Coach Jones Pleased With Wednesday Practice
Head Coach Joey Jones looking on as the Jaguars warm up for their game at North Carolina State.
The South Alabama Jaguars had another good practice as they continue to prepare for their homecoming match-up against Florida Atlantic. While they continue to implement their game plan for the game, they also continued to work on themselves to limit mistakes.
Both the Jaguars and the Owls are 1-5 on the season and 0-3 in the Sun Belt. The Jags are looking for their first win against an FBS opponent as well as their first win against a Sun Belt team.
While head coach Joey Jones liked what he saw in practice, he admits they still have more work ahead in order to be ready for Saturday.
“I feel like the players have a good look in their eyes and understand the opportunity we’ve got coming this weekend,” Jones said. “This is a very physical football team that we’re going to face this weekend and we’ve got to match that and come out there ready to go.”
Coach Jones points out the Florida Atlantic front seven as a very physical group of players. “They do a good job of alignment and they’re always very sound in their alignment and they’re very physical,” Jones said. “You see some teams doing a lot more blitzing and exotic things defensively, but this is a team that lines up and plays football. They’re well-coached and physical too.”
“I want our guys to go out and eliminate the things that get us beat,” Jones continued. “By that I mean the penalties and turnovers. Like I told them last week, I think if we had done what we were supposed to do, we had a chance to win that football game. Once we learn how to play and not make those type errors in the game we’re going to win some football games.”
Last Saturday the Jags lost in Jonesboro, Arkansas to defending Sun Belt Champion Arkansas State 36-29. In the game, they committed 13 penalties for 81 yards while ASU only committed two penalties for 20 yards. Also the Jags only turned the ball over once with an interception while forcing three fumbles by Arkansas State.
According to the Press-Register, Ucambre Williams had an MRI on his left knee that he injured on the third play of the game agaisnt Arkansas State. The staff fears that it may be a torn ACL but they have not gotten the results of the MRI yet.
Phil Steele’s Midseason All-Sun Belt Team Announced
Defensive coordinator Bill Clark working with Jake Johnson and the linebackers during individual drills during camp.
American sportswriter and analyst Phil Steele who produces an annual preseason magazine that carries his name published his 2012 Midseason All-Sun Belt Team.
There are a couple South Alabama names on the list. There are only two first team selections for the Jaguars which are defensive linemen Alex Page and senior linebacker Jake Johnson.
The lone second-team selection is T.J. Glover for special teams. While Tyrell Pearson is the lone third-team selection at defensive back. No Jaguars were selected for any of the three teams from the offense.
There are a number of selections that the Jaguars have already faced this season.
Fetner, Loper Will Expand Roles In Offense
Quarterbacks Trey Fetner and transfer Ross Metheny participating in position drills.
Head coach Joey Jones said that backup quarterback Trey Fetner’s role in the offense will likely increase as they go forward.
Fetner, the odd man out in the Jaguars quarterback race this season, has found a spot in offensive game plan after all. The redshirt freshman had three carries for 17 yards last weekend in Jonesboro from the wildcat formation.
Fetner also scored the only touchdown against Troy where he had five carries for 21 yards including the three yard score.
“Trey’s a good football player and if there’s a player on our sideline we think can win for us we’re going to try to get him our there the best we can,” head coach Joey Jones said. “He’s really found his niche there (as a Wildcat formation quarterback) and we’re going to expand that package. We talked about that this weekend. He’s going to be a good asset, especially in short yardage. And the thing about it, he can throw it too. It’s not like he’s a Wildcat quarterback who can’t throw, so that’s going to create some diversity in our third-down situations.”
Also you may have seen a new receiver on the field if you happened to watch the Arkansas State game. Gabe Loper, a former defensive back, has transitioned to play in the receiver corps.
During regular season practice one single play stood out to the coaching staff that was looking for a spark on offense. A defensive play he made on a hail mary pass that made them think.
He made the switch during the Jaguars off week which gave him some extra time to get adjusted to the new position. His debut game with an 11 yard reception against Arkansas State, his first reception as a Jaguar and likely not his last. “You never know when coaches are watching and we tell guys that all the time,” receivers coach Jerry Mack said. “Back in fall camp Gabe made an extraordinary catch on a Hail Mary. He jumped over everybody and caught it in the back of the end zone. That’s when he first kind of caught all the coaches’ eyes, especially on offense, that hey, this guy may have a skill set that we can use on offense.”
“As the season went along, we were always looking for that spark, always looking for that guy who could be a playmaker on the offensive side of the ball,” Mack continued. “We decided last week to work him into the receiver rotation a little bit more and it’s been nothing but good news ever since.”
Jags Look To Break Losing Streak Against FAU
As the Jaguars continue to prepare for Florida Atlantic’s visit to Mobile on Saturday, the Jags are also working hard to break their longest losing streak of the program’s history.
The Jags enter the game with a four game losing streak as they have faced four consecutive FBS opponents. Their record on the season is 1-5 (0-2 SBC) after their loss at defending conference champions Arkansas State last weekend.
But FAU is on a losing streak of their own. The Owls have dropped their last five games in a row to make their record this season 1-5 (0-3 SBC). Their last loss was against Louisiana-Monroe by a score of 35-14.
“We are making progress and moving forward, this is not a team that is getting down because we’ve lost a few games,” Head coach Joey Jones said. “The players understand where we are and have taken that challenge every week, and I think that is why we are getting better. And the staff has done a good job of motivating on both sides of the ball and with special teams.”
The Jaguars enter the game with the #2 ranked defense in the Sun Belt Conference with 344.5 yards per game, only trailing Western Kentucky who has an average of 304.7 yards per game. The Jaguar defense held Arkansas State to 316 total yards, 155 yards below their season average coming into the game. The Jaguar rushing defense is ranked #4 in the conference with an average of 135.8 yards per game and #3 in pass defense with an average of 208.7 yards per game.
FAU ranks #8 in the conference as their defense has given up an average of 429 yards per game of total yards. They are only ahead of Florida International and Middle Tennesse in total defense. FAU ranks last in the conference at #10 in rushing defense by allowing an average of 211.7 yards per game while ranking #5 in pass defense allowing an average of 217.3 yards per game through the air.
Shifting the focus to offenses, South Alabama comes in just ahead of FAU in #9 with an average of 312.2 yards per game while FAU only averages 288.2 yards per game of total offense. Similarly the Jaguar rushing attack edges out FAU for the #9 spot with an average of 122.5 yards rushing per game while FAU averages 114.3 yards per game.
Again the passing offense has South Alabama #9 while FAU is ranked #10. The Jags average 189.7 yards per game while FAU averages only 173.8 yards per game.
Based on the numbers, you would tend to give a slight edge to South Alabama due to their defensive numbers. But what will make the difference is turnovers, penalties and depth.
South Alabama has been plagued with penalties in rescent weeks as they were flagged 28 times for 223 yards in the last two games alone. Turnovers have been turned into points for the opponents as well, but the Jaguar offense only turned the ball over once against Arkansas State while the defense forced three turnovers.
But depth could be an issue on the offensive line as Coach Jones indicated in his weekly radio show that Ucambre Williams will most likely miss the game with a knee injury and Shaun Artz has an ailing back.
Jake Johnson leads the defense with 60 tackles while Enrique Williams is close behind with 53 tackles on the season. Both are in the top 10 in the Sun Belt Conference in tackles. Johnson is second in the Sun Belt with an average of 1.33 tackles for loss per game.
South Alabama also ranks second in the conference with 14 sacks, which is one short of last years total for the entire season.
But in the one game since South Alabama has abandoned the two-quarterback system, they posted their best offensive game of the season with 373 yards, 24 first downs and 35:39 time of possession. While the 29 points is the second highest total of the season after the 30 points they posted against Texas-San Antonio to open the season.
“Let’s face it, offensively we have been struggling and we played better that day so that certainly encourages our team. Not that the offense is there yet or we are not going to work anymore,” Jones explained. “But we moved the ball and did some good things offensively, and when you have that it encourages the rest of the team that this thing can get rolling if we get going. We have played pretty well in the other two phases of the game, we just need to get going offensively.”
“I kept waiting for us to break out and have a good game, which we did the other night,” Jones continued. “Of course, we have to do that week to week, but we did some good things that we can hang our hat on.”
Redshirt freshman Terrance Timmons led the Jaguar rushing game with 43 yards on 13 carries while Kendall Houston added 36 yards on 18 carries in his first start of the season.
Senior placekicker Michel Chapuseaux was selected at the Sun Belt Special Teams Player of the Week by the Sun Belt Conference for going 3-of-4 in field goals and 2-of-2 in PAT’s.
But Coach Jones understands that even though the Jags may be slightly favored on paper, they can’t overlook their competition. “FAU is a very physical football team, I’ve watched them on film where they have faced Alabama and Georgia and they banged with those teams,” Jones observed. “Defensively, their front seven are very physical guys. They have great athletes and a fifth-year senior quarterback, we understand going into this game that this is another good football team we are facing.”
“Both of our records are alike, but they have been fighting against some very tough teams as well,” Jones continued. “They are used to winning too, they won the Sun Belt a few years back, so they understand how to do it.”
South Alabama and Florida Atlantic kickoff at 2:30pm at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Tickets can be purchased for as low as $10. The parking lot will open at 8am for tailgating with the Jaguar Prowl scheduled to begin shortly after 12:00 noon and will cross around the southern edge of the stadium.
Parking is limited at Ladd-Peebles Stadium and parking outside of the stadium is not overseen by the Unversity, Ladd-Peebles Stadium or the Mobile PD. If you do not have a parking pass, it is encouraged that you consider parking at Bel Air Mall south of Target and J.C. Penny and taking the shuttle for $2.50 for a round trip. The shuttle service will begin at 10:30am and will run until 90 minutes after the games conclusion.
Coach Joey Jones Show Recap 2012-10-16
Head coach Joey Jones working with the field goal unit during South Alabama’s Scrimmage on Saturday, March 3, 2012.
Head Coach Joey Jones and host Lee Shirvanian was joined by defensive backs coach Duwan Walker at Baumhower’s Restaurant on Airport Boulevard for the Joey Jones Radio Show this week.
To start off the show Lee asked “What was your feeling like when you left the field in Jonesboro?” “I felt good deep down, but hurting just because we lost and because you never want to lose,” Jones answered. But he felt they made lots of progress on offense with making first downs, moved the ball and converting on third down. All the things they have been talking about over the last few weeks.
He commended the defense on playing well as well as special teams with a blocked punt, good kickoff returns and good kickoff coverage.
Coach Jones said that when he saw that they were down by six points in the fourth quarter he thought they could pull out the win, but ended up losing by seven points. He was very proud that they took a good football team down to the wire. Deep down he feels really good about how they did, but as a competitor he never wants to lose.
Bo Bishop from Baumhower’s Restaurant asked about taking something positive away from a loss. Coach Jones said that if you look at Arkansas State, they won the Sun Belt Conference Championship last year, they have a quarterback who was the player of the year last year as well as returning several seniors. The South Alabama players walked out onto the field and were ready to play, they didn’t let that phase them and that makes Coach Jones really proud of them.
Lee pointed out the the Jags ran over 80 plays in the game while Arkansas State was limited to around 60. He further mentioned that the Jags led in just about every stat except the points on the scoreboard. Coach Jones pointed out that the big thing was that the offense went out and controlled the ball, something they haven’t really done until this game.
Lee said that Ross Metheny did a great job for the Jags. Coach Jones said that he has great leadership skills and the players really listen to him. He goes out there with lots of confidence. Another thing he did was he did a great job of extending the play. If the throw downfield wasn’t there then he checked down and found an open running back or ran with it and go positive yardage. He didn’t force it downfield which helped them get first downs.
Lee pointed out the penalties. Coach Jones acknowledged them and said that they jumped offsides a number of times while trying to blitz or get to the line. Lee mentioned how Rick Cleveland mentioned during the game that the quarterback was using an odd cadence to draw them offsides. But Jones said that that was not a reason and that the defensive linemen need to watch the ball instead of listening to the quarterbacks cadence.
But Coach Jones said that if they cut down penalties they will have a chance to win.
When asked how Coach Walker thought the secondary played, he answered by saying he thought they played well. They could have done better, but their number one thing is to prevent big plays and they did a good job at limiting them.
Orthopedic Group Injury Report: Ucambre Williams will probably be out with a knee injury which didn’t look good. Shaun Artz hurt his back, waiting to hear more about that. Everyone else fared well.
Lee mentioned that both of them are offensive linemen and that they may not have good depth at there. Coach Jones said they have decent depth but you worry about having others step up and be ready as well.
Jones said that Chris May moved into Williams’ position and played most of the game since Ucambre was hurt on the second play of the game. Drew Dearman could come back into the lineup to fill in for Shaun Artz. When Lee asked about backups, Coach Jones said that they actually pulled a couple players from the scout team to get ready and play some with the other guys.
Coach Jones was pretty quick to answer Lee’s question about the status of Demetre Baker for this weeks game. Jones said he thought he would be alright, but that “the ball is in his court” and that was all he wanted to say on that subject.
Lee further mentioned that it was due to a violation of team rules. Lee further pressed if he might suit up again for the Jags and Coach Jones went back to his previous statement saying “it’s up to him”. He did acknowledge that Baker was not on the depth chart as of now for the Florida Atlantic game.
Lee then turned the focus to Coach Walker and the secondary. What did they do to rectify the problems they had in the secondary from last season. They hit the Junior College’s well looking for players. Tyrell Pearson is short, but is a mature, good player. Same with Darrius Morrow, he plays very well and came from the junior college ranks.
Walker also mentioned B.J. Scott as someone that has sparked the secondary. He said that it was unfortunate he wasn’t able to go through spring workouts, but he is now hitting his prime during the season.
What are the ingredients for good defensive back. Walker said that is always changing. This week the Jags will be playing receivers who are 6’4″ or so and size will play a part. But they are looking for players who are electric, can make plays and play smart. Speed and size are something they have to go after.
Lee mentioned that South Alabama is playing teams with receivers that are 6’3″ or 6’4″ and asked how do the shorter defensive backs compensate for that? Coach Jones said that they have to have great technique. Ideally you want guys who are tall and fast, normally smaller guys can be faster. But they try to get guys who are 5’10 up to 6′ tall with speed who can cover. Defensive backs can make it up by coming up between the receivers hands and knocking the ball away if they play with good technique and play smart. Just because they are small does not mean that they will have the deep ball thrown over them.
Lee asked Coach Walker how they grade defensive backs. Coach Walker said that mental errors and technique are big keys in grading the defensive backs.
Lee asked that if the coaches can tell immediately if a defensive back missed an assignment or if they have to wait to see video to determine who it was. Coach Walker immediately said that they know who it is and who has coverage responsibility to whom and where.
Lee mentioned that high school coaches always mention that homecoming is such a big distraction at that level. He then asked Coach Jones if homecoming is a distraction on the college level. Coach Jones indicated that it’s not a big distraction on the college level. In high school they have so many events going on in the whole school. College is not as intense as high school.
Lee then turns the focus to Florida Atlantic and mentioned their record is the same as the Jags at 1-5. But he cautioned that they have played some good teams in Alabama and Georgia. Lee then asked if Coach Jones thought this may be a very winnable game for South Alabama. Coach Jones was quick to say that they cannot overlook anyone, but that they feel good about their chances. They just have to go out and work hard to make the plays to win the game.
A caller asked that if the Jags might give the next game ball after Florida Atlantic to coach Kurt Crain’s family. Coach Jones said they have not thought about, but they just put up a plaque in the football fieldhouse dedicated to his memory and they have a “KC” sticker on the helmets as well.
Lee asked what kind of problems FAU may present to the Jaguar secondary. Coach Walker said that they are very athletic and, from the film, they look alot like South Alabama’s receivers. Coach Walker also mentioned that they ran the ball and threw the ball well against Georgia.
Lee asked if this was another team that runs a spread offense. Coach Jones said yes, but that they are not quite like they have seen in the last two games with Troy and Arkansas State.
Coach Jones likened the stature of the FAU quarterback to NC State’s Mike Glennon, he is about 6’6″ tall and are similar type quarterback who can deliver the ball well. He knows he has tall receivers so he can hang the ball high and let his receivers go up to get it.
Lee mentioned the Jags ranking in the BCS. He said that the Jags are 111 in the list while FAU is 110, but that both are above teams like UNLV, Colorado, Colorado State and Akron among others. Coach Jones said that the football in the Sun Belt Conference is really good and that the Jags are getting better, but that they are not there yet.
Coach Jones answered a question posed by Lee asking about why couldn’t it be South Alabama traveling to play Alabama next season instead of Georgia State. Coach Jones said he doesn’t know, he’s not the one who makes that decision at Alabama. He did indicated that they have talked to them about it, but that was all.
After a break, Lee told coach Jones that when Coach Jones started at South Alabama, one of his assistants said that he would have no problem going head-to-head recruiting against Alabama and Auburn. Lee then asked if they have gone head-to-head against them for any recruits. Coach Jones said that they have but that they cannot mention any names of recruits.
Email question asked what it would take for the school to call this season a success and how are they defining success for the program today? Coach Jones said that he normally sets goals for wins in a season, but this year is different in that they do not have as many players as most of the teams they are facing this season. But they are approaching it on a week-to-week basis to see if they are improving. They don’t really know how to measure this season, but at the end of the season they will know where they stand in the conference.
Lee then turned to coach Walker for his input on the question. He said that it’s progress. They have to work hard every week to get better and earn respect from their opponents.
Monday Press Conference
Quarterbacks Trey Fetner and transfer Ross Metheny participating in position drills.
South Alabama head coach Joey Jones held his weekly Monday press conference with quarterback Ross Metheny and defensive lineman Randon Carnathan. They reflected on the loss at Arkansas State and previewed this weekend’s homecoming game against Florida Atlantic.
Below are some highlights from the press conference.
Coach Jones began with his opening statement. “I was real pleased with the performance the other night. I thought we played hard as usual. Offensively we got a good bit better. We were more consistent, converted on third down, only had one turnover and punched the ball in the end zone. We did some really good things.”
“Defensively we played well except for the penalties, which is something we need to take care of. I was real pleased overall. We are making progress and moving forward, this is not a team that is getting down because we’ve lost a few games. They [the players] understand where we are and have taken that challenge every week, and I think that is why we are getting better. And the staff has done a good job of motivating on both sides of the ball and with special teams.”
“Special teams play the other night was really good again. [Michel] Chapuseaux was player of the week in the Sun Belt [Conference], he had three field goals and a good game, we had good kickoff return yardage and blocked a punt. We did a lot of good things on special teams as well.”
Jones then fielded a question about whether his team is frustrated as losses mount. “Let’s face it, we’ve won a lot of ball games around here the last three years, so I think earlier in the year were frustrated. When we had those tough games against N.C. State and Mississippi State it got to us a little bit. Now they realize where we really are, that we are team that is climbing.”
“This is a great lesson for them, life isn’t always going to be perfect. They are coming to work and really taking that attitude. I’m not saying that to make our team feel better, I’m saying that because I believe it. They have learned if we don’t work then we are not going to have a chance to win.”
“Last week before the game, I had people not involved with our program telling me before the game that this was going to be a tough one, acting like we were going to get our tails beat. But our kids didn’t believe that, they went out there and worked and played a good game. In the fourth quarter we put ourselves in a position to win, so I’m encouraged and I think they are too.”
Coach Jones then answered a question about what they can take away from Saturday’s game at Arkansas State. “Let’s face it, offensively we have been struggling and we played better that day so that certainly encourages our team. Not that the offense is there yet or we are not going to work anymore. But we moved the ball and did some good things offensively, and when have that it encourages the rest of the team that this thing can get rolling if we get going. We have played pretty well in the other two phases of the game, we just need to get going offensively.”
“I kept waiting for us to break out and have a good game, which we did the other night. Of course, we have to do that week to week, but we did some good things that we can hang our hat on.”
Jones fielded a question about whether the offense’s performance was due to using one quarterback instead of the two-quarterback system they used in the first five games of the season. “Any time you have one quarterback, he gets more reps in practice. It was just time. Ross [Metheny] came in and did a real good job with his leadership skills, I thought he handled things well by not forcing the ball. We had that one turnover, but a lot of times when things weren’t open downfield he dropped it off to a running back or he pulled it down and ran for a first down. Those kind of decisions sustain drives, which is what he brought to the table this week.”
Jones then spoke about Florida Atlantic, who visits this weekend. “FAU is a very physical football team, I’ve watched them on film where they have faced Alabama and Georgia and they banged with those teams. Defensively, their front seven are very physical guys. They have great athletes and a fifth-year senior quarterback, we understand going into this game that this is another good football team we are facing.”
“Both of our records are alike, but they have been fighting against some very tough teams as well. They are used to winning too, they won the Sun Belt a few years back, and so they understand how to do it.”
Next up was quarterback Ross Metheny. He first spoke about the Arkansas State game. “Offensively, it was probably our best game so far this year. We executed better in both the run and pass game, and I think our guys are encouraged by it. Obviously, we didn’t win which is the number-one goal, but we played better and more as a unit. It’s a good block to build off of moving forward.”
Metheny then fielded a question about his comfort level with the offense against Arkansas State. “It was big for us as a unit to go down on that first drive and get a touchdown. We hadn’t really done that since week one. It was a big confidence-builder for our guys to go down on the first drive and score. After [each team’s first possession] we figured out that it was going to be the type of game that was a shootout. We were prepared for that, and I think we executed better.”
He then spoke about Florida Atlantic. “They like to play a lot of man coverage. That’s just their identity. They’re real solid on all three phases of the defense. They have some really good athletes in the secondary, their linebackers run well and their defensive ends are explosive off the edge in the pass rush. We’ll game plan and will be ready. Our guys are excited for the challenge and looking forward to it.”
Finally defensive lineman Randon Carnathan spoke the Arkansas State game. “Defensively we played good, but not good enough honestly. We had a couple of costly penalties – a lot of mental things that we have to take care of. As a unit, I feel like we’re playing well. We just have to keep building, and work hard each week as the season progresses.”
He then spoke about the Florida Atlantic game coming up this weekend. “Defensively, we just have to keep playing hard. We have to stop shooting ourselves in the foot. We play hard. There’s no quit on either side of the ball. We just have to put it all together and get a ‘W’. It’s as simple as that.”
The Jags homecoming game against Florida Atlantic is set to kick off at 2:30pm at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Chapuseaux Earns The Jaguars First Sun Belt Weekly Honor
Senior kicker Michel Chapuseaux became the first South Alabama Jaguar football player to earn a Sun Belt Conference weekly award when he was named the Conference’s Special Teams Player of the week on Monday.
Chapuseaux tied a career high with three field goals and posting a season-best 11 points in the road loss to Arkansas State this past Saturday.
He converted a 26 yard field goal around midway through the first quarter to extend the Jaguars early lead to 10-0. He would make his second just before halftime from 39 yards to cut the Arkansas State halftime lead to 14-13. In the third quarter he would add a 42 yard field goal.
Additionally he was a perfect 2-for-2 on PAT’s in the game and a perfect 9-of-9 on the season.
Overall, Chapuseaux is in second place in the conference with an nine field goals and with an average of 1.5 field goals per game. He is converting 69.2 percent of his attempts.
Jaguars Offense Found It’s Way
Coach Tommy Perry talks with running back Terrance Timmons during preseason camp.
South Alabama found it’s offense against Arkansas State without Demetre Baker, who was suspended before the team left for Jonesboro. The offense threw for 241 yards and rushed for 132 yards while gaining 24 first downs.
The Jags used six different runners, including both Ross Metheny and Trey Fetner. Terrance Timmons played a larger role as he carried the ball 13 times for 43 yards. Kendall Houston rushed 18 times for 36 yards. T.J. Glover and Desmond Jones also got carries in the game.
Baker is the Jaguars leading rusher and it is unclear as to when he may return to the team. Head coach Joey Jones told the Press-Register that Baker has been suspended “indefinitely” for a violation of team rules.
The Jaguars improved somewhat on their third down conversions. They converted only one against NC State and Mississippi State combined, but converted 9-of-20 and also converted 4-of-6 of their fourth down conversion attempts.
Sun Belt Conference Commissioner Karl Benson was in Jonesboro, Arkansas for the Arkansas State and South Alabama game on Saturday. Benson was interviewed both before the game and at halftime and said that he believed that the Jaguars would fare very welll in the conference in the future.
“I talked with Joey and he obviously wishes there could be more wins on the tally sheet but he’s happy with the way the guys have been playing,” Benson said. “They’ve been competitive and South Alabama will be an important piece to the future of the Sun Belt.”
“He has to be patient, the league has to be patient, the fans have to be patient, but the foundation they are building is based on a plan, and a good plan,” Benson further commented. “I think everybody expects that South Alabama will be a strong contributor to the Sun Belt in the very near future.”
Arkansas State marked the end of what many considered the toughest portion of the Jaguars 13 game schedule this season. However the remaining schedule is nothing to take lightly. Louisiana-Monroe and Louisiana-Lafayette are both doing well in the conference. Monroe defeated Arkansas in overtime and lost to Auburn in overtime earlier in the season. Both Louisiana teams will be on the road.
But first, the Jaguars will host Florida Atlantic. FAU’s record this season is 1-5 overall and 0-3 in the Sun Belt. FAU was 1-11 last season with a long win over UAB in their next to last game of the season.
Kickoff Times Announced For Final Three Home Games
South Alabama has announced kickoff times for the Jaguars final three home games.
Each of the remaining three home games: Florida Atlantic this Saturday for homecoming, Florida International on Saturday November 3, and Middle Tennessee on Saturday November 17, will each kick off at 2:30pm.
Typically the Jags kickoff at 4pm unless games are to be televised. However there was no mention of any networks picking up the games for television nor anything posted on the schedule page mentioning television networks airing the games.
Jags Improvement Evident On Saturday
Head Coach Joey Jones speaks to his team after the conclusion of the Jaguars first practice of preseason camp.
South Alabama made big strides on Saturday against Arkansas State. It may have ended with a fourth consecutive loss on the season, but for a program who is making the transition into FBS and only in their fourth season of play, that’s not too bad.
Would they prefer to win. Absolutely. Does coach Jones like losing? Absolutely not. Do the players enjoy losing? Absolutely not, that is a stupid question if that even crossed your mind. They don’t dedicate numerous hours to practice, review film and prepare for each game because they enjoy losing. They do it to get better and to win.
Many people only see the scoreboard as the measure of results. That is not an entirely accurate metric for a new program making the transition to FBS. While the score may not have shown it until Arkansas State, but they have gotten better as a team.
“You can see that the team is growing,” head coach Joey Jones said after the game. “I saw some great things out there tonight.”
“I think if we had come in here and had a tough game, I don’t know how our kids would have reacted and I don’t know how our coaches would have reacted,” Jones said. “I know how they’ve reacted all year long and they’ve fought every day at practice. They keep getting better and better, though I know nobody sees that.”
“Nobody sees the hard work these young men and staff are putting into it. That’s the reason we played good. A lot of teams quit in this situation. We’re not going to do that so we’re getting better. It was awfully encouraging. But I still hate to lose.”
The offense appears to have gained some momentum by going with a single quarterback over the two-quarterback system they had employed in the first five games of the season. Ross Metheny, the starting quarterback, threw for 241 yards, three touchdowns and only one interception in his first game as the lone quarterback for the Jaguars. In the previous five games combined the Jags had only four touchdown passes.
Next up for the Jaguars is Florida Atlantic, another team in the Sun Belt that is struggling. FAU is at the bottom or near the bottom in most of the core statistical groups with the exception of passing defense where it ranks in the middle of the pack.