Arkansas State To Play In GoDaddy Bowl In Mobile
The GoDaddy Bowl is traditionally one of the last bowl games of the season. It typically matches up the #2 Sun Belt team vs the #1 MAC team. Arkansas State will represent the Sun Belt for the third-consecutive season. | twitter.com/godaddybowl
Arkansas State will be coming back to Mobile for their third consecutive GoDaddy Bowl as announced on Monday as they accepted an invitation to play in the game on January 5 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Arkansas State finished the season with a 7-5 record and will finish no worse than second in the Sun Belt Conference. They could gain a share of SBC title with a Louisiana-Lafayette loss to South Alabama on Saturday night though.
As this is the third consecutive year ASU has been in the GoDaddy Bowl, it’s also their third different head coach. Hugh Freeze guided the Red Wolves to the first appearance before leaving for his current head coaching position at Ole Miss. Gus Malzahn led the team last year to their second appearance before leaving for his current head coaching position at Auburn University. Current head coach Bryan Harsin was the co-offensive coordinator at Texas prior to accepting the head position at ASU.
ASU fell to Western Kentucky last weekend to end a four-game winning streak.
In 2011, the Red Wolves lost to Northern Illinois 38-20, in 2012 they defeated Kent State 17-13 in postseason play. Again, they will face a Mid-American Conference opponent in the bowl game, but the team has not been announced yet.
This will be Arkansas State’s second trip to Mobile this year as they held on to defeat South Alabama 17-16 on November 2 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Challenging #JagNation To #PackLadd Against ULL
The Jaguars rally at mid field after they enter the field to just prior to kickoff against Western Kentucky on Saturday, September 14, 2013.
While the Jaguars are uncertain that they would receive an invitation to a bowl game if they win on Saturday and achieve bowl eligibility in their first season as a full FBS member, they can only do their part and hope the chips fall where they may.
South Alabama will host conference leader Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday in what may prove to be one of the best games of the season. South Alabama is fighting to earn bowl eligibility in their final game of the season. The Ragin’ Cajuns are fighting to win the conference crown outright.
Though the possibility of a bowl invitation is remote, it does exist but requires a win. The Jags entered the season with two goals: one, get bowl eligible and two, win a conference championship. The second goal is unattainable this season, however they can defeat the conference leader to achieve the first goal.
South Alabama enters the game on a roll with convincing wins in their last two games against Louisiana-Monroe, who defeated ULL last weekend, and Georgia State.
But it may take more than just their will to accomplish the task. I wrote an article earlier this season to challenge the fanbase to come out to the game and to encourage those around you to stand up and make noise in order to make Ladd-Peebles Stadium one of the most feared stadiums in the Sun Belt.
I am challening you again.
I am challening you to not only stand up and be heard, but to also pack the stands at Ladd. The stadium currently seats 33,471 for South Alabama football. We are averaging 15,886 for home games at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, that is less than half capacity. ULL Averages 25,976 for every home game this season.
I will repost my challenge from earlier this season below, but my challenge to you is to #PackLadd. We not only need you to encourage everyone to come out to the game to salute the seniors who have built the foundation for future growth of the South Alabama program, but to encourage them as they fight to make history in getting bowl eligible in their first season as a FBS member.
Let’s do this!!
Below is being reposted from my September 11 article here.
Jaguar Nation, I have a challenge for you.
I challenge you to send this to your friends and family. Tell them to read this and take it to heart. I also want you to be an example at home games. Encourage those around you to stand up, make noise and help make Ladd-Peebles Stadium one of the most feared stadiums in the Sun Belt.
If you went to the game last Saturday in New Orleans at the Superdome, you were part of something very special. You may have noticed how loud we were during the game. This was not the first time the Jaguar Nation “road crew” was impressive on the road.
Back in 2010 when South Alabama traveled to Lamar, we got loud. Really loud. Lamar fans knew where we were and that we were excited. Then the following week in Davis, California the fans were loud and well known again when the Jags came from behind to defeat UC Davis.
During the 2011 season when the Jags faced their first FBS school, in a game I refer to as USA vs NC State 1, the Jaguar fans who made that trip really let them know that we were there and proud of our team. In a stadium with a capacity of 60,000 our small group gave their rabid fans an impression. Way up in the pressbox, the broadcasters could hear Jag Nation getting rowdy and letting everyone know about it.
You can say the same thing about the road trip to Texas-San Antonio and Georgia State. The Jags were loud and proud.
The same happened in 2012 when during USA VS NC State 2, but more so on the road in Starkville against Mississippi State.
There is no doubt we are proud of our team. But we need EVERYONE at home to be as good as the ‘Road Crew’ when it comes to making noise. When there’s a first down yell ‘That’s another South Alabama….FIRST DOWN’. When the defense is facing third down, make noise so they cannot communicate and to pump up our team. Make up your own thing. Chant USA or South In Your Mouth after a big play. Or the guy who yells ‘hubba hubba hubba’ and key defensive plays. Whatever it is, do it and be loud.
It’s obvious that when Jaguar Nation is loud, the team get pumped up and excited.
Bottom line is, they need us. They need us to be loud this weekend against Western Kentucky. They will need us to be loud when Kent State plays here. When Arkansas State plays here. When Louisiana-Monroe plays here. And when Lousiana-Lafayette plays here.
Wear your RED shirts, Jersey’s, hats and bring your RED rally towel and shakers. Let the Hilltoppers know we mean business and that they cannot get comfortable anytime they are in Mobile. Let them know that we are the new kids on the street and that we mean business.
That’s my challenge to you, Jaguar Nation. Will you accept it? Will you send this to your friends and family? Will you be that first one to stand up, wave your rally towel, yell encouragement and get those around you to do the same?
I hope you will, because I will.
Go Jags!
Monday Press Conference
Head coach Joey Jones held his Monday press conference where he spoke about the Jaguars victory over Georgia State and previewed their regular season finale against Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday. Below are highlights from Coach Jones.
Coach Jones’ opening statement. “I’m excited about this last ball game. We’re playing a great team in Louisiana-Lafayette. Obviously, they are already conference champions. But it is a chance for us to go to 6-6. We are excited about that and are looking forward to playing this ball game.”
Jones then spoke about momentum heading into this week’s game. “There’s no doubt we have played really good ball the last two weeks. I feel like we have played well all year, but for the last two weeks we have played extremely well in all three phases. We just have to keep that up. We want to finish strong. Our kids have kept fighting, and I am so proud of that they have been able to do that.”
He then spoke about the balance of the offense in this game and over the last two weeks. “Our offensive line is blocking really well right now. They’re doing a good job of protecting the quarterback and giving him time to throw. It starts there. And our quarterback play has been good. Ross (Metheny) has done a good job. He is leading the league in total yards, and is just playing extremely well. Shavarez Smith has come up and made some great plays. We have a lot of people who can step up and make good plays.”
Jones then began talking about Louisiana-Lafayette by beginning with their offense. “They are really big upfront. They are the biggest offensive line we have faced other than Tennessee. They probably have the best two backs, as far as a tandem goes, in the conference. They have a great scheme in the running and passing game. One thing I admire about what they do, is they continue to do the same things over and over all year long and just get good at it. They do a great job as far as run-pass ratio is concerned and keep the defense on its toes.”
He talked about last week’s game between ULL and Lousiana-Monroe which the Warhawks won 31-28. “Louisiana-Monroe won the game last weekend. They (ULL) lost their quarterback and that hurt them. But I think everyone in the Sun Belt Conference is fairly close. I think Lafayette is a step ahead talent-wise the way they are playing. So we’re going to have to play at a higher level to beat them. I think our players understand that, but we’re playing pretty well right now and that’s all we can control.”
Jones then talked about how the injury to ULL’s starting quarterback affects it’s offense. “In watching the little bit of time that the backup quarterback has played, he is athletic and can throw. He is tall and very capable, I just don’t know that much about him because he hasn’t been on film quite as long. But I don’t know if it will change anything we’re doing. They are going to run the same offense, I think, regardless of the quarterback that is in the game.”
He spoke about Senior Night and what these Seniors have meant to the program. “This is the largest senior class we have had and a lot of them were here when we started the program. It’s going to be a little extra-special with those guys. I’ll miss them. I love all of those guys. They have done a lot to start our program. They care about our program, they understand what being a Jaguar is all about and they have done things the right way. They have great academics and great character. The foundation that they’ve built is going to last for a long time because of the way they have acted and how much they care about South Alabama.”
Finally, he spoke about what finishing with a win to get to 6-6 on the season would represent. “It is one of our goals. One of our goals for a brand new Division I program is to become bowl eligible. That would mean a lot. We wanted to win a conference championship as well. Those were our two goals. If we win this ballgame and go to 6-6, I think we would have had a successful year in a lot of ways. Could it have been a lot better? Heck yes. But there’s no doubt that doing that in our first year in Division I would be a great accomplishment.”
USA and ULL kickoff at 7pm at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on Saturday.
Shavarez Smith Selected As SBC Offensive Player Of The Week
Shavarez Smith was honored as the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Monday. He caught 10 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown against Georgia State. | Photo usajaguars.com
South Alabama’s Shavarez Smith was named the Sun Belt Conference’s Offensive Player of the Week by the league office on Monday.
Smith, a 6’1″ 200-pound junior receiver from McDonough, Georiga, caught 10 passes for 194 yards and a touchdown. He is the second Jaguar to earn the honor this season as Ross Metheny earned the award after the Jaguars win over Tulane on September 7.
Smith’s performance not only set a school record, but was the most receiving yards by any Sun Belt player this season.
As he enters the final game of the regular season, Smith has set school records for a single season with 47 receptions for 900 yards. But he not only stands third in the conference in yards per game, but he is also 12th in the nation with an average of 19.1 yards per reception.
South Alabama will host conference leader Louisiana-Lafayette on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. It will also be Senior Day with the ceremony starting at 6:30pm prior to the 7pm kickoff. The Jaguars need to win this final game of the season to get to an even record for the season and get bowl eligible for the first time in program history.
USA Bowl Hopes Hinge On Final Game Of Season
Prior to the beginning of the season head coach Joey Jones, his staff and the players set two goals for the season. First is to get bowl eligible and the other was to win the Sun Belt conference title. Though they have been been eliminated from the second, they are still in the running for the first. Though, in order to do so they will have to defeat the team in the drivers seat for the conference title.
Louisana-Lafayette ranks at or near the top of many Sun Belt Conference statistical categories. But South Alabama also ranks near the top in some categories themselves. But sometimes statistics can be thrown out the door when emotion and Will overpower the opposition and tendencies.
These Jaguars have shown that they can play above their expectations. Just look at what they did a few years ago when they faced their first FBS team and held strong through the first three quarters in Raleigh. Though they only won one game against FBS school last season, they were not expected to win any of them and yet were still in the game all the way to the end on several occasions.
This season the Jags began as underdogs against FBS opponents but they made a statement when they defeated Tulane in the Superdome. Their statement went to a broader audience when they held strong against Tennessee in Knoxville and lost by a mere seven points but had a chance to tie or attempt to take the lead with under two minutes left in the game.
Now the Jags stand on the cusp of .500 season overall, a winning record in thier conference schedule and bowl eligibility. The only thing in their way is the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns.
This team has been built on the support of students and alumni and arguably this is one of the most important moments where all of the fans can make a huge difference. What is needed on Saturday is a large, loud crowd to let the Jaguar student-athletes and staff know just how much support they have. But equally important, to let ULL know how much we love our Jaguars. But if we are loud enough to disrupt their communication, well that’s an added bonus too.
While a win does not guarantee USA a bowl invitation, it will make history for the school and possibly in college football as the program to go from nothing to bowl eligibility in the shortest time span in modern college football history.
Tell your friends, your family and anyone willing to listen that they should go to Ladd-Peebles Stadium on Saturday night and cheer on the Jaguars.
If you’re a student or know a student, then they definitely do not have an excuse as their tickets are free. So challenge them to come out to Stadium and pack the student section for the game.
Go Jags! #BeatULL
South Alabama Defeats Georgia State 38-17 To Keep Bowl Hopes Alive
South Alabama lines up inside the one yard line. Ross Metheny would dive over the top to score the Jaguars third touchdown of the game on this play.
The South Alabama football team defeated Georgia State 38-17 in the Georgia Dome behind a record-setting performance by wide receiver Shavarez Smith.
After adjusting to the Panthers gameplan, the Jaguars took over the game and never looked back as Smith caught 10 passes, tying a school record, and gaining 194 yards receiving including a touchdown. Jay Jones scored twice as they led the Jaguar offensive attack behind Ross Metheny’s direction.
Jay Jones rushed for his first career 100-yard game of his career by gaining 102 yards on 17 attempts as he scored the first two touchdowns of the game.
The Jaguar defense continued their performance from last week as they limited the Panthers to only 24 yards on 25 rushing attempts while recording four sacks for a loss of 18 yards.
Romelle Jones continues to shine in his senior season as he recorded 2.5 tackles for loss as part of his four tackles while forcing a fumble late in the first quarter. Jerome McClain equalled his career high of five tackles with a sack. Pat Moore recordd a sack while Clifton Crews and Montavious williams combined for the other Jaguar sack.
Qudarius FOrd led the defense with eight tackles with Terrell Brigham adding six tackles himself.
After figuring out the Panthers scheme from their first drive, the Jags took their second possession 62 yards in seven plays to put the first points on the board. The drive opened with a 17 yard completion from Metheny to Lavender. A few plays later as the Jags were facing a 3rd and 1, Jay Jones would gain 22 yards up the middle. He would then carry the ball on the next three plays with the final one spanning five yards for the touchdown. Jones accounted for 37 of the 62 yards of the drive.
On the next possession, Shavarez Smith caught Metheny’s pass on a slant pattern but the GSU defense would force a fumble as he was fighting for extra yards. The Jags would get the ball back when Enrique Williams forced a fumble that was recovered by Maleki Harris at the Panther 42 yard line.
The Jags would double their advantage when Jones punched it in from 17 yards out with about 2:30 left in the opening quarter.
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Gameday: USA vs Georgia State
South Alabama will face another new Sun Belt member in Georgia State today. However, GSU is not an unfamiliar foe as they started their football programs a year apart and the Panthers, then coached by Bill Curry, received lots of press coverage due to his affiliation with ESPN as a broadcaster prior to returning to the coaching ranks.
Curry retired after the 2012 season and Trent Miles was hired as his replacement and his first season at the helm has not gone very well. The Panthers are 0-11 going into their final game of the season attempting to avoid a winless season. And what a way to get their first win of the season by getting it on Senior Day in the Georgia Dome.
GSU ranks last in the conference in nine categories (scoring offense, rushing offense, rushing defense, kickoff converage, sacks, sacks allowed, opponent’s third-down conversions, opponent’s penalties and time of possession). They are seventh out of eight in 10 other categories.
However, the last few games have seen the Panthers come close against their competition as they played Troy very tough and held a sizable lead on Arkansas State early but a missed two-point conversion was the difference in the game.
GSU’s Albert Wilson is the player to watch for the Panthers. He is first in the Conference in receiving yards per game (97.8), is tied for first in receptions per game (5.9), is second in all-purpose yards per game (192.3), fifth in punt return average (6.1) and fifth in kickoff return average (23.5).
Head coach Joey Jones has said that the Pathers have improved from the beginning of the year till now. Looking at the film, they can tell they will be playing a better team than the numbers indication on the surface.
South Alabama enters the game with a 4-6 record overall and 2-3 record in Sun Belt play. The Jags need this game to keep their hopes alive for bowl eligibility.
USA played probably their best game of the season so far against Louisiana-Monroe last Saturday. They played consistent throughout the game from the beginning to the end and the defense recorded a school-record nine sacks.
The South Alabama defense will have to stay close to Albert Wilson and limit his big-play ability that can change a game in an instant. Conversely, USA relies on Shavarez Smith’s big play ability to do the same thing for the Jags.
If the Jags get off to a fast start will that cause Georgia State to fold in their season finale? Doubtful since it is Senior Day, but the Jags have historically done much better if they get off to an early start.
Will last week’s game be the trend for the rest of the season? We will see beginning at 1pm CST when the Jags and the Panthers kick off in the Georgia Dome.
WNSP.com and 105.5FM WNSP will be airing the game live with play-by-play by the long-time voice of the Jaguars Lee Shirvanian and color analysis by Rick Cleveland. Video of the game can be seen on ESPN3.com as well.
Go Jags!
Monday Press Conference
South Alabama head football coach Joey Jones held his weekly press conference on Monday to reflect on the Jaguars win against Louisiana-Monroe and to preview their game against Georgia State in Atlanta.
Jones was joined by center Matt Calcagnini and linebacker Enrique Williams. The following are highlights from his time with the media.
Coach Jones talked about what he and the team can take from their win over ULM as they move on to Georgia State. “I was very proud of our guys and how they fought in this ball game. They showed what their true character is all about. I challenged them during the week that their character would be revealed through this and good things happened. Obviously we have momentum now, we’re going to play a good Georgia State team this week and still have a chance to get in a bowl. There is always hope when you have that. We have two more games and we want to finish strong.”
He also spoke about how important it is to have momentum from the ULM win going forward. “I think that game was critical for us, it was a do-or-die stage to be honest with you. I put it on my coaches, I told them we have to win this ball game because I’m tired of losing a game on the last play and talking about how close we are. We did that, and I am so proud of how we prepared. I think it’s going to do nothing but help us the last two weeks. You’re worried about your preparation, and we have prepared, but it was nice to walk away with a ‘W’ on the scoreboard. I thought our kids played a pretty complete game, offensively, defensively and on special teams.”
Jones then turned his focus on Georgia State as he answered a question about whether the Panthers are a dangerous team. “They have gotten a lot better. One thing you look at with a team is how they performed early in the year and late in the year to see what is going on with them, and they are 100 percent better now than they were then. They took Troy down to the wire, they took Arkansas State down to the wire. All we have to do is watch the film and we know we are playing a heck of a ball team that has really improved. They’ve done a great job coaching and they have good athletes.”
“I think you can take anybody in our league, other than Louisiana-Lafayette, who is a little bit above everybody else in talent and the way they are playing, put us in a bag, shake us up, pour us out on the table and we’re all about the same. It’s going to be a big challenge this week.”
Jones then talked about some areas where Georgia State has shown the most improvement. “Their consistency on offense, they are scoring more points. Early in the year they weren’t scoring very many points, but the quarterback is doing a good job throwing the football and they probably have the best receiver in the league, if not the best, he’s in the top three, in Albert Wilson. They are doing a good job of getting the ball into people’s hands who need to have it, and adjusting and growing as the season has gone along.”
He was then asked about aspects that stick out on film concerning Georgia State. “At the beginning of the year it looked like they were distributing the ball to different people and it seems like now they are more intent on getting the ball into people’s hands who can make plays. And they’re just executing better, their line is blocking better than they were earlier in the year, they have just made a lot of improvements.”
Center Matt Calcagnini first talked about the team’s mindset as they go into their game against Georgia State. “We can’t take this team lightly. We still have our goal in tact to become bowl-eligible. Our season is not over by any means. We can still win out this season and become bowl-eligible, which was one of our goals at the beginning of the year.”
He talked about the ULM game. “During the week we knew we had a three-game losing streak, and knew what we had to do. If we wanted to be a bowl-eligible team, we have to win the last three games. I feel like we brought a little more fire to practice throughout the week and brought it to the game. There was a lot of great energy on the sideline, and we just executed great.”
He then spoke about Georgia State. “It is going to be their Senior Night. They don’t want to go into the offseason without a win, so we feel like they’re going to throw everything they possibly can at us to get the win. We just have to play our football and execute to a high level like we know we can do.”
He also talked about how their win over Louisiana-Monroe will help with their confidence. “It broke our losing streak. We were on a three-game losing streak, and it was something that we needed to do. We needed to execute and win that game. We need to finish out the season strong like we did that game.”
Linebacker Enrique Williams talked about the team’s mindset as they prepare for Georgia State. “As a team we know what we have to do. Everyone is focused on getting bowl-eligible, so we know we have to come out and play hard and finish these last two games.”
He spoke about the ULM game. “The energy was a lot higher than the previous games. The preparation wasn’t too much different, we prepare hard every week. But it just finally clicked together and everybody was on the same page.”
He also spoke about Georgia State. “I know they’re going to come out with a lot of different looks. This is their last game, so I know they are going to try and throw everything at us that they can to try and end the season with a victory.”
Williams talked about how the win over ULM helped their confidence going into this game. “It was important because we prepared hard, just like every other week. It was nice to finally see it pay off. We’ve lost some tough, close games so to win this one was great for our team to build off of going into this week.”
Williams also talked about the 2011 meeting between the Jags and the Panthers. The Jags lost the game in overtime in Atlanta. “It kind of left us with a chip on our shoulder. We were expecting to win going in to that game, and we just couldn’t get it done. We just have to come out fighting and play hard to bring home a victory this weekend.”
South Alabama and Georgia State kickoff at 1pm on Saturday in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The game can be heard on 105.5 FM and WSNP.com and can be viewed on ESPN3.
Non-AQ Top Ten 11-25-2013
Fresno State has slightly opened their lead over Northern Illinois in this week’s Non-AQ Top Ten. BYU fell one spot after losing at Notre Dame moving East Carolina up to third place. Louisiana-Lafayette moved up one spot to sixth place after Boise State suffered their fourth loss of the season. Marshall moved back into the top ten at number 7. Bowling Green moved up from 10 to 8 and Buffalo moved back into the top ten at the number 10 position. North Texas and Toledo both fell out of the top ten.
|
Non-AQ Top 10
|
|||
|
RK
|
TEAM
|
RECORD
|
PTS
|
|
1
|
Fresno
State (8) |
10-0
|
116
|
|
2
|
Northern
Illinois (4) |
11-0
|
112
|
|
3
|
East
Carolina |
9-2
|
85
|
|
4
|
Brigham
Young |
7-4
|
76
|
|
5
|
Ball
State |
9-2
|
71
|
|
6
|
Louisiana
|
8-2
|
63
|
|
7
|
Marshall
|
8-3
|
24
|
|
8
|
Bowling
Green |
8-3
|
23
|
|
9
|
Boise
State |
7-4
|
21
|
|
10
|
Buffalo
|
8-3
|
20
|
Dropped from rankings: North Texas, Toledo,
Others receiving votes: Rice 16, Toledo 9, San Diego State 8,
Navy 6, Arkansas State 5, Utah State 5, .
Kickoff Time Announced For South Alabama Vs Louisiana-Lafayette
University of South Alabama Director of Athletics Dr. Joel Erdmann announced the kickoff time of the regular season finale on December 7 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium against Sun Belt Conference leader Louisiana-Lafayette. The Jags and the Ragin’ Cajuns will kickoff at 7pm CST on Saturday, December 7th in a game that will be featured on ESPN3.
Lafayette has an opportunity to clinch the SBC Title on Saturday when they play in-state rival Louisiana-Monroe. ULL are 8-2 overall and 5-0 in SBC play.
Meanwhile, South Alabama will travel to Atlanta to face Georgia State in the Georgia Dome in a 1pm CST kickoff. The Jags are fighting for bowl eligibility and needing to win both of their remaining games to be bowl eligible in their first season as a full FBS member. The Jaguars enter the game with an overall record of 4-6 and 2-3 against Sun Belt foes.
Georgia State looks to win their final game of the season in order to avoid a winless season. The Panthers want to win the game on Saturday to avoid a winless season as they are 0-11 on the season. Though they are playing their best football of the season right now as they narrowly fell to Arkansas State in Jonesboro, Arkansas on Saturday 35-33.