Update From USA AD Erdmann
South Alabama Athletics Director Joel Erdmann released an update concerning sports and Covid-19. He indicates that facemasks will likely be required for football season in addition to temperature checks.
If current social distancing protocols are necessary, attendance at Hancock Whitney Stadium may be as low as 6,000. Attendance will be determined by Priority Points system among Season Ticket Holders.
It seems that attendees will be required to enter at specific portals nearest their seats. Queuing strategies will be put into place for concessions.
Dear Jag Nation:
This is a brief update on our status concerning the pandemic:
– During the week of June 8 75 football student-athletes returned to campus for voluntary strength and conditioning workouts.
– This week the remaining 45 football student-athletes have also returned accompanied by several men’s and women’s basketball student-athletes.
– We anticipate a number of volleyball and soccer student-athletes returning soon after July 4.
– Be assured that all health and safety precautions as recommended by the NCAA and Sun Belt Conference are being enacted concerning the team’s return to campus. This includes testing, daily screening, grouping/distancing strategies and rigorous cleaning/sterilization protocols.
Our intent is to play our fall seasons as scheduled. With that in mind please know we will adjust our operations to protect student-athletes, fans and guests to the best of our ability. Selected game day enhancements may include:
Maintain a playing surface which protects student-athletes, coaches and staff;
– Assigned gates of entry to properly distribute the flow of the crowd;
– Paperless ticketing options;
– Queuing strategies to assist in distancing at concessions and restrooms;
– Extensive cleaning efforts prior to and during events;
– Modifications concerning concessions and catering;
– Screening at gates of entry which could include temperature checks;
– Facemasks will likely be required.
There is much discussion about proper distancing at stadiums and venues. We have plans in place which will guide us accordingly once we know what the capacity will be. We anticipate knowing more details in mid-to-late July.
We look forward to seeing everyone at Hancock Whitney Stadium, the Cage and Jag Gym this fall.
Go Jags!!
Joel
https://usajaguars.com/news/2020/6/25/general-erdmann-provides-south-alabama-athletics-update.aspx
#25 Ranked South Alabama Softball Begins Season Tonight Vs UAB
Come out to Jaguar Field for the game tonight, first pitch is scheduled for 6pm!
Jags 3-Peat As SBC Champs; Will Host LSU In First Round Of NCAA Tournament
The Jaguar Soccer team earned their third-consecutive Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship and will host LSU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, the first time in Jag and Sun Belt Conference history. | Photo credit: Sun Belt Conference sunbeltsports.org
Jags Defeat Georgia State 4-0 For Third-Consecutive SBC Title
The South Alabama Jaguar soccer team earned their their consecutive Sun Belt Conference title with a 4-0 win over Georgia State on Sunday to punch their card to the NCAA Tournament.
Sophomore Rio Hardy scored the lone goal in the first half with help by Danielle Henley who drove a low cross to Hardy who hit it home.
Just three minutes into the second half Sophomore Chelsea Followwell hit home a loose ball in front of the net after a corner kick at the 60:36 mark.
Charde Hannah took advantage of a defensive miscue at the 63:35 mark to make it a 3-0 lead. The final score came in the 85th minute when Nini Rabsatt-Smith headed the ball into the net on a corner kick from freshman Jemma Purfield.
“I’m obviously delighted that we managed to win,” Jaguar head coach Graham Winkworth said. “I was really happy because usually at this time of the year, it’s about the result and not the performance, but today we put in a fantastic performance and got a fantastic result. I was really happy for the girls; it means a lot to them and to me to lift the trophy again.
“We’re scoring lots of goals and they’re coming from lots of areas,” Winkworth noted. “They really showed up today; it was maybe one of our stronger performances of the season.”
The Jags had five players named to the All-Tournament team: Sophomore Ashlynn Jones, senior Nini Rabsatt-Smith, Sophomore Rio Hardy, sophomore Charde Hannah and junior Sarah Hay. Hannah was named the tournament’s most outstanding player.
“All five of them were crucial to our success, but in all honesty, we could have picked anyone that played this weekend,” Winkworth said. “Those five humble young ladies would be the first to admit that if it wasn’t for the squad that we’ve got, they wouldn’t be receiving those awards this weekend and we wouldn’t be taking the big one home.”
“We were solid from front to back,” Winkworth said. “The forwards worked hard limiting quality longballs from their back line and the midfield pressed extremely well. The defense dropped when they needed to drop and intercepted passes rather than needing to make tackles. Only once did they get in behind us, and when that happened, Sarah pulled off an excellent save on a 1-on-1. All in all, I’m very happy with the defensive performance from front to back.”
South Alabama Set To Host LSU In First Round Of NCAA Tournament
On Monday afternoon, the Jags learned their fate for the NCAA Tournament from the Division I Women’s Soccer Committee and it was not only historic for South Alabama, but also for the Sun Belt Conference.
South Alabama will host LSU for the first-round match on Saturday night. The first in South Alabama history and also the first in Sun Belt Conference history.
This will be the Jags third consecutive tournament appearance and enter the tournament with a 17-2-2 record overall and a 14-match unbeaten streak.
“This is huge,” Jaguar head coach Graham Winkworth said. “We’ve created something very special here. It wouldn’t have matter who they sent us, we’d have been excited to have a game on campus. We need the whole community to come out on Saturday and cheer us on.
“It will be great for our community to have such a big team coming into town. We know a lot of people will think they’re the big favorites coming from the SEC, however, we feel like we’ve got a good product here as well. We hope it’ll be an excellent game and hopefully we’ll get the right result.”
LSU (13-5-4) earned their way into the postseason for the first time since 2011 after advancing to the semifinals of the SEC Tournament. The Tigers lead the all-time series against USA 5-4 with wins in their last three meetings, the most recent in 2010.
With the Jaguar Football team’s game on Thursday night, the Saturday night date against LSU is a great opportunity to support the Lady Jaguars in their quest for a National Title.
Tickets are $7 for Adults, $3 for Seniors, Children between 2-12 are also $3 and Children under 2 are Free.
Student tickets are also $3 however the first 300 students are able to claim free tickets on a first-come, first served basis Saturday night when the gates open by showing a valid student ID.
Tickets can be purchased over the phone only by calling 251.461.1USA (1872). All tickets will be held for pickup on Saturday night and no tickets will be distributed before the match. Gates will open 90 minutes prior to the match.
The match is scheduled for 7pm on Saturday.
All tickets will be general admission and grandstand seating is first-come-first served. Fans are recommended to bring portable outdoors chairs with them.
GO JAGS!!
“JagNight on Dauphin” Parade and Pep Rally on Friday, Sept. 25 Prior To NC State Game
South Alabama will hold a pep rally in downtown Mobile on Friday, September 25 ahead of the Jaguars game against North Carolina State. This event is similar to what the University did last year when Mississippi State visited the Azalea City to face the Jaguars.
The event will be called “JagNight on Dauphin” and will get underway at 7pm CDT with a parade and conclude with entertainment until 9pm with a party afterward including live music at Moe’s Original BBQ.
The parade will include members of the football team, the USA Marching Band, the cheerleaders and dance teams as well as SouthPaw and Pawla. The parade will begin on Dauphin Street at Cathedral Square and end at Dauphin and Springhill Ave. where Moe’s BBQ is located.
South Alabama head coach Joey Jones and team captains will address the fans at the pep rally that immediately follows the parade. The Marching Band will perform and will feature introductions of the cheerleaders and the Prowlers. After the pep rally, KISS 107.3 FM DJ Matt McCoy will provide entertainment until 9pm.
Parking can be found throughout downtown while shuttles from the dining hall will be free for students beginning at 4pm and running until 10pm.
Fans who wear their JaguarWear Attire will receive discounts and special offers from a number of local venues downtown.
This is a rain or shine event.
The Jags and Wolfpack will kickoff on Saturday, September 26 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium at 7pm CDT and will be televised nationally on ESPNEWS.
May Added To Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List
Chris May, 6’5″ 290-pound offensive lineman from Tuscumbia, AL., joins Joseph Scelfo on the 2015 Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List that will be awarded on December 9, 2015. | Photo credit: John Adams usajaguars.com
Earlier this week it was announced that senior offensive lineman Chris May was named to the 2015 Rotary Lombardi Award Watch List.
May, a 6’5″ 290-pound native of Tuscumbia, AL. joins center Joseph Scelfo on the watch list which now has a total of 176 student-athletes in consideration for the award. Scelfo was one of the original 34 student-athletes announced.
May, like Scelfo, was voted preseason first-team All-Sun Belt Conference last month by the league’s head coaches and select members of the media. As he heads into his final season with the Jaguars he also has preseason All-Conference selections from both Athlon Sports (first-team) and Phil Steele Publications (second-team).
During his career May has received league recognition in each of his three seasons as a Jaguar. He was named by Sun Belt beat writers to the All-Freshman team in 2012, he was a first-team All-SBC selection in 2013 then received an honorable mention last fall. He enters his senior year with 32 consecutive starts dating aback to the middle of his freshman year, which is the longest active streak on the team.
Last season May recorded 33 knockdown blocks and graded out 80% or better on six occasions. Against Texas State in November May recorded 11 pancakes, more than half of the team’s total of 18, in their win over the Bobcats which made the Jags bowl-eligible and eventually helping them to earn a bowl invitation for the first time in program history. In May’s sophomore season he led the team with 65 pancake blocks and his overall grade of 87% was second-highest on the team; which included earning a mark of 90% or better four times. He has also earned the coaches’ offensive line award in a game on eight occasions during his three seasons as a Jag.
The Rotary Lombardi Award is limted to down linemen – end-to-end on either offense or defense – who set up no farther than 10 yards to the left or right of the ball or linebackers who set up no farther than five yards deep from the line of scrimmage. On November 5, the field will be narrowed down to 12 semifinalists and the winner the 46th annual Rotary Lombardi Award will be announced at the Bayou Music Center in Houston on December 9.
Jaguars To Host Alabama A&M In 2018 Football Season
South Alabama Athletics Director Dr. Joel Erdmann announced that the USA football team has signed a contract to play Alabama State in 2018 which completes the Jaguars’ non-Conference schedule for that season.
The Jaguars and the Hornets will play at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on October 13, 2018 marking the first match-up between the two programs. It also marks the second consecutive season that the Jaguars will play an in-state NCAA Division I program outside of conference play as the Jaguars will also host Alabama A&M on September 16, 2017.
The 2018 non-conference schedule for the Jaguars includes games at home against Louisiana Tech on September 1, a road trip to Oklahoma State on September 8, then another road trip to Memphis on September 22 as well as the announced October 13 game against the Hornets.
South Alabama has played two other in-state, non-conference schools prior to joining the Sun Belt in 2012. In their first season of football they defeated Huntingdon College 35-0 and opened the 2011 season with a 20-0 win over West Alabama. The Jags were slated to face UAB in a home-and-home series beginning this season but the announcement to end football after last season curtailed those plans.
Shinn, Woodson Named To 2016 Senior Bowl Watch List
Jaguar receiver duo Marvin Shinn and Danny Woodson II were named to the 2016 Senior Bowl Watch List as announced on Tuesday.
Shinn and Woodson are on a list that includes more than 350 student-athletes on the collegiate level from across the nation. Only 110 individuals will be selected for the two rosters for the postseason all-star game to be held on January 30, 2016 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Shinn is entering his second season with the Jaguars after a junior season that was curtailed by an injury which limited him to only 173 yards on seven catches. His longest gain of the season, 58 yards, came in the second quarter of his debut against Kent State leading to a touchdown an a 16-0 advantage in the season opening victory. He averaged 24.7 yards per catch, the best on the team with more than one catch.
Woodson enters into his third season with the Jaguars after starting seven games and playing in all 12 games. He caught 30 passes for 382 yards and four touchdowns. In the Jaguars first ever bowl appearance, the had career-highs with six catches for 122 yards. Woodson caught an 18 yard scoring pass with just over four minutes left against Georgia State to lift the Jaguars over the Panthers.
In 2013, Woodson caught 26 passes for 439 yards and four touchdowns in eight games before a season-ending injury.
Woodson enters into his final season with the Jaguars ranked among the top 10 in school history in three categories. He is sixth in receptions (56), yards receiving (821) and fourth in touchdown catches (8).
Three Jaguars have been selected to compete in the Senior Bowl since the program’s start in 2009. Courtney Smith was chosen for the 2011 game. Two years later both Jake Johnson and B.J. Scott were extended invitations to the game.
South Alabama’s First Scrimmage Highlighted by Clement’s Three TD Passes
Jaguar starting quarterback Cody Clements and running back Xavier Johnson look to the sideline for signs during the Jaguars first scrimmage of the fall. | Photo credit: Mike Kittrell AL.com
The Jaguars held their first scrimmage on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium with the recently named starting quarterback Cody Clements tossing three touchdowns as he went 9-of-19 for 127 yards on the day.
The former UAB starter threw one of those touchdowns to fellow former Blazer Gerald Everett which went for 40 yards. The second touchdown that came during regular game-situation drives went to Claude Garrett which also covered 40 yards.
In all the Jaguar offense gained 469 yards on 83 plays, which averages out to more than 5.5 yards per play without a single turnover.
Freshman quarterback Dallas Davis, 6-of-7 for 74 yards, threw two touchdown passes and ran for another as he is battling for the backup position. Another former Blazer, Evan Orth, threw a touchdown on a screen pass to Xavier Johnson that went for 33 yards. Orth finished 5-of-11 with 61 yards and the lone touchdown. Hunter Vaughn went 4-of-7 for 53 yards.
Also catching touchdowns for the Jaguars were Josh Magee and Kevin Kutchera.
Johnson rushed six times for 45 yards and a touchdown, Davis ran five times for 43 yards and the one touchdown while Terrance Timmons carried the ball three times for 21 yards.
The defense had eight tackles for loss including two sacks. Leading the day was Nigel Green with six tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
Aleem Sunanon went 3-for-3 with field goals from 35, 41 and 50 yards.
“We need some work in some situations, but I saw some good things; I want to watch the film to see,” head coach Joey Jones said after the scrimmage. “The effort was good. We have some people who were leading out there and some who were, and once we get enough to lead we will have a good football team. We have to learn from this scrimmage and be able to get better every day so we can come back and have a better week of practice.”
“We’ve got to look at it for what it is when we evaluate it [the film],” Jones said on how the scrimmage will help USA focus on areas of improvement. “The only time we can put our guys in a situation like this is to have a scrimmage or to play in a game, because you just don’t get the same intensity level in practice. It was good for our guys to see that and will be good to evaluate. We told the guys that not everyone is going to be perfect, but we have to fix those mistakes and weaknesses.”
“It was not as good as it should’ve been,” said Cody Clements on his performance on Saturday. “I had a few too many mental mistakes — simple things where I wasn’t totally locked in — but turned it around later in the day. But I can’t have that kind fo start.”
“We know we have to pick it up,” said junior linebacker Kalen Jackson on the defense’s play on Saturday. “This is a starting point, not the end, so we have three more weeks until the first game. We need to do small things better, continue to compete and not get down on each other. We need to hold each other accountable and do our job.”
Xavier Johnson’s 33 yard touchdown reception on the screen pass was named the play of the day on Saturday.
The Jags will return to the practice field on Tuesday morning after having Sunday and Monday off to start the fall semester. The Jaguars begin their 2015 schedule on Saturday, September 5 when they host Gardner-Webb.
Terrance Timmons To Wear #5 In Honor Of Anthony Mostella
Senior running back Terrance Timmons was selected to wear the #5 jersey in honor of Anthony Mostella. | photo credit usajaguars.com
On Tuesday it was announced that senior running back Terrance Timmons was selected to wear the commemorative #5 jersey in honor of former Jaguar Anthony Mostella.
Wearing the #5 jersey is one of the highest honors a South Alabama football student-athlete can earn. It is awarded in honor of Mostella who died in a motorcycle accident in 2010 at the age of 22.
“We’re all going to die, some of us at 20, some of us at 80,” Jones told AL.com. “But to me, (Mostella) lived a full life because he affected so many people. So I decided to try and keep that number alive, to give that number to somebody every year who was deserving, and had the same types of qualities that he had.”
Timmons graduated from Davidson High School in Mobile and has been a contributor on both the offense and special teams during his time at South Alabama.
As a freshman he attended Jacksonville State prior to joining the Jaguars as a walk on. He was named the coaches’ offensive scout team award honoree after the Jaguars win over Tennessee-Martin in 2011. As a redshirt freshman he played in all but the season finale and finished third on the team with 212 yards rushing on 66 carries with seven receptions for 46 yards.
In 2013 he saw action in every game. He rushed for 83 yards on 16 carries with another 15 yards on two kick returns, 12 of those yards when he recovered a blocked punt in the end zone against the Green Wave.
As a junior last season he appeared in all 13 games and started the final three games of the regular season. He had 403 yards on 75 carries for an average of 5.4 yards per carry, which was third on the team in rushing yardage, and tied for the team lead with four touchdowns on the ground. He led the Jaguar running backs with 11 catches for 113 yards with another 59 yards on three kickoff returns. He led USA with 11 carries for 74 yards against Texas State including scoring the game-winning touchdown from eight yards out in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter to help the Jaguars become bowl eligible.
Anthony Mostella played for head coach Joey Jones at Birmingham-Southern and eventually followed him to South Alabama after convincing Jones to accept him as a transfer.
You can read Tommy Hick’s piece about Mostella from 2010 here.
Previous recipients of the #5 Jersey are:
- 2014 Jereme Jones
- 2013 Bryant Lavender
- 2012 Brandon Ross
- 2011 Paul Bennett
- 2010 Justin Dunn
South Alabama Single-Game Football Tickets Available On Saturday
South Alabama Football single-game tickets go on sale on Saturday for the Jaguars six-game home schedule.
Tickets will become available for purchase online through the South Alabama Sports website www.usajaguars.com on Saturday then will be available to be purchased over the phone on Monday morning.
The Jaguars games against Gardner-Webb on September 5 (season opener) and Appalachian State on December 5 (regular season finale) will cost $20 for sideline tickets and $10 for end zone tickets.
The Jaguars big match-up against North Carolina State on September 26 will cost $30 for sidelines and $20 for endzone seats.
Arkansas State on Tuesday, October and Louisiana-Lafayette on Thursday, November 12 will cost $25 for sidelines and $20 for endzone seats.
Finally USA’s Homecoming game against Idaho will cost $10 for sidelines and $5 for endzone seating.
The USA Ticket office has a special two-game package which will be $30 sideline ticket for both NC State and Idaho.
The Jaguars will being their season on September 5 against Gardner-Webb with kickoff scheduled for 5pm for a nationally broadcast game on ESPN3.