Jags and Gamecocks to Play in Regionally Televised Game on November 22
It was announced on Monday that South Alabama’s game against South Carolina will be regionally televised.
The Jaguars will face the Gamecocks on Saturday, November 22 with an 11am CST kickoff. The game will be broadcast live on FOX Sports South.
USC will be the second Southeastern Conference opponent on the Jaguars’ schedule this season. They were defeated by current #1 Mississippi State in the home opener at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
This will be the Jaguars first non-conference game after playing eight-consecutive conference games since September.
Hassell Sets New Dig Record as Jags Fall To UT Arlington 3-1
Senior Jenna Hassell earns her place in school history as she sets a new record for career digs. | Photo by John Adams, usajaguars.com
South Alabama senior libero Jenna Hassell earned her spot in Jaguar volleyball history Sunday as she passed for Jaguar Keturah Carter to become the school’s all-time career digs leader. Though the Jaguars lost the match 3-1 (25-21, 19-25, 18-25, 21-25).
Texas-Arlington improved to 22-7 overall and 12-5 in conference play.
Hassell’s story began as a walk on for the Jaguars but then a few years later she earned her 1,510th dig of her career to move into first place. She would end the match with 19 digs, her third time this season and 73rd time in her career that she recorded double-digit digs in a match.
Mechell Daniel led the Jags offensively with 12 kills while Nikki Gitten added 10 of her own. Freshman Setter Emma Anderson had her second-career double-double with 39 assists and a caree best 17 digs.
South Alabama (10-16, 5-11) will return home to face Appalachian State as the Jags look to snap their five-match losing streak. In the last nine matches the Jags have lost eight of them.
Jaguars and Houston Run Over Troy For 27-13 Rivalry Game Win
The South Alabama offensive opened huge holes for Jaguar running backs in the second half against Troy en route to a 27-13 win.
South Alabama used 241 rushing yards in the second half to pull away from conference and in-state rival Troy, 27-13. The win extends the Jaguars winning streak to four games.
The win improves the Jaguars to 5-2 overall, 4-1 in conference play. Troy falls to 1-7 overall, 1-3 in conference play and 1-2 in the ‘Larry Blakeney farwell tour’.
The Jaguars opened the scoring with a 38-yard field goal by Aleem Sunanon on their first drive. They added to their lead late in the first quarter when Brandon Bridge scrambled around and found Shavarez Smith for a 45-yard touchdown pass.
The second quarter was mostly a stalemate until Troy’s Ryan Kay connected on a 43-yard field goal with 5:48 left until halftime. The Trojan defense forced a three-and-out and Brandon McKee’s punt was downed at the Troy 8 with 4:41 left. Troy would then put together a drive that would move them down to the Jaguar 37 with :22 left until halftime.
After a time out, Trojan quarterback Brandon Silvers pass intended for Bryan Holmes fell incomplete in the end zone, but a roughing the passer call on Davin Hawkins would give them a new set of downs at the Jaguar 22 yard line. After another incomplete pass, Theo Rich would flush Silvers out of the pocket and he would run be tackled in the field of play allowing time to expire on the first half and avoiding the scoring threat.
In the second half the Jaguar offensive line and running backs took over the game. Kendall Houston and Xavier Johnson would gash the Trojan defense for big gains.
Troy added another field goal after blocking a punt by McKee and getting the ball on the Jaguar 23, but unable to even get into the red zone.
On the ensuing possession, the Jags showed their ground superiority with Houston running for back-to-back first downs of 14 and 13 yards. Then Johnson came in for a six yard run, then two plays later he would go mostly untouched for the 14 yard touchdown.
After the South Alabama defense forced another Trojan three-and-out, the running game gash the Trojan with big run after big run. Houston would put the dagger into the Trojans when he broke tackle after tackle to score on a 41 yard run.
Houston, getting the start after Jay Jones’ season ending knee injury last week, put up a career-high 178 yards, including the 41 yard touchdown. It was his first 100-yard game since September 17, 2011 against NC State and his seventh 100-yard game of his career. Xavier Johnson added 107 yards and his first touchdown as a Jaguar.
“Losing Jay Jones is a kick in the gut, but sometimes life is tough and he has to move on and so do we,” head coach Joey Jones said. “I thought our guys really picked it up. Kendall Houston is about as dependable of a guy as I have ever coached, when you put him in the game he’s going to get the job done. We put Xavier in there and he did a heck of a job, he made some great runs and made people miss. And our offensive line really took over, they knew we had to run it, and I thought the offensive line did one heck of a job in the second half.”
“I knew I had to play a big role when Jay Jones went down, all the running backs had to do it for him,” Houston said after the game. “We wanted to dedicate this game to him. We just stayed patient and kept running the ball hard, and we were able to bust loose for some big plays later in the game.”
It was the first time two Jaguars rushed for over 100 yard since Houston and Brandon Ross combined to do it on September 18, 2010 against Nicholls State.
Brandon Bridge went 9-of-11 for 106 yards and a touchdown in a game where he did not look spectacular, but didn’t need to be. He had several overthrows in the game. He went down late in first half and looked to be in lots of pain and even went into the locker room with the training staff. But he would return to start the second half with no problem.
Shavarez Smith led the receiving corps with two catches for 65 yards and a touchdown. Wes Saxton also had two catches for 14 yards, but he would be held out of the second half as a precaution due to an ankle injury he suffered late in the first half.
For the second consecutive game Jereme Jones went without a catch. Last week’s game ended his 49 game streak with a catch, a school record.
Antonio Carter led the Jaguar defense with 14 stops, tied for the season high. Theo Rich added a sack for his team-leading seventh of the season.
Trojan running backs Jordan Chunn and Brandon Burks rushed for 53 and 50 respectively as the Trojans rushed for 164 yards total. Trojan quarterbacks combined to go 13-of-24 for 145 yards. Silvers started for the Trojans and went 9-of-18 for 62 yards. Dontreal Pruitt came in late and went 4-of-6 for 83 yards and the only Trojan touchdown. Teddy Ruben led a trio of Trojans who all caught three passes each with 65 yards.
“They were hurting us with that speed sweep and some different things outside — we made some adjustments at halftime, and we did a great job of boxing it in,” observed Jones. “That was big. They didn’t throw the ball on us as much tonight, our guys did a great job in coverage as we usually do. It was just a great overall job defensively.”
Interesting notes:
- Since coach Jones started growing out his goatee, the Jags are 4-0. His team may need that extra help in November as the Jaguars schedule is: @ Lafayette, @ Arkansas State, Texas State, @ South Carolina, and Navy.
- Xavier Johnson wore number 8 in honor of Jay Jones, who’s season and Jaguar career ended last week with an ACL tear.
Bridge Earns SBC Offensive Player of the Week
Brandon Bridge earns his first SBC Offensive Player of the Week Award for his play against Georgia State on Saturday. | Photo: Brad Puckett usajaguars.com
South Alabama’s Brandon Bridge was named the Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his play against Georgia State on Saturday.
Bridge had part in all three of the Jaguars touchdowns against the Panthers as he ran for two and threw another as he accounted for 263 yards of total offense, 137 of them came on the ground and 65 of them on the game winning drive with five minutes left in the game. His rushing yardage set a new single game record for the Jags. It was also the third most rushing yards against a Division I opponent behind Kendall Houston’s school-record 175 yards also against Georgia State in their first-ever meeting.
In the Jaguars final scoring drive, Bridge ran for 65 yards to the Panther 20 yard line, then two plays later threw an 18 yard touchdown to Danny Woodson II to secure the 30-27 victory.
This is Bridge’s first SBC Player of the Week honor and the first for a Jaguar since Jay Jones received the award on December 9, 2013 and the first quarterback to receive the award since Ross Metheny on September 9, 2013.
Through six games Bridge is 94-of-183 for 1,174 yards and eight touchdowns through the air. He also has 294 yards rushing on 68 attempts. Under his guidance the Jaguar offense is averaging over 400 yards per game of total offense.
Senior RB Jay Jones May Miss Remainder Of Season
Running back Jay Jones diving in for a Jaguar touchdown against Kent State in 2013.
The news coming from the Jaguars on Sunday concerning Jay Jones was good. According to one of the assistant athletic trainers, Jones will have an MRI on Monday but it is likely his season has come to an end.
Jones, a 5’9″ 195-pound running back from Horn Lake, Ms. who came to South Alabama after two seasons at Northeast Mississippi Community College was injured on the game-winning drive against Georgia State on Saturday night.
Jones’ injury came on the second play of the three play 85 yard drive for the go-ahead score. On the first play Brandon Bridge tucked the ball and ran 65 yards to the Panther 20 yard line. Jones then took the handoff off up the right side of the line into a mass of Panthers and Jaguars for a two yard gain. It was unclear what exactly happened in the scrum, but towards the end of the play he appeared to fumble the ball. The nearest referee called him down and a review did not have enough evidence to overturn the call on the field. He was helped off the field and did not put any weight on his left leg.
On the next play, Bridge connected with Danny Woodson II for an 18 yard touchdown to take the lead.
Jones is the leading rusher for the Jaguars this season with 393 yards on 83 carries for three touchdowns as well as seven catches for 49 yards. He was also the leading rusher a year ago with 737 yards on 143 carries with five touchdowns. For his Jaguar career, he has 226 carries for 1,130 yards and eight touchdowns.
Stepping up to replace him will be senior Kendall Houston and redshirt freshman Xavier Johnson along with Terrance Timmons and T.J. Glover. Houston has 209 yards on 48 carries this season while Johnson has 188 yards on 34 carries, most of it coming over the last couple of weeks. Timmons has nine carries for 81 yards so far this season.
“You hate it for a guy who’s such a great leader and such a great player; you hate it for him first and you hate it for us as a team second to lose a really good football player and leader,” South Alabama head coach Joey Jones was quoted by AL.com after the conclusion of the Jaguar’s practice Sunday night. “We don’t know the final verdict yet, but it doesn’t look good right now.
“We’ve got Xavier (Johnson), we’ve got Kendall (Houston) and we’ve got Terrance (Timmons) and T.J. Glover is actually in the mix. We’re pretty deep at running back for this year so I think those guys will step up.”
After the win on Saturday, several of Jones’ teammates went on social media sending prayers and asking for the fans to pray for him as well.
This will be a short week for the Jaguars as they are scheduled to play Troy on Friday night at Ladd-Peebles Stadium for a nationally televised showdown against in-state rival Troy. Because of the short week, the players will not have Monday off, which they normally do. Instead they will come in Monday morning and have their normal Tuesday type practice and move their schedule up a day.
Friday Homecoming Schedule
The schedule of today’s homecoming events:
- 12pm – Lunch with Coach Joey Jones at the Football Fieldhouse, Reservations requied.
- 4-6pm – College Reunion Party at Alumni Hall Lawn.
- 6pm – Homecoming Parade along South Drive
- 6:45pm – Homecoming Pep Rally at Mitchell Center North Plaza
- 7pm – USA Women’s Soccer match against Georgia Southern at The Cage. Free Admission
- 8pm – “Battle of the Greeks” NPHC Ste Show in the Mitchell Center.
Harris Suspended for First Half Against Georgia State
Maleki Harris, a senior from Cordova, Alabama, who forced two fumbles against Mississippi State and earned Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, September 15, 2014, was suspended for the first half of the Georgia State game. | Photo: usajaguars.com
South Alabama’s Maleki Harris will have to sit out an extra half of football against Georgia State as punishment for his actions after being ejected for targeting against Appalachian State.
Harris was ejected in the first half of the Jaguars 47-21 win over Appalachian State last weekend and, by rule, he would have been eligible to start against Georgia State on October 18. However, after reviewing the film, head coach Joey Jones made the decision to suspend his for the first half against the Panthers.
“Upon reviewing the film, we do not condone Maleki’s reaction to the crowd after committing a targeting foul in the Appalachian State game,” Jones told AL.com. “He understands that he made a mistake and that what he did doesn’t represent the University of South Alabama in a first-class way. Maleki has been a model student-athlete for the past four years. We are confident that he will learn from this as he moves forward.”
Harris is team’s second-leading tackler with 36 stops this season, 16 solo, four tackles for loss, two pass breakups, two forced fumbles, an interception and a quarterback hurry.
“I commend South Alabama head coach Joey Jones and director of athletics Dr. Joel Erdmann for taking institutional action,” Sun Belt Conference commissioner Karl Benson said. “This clearly demonstrates that the South Alabama athletics program is committed to the values of sportsmanship and fair play.”
The Jags (3-2 overall, 2-1 SBC) has an open date this weekend and will return to action on Saturday, October 18 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium for homecoming against Georgia State. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30pm.
Jaguar Men’s Basketball Begin 2014-2015 Season with First Workout
The Jaguars Men’s Basketball team kicked off the 2014-2015 season and year two under Matthew Graves on Monday morning with their first team workout.
It was their first practice session as they begin preparation for the season and their exhibition match on November 6 against Mobile.
Six players return from last years team including the leading returning scorer Ken Williams but will ahve nine newcomers as well.
Those six player will be key as last season Graves was working to implement his system, they will have knowledge of his system and can help their new teammates learn the system.
“We are further along (than we were last year),” Graves said. “We still have a long ways to go, but this first practice, we were able to get through probably 50 percent more than we were a year ago, and that’s in part to how hard our guys worked this summer, and even though half of our roster is new, we were still able to accomplish some things because the new guys were here all summer and that made a huge difference.
“It helps that (the returning players have) been through it and when we call out a drill or running a play, they know what we’re doing. They’re getting more comfortable with helping the new guys, and one thing I noticed from this morning is we have a lot more competition from the second group. Last year it was pretty one-sided but this year our second group, with a guy like Nick Stover, that’s sitting out with a redshirt, is really going to be vital for that second group to push the first group. Having that competition in practice on a daily basis is really going to help us get better throughout the year.”
The Jags only have one scholarship senior on the roster in Dionte Ferguson. The team is comprised of two seniors, five juniors, four sophomores and four freshmen.
Last season the Jaguars finished 11-20 overall and 5-13 in conference play. The season begins on November 11 against Carroll (Mont.) after their exhibition match against the University of Mobile on November 6.
USA Football Announces Finalization of 2016, ’17 Non-Conference Schedules
South Alabama Players thanking the fans for their support after a narrow defeat on the road in Knoxville, TN in 2013.
The University of South Alabama Athletcs announced that they have finalized their 2016 and 2017 non-conference football schedules.
The 2015 schedule, which was already finalized, includes a season opener at home against Gardner-Webb on September 5, at Nebraska on September 12, at UAB on September 19 and hosting North Carolina State on September 26. While the conference schedule has not been finalized with dates, they will be playing Appalachian State, Arkansas State, Idaho, ULL, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Texas State and Troy.
The 2016 schedule has the Jaguars opening their season in Starkville to face Mississippi State to complete their three-came contract. Hosting UAB on September 10 and Nicholls State on September 24, then on the road against LSU on October 15.
The 2017 schedule has the Jaguars opening against Ole Miss in Oxford on September 2, Hosting Oklahoma State on September 9 and Alabama A&M on September 16, then traveling to Louisiana Tech on September 30.
The complete list of dates on the future schedules (but time and date may be subject to change):
- 2015: September 5 hosting Gardner-Webb, September 12 @ Nebraska, September 19 @ UAB, September 26 hosting North Carolina State, App St, Arkansas St, Idaho, ULL, @ Georgia Southern, @ Georgia State, @ Texas State, @ Troy.
- 2016: September 3 @ Mississippi State, September 10 @ UAB, September 24 hosting Nicholls State, October 15 @ LSU
- 2017: September 2 @ Ole Miss, September 9 hosting Oklahoma State, September 16 hosting Alabama A&M, September 30 @ Louisiana Tech
- 2018: September 1 hosting Louisiana Tech, September 8 @ Oklahoma State
- 2019: August 31 @ Nebraksa, September 28 @ Tulane
- 2020: September 5 @ Southern Miss, September 19 @ Oklahoma State, October 10 hosting Tulane
- 2021: September 4 hosting Southern Miss, September 11 @ Bowling Green
Kickoff Time Set for South Alabama Versus Georgia State
South Alabama’s homecoming game against Georgia State on Saturday, October 18 will kickoff at 6:30pm as announced by the Sun Belt Conference office on Monday.
The Jags (3-2, 2-1 SBC) has an open weekend after back-to-back conference wins on the road against Idaho and Appalachian State.
Georgia State (1-4, 0-2 SBC) will host defending Sun Belt co-champion Arkansas State this weekend after they fell to the other co-champion of the conference from last season, Louisiana-Lafayette.
This is the fourth time the Panthers and Jaguars have met on the football field with the Jaguars leading the series 2-1 after a 38-17 win in the Georgia Dome last season.
The game will be televised on ESPN3.