Bridge Accepts invitation to the 2015 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl
Brandon Bridge accepted an invitation to the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl. He is the third Jaguar to earn an invite to this all-star game. | Photo: Brad Puckett usajaguars.com
The University of South Alabama announced on Thursday that quarterback Brandon Bridge has accepted an invitation to participate in the 2015 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.
The NFL Players Association Collegiate Bowl is an all-star game featuring draft-eligible seniors. It will be held on the campus of California State University Dominguez Hills in Carson, California on Saturday, January 17 with kickoff scheduled at 3pm CT. It will be televised on ESPN2 and ESPNU will broadcast live from practices January 14-15.
Former NFL head coaches Mike Holmgren and Mike Martz will serve as head coaches for the two teams, neither team roster nor full coaching staffs have been completed.
Prior to the season Bridge was named to the 2015 Reese’s Senior Bowl Watch List and earned the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week honor for October 20 after a 30-27 homecoming win over Georgia State. In that game he threw 126 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another 137 yards and a touchdown. He also set a single game record with four touchdown passes in the Jaguars 42-40 loss at home against Navy.
In 10 games this season he has completed 140-of-270 passes for 1,648 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has also rushed for 256 yards and three touchdowns on 85 attempts.
Bridge is the third Jaguar to earn an invitation to the all-star game after former Jaguars Jake Johnson and B.J. Scott both played in the 2013 NFLPA Collegiate Bowl.
Bridge will play his final game as a Jaguar on Saturday, December 20 in South Alabama’s first-ever bowl game against Bowling Green in the Raycom Camellia Bowl. Kickoff is scheduled for 8:15pm CST at the Cramton Bowl. It will be broadcast on ESPN.
10 Jaguars Honors on All-Sun Belt Teams
The 2014 All-Sun Belt Conference team was released yesterday and South Alabama did not place anyone on the first-team though they did six players on the second team and four others receiving honorable mention selections.
Offensive lineman Ucambre Williams, wide receiver Shavarez Smith, linebacker Maleki Harris, defensive back Terrell Brigham, defensive lineman Jerome McClain and defensive lineman Theo Rich were all selected to the second-team. Offensive linemen Chris May and Melvin Meggs, defensive lineman Jesse Kelley and defensive back Montell Garner were all honorable mentions.
Additionally, one player from each of the 11 schools were selected to the All-Newcomer team with tight end Braedon Bowman being selected to represent South Alabama on that list.
Georgia Southern’s Willie Fritz was selected as the Coach of the Year. Louisiana-Lafayette running back Elijah McGuire was selected Sun Belt Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year. Texas State’s David Mayo was named the Defensive Player of the Year and Appalachian State quarterback Taylor Lamb was selected as Freshman of the Year.
Here is the full list:
All-Sun Belt First Team Offense
- Fredi Knighten (Arkansas State, Jr., QB)
- Matt Breida (Georgia Southern, So., RB)
- Elijah McGuire (UL Lafayette, So., RB)
- Donovan Harden (Georgia State, Jr., WR)
- Joshua McCain (Idaho, Sr., WR)
- Rashon Ceaser (UL Monroe, Jr., WR)
- Brad Miller (Texas State, Sr., TE)
- Kendall Lamm (Appalachian State, Sr., OL)
- Garrett Frye (Georgia Southern, Sr., OL)
- Manrey Saint-Amour (Georgia Southern, Sr., OL)
- Daniel Quave (UL Lafayette, Sr., OL)
- Valerian Ume-Ezeoke (New Mexico State, Sr., OL)
All- Sun Belt First Team Defense
- Justin Hamilton (UL Lafayette, Sr., DL)
- Christian Ringo (UL Lafayette, Sr., DL)
- Gerrand Johnson (UL Monroe, Jr., DL)
- Michael Odiari (Texas State, Sr., DL)
- Qushaun Lee (Arkansas State, Sr., LB)
- Edwin Jackson (Georgia Southern, Sr., LB)
- David Mayo (Texas State, Sr., LB)
- Doug Middleton (Appalachian State, Jr., DB)
- Artez Brown (Arkansas State, Sr., DB)
- Mitch Lane (UL Monroe, Jr., DB)
- Montres Kitchens (Troy, Jr., DB)
- David Mims (Texas State, Jr., DB)
All- Sun Belt First Team Special Teams
- Justin Manton (UL Monroe, Sr., PK)
- Austin Rehkow (Idaho, So., P)
- Chandler Worthy (Troy, Sr., RS)
- Elijah McGuire (UL Lafayette, So., All Purpose)
All-Sun Belt Second Team Offense
- Kevin Ellison (Georgia Southern, So., QB)
- Marcus Cox (Appalachian State, So., RB)
- Michael Gordon (Arkansas State, Jr. RB)
- Ajalen Holley (UL Monroe, So., WR)
- Teldrick Morgan (New Mexico State, So., WR)
- Shavarez Smith (South Alabama, Sr., WR)
- Joel Ruiz (Georgia State, Jr., TE)
- Mike Marboe (Idaho, Sr., OL)
- Mykhael Quave (UL Lafayette, Jr., OL)
- Ucambre Williams (South Alabama, Sr., OL)
- Terrence Jones (Troy, Sr., OL)
- Adrian Bellard (Texas State, Jr., OL)
All-Sun Belt Second Team Defense
- Ronald Blair (Appalachian State, Jr., DL)
- Ja’Von Rolland-Jones (Arkansas State, Fr., DL)
- Jerome McClain (South Alabama, Sr., DL)
- Theo Rich (South Alabama, Sr., DL)
- John Law (Appalachian State, So., LB)
- Joseph Peterson (Georgia State, Jr., LB)
- Hunter Kissinger (UL Monroe, Jr., LB)
- Maleki Harris (South Alabama, Sr., LB)
- Matt Dobson (Georgia Southern, JR., DB)
- Corey Trim (UL Lafayette, Sr., DB)
- Terrell Brigham (South Alabama, Sr., DB)
- Craig Mager (Texas State, SR., DB)
All-Sun Belt Second Team Special Teams
- Hunter Stover (UL Lafayette, Sr., PK)
- Justin Manton (UL Monroe, Sr., P)
- Blaise Taylor (Arkansas State, Fr., RS)
- Chandler Worthy (Troy, Sr., All Purpose)
Sun Belt Player of the Year
- Elijah McGuire (UL Lafayette, So., RB)
Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year
- Elijah McGuire (UL Lafayette, So., RB)
Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year
- David Mayo (Texas State, Senior, LB)
Sun Belt Freshman of the Year
- Taylor Lamb (Appalachian State, Fr., QB)
Sun Belt Coach of the Year
- Willie Fritz, Georgia Southern
Camellia Bowl Ticket Sales are Strong
The USA Vanguard posted on their Twitter account yesterday that 80% of South Alabama’s original allotment of tickets have been sold in just three days.
This is ahead of tickets going on sale to the public this morning. The ticket sales over the previous three days were for season ticket holders and JAF donors only.
If you have not ordered your tickets, PLEASE purchase them through the USA Ticket Office so they will count towards South Alabama’s sales. These numbers are paramount for future bowl considerations. The more that are sold by South Alabama shows future bowl committee’s that South Alabama fans buy lots of tickets.
The next step is to get to the game. If you are a student with a valid ID, tickets will be available for free along with buses to and from the game. For non-students, the USA National Alumni Association is arranging transportation from Mobile and Baldwin Counties to Montgomery and back again for only $30/person.
Go Jags!
USA National Alumni Association Mission Montgomery Bus Trip
Photo: usajaguars.com
The University of South Alabama National Alumni Association has organized buses to transport fans from Mobile and Baldwin Counties to Montgomery for the Camellia bowl.
They have dubbed this the Mission: Montgomery – Bus Trip and it will only cost you $30/person.
The buses from Mobile will depart from the UCOM parking lot at the corner of Old Shell Road and University Blvd while the buses from Baldwin County will depart from behind Dillard’s at the Eastern Shore Center.
If you are interested in taking the bus up to Montgomery with a Jamboree of Jaguars then visit this link and sign up. If you want more information about the bus trip, visit this link and the contact information is on the left side of the page.
Go Jags!
Camellia Bowl Opponent Set, South Alabama vs Bowling Green
On Sunday the University of South Alabama learned who they would face in the inaugural Raycom Media Camellia Bowl. South Alabama and Bowling Green University will face off on Saturday, December 20 at 8:15PM CST at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery.
Bowling Green, who lost to Northern Illinois in the Mid-American Conference Championship Game on Friday, will make their third consecutive bowl appearance.
In anticipation of a bowl invite, head coach Joey Jones and his staff had already scheduled practice on Wednesday. Then after word reached them that they had been selected on Tuesday, the Jaguars scheduled three days of practice last week where their primary focused was on fundamentals and repping young players. They could not being prepping for their opponent since they did not know who it was just yet.
“Obviously we don’t know that much about them, we’ll be looking at film here real soon, but I know traditionally they’ve been a real good program and we have a lot of respect for Bowling Green,” South Alabama head coach Joey Jones said.
Bowling Green will enter the game with a 7-6 record after winning the MAC’s eastern division title for the second consecutive year. However they were outmanned by Northern Illinois in the title game in a 51-17 loss, and the Falcon’s third consecutive loss of the season.
The Camellia Bowl will be the Falcon’s third consecutive bowl game, but they have lost their previous for appearances.
South Alabama enters with a 6-6 record in their second season of full FBS membership in which they were bowl eligible for both. The Jags tied for fourth in the Sun Belt and enter the bowl game with a two-game losing streak after a spirited first half against South Carolina and a heartbreaking loss to Navy at home.
Mission Mongtomery: What you need to know about the Camellia Bowl
We are just 15 days away from the Camellia Bowl. Here is what you need to know about the game and tickets.
The inaugural Raycom Media Camellia Bowl will be on Saturday, December 20 at 8:15PM CST. It will pit South Alabama against an Mid-American Conference team that is expected to be announced on Sunday, December 7. ESPN will broadcast the game live nation wide with no other conflicting college football bowl games. That is PRIME TIME, NATIONWIDE television coverage with NO OTHER college football game on at that time.
This game has several significant points to it. This is the first bowl game in South Alabama history, in only its sixth season of existence and only the second season as a full FBS member and eligible for a bowl game. South Alabama is also the fastest FBS football team to play in a bowl game.
Tickets
If you are a season ticket holder or donor to the Jaguar Athletic Fund you can order tickets now through the USA Ticket Office exclusively through Monday, December 8.
Beginning Tuesday, December 9 tickets will go on sale to the general public.
Tickets are $25.
#JAGNATION, it is HIGHLY ENCOURAGED to go through the USA Ticket office for tickets.
Why is is important to buy tickets through USA?
- It shows the Camellia Bowl that our fans support the team and buys tickets
- It factors into future bowl invitations that Jaguar fans buys tickets and travels well
- Ticket sales through USA count directly for USA
- Less important than the previous three, but it also concentrates Jag fans together for a sea of red for the television crowd
You can order tickets through the USA Ticket Office over the phone, in person at the Mitchell Center or online at USAJaguars.com beginning Tuesday, December 9. Purchasers will be notified when tickets are available for pickup and there will be will-call available in Montgomery.
Students who have a valid and current ID, will have access to 1,000 (or more) tickets and 20 (or more) buses for transportation to and from Montgomery. The details are still being worked out, look for future information from USA, The Vanguard and us when it is released.
Parking
Automobile parking is free, here is a map. RV Parking is $50 and is available beginning at noon on Friday, December 19, this link has more info about RV parking as well.
Where to Stay
The Cramton Bowl website has a list of places to stay. Also Montgomery has lots of historical places to visit. Take that into consideration when you are planning your stay. Here are some hotels in Montgomery.
Apparel
Next week the USA Bookstore will begin carrying Raycom Media Camellia Bowl apparel including long- and short-sleeve t-shirts, crew neck fleece shirts and caps.
Events leading up to the Game
There are lots of events scheduled leading up to the game. Friday, December 19 is the Montgomery Advertiser Street Fest and Pep Rally beginning at 3pm. It will include a live band, pep rally for both schools, a fireworks show and more throughout the city.
USA’s pep rally will be held after the MAC opponent’s around 5:00-5:30. Then a Christmas parade will follow from 6:15-8:00pm that will run from the capitol building on Dexter Ave to the end of Commerce street. Then all activities afterwards will be held on Commerce Street after the parade.
Fan Fest presented by Outback Steakhouse will start at 3pm on Saturday, December 20 at Paterson Field, near the Cramton Bowl.
OC Matthews will not return to Jags staff next season
Offensive lineman Drew Dearman, Dearman’s father and Offensive Coordinator Robert Matthews after the annual Red & Blue Spring football game in 2012.
The post-season coaching carousel got started all around the country this week as many teams have finished their regular-season games prior to championship game weekend. And it has also struck at South Alabama.
According to several outlets including footballscoop.com, a source, and confirmed last night by AL.com, offensive coordinator Robert Matthews will not be returning next season.
Matthews just finished his third season as the offensive coordinator for the Jaguars. He coached the offensive linemen his first two seasons but took over coaching the quarterbacks this season.
His first season in 2012 the offense set school records in completions (244), passing yards (2,728), passing yards per game (209.8) and first downs (252). Ross Metheny set a new school record with 189 completions and became the first quarterback to pass for more than 2,000 yards in a season. Three receivers would finish in the top five of the program’s season record list for both catches and receiving yards.
In 2013 the Jags averaged over 425 yards per game and almost 30 points per game, including a school record 252.8 yards per game passing. Wes Saxton and Shavarez Smith set schools records with 50 receptions last season with Smith also setting a record with 940 yards receiving.
Last season, under his guidance, the offensive line allowed a conference low 1.42 sacks per game and broke the single season record for passing yards with 3,033 yards passing among other records.
South Alabama accepts invitation to 2014 Raycom Camellia Bowl
Wednesday afternoon in the John Counts Room at the Michell Center the University of South Alabama had another monumental moment in Jaguar Football History when they formally accepted an invitation to play in the inaugural Raycom Camellia Bowl on Saturday, December 20 in Montgomery, AL at 8:15pm CST.
The Jaguars will make their first-ever bowl appearance in only their sixth season of football overall and only their second season as a full FBS member with eligibility to play in a post-season game.
Additionally they earned their first bowl invitation faster than any other program in history breaking the record held by former Sun Belt member Florida Atlantic who accomplished the feat in seven seasons, third season as a FBS member.
Executive director of the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl, Johnny Williams, invitation was accepted by USA president Dr. Tony Waldrop with Athletic Director Dr. Joel Erdmann, head coach Joey Jones, SGA president Danielle Watson, fans, supporters and a host of Jaguar players.
“We’re extremely excited that South Alabama will play the first bowl game in school history at the inaugural Raycom Media Camellia Bowl,” Williams said. “This is a historic moment being the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl’s first game and the University of South Alabama first bowl appearance.”
“Certainly on behalf of the board of trustees, the faculty, staff and students, all of the athletic department staff, but more importantly, on behalf of the coaches and players, we enthusiastically are honored to be part of the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl,” Waldrop stated. “The importance of this bowl game is great, obviously for the football team and all the fans, but it’s also great for the student life here. What an accomplishment: after just six years of having a football program, we’re going to a bowl game.”
“I want to thank ESPN and the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl for inviting us to be in their bowl game; we are certainly excited about that,” said Jones. “I know it will be a great event for both teams — we’re looking forward to participating in it. Last year, we became bowl eligible, but didn’t quite get in. This year, we became bowl eligible and got in.
Jones cautioned attendees he may get emotional and he needed a moment to compose himself prior to stating: “I’m so proud of our players and the sacrifices they’ve made to have this moment,” he continued. “My heart goes out to them, it’s really all about the players. These guys have four or five years to play and I want to make it as special as I can for them, because these guys have made it special for me. I really appreciate what they’ve done to get us here.”
Purchase your tickets through the USA Ticket Office!
Purchasing tickets through USA will reflect how well South Alabama sells tickets and subsequently will factor into future invitations to bowl games. The more tickets we sell and the more we travel for games the more likely we are to earn invitations in the future. It could also mean larger, more prominent bowl games could consider inviting South Alabama in the future.
Tickets for the game cost $25 per person. Jaguar Athletic Fund donors and USA Season Ticket holders will have an exclusive time-frame for purchases beginning at 8am Thursday morning through the end of the day on Monday. On Tuesday sales will begin for the general public should tickets still be available. Seating locations will be determined by JAG priority points and purchashers will be notified when tickets are available for pickup.
“Being offered the opportunity to participate in the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl is indescribably exciting and tremendously rewarding,” Erdmann said. “It’s an incredible reflection on the hard work and commitment of so many people involved in the process of South Alabama football, specifically head coach Joey Jones, our student-athletes, coaching and support staff who have fought hard and prepared so well in getting us to this point.
“We are all one team, we are all one family, we represent this university and our community,” he added. “The team and the coaches have a certain role; that’s to practice, to compete and to win. We, the ones not on the team, have a different role, and that’s to support them and drive that engine. We need to be able to go to Montgomery and represent ourselves to the best of our ability.
“As we anticipated this, we sat down and came up with a rallying cry. Our battle cry is ‘Mission: Montgomery.’ Mission: Montgomery has three basic goals: buy tickets, travel to Montgomery and rally around the team.”
Current students with a valid ID will be able to get tickets for the game at no cost. The University has pledged to purchase 1,000 tickets for students and promised to purchase more, if available, if needed. They also pledged to have 20 buses for student transportation to and from the game in Montgomery.
The Jags will play a team from the Mid Atlantic Conference which should be announced later this week or over the weekend. Speculation on candidates is that it could be Northern Illinois or Toledo.
Isn’t it a great time to be a JAGUAR!?!
USA v Navy has Kickoff Time
South Alabama announced the kickoff time for their regular-season finale against Navy at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The Friday, November 28th game, the day after Thanksgiving, will begin at 2pm CST.
The Game will be broadcast on ESPN3 as well as over the radio via Lite Mix 99.9FM and the iHeartRadio app.
Navy is 5-5 after a convincing win over Georgia Southern last weekend. The midshipmen have the week off before traveling to Mobile to face the Jaguars. They will then play their annual regular-season finale against Army on December 6.
Jags Announce Baseball Schedule, Will Host Alabama, Auburn, Miss. State
The University of South Alabama baseball program released their 2015 schedule which includes nine NCAA Regional and two Super Regional participants from last season.
A whopping 16 of the first 17 games of the season will be played at Eddie Stanky Field which begins with a three-game season-opening series against New Orleans February 13-15. On February 17 the Jaguars will host Auburn. They will then host Maryland, a 2014 Super Regional participant, and Arkansas who advanced to the championship game of the NCAA Charlottesville Regional last year as well as Central Florida for a weekend tournament February 20-22.
Their only road game in February will be on February 24 when they travel to Montgomery to play Alabama State in a midweek game. USA returns home to host Brown (February 27-March 1) in four games over three days. Then they host Southerm Miss on March 3 before hosing Arkansas-Little Rock on March 6-8 to open their Sun Belt conference schedule.
Other games of note throughout the season are Southeastern Louisiana on March 10 and Alabama State March 17 in Mobile. The Jags will also host Lafayette runner-up Mississippi State on March 31 and Jackson State on April 1.
The full schedule can be found here.
“You obviously want to try to put together the best schedule you can,” South Alabama head baseball coach Mark Calvi said. “It used to be that 40 wins was the benchmark to get into the Regionals, but now there are teams with 40 or more wins that get left out because their RPI is lower than a team with fewer wins. We definitely don’t want to be left out. It’s RPI-driven first and foremost. We have our sights set on winning the league every year, and we want our guys ready for the competition they will play in the postseason so they will have seen that caliber of a team consistently throughout the year. It’s a tough schedule, but we feel good with it. There’s not a lot of wiggle room, but it creates excitement within our program and with the fans. It’s a great home slate; we’re excited about it.”
“I think the conference is very strong,” Calvi said about the Sun Belt. “We played Georgia Southern back when I was at South Carolina. They are a pretty consistent Regional team, and they were in a tough league in the Southern Conference. They are a very good team, and they have an experienced coaching staff. They definitely add some strength to the league. Those (GSU and Appalachain State) are two very competitive programs. I like the league. We want to make this a three or four-team league in regard to the postseason. I think it is as competitive as ever, but we’ll see.”
The 2015 Sun Belt Conference Championship will be held May 20-24 in Troy, Alabama.