-down conversions.
The team will practice once more on Friday prior to their 9AM scrimmage at Fairhope Municipal Stadium.
Jags Date Against Mississippi State Approaching Sell-Out
As many fans hoped and expected, the Jaguars date with Mississippi State at Ladd-Peebles Stadium is getting closer to a sell-out. The USA Athletic Ticket Office announced that the West stands at the stadium are sold out for the September 13th game.
Additionally, only about 500 tickets remain in the East stands behind the visiting team bench in sections L and M near the north end zone. Once those tickets are gone the only remaining tickets left for the game will be general admission in the end zones.
Only students with a physical ticket that they can pick up at the Mitchell Center will be allowed in for the game. Those seats will also be in the end zones.
USA Continues Preparation For Second Preseason Scrimmage
The Jags returned to the practice field on Wednesday morning in shells for a practice that lasted almost two hours. This is the third consecutive day they have practiced in shells after the teams scrimmage last Saturday.
“I thought we fought through pretty well, the guys were a little fatigued — we’ve talked about that the last few days — but they have a good spirit about them,” head coach Joey Jones commented on the practice. “It’s been fun to watch them get better, we’ve got several guys on this team who have improved. If we continue to do that we’ll be going in the right direction.”
Jones responded about if he thought the team was ready for the second scrimmage of preseason camp quickly approaching on Saturday. “I don’t know if you’re ever satisfied, there is always something to work on and something to get better at, but we’re ready for a scrimmage,” he replied. “Our guys would rather do that than practice, that’s for sure, but they are doing the necessary things in practice to make them good in scrimmages and games, and that’s what counts.”
Speaking about the defense Jones said, “We’ve got some guys in there who are new who don’t have as much playing experience. We feel that our starters have really got it, but now we are starting to find depth. It just takes time sometimes. You have transfers coming in who might have been here in the spring where they have had spring practice, summer workouts and two weeks of camp, those guys need more reps. They are going to continue to get better, so we just have to do a good job as coaches getting them reps and helping them improve.”
Offensive player of the day went to Nathan Sassaman. Offensive coordinator Robert Matthews praised Sassaman for his willingness to learn and his hard work. “Nathan has been a guy playing a couple of different positions at wide receiver, so he is having to learn both inside and outside routes,” Matthews explained. “During team periods today he came away with three really big catches where he ran good routes and got himself open. He’s a kid who works every day, he’s a wonderful young man and he’s really gotten better. I’m proud of him.”
Defensive player of the day went to Margo Reed. Defensive coordinator Travis Pearson had glowing remarks about Reed’s performance. “This kids is absolutely playing lights out,’ Pearson explained. “He’s still learning, but every day Margo comes out here and gets my attention, there is something he does that I see and say, ‘This kid made another play.’ I’m excited to see if he can sustain that throughout this camp and take it into the season.”
Play of the day went to Davin Hawkins who made a big leaping deflection of a pass during 7-on-7 passing drills that was almost intercepted by a diving Margo Reed. Hawkins would break up another pass later during 7-on-7’s and stopped Kendall Houston in the backfield during the final team period of the day.
In the first team session, the defense worked on blitz packages while the offense worked on picking up the blitz. Sassaman hauled in four receptions during the two team periods, three of those came when the defense was blitzing. The only turnover was an interception on the first play of the final team segment when Maleki Harris stepped in front of the pass and hauled it in.
Brandon Bridge had two touchdown passes during 7-on-7 sessions. One to Tony Ray Parnell for 40-yards, the other was to Marvin Shinn from six yards out.
The team will hit the practice field again on Thursday as they prepare for their second scrimmage of camp on Saturday. The scrimmage will be held at the Fairhope Municipal Park & Stadium beginning at 9am and will be open to the public.
Jags Practice In Shells For Second Consecutive Day
Tuesday’s practice had the Jaguars in shells again for the second consecutive day for a practice that lasted over two hours.
“I thought we were a little tired,” head coach Joey Jones commented after practice. “We are at that midway-point of camp. We hit the weights pretty hard yesterday on their legs and they came out a little tired, but they fought through it. We just have to keep fighting through it. I told them it’s like the light at the end of the tunnel is coming, we just have to keep working.”
Though they appeared tired, Jones said that the team has improved on both sides of the ball. “We have gotten sharper offensively,” Jones explained. “Since the scrimmage, we have come back and had two good days of practice defensively. It’s kind of hard to tell on special teams. Our kickers are doing well, but we’ll find out a little more about it this weekend in the scrimmage.”
One position Jones said that has stood out is running back. “We feel like we have four or five guys who can really play at running back,” Jones said. “It seems like every one of those guys has stepped his game, and that has been encouraging. Defensively we didn’t know how many defensive ends we might have, but I feel like we are creating some depth there.”
Offensive player of the day was awarded to Xavier Johnson. Offensive coordinator Robert Matthews said that he had a good day and has progressed during preseason camp. “He made some really good cuts today, and continues to run the ball well for a young guy,” Matthews observed. “We’re hoping he is going to be able to contribute some for us on Saturdays.”
Defensive player of the day was awarded to Roman Buchanan. Defensive coordinator Travis Pearson said that Buchanan was been a consistent player and understands the defense. He is a good communicator as well. “I think he is really starting to understand the defense,” Pearson explained. “His role is very important. He has to make a lot of checks and be in a lot of different places, and he understands that.”
Play of the day went to Shavarez Smith for the second day in a row after making a one-handed touchdown grab over a defender in the back corner of the end zone during 7-on-7 drills.
Other highlights included Matt Floyd and Claude Garrett hooking up for a touchdown in the back of the end zone during 7-on-7 drills. Margo Reed intercepted a Brandon Bridge pass in the back of the end zone to end a drive. Defensive end Theo Rich tackled Bridge in space to stop what looked to be a big gain during one of the team drills. DeMarion Harper recorded back-to-back sacks of Hunter Vaughn during the team period as well.
The Jags will return to practice on Wednesday.
Jaguar Football Fan Day
The Jaguar football team will hold their annual “Fan Day” at the Mitchell Center on Sunday, August 24 from 4-6pm. Head coach Joey Jones, his staff and student-athletes will be there for fans to take photographs and get autographs.
Additionally, the ticket sales office will be there so you can purchase tickets for the 2014 season and the bookstore will be there for you to purchase game day merchandise.
What: Fan Day
Where: Mitchell Center
When: Sunday, August 24 4-6PM
Practice Resumes After Off Day
The Jags returned to the practice field on Monday after their first day off in 12 days. They practiced for almost two hours in shells.
“Not bad,” Head coach Joey Jones described how the team responded to their first practice since their scrimmage on Saturday. “I thought the offense came out and executed really well again today, doing all the necessary things. We just have to make sure that we are a disciplined football team. Practice becomes monotonous at times, but if they can fall in love with the work and the details of practice then we have a chance to become better. We had a bunch of guys jumping offside today on defense, and in a game that’s a bunch of five-yard penalties. We’re in a cave right now, it’s dark and there’s no game next week so we have to just keep working.”
“I would say there are still a lot of positions up for grabs, there always are,” Jones answered when asked how many positions are up for grabs. “Especially with depth issues, we don’t know who our twos are right now in a lot of places. We have two or three guys fighting for that spot. We’re going to keep trying to put them in team situations where we can evaluate them better. On the defensive front we have to find guys who can play, we have five or six bodies who are working hard at it, but it will come down to the guys who can show us they can do it and that we can trust them.”
Offensive player of the day went to Steven Foster, who offensive coordinator said was working to elevate his game as he has been working with the ones and twos. “He is pushing through [camp]; he’s tough. Steven is assignment-sound, and is a guy we can depend on. He gained some valuable experience last year as a young player.” Foster is a sophomore this season.
Jaguars Hold First Scrimmage At St. Paul’s
After a short practice on Friday, the Jaguars traveled to St. Paul’s Episcopal School’s E.E. Delaney Field for their first scrimmage of preseason camp.
Brandon Bridge was 10-of-18 for 131 yards and three touchdowns, Hunter Vaughn went 6-of-9 for 173 yards and two touchdowns and Matt Floyd went 5-of-7 for 42 yards.
T.J. Glover, who has moved back to running from wide receiver, carried seven times for 64 yards and a touchdown, Terrance Timmons rushed 10 times for 38 yards and two touchdowns, Jay Jones has seven carries for 26 yards and a touchdown, Matt Floyd rushed four times for 22 yards, Xavier Johnson rushed seven times for 21 yards and Hunter Vaughn rushed three times for 20 yards.
Wes Saxton caught three passes for 53 yards and a touchdown, Shavarez Smith caught three as well for 24 yards and a touchdown, T.J. Glover caught two for 59 yards and a touchdown and Terrance Timmons caught two for 28 yards.
Defensively Roman Buchanan led the way with five tackles, four of them solo. Davin Hawkins, Steffon Fuller, Antonio Carter, Desmond LaVelle, and Andrew Philon all also had five total tackles as well.
Grant McLaurin went 4-for-4 kicking field goals with a long of 52 yards that hit the crossbar and bounced through the uprights. Aleem Sunanon went 2-for-4 with a long of 42.
Corliss Waitman punted twice for an average of 52.0 yards per punt. Brandon KcKee punted twice for an average of 46.0 yards per punt.
During the hour-and-a-half scrimmage the offense ran 81 plays and gained 562 yards, an average of 6.94 yards per snap.
“When you look at a scrimmage like this from my side, I want both of them [offense and defense] to play well, and that’s really not possible,” head coach Joey Jones stated after the scrimmage. “Somebody is going to play better. I don’t get into who won, I look at individual performances. What we needed to do was come here to St. Paul’s and come to a different atmosphere, get our kids used to playing on a different field.”
It was a point he also echoed in his post-scrimmage talk with the team. He wanted to get his team away from the friendly confines of the Jaguar Practice Facility and into a place that was unknown to them. They have to learn to keep their focus and play with the same intensity they do at home as they do away, which was the point of the practice at St. Paul’s.
Jones said the offense executed pretty well for a first scrimmage but the defense gave up too many big plays. “You can’t give up big plays and win ballgames. We’re going to watch that on film and correct it before next week. Coach [Travis] Pearson was talking to the players about that, he will get that corrected.”
The coaching staff also got lots of reps to a number of quarterbacks they were trying to get to understand different game-like situations.
The Jags will took Sunday off and will return to practice on Monday morning. “Next week will be really big, our guys understand that playing time is on the line,” Jones explained about the upcoming week of practice. “I don’t care who the mommas or the daddies are, the best players are going to play. That’s just the way it works.”
The play of the day came from none other than Jereme Jones. On the first-team’s second series of the scrimmage, he hauled in a one-handed touchdown reception from Brandon Bridge for the first points of the scrimmage.
Another big play was T.J. Glover taking a swing pass into the flat for a 44-yard touchdown. Tony Ray Parnell caught a 35-yard touchdown from Vaughn. He racked up 123 all-purpose yards for the day.
Jags Continue Prep For Saturday Scrimmage
The Jaguars hit the practice fields for another tune-up prior to the team’s first scrimmage on Saturday. They dressed in full pads and went for about 1.5 hours.
After practice head coach Joey Jones thought it was one of the most spirited practices they have had so far this year with regards to being mentally ready to practice. Jones called that a “championship-type practice.” However he was quick to point out that “champions do it every day and not just once every other day.”
Jones also said that he has seen lots of improvement from lots of players. He mentioned that they have players they did not think would be factoring in for playing time who are starting to factor into the equation. He pointed to the defensive unit as really improving and the offense continues to do really good things. “We just have to put it all together and keep working,” Jones said. “It’s always a work in progress. Perfection is never there. You have to keep striving to be perfect and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
With the first scrimmage quickly approaching on Saturday, Jones addressed how important the first scrimmage is to the team and the coaches. “The first scrimmage is always important from a depth-chart standpoint,” Jones explained. “Guys are vying for playing time because we’ll probably go one more week, and we’ll have to start getting guys ready for the first ballgame. It’s important to have all these little things we are working on fundamentally in practice to start coming together so we can execute.”
During the hour-and-a-half practice, among other things the team focused on the red zone passing game, open field 7-on-7 skeleton passing drills, and three separate team sessions.
The Offensive player of the Day was Chris May who offensive coordinator Robert Matthews explained that May did a very good job of helping the offense move the ball out of their own end zone. Plus he gave very good pass protection during play-action pass drills.
The Defensive player of the Day was Roman Buchanan. Defensive coordinator Travis Pearson said that he has progressed very well during preseason camp so far. “I think he is understanding the football-side of it just by being around Terrell (Brigham),” Pearson explained. “They are constantly communicating and studying together, and this kid has played through some bumps and bruises. He’s always showing up in crucial times.”
The play of the day went to defensive lineman Will Thompson who recovered a fumble and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown during the play-action drill. Thompson is returned after missing the entire 2013 season due to an injury suffered during preseason camp last year.
Other plays of note was Terrance Timmons and T.J. Glover both breaking 50+ yard runs during the team period. Both times the plays were blown dead prior to them reaching the end zone though.
The Jaguars will hold one more practice on Friday prior to their scrimmage scheduled for 9AM at St. Paul’s Episcopal school. According to coach Jones they expect to run around 130 plays with one’s-, two’s-, and three’s- all seeing playing time.
Jones Pleased With Wednesday’s Practice
South Alabama took to the practice fields on Wednesday, which marked one week since they began preseason camp.
Head coach Joey Jones was pleased with Wednesday’s practice as he observed that his team seemed to be in great condition and that they are building up stamina and are not wearing down at the end of practice. A week ago they were getting tired and a couple guys needed IVs after cramping up. But one week in they are hydrating well and their offseason conditioning work is helping them get through practice each day.
Jones pointed out that they have a good group of seniors that understand what they need to do in order to win and are taking on leadership roles for the younger players.
The Offensive Player of the Day was Kendall Houston. Offensive coordinator Robert Matthews pointed out Kendall’s solid running on the day. During a team session at the end of practice, the offense was working on running out the clock with four-minutes remaining. Kendall moved the ball and got first downs.
Defensive player of the Day was Terrell Brigham. Defensive coordinator Travis Pearson calls Brigham the “quarterback of the defense.” He consistently works through aches, pains and cramps every day without complaints according to Pearson. “He has improved vastly in his knowledge of the game,” Pearson said. “He understands formations, concepts in the passing game and defending against the run. Just his overall knowledge is very good.”
Play of the day occurred in the final team session of the day. Brandon Bridge, facing third-and-five from their own 35 yard line, was looking to run out the clock but needed to convert in order to do so. Bridge found Wes Saxton for a 13-yard gain to move the chains and keep possession of the ball. “That was a really good throw and catch, that was the most critical play of the day,” coach Matthews said after practice. “We worked some third downs today, we had a really good session, but that was an unscripted play. It was a game-like scenario and we were able to convert. I was really happy to see that.”
Special teams continue to be worked on each practice. On Wednesday, both Aleem Sunanon and Grant McLaurin both attempted four field goals and both converted three of them. Each made a kick from 42-yards out. Early in the practice, they worked on kickoff returns while punt coverage was focused on in the final session.
The Jaguars will hold their another two-a-day practice on Thursday.