USA’s Rush Hendricks Named To Academic All-District Team
Junior Rush Hendricks was named to the CoSIDA’s Academic All-District team. Photo by John Adams | usajaguars.com
Junior Rush Hendricks was honored for his work in the classroom this week as he was named to the first-team tight end on the Capital One Academic All-District 4 squad by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
This makes the third year in a row that at least one Jaguar has been honored by the organization. Trey Clark was a first-team selection the past two seasons and was named to the second-team Academic All-America in 2012. Alex Page was voted to the first-team last fall.
Hendricks has appeared in all eight games this season and made his first career start against Arkansas State. He caught passes against Southern Utah and Kent State and as part of the special teams unit, he has been credited with five solo tackles.
In the classroom the 6’3″ 235-pound Jay, Florida native has maintained a 4.0 GPA since enrolling in school and has twice been named to the Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s List.
He will advance to the Capital One Academic All-America Team ballot. The honorees for the first, second and third All-America teams are expected to be announced on Thursday, December 5.
In order to be eligible for academic All-District honors an individuals must have at least sophomore status both academically and athletically, be a starter or important reserve and maintain a minimum 3.30 cumulative GPA. CoSIDA’s District 4 at the NCAA Division I level includes the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
South Alabama’s football team has their third and final bye this weekend. The student-athletes are in the midst of three days off before returning to the practice field on Sunday to resume preparation for their trip to Navy on November 16.
Non-AQ Top 10 November 4, 2013
The top two spots are tightening up with only three points separating Fresno State and Northern Illinois.
The Ragin’ Cajun’s are the lone representative from the Sun Belt in the top 10 as they have moved up to a tie for sixth place with Ohio. Former Sun Belt team North Texas have broken into the top 10 in tenth place. Three other SBC teams received votes in the poll, but not enough to break the top 10. Those schools are Texas State, Louisiana-Monroe and Western Kentucky.
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Non-AQ Top 10
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|||
|
RK
|
TEAM
|
RECORD
|
PTS
|
|
1
|
Fresno
State (8) |
8-0
|
114
|
|
2
|
Northern
Illinois (4) |
9-0
|
111
|
|
3
|
Brigham
Young |
6-2
|
96
|
|
4
|
Ball
State |
8-1
|
88
|
|
5
|
East
Carolina |
6-2
|
54
|
|
T-6
|
Ohio
|
6-2
|
43
|
|
T-6
|
Louisiana
|
6-2
|
43
|
|
8
|
Boise
State |
6-3
|
42
|
|
9
|
Buffalo
|
6-2
|
35
|
|
10
|
North
Texas |
6-3
|
11
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Dropped from rankings: Tulane
Others receiving votes: Toledo 6, Bowling Green 6, Tulane 4,
Rice 4, Texas State 3, Marshall 2, Louisiana-Monroe 2, Western
Kentucky 2.
Woodson To Undergo Surgery Today
Danny Woodson Jr. ends the season with 26 catches for 439 yards and four touchdowns. | usajaguars.com
Jaguar wide receiver Danny Woodson Jr is scheduled to have surgery today to repair his ruptured Achilles’ suffered near the end of the Jags game against Arkansas State.
Woodson’s injury typically has a six month recovery time.
The sophomore transfer from the University of Alabama was granted a waiver from the NCAA allowed him to play immediately for the Jags. He caught two passes for 54 yards against the Red Wolves including a 47-yard completion to put the Jags at the 2 yard line and gave him his third reception of over 40 yards in the last two games.
His season ends with 26 receptions for 439 yards and four touchdowns. He ranked fourth on the team in catches, third in receiving yards and second among those with 14 or more catches in yards per catch (16.9).
The previous week at Texas State, Woodson caught two touchdown passes of 42 and 43 yards to help the Jaguars rally back and take the lead in the fourth quarter.
The Jags will take three days off starting Thursday before returning to regular game-week preparation mode to prepare for their game at Navy on Saturday, November 16.
Monday Press Conference
Head coach Joey Jones met with the media on Monday to reflect on the Jaguars loss to Arkansas State. He was joined by quarterback Ross Metheny and defensive lineman Romelle Jones. Below are highlights from the press conference.
Coach Jones opened by talking about the team’s ability to move forward after so many tough losses. “I think that comes back to our leadership, the leadership on our team and our staff, and making sure they understand that whatever cards you’ve been dealt is in the past. Our players are learning a life lesson and I’m learning a life lesson, but you have to move on. How you compete when the going gets tough is how you find out about people. The one thing I’ve found out about this team and our staff is they are competing every minute of every day. You saw how we played the other night, if you looked at how we played the two-time Sun Belt champions, we were knocking them around. I thought we played a very good game but were a play or two short.”
“This program is getting better. I told our team we want to win, everybody knows that, but if you look at the whole picture we’re taking every team that we’re playing down to the wire. We have to find a way to close it out.”
Coach Jones addressed what he wants to work on during the teams bye week. “We always back off and work on fundamentals, any time you have extra time we want to clean those up. The game with Navy is not going to be a schematic game, it’s going to be a game about blocking and tackling, especially playing their offense. We are going to work hard on what they do, it’s totally different, but it still goes back to fundamentals.”
Jones then answered a question about another close loss serving as motivation. “I’ve answered that question about 40 times, all I know is we’re going to keep working and fighting, that’s the character of the people we have. Rather than it being such a negative, I think it can be a positive thing. Our guys have really worked their tails off to get to this point, people ought to know that.”
“Do we want to win? You’re right we want to win. But our guys have fought to get where they are, which is a tribute to them. You look at last year’s team and this year’s team, not taking anything away from last year’s team, and we’ve improved a bunch. We have to keep focusing on that. We’ve lost a couple of close games but we have to keep moving.”
Jones spoke about how disappointed he is for the student-athletes. “From my standpoint, I want the kids to be successful, that’s my main goal in all I do. Going into the season I don’t think anybody was expecting to win too many games, now that we have been so close on so many it’s what could’ve been. That hurts because I want them to be successful, but I told them yesterday that they’ve been successful to me because of how they have reacted. They could have given up a long time ago and let the previous game take away from that. That’s what’s great about this football team.”
Jones also answered a question about how hard it is to get the team to come back after the losses. “It’s hard, but that’s where leadership comes in. We can all do things when everything is going great and the ball bounces our way. The ball hasn’t bounced our way a few times this year, so what do you do? It comes back to leadership and learning that we have to come back and fight. It speaks volumes for our players for what they’ve done because they have done that.”
“You see a lot of teams experience defeat like that early and fall apart, so I think it has a lot to do with the character of our young men.”
The offensive representative was quarterback Ross Metheny. He began by talking about the focus of the team going into it’s final off week prior to the final four games of the season and the goals heading into those games. “The bye week is key for us to be able to regroup and get refreshed. Also, to put the past in the past and move forward. We’ve had some tough losses this season, Saturday’s especially, but we can’t change any of that, so we’ve just got to move forward and press on. I think this bye week will be good for us and comes at a good time. We’ll get ready and focused for Navy.”
Metheny answered a question about if the close losses this season have any affect on the way the team prepares for the final part of the season. “There’s no question that they’ve been tough. To have so many of them and so many in a row is frustrating, but again, I think that we’re the kind of team where there’s no quit in us. We’re going to come in each week, prepare and fight like we always do. You’re a crazy man if you think we aren’t going to put our heart and soul into these last four games and try to win them. We’re going to do as much as we can to prepare and fight and come out with some wins.”
Metheny then spoke about if it’s frustrating knowing that this team is better than last season, but not having the wins to show about it. “We’re still in the building process of where we are as a program. I feel that we can take some satisfaction out of the fact that we’re setting a pretty solid foundation for where we are as a program to build off of in the future. While we would have liked to have had a few more wins, we do feel confident in our ability and feel good about how we’ve been playing.”
Metheny answered a question about how much it takes out of them as players to have so many close losses. “It’s definitely taken an emotional toll. I don’t think that there’s anyone in this program who has experienced so many close losses, but then again, we can either sit here and focus on those or we can focus on how to finish, improve and keep moving on. We’re choosing to do that and put the past behind us and focus on next week.”
Defensive lineman Romelle Jones was the representative from the defense. He addressed a question about the focus of the team going into the final off week prior to the final four games of the season and the goals heading into those games. “Myself and some other guys do have some little injuries, so one of the biggest things that we’ll have during this off week will definitely be for us to get back healthy. Going into an off week is always tough, especially going into one after a loss, but it definitely gives us something to work on all week and it keeps us motivated to continue to practicing as hard as we’ve been practicing all year.”
Jones spoke about how the close losses this season have had any affect on the way the team prepares for the final part of the season. “With the type of guys that we have on this team, it doesn’t matter if we lose by one or win by 21, we’re still going to come out and prepare. That’s the type of leaders that we have on this team. The younger guys are only going to follow behind the things the leaders do on the team.”
Jones then addressed a question asking if it’s frustrating knowing that this team is better than last season, but not having the wins to show for it. “To be honest with you, it’s frustrating to take these kinds of losses. Any kind of loss is frustrating, but it’s even more frustrating when you’re that close and you can just taste it several times to only feel that it’s been pulled from right under your nose. We are tons better, looking at that gives us motivation and makes us want to work that much harder because I know we are only one or two plays from victories every week. If we can just continue to work hard next week, it shouldn’t be an issue.”
Jones then spoke about his return from the injury he suffered against Texas State, an MCL sprain, and if it provided any lift for the defense on Saturday. “I don’t know if it provided a lift for them, but for myself, going into a conference game, no matter how much pain I was in, unless there was some type of structural damage I was going to find myself out there on that field. I had to be there for my guys, even if it was just going to be for support. They definitely did respond well. We played a pretty good defensive game. We had some miscues here and there, but if we can just put it all together and play like that every week, we can definitely get some ‘W’s’ these last few weeks.”
South Alabama has Saturday off before traveling to face Navy on Saturday, November 16.
Jags Lose Woodson For Season
South Alabama’s season just got a bit tougher. One of the Jags big play receivers, Danny Woodson Jr, will miss the remainder of the season with a ruptured Achilles suffered in the Jags 17-16 loss on Saturday.
Woodson transferred to South Alabama from the University of Alabama in May and applied for a waiver to play immediately, which was granted.
On the second to last series for the Jaguars, he was playing away from the ball and had to come to the sideline in apparent pain.
His big play ability will be missed by the Jaguars offense. Against Texas State he scored on touchdown receptions of 42 and 43 yards as the Jags came back to take the lead, but were eventually defeated by a field goal with four seconds remaining.
Woodson is the Jaguars fourth-leading receiver with 26 receptions for 409 yards and four touchdowns. He is the third leading scorer with 24 points. However his threat as a downfield receiver cannot be measured. When Texas State attempted to cover him in man-to-man, Woodson made them pay with five receptions for 118 yards and two touchdowns. But when he does pull double-coverage it has opened Shavarez Smith and other receivers to draw one-on-one coverage for some big play opportunities.
The coaches will have two weeks to work on their offensive plan without Woodson as they get ready for the home stretch of their season. With four games remaining, the Jags will host the top two teams in the Sun Belt in Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana-Monroe with a trip to Atlanta to play the last place team in the conference, Georgia State, sandwiched in between. But before those final three conference games, the Jags will travel to Annapolis to face the Naval Academy who lost to Notre Dame 38-34 on Saturday.
University of Alabama quarterback A.J. McCarron tweeted his support to his hometown team.
S/O to South Alabama Fball team for a awesome year so far. I know there has been tough losses but stay to the grind & they will turn to W’s
— AJ McCarron (@10AJMcCarron) November 4, 2013
Achilles heel injuries typically requires about six months to heal. Former Jaguar linebacker Jake Johnson also suffered a ruptured Achilles on the same field back in January during his first practice session for the Senior Bowl.
Jags Fall To Arkansas State 17-16
Defensive coordinator Kevin Sherrer works on in-game adjustments against Arkansas State at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
South Alabama experienced another heart breaker of a game with yet another 1-point loss, though it did not occur in the final seconds like the previous ones. No, the final score was made with about six-and-a-half minutes left in the game and the Jaguars could not muster an answer.
The first quarter was a defensive stalemate as neither team could manage to put points on the board. Only Arkansas State managed to cross the midfield stripe during that first quarter, but the drive would end at the Jaguar 15 yard line on a fumble.
The Jags would put the first points on the board with 10:55 left in the second quarter when they kicked a 27 yard field goal. USA would add another field goal with 1:34 left until halftime when the Jags could not manage to get into the endzone from inside the five yard line.
South Alabama took the opening kickoff of the second half and marched down the field helped by a 42 yard completion from Ross Metheny to Shavarez Smith to put the ball at the Red Wolves 18 yard line. The Jags would have a third and 14 from the ASU 22 and Metheny’s pass would sail high and be intercepted in the end zone.
Arkansas State would mostly keep the ball on the ground on their ensuing possession and the Jags would be nearly powerless to stop it. Maleki Harris had left the game with a shoulder injury and key defensive linemen had been hobbled with injuries which the Red Wolves exploited beautifully. Quarterback Adam Kennedy accounted for 40 yards of the 80 yard drive by himself on the ground, including the final 12 yards for the touchdown.
South Alabama would respond with a drive of their own after a 34 yard kickoff return by T.J. Glover to started the offense at the USA 35 yard line. A pass interference call against Arkansas State in the end zone would place the ball at the 2 yard line, where Kendall Houston would punch it in and give the Jags the lead once again at 13-7.
The Red Wolves would drive down to the Jaguar 27 as the third quarter ended. Then, to begin the fourth quarter, Kennedy would be sacked by Alex Page for a six yard loss but Brian Davis would kick a beautiful 50 yard field goal to split the uprights and cut the Jaguar lead to 13-10 with 14:12 left in the game.
South Alabama would add a 30-yard field goal on their next possession when the Jags could not convert 3rd and 9 at the Red Wolves 18 yard line. USA held a 16-10 advantage with 9:58 left in the game.
Sunanon’s kickoff would go into the endzone for a touchback to put the Red Wolves at their own 25 yard line to start. The nine-play drive would consist of all runs but two which was capped off by a Sirgregory Thornton three yard touchdown run to put the Red Wolves up 17-16 with 6:29 left in the game.
The Jags drive would start on a positive note with Metheny runs for nine and two yards to gain a first down. But back-to-back incompletions, the first a wide-open pass to Shavarez Smith on the sideline could not be controlled as he fell to the ground, then Smith dropping screen pass that hit him in the hands, would force a 3rd and 10 at their own 36 yard line. Metheny would try to escape pressure but Darrius Rosser would grab ahold of his jersey and would not let go to pull Metheny down for an eight yard sack.
Garber would be called on to punt. He would delay to let his coverage run downfield as he was not pressured, but his short kick would stop dead when the nose of the football hit the turf at the ASU 37 yard line.
The Jaguar defense would hold strong and force a punt to give the offense one more shot with 3:17 left in the game.
Starting at their own 9 yard line, Metheny would open with a pass to Jereme Jones but it would be incomplete stopping the clock. Metheny would run for five yards before connecting with Bryant Lavender for a 20 yard strike to move the ball out to the Jaguar 34 yard line. An incomplete pass to Smith would be followed up with a five yard completion to Lavender to make it a 3rd and 5. An incomplete pass intended for Lavender would make it fourth down. Then Metheny would be pressured out of the pocket and he could not get the ball to Jereme Jones to turn the ball over on downs with 1:53 left in the game to effectively end it.
The Jaguars would outgain the Red Wolves 371 to 349 in total yards. The Jags would hold the edge through the air 228 to 160 but ASU would rush for 189 to the Jags 143.
Metheny would end up being the leading rusher in the game with 77 yards on 17 attempts. Jay Jones would add 44 yards on 11 carries and Kendall Houston would gain 14 yards on five carries with a touchdown.
Wes Saxton caught four passes, the most for the Jaguars, for 49 yards. Shavarez Smith caught three for 77 yards, Danny Woodson caught two for 54. Lavender, Jay Jones and Jereme Jones all caught two passes each. Jereme Jones extended his consecutive game with a pass reception streak to 35 games.
Metheny would go 15-of-29 for 228 yards and one interception. Adam Kennedy would go 15-of-17 for 136 yards and Fredi Knighten would go 6-of-8 for 24 yards for the Red Wolves.
“It’s getting tough to walk in the locker room when you lose close games like that,” head coach Joey Jones said after the game. “We played a good ballgame overall. There were some things we could have done better, but we obviously lost it in the fourth quarter again and that’s tough to take. We have a bunch of guys hurting right now.”
“I’ve never seen a team improve as much as they have and not see the rewards,” he continued. “That’s the thing that hurts me most, because I feel like we’re much improved as a team from last year to this year. It’s not even close. But it’s not showing up in the win column, and that’s the bottom line.”
South Alabama has their third and final bye week of the season before traveling to face Navy on November 16. The bye week will be much needed as a few Jaguars on defense are nursing nagging injuries.
South Alabama vs Arkansas State: Gameday
The South Alabama Jaguars will host two-time Sun Belt Conference defending champions Arkansas State Red Wolves this evening. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30pm at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Both teams have an overall record of 3-4. South Alabama’s conference record is 1-2 after last week’s loss at Texas State. Arkansas State’s conference record is 1-1 after last week’s 23-7 loss at home to Louisiana-Lafayette.
South Alabama fans are asked to wear their Jaguar Blue to the game and the first 10,000 fans entering the stadium will receive a white Jaguar Rally Towel.
Parking is limited at Ladd-Peebles Stadium and only season ticket holders can purchase parking passes. Parking for single game ticket holders will not be able to park at the stadium. Parking in the immediate vicinity of the stadium are not controlled nor managed by USA or Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
South Alabama and the City of Mobile have partnered with “The Wave” for shuttle service from Bel Air Mall to the stadium. A round trip will cost only $2.50. The shuttle runs from the Bel Air Mall parking lot south of Target and JC Penny. They will begin running at 2:30pm and will run continuously until 90 minutes after the conclusion of the game. The parking area at Bel Air Mall is well lit and USA is providing security.
The Jaguar Prowl is scheduled for 4:10pm. The coaches and players will depart their buses at the Southeast corner of the stadium and walk along the south side of the stadium to the Southeast entrace.
Live play-by-play coverage of the game will be aired on 105.5fm WNSP in the Mobile area and will be streamed worldwide on www.wnsp.com. The game can be seen on ESPN3.com nationally.
Arkansas State has won eight consecutive road games against Sun Belt Conference opponents. Reciever/kick returner J.K. McKissic, an Alabama native from Phenix City, leads the Sun Belt in receptions per game with 5.7. He has 40 catches for 347 yards and two touchdowns on the season. He is third in the conference in punt return average, third in kickoff return average and is also third in the conference in all-purpose yards per game (123.7).
Head coach Joey Jones has said that they are a very talented team on offense, particularly at the skill positions. Quarterback Adam Kennedy transferred from Utah State. They lead the conference in offense and are very explosive.
Jones also said that they are very good on defense with several seniors up front. They are two-time defending conference champs, so they know how to win.
The Jags are a 3.5 point favorite in this game.
Additionally, this is the South Alabama Athletic Hall of Game game. Amber Angermeier (women’s soccer 2001-2004), Stephanie Richardson (women’s basketball 1988-1991) and Vincent Rono (Men’s track & field/cross country 2006-2007) will be inducted into the USA Sports Hall of Fame today and will be honored at halftime of the game.
Go Jags!
Jags Vs Red Wolves: By The Numbers
Tomorrow evening South Alabama will host two-time defending Sun Belt Conference Champions Arkansas State. The Red Wolves have a history in Mobile since they have played in the past two GoDaddy.com Bowl games at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Head coach Joey Jones got some good news on Thursday as Romelle Jones, who was expected to miss this weekends game, may be able to play. Jones suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee against Texas State on a chop-block.
Head Coach Joey Jones said it was going to be a game-time decision. There’s nothing structurally wrong, it will be a matter of Romelle having to fight through the pain.
Statistics
Both teams enter the game with overall records of 3-4, the Jags are 1-2 in Sun Belt play while Arkansas State is 1-1. But how do they stack up statically.
Scoring offense: South Alabama ranks 3rd with an average of 31.3 points per game while Arkansas State ranks 5th with an average of 27.6 points per game.
Scoring Defense: Arkansas State ranks 5th by allowing an average of 28.9 points per game, they are just ahead of South Alabama who is in 6th place while allowing 29.1 points per game.
Total Offense: South Alabama ranks 3rd in the conference with an aveage of 446.6 yards of total offense per game. Arkansas State ranks 5th with an average of 435.1 yards per game.
Rushing Offense: Arkansas State gains an average of 192.4 yards rushing per game. South Alabama rushes for an average of 165.6 yards per game.
Passing Offense: South Alabama ranks 3rd with an average of 281.0 yards per game through the air. Arkansas State is in 4th place, right behind the the Jags, with an average of 240.1 yards through the air.
Total Defense: South Alabama ranks 5th in the conference by allowing an average of 416.0 yards per game. Arkansas State ranks 6th place, just behind the Jags, by allowing an average of 444.4 yards per game.
Rushing Defense: The Jags rank 5th by allowing an average of 173.1 yards per game on the ground. Arkansas State ranks 7th out of 8 by allowing an average of 204.3 yards per game on the ground.
Pass Defense: Arkansas State ranks 4th, one spot ahead of the Jags, by allowing an average of 240.1 yards per game through the air. The Jags, in 5th place, allow an average of 242.9 yards per game through the air.
Pass Efficiency: Again a close one. The Red Wolves rank 3rd in the conference with an efficiency rating of 137.3 with the Jags right behind them in 4th palce with an efficiency rating of 134.1.
Pass Defense Efficiency: Arkansas State ranks 5th with an opponents efficency rating of 128.9 while the Jags are in 6th place with an opponents efficiency rating of 135.4.
Kickoff Returns: Arkansas State ranks first in the conference with an average of 28.4 yards per kickoff return. The Jags rank 2nd in the conference with an average of 23.6 yards per kickoff return.
Punt Returns: Arkansas State ranks 5th with an average return of 7.4 yards per punt. South Alabama ranks 7th out of 8 with an average of 6.4 yards per punt return.
Interceptions: South Alabama ranks 4th in the conference with 8 interceptions through 7 games. Arkansas State ranks 7th out of 8 with only five interceptions through seven games.
Punting: Arkansas State ranks 4th in the conference with a net average of 36.6 yards per punt. South Alabama ranks 7th with a net punting average of 35.1 yards per punt.
Kickoff Coverage: Arkansas State ranks 4th with a net average of 40.1 yards per kickoff. South Alabama is behind them in 5th place with a net average of 37.6 yards per kickoff.
Field Goals: The Red Wolves lead the conference with a perfect 9-of-9 on the year in field goal attempts. South Alabama is tied for 6th place with an average of .615 by making 8-of-13 field goal attempts.
Sacks By: South Alabama ranks 2nd in the conference with 18 through seven games. Arkansas State is tied for 3rd with WKU with 14 sacks through seven games (WKU has 14 through eight games).
Sacks Against: South Alabama is in a three-way tie for first place with Texas State and ULL by allowing only 12 sacks (USA and ULL through seven games, TSU through eight games). Arkansas State ranks last in the conference by allowing 19 sacks through seven games.
First Downs: South Alabama ranks 5th with an average of 22.6 first downs per game. Arkansas State ranks 6th with an average of 21.9 first downs per game.
Opponent First Downs: South Alabama ranks 5th in the conference with opponents averaging 21.0 first downs per game. Arkansas State is 6th by allowing an average of 21.7 first downs per game.
Third Down Conversions: Arkansas State is 2nd with a conversion percentage of 47.2. South Alabama ranks 5th by converting an average of 40.4% of their third down attempts.
Opponents Third Down Conversions: South Alabama ranks 4th with opponents converting an average of 41.2% of their attempts. Arkansas State ranks 6th by allowing opponents to convert an average of 42.1% of their attempts.
Fourth Down Conversions: South Alabama ranks 5th by converting 30.8% of their attempts. Arkansas State ranks last as they have not converted 0-of-10 attempts.
Opponents Fourth Donw Conversions: Arkansas State ranks 6th in the conference with opponents converting 45.5% of their attempts. South Alabama opponents are converting an average of 54.5% of their attempts.
The Jags and the Red Wolves kick off at 6:30pm at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Metheny Leads Conference In Total Offense Per Game, McClain To Fill Romelle’s Shoes
The Jaguars rally at mid field after they enter the field to just prior to kickoff against Western Kentucky on Saturday, September 14, 2013.
Head coach Joey Jones said that Romelle Jones would be a game-time decision on if he would be able to play. But someone has to fill his shoes in case he cannot go on Saturday against Arkansas State.
In steps Jerome McClain. It’s highly likely that he will be called upon to start in place of Romelle, who suffered a knee injury against Texas State on a chop-block.
McClain has seen playing time in all seven of the Jags games and has 16 tackles to show for it. McClain is a 6’3″ 275-pound Pensacola native and is a JuCo transfer from Northwest Mississippi Community College.
Arkansas State will bring an experienced and strong offensive line to Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The Red Wolves know Ladd well as they have played in the GoDaddy.com bowl over the past two seasons.
In preseason camp the Jags lost Will Thompson for the season and lost Randon Carnathan in the Jags second game against Tulane with an Achille’s heel injury. In order to absorb the injury to Romell until he can return to the field, Coach Turner told AL.com that they will move Ceasare Johnson back to the inside.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the ball, quarterback Ross Metheny leads the conference in total offense with an average of 267.3 yards per game, which puts him ahead of Troy’s Corey Robinson who is averaging 265.5 yards per game of total offense.
Metheny is in third place in the conference in scoring touchdowns with an average of 7.1 points per game with eight rushing touchdowns and a two-point conversion pass reception for a total of 50 points. He also ranks fifth in the conference in overall scoring with his 7.1 points per game average. He also ranks fourth in the conference in average passing yards per game with 227 and pass efficiency with 143.5.
Wednesday’s practice was solid accoring to coach Jones. He said he thought the team started off slow and possibly a little tired, but picked up the pace towards the end. He also said that its about the Jags approach to the game will be key in the game. He said they could not go out there and expect good things to happen, but rather they have to go out and make good things happen.
USA and Arkansas State kick off at 6:30pm on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in a Sun Belt Conference game.
Jags Host Arkansas State On Saturday For 6:30pm Kickoff
The Jaguar football team returned to the practice field on Tuesday after their normal off-day on Monday. They continued preparation for Arkansas State, which is coming off of a 23-7 loss to Louisiana-Lafayette.
The Red Wolves (3-4 overall, 1-1 SBC) will bring in an explosive offense with several playmakers which will challenge the Jaguar defense. Defensively they tend to scheme well over the last few years. Arkansas State has won the last two SBC Championship.
ASU runs a more traditional spread offense, so the defense will have to change their mindset back to their more “normal” mindset from last week when they faced the option of Texas State. The Jags will have to play their responsibilities and go from there.
The ASU running back, David Oku, from last season is back and will have to be contained. Their quarterback last season graduated and has a good quarterback who transferred in from Utah State.
The team has shown they can put the previous games result behind them and focus on their immediate obstacle and they will need to do so again in order to even their conference record against Arkansas State.
But what may help the Jaguars is that the Red Wolves are 0-3 on the season when playing away from home. They have wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Troy and Idaho. Their losses include Auburn, Memphis, Missouri and most recently Louisiana-Lafayette.
The Jags and Red Wolves are scheduled to kick off at 6:30pm on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The Athletic Department is encouraging fans to wear BLUE to the game.
Go Jags!