Alex Page Named To 2013 CLASS Watch List; Jags Focused In Wednesday Practice
The South Alabama Jaguar football team had another intense, focused practice on Wednesday as they prepare to hit the road for New Orleans to face the Tulane Green Wave.
The two hour practice included individual drills, situational drills, special teams and offense versus defense work. “It was a pretty good physical practice,” head coach Joey Jones told AL.com. “Going into this week, we’re not going leave anything on the practice field. We’re going to work our tails off and get ready for this ball game and we’re going to bring it to the game on Saturday. That’s our goal.”
Tulane’s defense is the most improved squad since last season. They are big on the inside, they have fast players in the secondary and they swarm the ball quickly.
Offensively, Tulane is a pretty balanced team. Coach Jones noted that they do well running the football inside. Orleans Darkwa was noted as being one of the better running backs. Quarterback Nick Montana, son of NFL great Joe Montana, was at one time at Notre Dame prior to transferring and eventually landing at Tulane this season. Jones noted that he can place the ball to receivers well and can attack the whole field.
While the Jags did not end up on the winning side of the scoreboard against Southern Utah, they did come out of the game healthy. Offensive lineman Melvin Meggs tore his ACL over the summer in summer workouts and Will Thompson had surgery on his leg during preseason camp, but other than those already known injuries, the Jags are quite healthy. Wes Saxton was held out of practice on Tuesday but returned on Wednesday in a non-contact jersey. Coach Jones expects him to be ready to go on Saturday.
Also on Wednesday defensive end Alex Page was named as one of 30 candidates for the 2013 Senior CLASS Award in college football.
In order to be eligible, a student-athlete must be classifed as an NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The list of 30 candidates will be narrowed down to 10 finalists midway through the season. The final ballot will be conducted among media, coaches and fans on a nationwide basis. The winner will be announced in January during the bowl season.
Page is a 6’1″, 235 pound native of Pratville, Alabama. He received his undergraduate degree in history back in May. He earned first-team CoSIDA Academic All-District recognition last year and is working on his master’s degree. He was named to the 2012-2013 Sun Belt Conference Commissioner’s List for his work in the classroom.
Alex was a second-team all-league selection in 2012 after recording 64 tackles with 11.5 tackles for loss and six sacks. He was ranked in the top 10 in the Sun Belt in TFL’s and Sacks. The collected a career-best 10 tackles in two game, including the Jags first FBS win over FAU.
He was also voted to the preseason first-team All-Sun Belt Conference by conference coaches and media. He was also included in first-team all-conference lists by Phil Steele, Lindy’s and Athlon Sports.
Go Jags! Beat Tulane!
Jags Continue Preparation For Tulane
South Alabama continues to prepare for this weekends matchup against Tulane, who is coming off of a 34-7 win over Jackson State even though they were outgained yardage-wise 356-308.
The Green Wave defense forced six turnovers, two of them fumbles inside the five yard line as they were driving for a score. Head coach Joey Jones said that their defense is the most improved squad from last season. “They have a bunch of guys flying around. They are not very big at linebacker or in the secondary, but they are huge up front and have some really big guys inside. They are playing a lot better on defense.”
The Jags will have to continue to protect the ball in order to have a chance to win. Last season the Jags had 33 turnovers in 13 games. However, in their first game of the season, they only turned the ball over once with a Brandon Bridge interception in the fourth quarter.
Also improved for the Jaguars is the rushing game. Jay Jones led the stable of running backs that collected a total of 187 yards. Jones rushed nine times for 92 yards to average 5.5 yards per carry. Brandon Bridge added 56 yards on the ground, 40 of them coming on a touchdown scramble in the second quarter.
Overall, the Jags averaged 5.4 yards per play while outgaining against Southern Utah.
The Jaguar defense allowed 317 yards, only 134 on the ground with an average of 3.3 yards per rush. Enrique Williams surpassed Jake Johnson to take over as the all-time leading tackler with his 12 stops against SU. He also forced a fumble on a sack. Charles Watson collected eight tackles and Maleki Harris collected seven tackles, with 2.5 for loss.
Tulane’s offense included a passing attack that had several big plays to average more than 20 yards per completion. Quarterback Nick Montana, the son of former NFL great Joe Montana, went 6-of-14 for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Ryan Grant let the receivers with 3 catches for 82 yards. Orleans Darkwa rushed for 50 yards while Ron Kelley rushed for 41 yards.
The Green Wave kicker, Cairo Santos, connected on all of his kicks in the game with two field goals and four extra points. Their punter averaged 42 yards per punt as well.
“They do a good job with their run and pass ratio,” Jones explained. “They are not a team where you just stop the run or stop the pass, they are pretty good at both.”
However, after all of these positives for the Jaguars, coach Jones was quick to point out that all of that means nothing if they don’t put the points on the scoreboard. “The bottom line is we want to win a ballgame, that’s the overall goal,” he said. “The biggest thing on offense right now is converting points. We dropped a touchdown pass, we dropped another 60-yard pass that could have put the game away. We have to make plays in those situations, if we make one of those the game is over.”
The Jags Tuesday practice was very businesslike. The coaches and players were completely focused on preparing for Tulane this weekend. Coach Jones said that practicing hard is what it’s going to take for them to learn to win. He also believes that his team has put the loss behind them and that they have to in order to have a successful season.
Wes Saxton did not dress out for Tuesday’s practice nor did he take part in drills. Jones indicated to AL.com that it was only precautionary and that he will be ready for Saturday’s game.
South Alabama and Tulane kickoff at 2:30pm on Saturday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. Bus tickets may still be available through USA National Alumni Association ($35 for bus ride or $70 for bus ride and game ticket) and through Little Flower Catholic Church ($65 including ticket). For information about seat availablity, visit this link for the USA Alumni Association and call the Little Flower Church Office for availability.
http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07e7opm70s2c3b1dbc
Coach Joey Jones Show Recap 09-03-2013
Head coach Joey Jones speaks with sideline reporter Pat Greenwood heading into halftime against Middle Tennessee on Saturday, November 17, 2012.
Lee Shirvanian and Coach Joey Jones were joined by offensive coordinator Robert Matthews on the radio show on Tuesday hosted at Baumhower’s Restaurant on Airport Boulevard in Mobile.
Coach Jones mentioned Aleem as being a good kicker and that he just needs to get into the game and hit a few kicks to get his confidence going since he is a redshirt freshman. The Jags have had a pair of fifth-year seniors over the last two seasons at the placekicker spot and they brought a lot of experience to the team at that position.
He also spoke about the fake punt by Southern Utah that went for a first down. He mentioned that they ran the same exact fake punt play in practice during the week and there were supposed to be five guys spying the punter but they all failed to do their job.
Coach Matthews, along with being the offensive coordinator, also coaches the offensive line. He thought the line did a pretty good job by opening some decent run lanes for the running backs and protecting the quarterback. They weren’t perfect and that is something they have to work on, but it was an encouraging game because that was all correctable.
Lee asked how he thought the offense performed. Coach Matthews reiterated what coach Jones said that they did well at times but need to put more points on the board and take advantage of opportunities. They need to make some of those big plays on offense and become more explosive. He also mentioned that South Alabama was up by eight points in the fourth quarter and they had the ball late, so it was up to them to get a few first downs and win the game.
Lee asked about a play late in the game with the ball at the 50 yard line where SU was about to get a big pass play to set up a score. He mentioned that some people mentioned to him that that play was illegal, so he asked Coach Jones about it. Coach Jones said that it was not an illegal play, but they ran a guy on the field late from the sidelines after the formation was set so the defense didn’t account for him. The result was a wide open receiver. He does not know if it was a planned play or what, but it was not reviewable play if it were an illegal play.
Question from a listener about the quarterbacks. He mentioned that last season Coach Jones indicated he didn’t like the rotation. Both Jones and Matthews said that they are better at the quarterback position over last season. Ross Metheny has improved and Brandon Bridge is progressing in the offense. It goes back to something Coach Jones has said every season, if they have players that good, impact players they will find a way get them on the field because that helps to give them the best chance at winning the ball game.
Caller asked three different questions to Coach Jones. The first was the E.J. May interception that was ruled incomplete. Coach Jones said that, via the replay board, he was able to see that the ball came out and that it was a good call so they did not challenge the play. His second question was about a power formation with two tight ends which Coach Jones said that they do have that formation, but they just don’t have that many big tight ends. His last one was about the two quarterback system again concerning a rotation. Coach Jones referred back and reiterated some of his comments earlier in the radio show.
Another caller asked about West Florida possibly adding football, but not Division I. Coach Jones said it would be good for them, he just hopes they don’t go Division I and pull some players that might go to South Alabama.
While answering another part of the callers question, Coach Jones indicated that Dejon Funderburk was going to redshirt this season, but the way he stated it was that it was not their decision and somehow it came from the NCAA. But he did say that with him and transfer Marvin Shinn, they may have the best scout team recevier corps in the nation.
Talking about Tulane, they have a good running back returning this season. They also have a very good receiver that returns as well. Coach Jones said he may be one of the best they face this season.
Lee mentioned that this will be the last season Tulane plays in the Superdome because they are building their own stadium. He asked how it is different to play in a dome. Coach Jones mentioned that it is different for punt returners because it messes with the depth perception. Kickoff returns isn’t really affected because of the contrast behind the ball.
Lee mentioned the start for the Sun Belt this season with Texas State defeating Southern Miss in Hattiesburg and Western Kentucky defeating Kentucky. Both Louisiana teams, Lafayette and Monroe, both didn’t fare so well this week. A big game this weekend for Lee is Western Kentucky at Tennessee since the Jags will face them in a few weeks. Plus Bobby Petrino is familiar with the SEC so it could be a very interesting game.
Lee asked about Arkansas State’s game at Auburn this weekend and if it’s a big advantage for a head coach to face the team he left from the previous season for a new team. Coach Matthews said that there were several coaches left at ASU that were under coach Malzahn and knows what his schemes will be like. But coach Malzahn should be very familiar with the personnel that he will be facing.
Coach Jones ended the show talking about the team. Lee asked him how important the game at Tulane is after losing to Southern Utah. Coach Jones said that every game is important and that they will not be favored by 20 points or anything in any of their game. But he wants his team to be one that goes out every week and gets better while playing hard nosed football. If they do that they can win some games.
Jags Return To Practice Field
First year defensive coordinator Kevin Sherrer talks with the defense on the sidelines at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in the Jaguars season opener against Southern Utah on Thursday night.
South Alabama returned to the practice field on Sunday night for the first time since the Jags season opening loss to Southern Utah. Prior to the light workout in shorts and helmets, they had a team meeting that lasted almost two hours.
The two days prior, the coaching staff poured over the game film breaking down the game and grading performances. Head coach Joey Jones told AL.com, “Looking at the film, I feel like we did some really good things. But the thing we didn’t do was obvious – we didn’t finish the game. We were up eight points with eight minutes left and we lose the ball game. We learned a hard lesson from that.”
“Defensively, we’ve got to stop them, and offensively we’ve got to make first downs late to win the ball game. That’s bottom line. But, the positive side, even though we had a couple of special teams breakdowns, special teams was great. Kickoff coverage was probably the best we’ve ever had – it averaged on the 15 yard line. Kickoff return, we averaged 31 yards per return. Punt team was a 42.1 (yard) average and tackling with a less than 1 yard return.”
“We did some good things. When you have a loss you tend to look at things and it seems like everything is gloom and doom. In some ways it is. But we did some positive things. The thing I challenged the guys with today was we’re going to fight and we’re going to get better. We’re a better team. If we had finished out the game the other night we’d feel a lot better, but we just didn’t finish. So we’ve got to learn to win ball games. We’re at a point with our team, we’ve just got to get that taste of it again. We had a chance and we let it slip away.”
South Alabama started the game by moving the ball quickly with two first downs in their first three offensive plays of the game, however their drive stalled and forced them to punt. Southern Utah was able to capitalize on their drives and went up 10-0 on their first two drives of the game. The Jags would cut the lead to 10-7 prior to halftime.
SU would add a field goal in the second half before the Jags took the lead 14-13 then extended their lead to 21-13 early in the fourth quarter.
Unlike last season, the Jags took care of the ball with only one turnover, however that turnover proved to be costly as Southern Utah turned that turnover into six points but failed on the two-point conversion in an attempt to tie the game.
Besides not finishing the game, the Jags allowed too many big plays. Yet, the Jags could have won the game late with a couple first downs or two field goals in the first half.
It was evident that the Jaguar offense has improved from last season. Shavarez Smith and Danny Woodson gives Metheny and Bridge more options to throw to. Jay Jones showed his speed with a 57 yard run. Brandon Bridge also showed his ability with his 40 yard touchdown run in the first half.
The defense began the game fairly shakey, but in-game adjustments held SU to only three points through the second and third quarters. The Jaguars defensive line had problems getting pressure on the quarterback and stopping the run as SU running backs picked up some big gains. The secondary did not come up with any turnovers, but did break up five passes. However when the game was on the line, they gave up a huge first down on 2nd and 12 and a 13-yard first down on a 3rd and 5.
The Jags will look to correct these areas this week before they travel to New Orleans to face an improved Tulane team on Saturday in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30pm.
Coach Jones did say that defensive back Tyrell Pearson and tight end Ben Giles will return from suspension for violations of team rules. Cornerback Akeem Appleton will serve one more game suspension after sitting out the Thursday night game as well.
Jags Lose Heartbreaker On Kick As Time Expires
First year defensive coordinator Kevin Sherrer talks with the defense on the sidelines at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in the Jaguars season opener against Southern Utah on Thursday night.
The South Alabama Jaguars fell to Southern Utah on a 28-yard field goal by Colton Cook as time expired 22-21 Thursday night at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. This is the Jaguars second loss in a season opener game in the last two seasons. Similarly, Texas-San Antonio defeated the Jags on a field goal with 16-seconds remaining in the game a year ago.
The Jags started the game with two first downs in their first three plays before a pass interference penalty on Wes Saxton turned what would have been a 20-yard completion into a 3rd and 25 that the Jags could not convert. Garber’s 41-yard punt would put the Thunderbirds at their own 23 yard line to begin.
Southern Utah start quickly with a 12 play 61 yard drive to get the first points of the game on a 33 yard field goal by Colton Cook.
On the ensuing kickoff, T.J. Glover would pick up the ball after a bounce and return it down the left side for 43 yards to the Jaguar 48 yard line. JuCo transfer Cris Dinham woudl open the drive with a four yard rush before Ross Metheny would find Jereme Jones for an 11 yard completion for a first down and extending his consecutive game with a reception streak. After an incomplete pass to Saxton, Metheny would find Juco tranfer Shavarz Smith for 13 yards to the Thunderbird 20 yard line. Dinham would rush for another five yards before Jay Jones would get stopped for no gain. On Third and five at the SU 15 yard line, Metheny would get sacked by Zak Browning for a nine yard loss. Aleem Sunanon’s 41 yard field goal attempt would sail wide right.
On the first play of the Southern Utah drive Montell Garner would be flagged for pass interference with the ball being placed at the spot of the foul the Thunderbirds would have it first and 10 at their won 38 yard line. Aaron Cantu would find Alphin open and he would scamper for 54 yards to the Jaguar 8 yard line. After a Thunderbird time out, RaySean Martin would run on back-to-back plays for 7 yards and one yard to score the touchdown to put the Thunderbirds ahead 10-0 with 1:16 left in the first quarter.
The Jags would get one first down on their next drive before being forced to punt. The Thunderbird returner would call for a fair catch at their own 11 yard line.
The Jags would hold SU to a three-and-out giving the Jags great field position at the SU 43 after a 30 yard punt by Brock Miller.
Brandon Bridge would take over at quarterback for the second quarter. The drive would open with an 11 yard rush by Jay Jones followed by a 12 yard run by Bridge to move the ball down to the SU 20 yard line. After two incomplete passes to Saxton and Rush Hendrix, the Jags would call a time out. Bridge would run for 1 yard on 3rd and 10 then Coach Jones would opt for a 37 yard field goal attempt by Sunanon which was blocked. Very frustratingly Chris May would be flagged for an personal foul tacking on another 15 yards to give the Thunderbirds great field position at their 44 yard line.
Cantu would complete a 12 yard pass to the Jaguar 38 yard line to convert on 3rd and 4. But on the next play Cantu would be sacked and he would fumble the ball and inadvertently kicked down the field that Southern Utah would eventually recover after a 27 yard loss to face 2nd and 37 from their own 35 yard line. THeir situation would be complicated further after a false start backed them up five more yards for 2nd and 42 at their own 30 yard line. After a loss of two and a gain of one on back-to-back rushes, the Thunderbirds would be forced to punt on 4th and 43 from their own 29 yard line.
South Alabama would begin their drive at their won 28 yard line after the 43 yard punt is downed by T.J. Glover. Bridge would complete a pass to Dinham for four yards before handing it off to him again for one yard. On 3rd and 5, Bridge would find Danny Woodson Jr for 10 yards out to the USA 43. Bridge would run for four yards on first down before connecting with Smith for 13 yards to the SU 40 yard line. Bridge would take the snap and take off for a 40 yard touchdown to put the Jags on the board but still trailing the Thunderbirds 10-7 with 4:37 left in the first half.
The second half would begin the same as the first half for the Thunderbirds. After the Jags stopped SU on third down to force a 4th and 2, a fake punt would net 26 yards and a first down at the Jaguar 28 for the Thunderbirds. The Jags would hold again but Cook would connect on a 37 yard field goal to extend their lead to 13-7 at the 11:15 mark in the 3rd quarter.
The Jags would respond on their ensuing possession with Jay Jones opening with a 9 yard rush out to the USA 36 yard line. Two plays later, Jones would run up the middle for 57 yards to the SU 4 yard line before being caught. Kendall Houston would run for three yards and no gain on back-to-back carries. SU would call a time out before Randon Carnathan would get a carry into the end zone. After the time out facing 3rd and goal at the 1, Rush Hendrix would be called for a false start to back them up to the 6 yard line. Metheny would find Jereme Jones on a slant for a six yard touchdown. The point after would put the Jags up 14-13 with 7:38 left in the quarter.
A roughing the passer on the touchdown play would put the kickoff at the 50, but Hendrix would be flagged for an off-sides on the kickoff. The rekick from the USA 45 would be fair caught at the Thunderbird 11 to give them worse field position.
The Jaguar defense would force SU to go three-and-out in back-to-back possessions. The Jags would begin their drive at the USA 36 with 1:23 left in the third quarter. Dinham would run on three-consecutive plays for 4, 8 and -1 yards respectively. Metheny would find Woodson open for a 33 yard gain down to the SU 20 yard line before being forced out of bounds. Two plays later Metheny would find Woodson again for a 20 yard touchdown down the left sideline to put the Jaguars up 21-13 with 14:47 left in the game.
The game would be a bit of a stalemate until close to midway through the quarter. On 3rd and 9 at their own 23 yard line, Bridge’s pass intended for Hendrix would be intercepted at the USA 43 yard line.
SU would capitalize on the mistake. After a 7-yard sack on Cantu by Maleki Harris, Cantu would find Griff McNabb open for a 44 yard gain to the Jaguar 6 yard line. Three plays later Cantu would find an open receiver for the touchdown. Their two-point conversion attempt would fall incomplete to leave the Jaguars up 21-19.
The Jags would go three-and-out on the next possession giving the Thunderbirds the ball with 4:43 left in the game.
Martin would rush for 6 then 9 yards on back-to-back carries out to the 50 yard line. They would steadily match down the field with a big 16 yard pass completion to put them at the Jaguar 27 yard line. The Jags would take a time out with 42 seconds left with the ball at the Jag 22. Malik Brown would rush for 13 yards to the Jaguar 9 yard line. After a two yard loss the Thunderbirds would let the clock run down before taking a timeout with 2 seconds left in the game. Cook would connected on the 28 yard field goal to end the game. Southern Utah 22 – USA 21.
The Jags would end the game with 16 first down to SU’s 14. Offensively the Jags put up 335 yards of total offense with 187 coming on the ground and 148 through the air. The Jags were 5-of-14 on third down.
The Jags defense allowed 317 total yards of offense with 183 yards passing and 134 yards rushing. SU converted five of their 15 third downs.
Jay Jones would lead the rushing attack with 92 yards on 9 carries. Bridge would add 60 yards on 7 carries, Dinham had 22 yards on 7 carries, Houston 17 yards on five carries, Metheny had 11 yards on three carries adn Valentin had one yard on 3 carries.
Shavarez Smith and Jereme Jones both caught five passes for 52 and 26 yards respectively with Jones getting the only touchdown of the two. Woodson would catch three for 63 yards and a touchdown. Five other Jags would catch a pass in the game.
Ross Metheny would go 12-of-17 for 112 yards and two touchdowns and a sack. Bridge would finish 6-of-11 for 36 yards and an interception.
Southern Utah’s Raysean Martin would rush for 110 yards on 23 carries for a game high. Cantu went 13-of-24 for 183 yards and a touchdown with three sacks. McNabb and Norris would catch 4 passes each for 77 and 20 yards respectively to highlight the receiving corps for SU.
“I want to congratulate Southern Utah for winning the ballgame,” said head coach Joey Jones. “We didn’t have a ton of mistakes, but they made the plays in the fourth quarter when they had to and ended up beating us. My hat’s off to them.”
“It’s a big disappointment. Any time you lose it’s a disappointment,” Jones said. “There’s nothing I can say in there to make them or myself feel any better. We lost a very important ballgame tonight. We’re a better team, but we have to look at ourselves and evaluate what we’re doing. We’re going to have to win some close games to have a good year, and that was one we let slip by.”
“We’re a better football team than that,” Ross Metheny stated. “We’re going to put a better product on the field, and like I said, we’ll just go back and learn. There’s two things we can do with this, we can either use it, learn from it and go forward, or we can tuck our tails and not benefit from it. I promise you that number two is not an option.”
The Jags will next play on the road in New Orleans against Tulane on Saturday, September 7 at 2:30pm in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
USA Gameday Is Finally Here
As the dawn of a new football season is finally upon us the fan, players and coaches are all excited to finally get it underway. The excitement is fueled by South Alabama finally becoming full FBS and Sun Belt members and with that eligibility for a conference championship and a bowl game berth. But lets not put the cart before the horse just yet.
In four seasons of football the Jags are 25-15, including the 2-11 season last year. They were challenged and played some very good teams down to the wire. With the motivation to do better than last season and the carrot on a string that is a possible conference championship and bowl game, this team is high motivated to prove something.
“Going through last season prepared us for this season. There’s no doubt about that. There are certain experiences in life that you just have to go through to be great at anything,” head coach Joey Jones explained. “We went through a season last year where we decided to play Division I football while being a FCS team. It really helped us in the long run.”
The Jags first opponent is Southern Utah Thunderbirds, which will not be a push-over. They also employ the no-huddle spread-style offense which normally means that they have the ability to turn up the tempo as well. Their defense is physical and disciplined.
SUU finished the season with a 5-6 overall and 4-4 in the Big Sky Conference. They return 38 letterwinners including 13 starters but were selected to finish 9th our of 13 schools in the conference in preseason polls. They will enter the game with an inexperienced backfield. Aaron Cantu is a JuCo transfer that is slated to start at quarterback with freshmen Raysean Martin, Pete Williams, Christian Taele and Toa Afatasi at running back. They return three starters at wide receiver including all-conference pick Fatu Moala who caught 65 passes for 810 yards last season with nine touchdowns.
Defensively, the Thunderbirds returns a linebacker who ranked eighth in FCS with 11.5 tackles per game with 116 tackles for his freshman season in Zak Browning. Miles Killebrew returns after recording 69 tackles and is one of four returning starters in the secondary. James Cowser returns on the defensive line for the Thunderbirds after posting 64 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks last season.
“Defensively is where they really shine in my opinion,” Jones commented. “They just get after you. They play really good technique, and they are strong and physical guys who aren’t going to give you anything. They’re very well-coached, and they do things the right way.”
Football.Com Article On The Jaguars
The Jaguars were featured in a post on Football.com on Friday of last week. The article titled “The Fastest Team in College Football” covered the teams quick rise from nothing to FBS play in just five short years, faster than any other program in college football.
They highlight the area’s close ties with the University of Alabama with coach Jones, Sherman Williams, D.J. Fluker and A.J. McCarron as well as other college football players that have come out of Mobile such as JaMarcus Russell (excluding his NFL career) and other sports.
Go give it a read, it’s a good article and speaks highly of the Jags.
USA Releases Depth Chart For Southern Utah
The University of South Alabama released a depth chart ahead of the Jaguars first game of the season when they host Southern Utah at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on Thursday at 6:30pm.
Offense (Multiple – Spread)
No surprises on the offensive line with the two-deep list. For once, the Jags will actually be two deep at each position on the offensive line.
Offensive line:
LT: Ucambre Williams (6-3, 290, Jr., Phenix City, Ala.)
Darius McKeller (6-6, 325, Jr., Jonesboro, Ga.)
LG: Drew Dearman (6-3, 310, Jr., Vestavia Hills, Ala.)
Shane Doty (6-4, 290, Jr., Annandale, Va.)
C: Matt Calcagnini (6-1, 290, Sr., Naples, Fla.)
Joseph Scelfo (6-1, 290, R-Fr., Bogart, Ga.)
RG: Shaun Artz (6-5, 295, Jr., Buford, Ga.)
Steven Foster (6-4, 310, R-Fr., Demopolis, Ala.)
RT: Chris May (6-5, 290, So., Tuscumbia, Ala.)
Daniel Aust (6-2, 280, R-Fr., Hoover, Ala.)
Receivers
Z: Shavarez Smith (6-1, 200, Jr., Fayetteville, N.C.)
Corey Waldon (5-10, 175, Sr., Tuscaloosa, Ala.)
X: Bryant Lavender (6-0, 190, Sr., Gulfport, Miss.)
Danny Woodson (6-1, 210, So., Mobile, Ala.)
A: Jeremé Jones (5-8, 165, Jr., Mobile, Ala.)
T.J. Glover (5-9, 170, Jr., Tampa, Fla.)
TE: Wes Saxton (6-4, 240, Jr., Hueytown, Ala.)
Rush Hendricks (6-3, 235, Jr., Jay, Fla.)
Davin Hawkins (6-2, 230, Jr., Gadsden, Ala.)
Backfield:
RB: Jay Jones (5-9, 190, Jr., Horn Lake, Miss.)
Cris Dinham (5-10, 205, Jr., Lithonia, Ga.)
Kendall Houston (5-10, 220, Jr., Mobile, Ala.)
QB: Ross Metheny (6-3, 205, Sr., Stephens City, Va.)
Brandon Bridge (6-5, 220, Jr., Mississauga, Ontario)
Trey Fetner (6-0, 225, So., Woodland, Ala.)
Defense (3-4 Multiple)
The defense is led by the front with the linemen and linebackers.
DT: Romelle Jones (6-2, 280, Sr., New Orleans, La.)
Jerome McClain (6-3, 275, Jr., Pensacola, Fla.)
NT: Jesse Kelley (5-10, 270, Jr., Birmingham, Ala.)
Randon Carnathan (6-1, 305, Sr., Leeds, Ala.)
Montavious Williams (6-2, 280, Sr., Cairo, Ga.)
DE: Alex Page (6-1, 235, Sr., Prattville, Ala.)
Ceasare Johnson (6-5, 275, Sr., Memphis, Tenn.)
Jack: Pat Moore (6-3, 260, Sr., Southaven, Miss.)
Theo Rich (6-2, 270, Jr., Portal, Ga.)
Sam: Maleki Harris (6-1, 210, Jr., Cordova, Ala.)
Clifton Crews (6-3, 225, Sr., Atlanta, Ga.)
Mike: Enrique Williams (6-0, 235, Sr., Mobile, Ala.)
Bryson James (6-2, 235, Sr., New Orleans, La.)
Desmond LaVelle (5-11, 235, Jr., Decatur, Ala.)
The secondary has a slight surprise. As mentioned in the Joey Jones Radio Show, Tyrell Pearson is not on the two-deep depth chart because he has been suspended for the first game of the season for a violation of team rules.
CB: Qudarius Ford (5-8, 170, Jr., Cantonment, Fla.)
Anthony Harris (6-1, 190, Jr., Miami, Fla.)
FS: Terrell Brigham (6-0, 190, Jr., Waynesboro, Ga.)
Steffon Fuller (6-4, 190, Jr., Scooba, Miss.)
SS: Charles Watson (6-1, 200, Sr., Tylertown, Miss.)
Steven Fuller (6-4, 190, Jr., Scooba, Miss.)
Nickle: E.J. May (5-10, 180, So., Mobile, Ala.)
Antonio Carter (5-8, 185, So., Columbus, Ga.)
CB: Montell Garner (6-1, 185, Jr., Euless, Texas)
Darrius Morrow (5-10, 170, Sr., Memphis, Tenn)
Special teams does not have any surprises but may be subject to change. In his radio show, Coach Jones noted that Sunanon has been doing well with kickoffs as well as field goals. But in the two-deep they still have McKee as the kickoff specialist.
FG:
Aleem Sunanon (5-7, 185, R-Fr., Orlando, Fla.)
Brandon McKee (6-1, 175, Fr., Cumming, Ga.)
KO:
Brandon McKee (6-1, 175, Fr., Cumming, Ga.)
Logan Gunn (6-3, 160, R-Fr., Chatom, Ala.)
P:
Scott Garber (5-9, 195, Sr., Port St. Lucie, Fla.)
Brandon McKee (6-1, 175, Fr., Cumming, Ga.)
LS:
Austin Cole (6-4, 215, Jr., Dallas, Ga.)
Nick Bear (5-11, 220, Sr., Lakewood, Calif.)
Holder:
Scott Garber (5-9, 195, Sr., Port St. Lucie, Fla.)
Trey Fetner (6-0, 225, So., Woodland, Ala.)
KR:
Shavarez Smith (6-1, 200, Jr., Fayetteville, N.C.)
T.J. Glover (5-9, 170, Jr., Tampa, Fla.)
Jeremé Jones (5-8, 165, Jr., Mobile, Ala.)
Terrance Timmons (5-7, 180, So., Theodore, Ala.)
PR:
T.J. Glover (5-9, 170, Jr., Tampa, Fla.)
Jeremé Jones (5-8, 165, Jr., Mobile, Ala.)
See you out at Ladd-Peebles tomorrow evening to support the Jags!
Coach Joey Jones Show Recap 08-27-2013
Head coach Joey Jones and host Lee Shirvanian were joined by first year defensive coordinator Kevin Sherrer. For the sixth year the show is aired from Baumhower’s Restaurant on Airport Boulevard in Mobile.
Lee started by turning over an open-ended question to Coach Jones to fill in the blank however he saw fit. Coach began with “We are a much improved football team,” which man fans will be excited to hear and eager to see on Thursday night. Coach said that, after last season looking ahead to this year, he thinks the team is better than he thought they would be after last season. Though, he mentioned that he probably should not say that, but coach Jones wanted to give an honest opinion of the team.
Jones pointed out that they have lots of guys who have “come through for them” and they have a senior class that has a lot of experience and maturity.
Lee turned to scheduling after Bo Bishop from Baumhower’s came on to promote their specials and mentioned Georgia and how the Jags will not be facing the Bulldogs next season. Coach Jones said scheduling is really driven by TV in the SEC and he did not understand the problem, but something necessitated moving the Jags game versus Georgia and the way it shook out was Troy now plays them and South Alabama will travel to Columbia, South Carolina to play the South Carolina Gamecocks instead. Either way, both of those teams are a top-10 teams.
The first caller mentioned the many drives to raise money for the school and facilities. He asked if there were any drives for money to improve facilities on campus and if not will there be. But the underlying question that has been asked over and over again, but was not voiced in the call is about fundraising for an On-Campus Stadium. Coach Jones said he did not know the answer to that, but he answered the unspoken question about the stadium by saying that one day South Alabama will have an on-campus stadium, but that he did not know when that would happen.
The caller followed up with by saying that he hopes the University will put something in place so the community can rally behind the plan and help move forward the plans to build an on-campus stadium.
Three Days Till Kickoff Of 2013 Season
Head coach Joey Jones speaks with sideline reporter Pat Greenwood heading into halftime against Middle Tennessee on Saturday, November 17, 2012.
The University of South Alabama football team is just three days away from kicking off the 2013 season, the fifth of the programs history and the first as a full FBS member.
The Jaguars met with the media for their weekly press conference and both the coaches and players shared their excitement for the rapidly approaching season. After about 26 practices with only themselves as their opponent, they are ready for a new challenge. Starting quarterback Ross Metheny told AL.com, “We’re excited to finally go up against somebody other than ourselves. We’ve been hitting each other for a long time. It’s crazy to think about how many hours and how much work we put in all year round all for 12 days in the fall. If you look at it that way, you have to really love the game.”
Qudarius Ford added, “We’re excited about this Thursday. We’re excited about the challenge. We know Southern Utah is going to come in here and be ready to play. We know they play physical. We’re ready for the challenge. From last year to this year I’ve seen a big difference in the team chemistry and we’ll be ready to play ball on Thursday.”
The Jags had a tough season last year as they went 2-11. However the team kept their composure and was competitive in almost every game. Though they were not eligible, they went ahead and played a full Sun Belt Conference schedule in anticipation of this season. Coach Jones knew it would be a tough season last year, but knew it would help prepare his team for the toughest schedule yet for the program this season.
“Going through last season has prepared us for this season, there’s no doubt about that,” head coach Joey Jones said to AL.com. “I think experiences in life, there are certain ones you just have to go through to be great at anything and we went through a season last year where we decided to play Division I football while being a FCS team. It really helped us in the long run.”
“Our kids are excited. They’re excited about the possibilities that we can go to a bowl game and the possibility that we can win a conference championship, and we haven’t had that in the last four years. Dangling that carrot out there certainly makes a difference in the motivation of our players.”
“I know one thing, we’re a lot better football team than we were last year,” said Jones when asked for a season prediction by AL.com. “I can say that. How that translates into wins, I don’t know. But I know we’re better and our leadership is not necessarily better but we have more of it. We have 28 seniors. I see a difference in our ball team this year, I really do. I see a calmness and a confidence that we haven’t had.”
“Stepping into Division I last year, I think we were a little starry-eyed, and maybe as coaches we were. We just didn’t know what to expect to go play Arkansas State and to go play Mississippi State and N.C. State and those people. You just didn’t really know. This year, our kids have been through it, our coaches have been through it. We’re looking for big things. We have lofty goals and we’re always going to have those no matter where we are in our program.”
They will be looking to start the season off on a better note that last season. They originally scheduled to start the season on Thursday night against Texas-San Antonio, but bad weather forced the postponement until Saturday in which the Jags lost a close one on a field goal. That was the first and only season opener the Jags have lost in four seasons at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Coach Jones and his team will look to run that record to 4-1 in season openers at home on Thursday.
The Jaguars and the Southern Utah Thunderbirds kickoff at 6:30pm on Thursday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The weather will cooperate this season as Thursday looks to be mostly sunny with a high of 93 and a low of 67. You couldn’t ask for better weather to start the football season in August.
Go Jags!