Lady Jags Picked 2nd In Conference, Three Players Picked To All-SBC Team
The South Alabama Softball team was chosen to finish second in the regular season behind five-time defending regular-season champion Louisiana-Lafayette this season by a vote by conference head coaches. The Jags are the defending Sun Belt Tournament champions and earned eight of the nine second-place votes.
Also three Lady Jaguar student-athletes were named to the 2013 All-Sun Belt Conference Team on Monday.
Hannah Campbell a junior pitcher, Blair Johnson a sophomore outfielder and Britany Campbell a senior At-Large choice were selected to the 17 person team as voted by conference head coaches.
Hannah finished the season last year with a 2.03 ERA while winning 24 games and striking out 199 batters that she faced while pitching 28 complete games. She earned four consecutive wins in the Sun Belt Conference tournament, striking out 14 batters and had a 0.32 ERA on her way to earning the Most Outstanding Player in the Jags first-ever postseason conference title. In 2011, she was named Sun Belt Freshman of the Year then in 2012 she was named Sun Belt Conference Preseason Pitcher of the Year. Also, she is a two-time All-Conference and National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Regional selection. Hannah is from Satsuma, Alabama.
Johnson, coming off of an outstanding freshman season, earned All-Sun Belt Conference in the outfield. She started all 57 games for the Jaguars, was fourth on the team with a .315 batting average, had a slugging percentage of .414, and a .372 on base percentage. She was tied for first on the team with 57 hits and 14 doubles. She accumulated 33 runs, 27 RBI’s, 12 multi-hit games and seven multi-RBI games. Johnson is from Kimberly, Alabama and Mortimer Jordan HS.
Britany Campbell is a regular in center field for the Jaguars. She recorded a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 2012 while also leading the team in stolen bases with 24. She batted .237, while scoring 24 times and earning 13 RBI’s. She set a Jaguar single-game record for RBI’s in a game against Southeastern Louisiana with six. She had a five-game hit streak and a nine-game on-base streak last season. Britany is from Phoenix, Arizona and Thunderbird HS.
Congratulations and good luck in 2013!
MTSU And FAU To Pay $700k Early Exit Fee
Sun Belt Commissioner Karl Benson announced that Middle Tennessee State and Florida Atlantic will both leave the Sun Belt Conference effective June 30, 2013.
After previously announcing that they would remain in the Sun Belt Conference through June 2014. However, the schools and the conference office came to a settlement that allows FAU and MTSU to pay a “slightly reduced” early exit fee. The Sun Belt Executive Committee voted on and offered a $700,000 exit fee which both schools opted to accept.
Middle Tennessee and the Sun Belt had argued over the previous long-standing exit fee of $500,000 and the new penalty of $1 million, which was voted in by the executive committee last spring.
“Our desire to aid our athletic directors in finalizing the 2013 football schedule was the reason for allowing a reduced exit fee,” Benson said. “While the seven-game conference schedule is not perfect, the understanding is that this would only be for one season.”
Now that the date of withdrawl has been finalized, the Sun Belt conference will have eight football members and 10 total members for the 2013-2014 year. The schools with football will play a seven-game conference schedule and a double round-robin 18-game schedule for men’s and women’s basketball.
“We will shift our attention back towards the future of the league and what our membership should consist of,” Benson said. “As of now there are no pending invitations to the Sun Belt for membership, however, we know that there are a number of teams interested in joining our league.”
The Sun Belt is coming off of it’s most successful season in it’s 12-year history. Four teams were invited to bowl games and all four of them will return to the Sun Belt Conference for the 2013 season.
Next season the Sun Belt’s football membership will consist of Arkansas State, Georgia State, Louisiana-Lafayette, Louisiana-Monroe, South Alabama, Texas State, Troy and Western Kentucky. Arkansas-Little Rock and Texas-Arlington are non-football members.
Benson said that the conference is competitive in all sports and that it’s position as one of only 10 BCS conferences along with its geographical footprint are attractive to the schools who have expressed interest in joining the Sun Belt.
Troy University Chancellor Jack Hawkins, also president of the Sun Belt Conference Executive Committee, said that the conference’s chief executives “appreciate the contributions Florida Atlantic and Middle Tennessee have made to the Sun Belt Conference. We wish FAU and MTSU well.”
Benson also said that the Sun Belt’s bylaws need to be changed to more clearly restrict a school’s early exit because current rules requiring a notification date of departure are incomplete. Benson also indicated that pressure was put on the remaining schools to determine a reduced exit fee for the two schools in order to adjust their football schedules. Thus the Sun Belt executive committee “reluctantly settled.”
Benson said that the departures of MTSU and FAU along with North Texas and FIU might delay the Sun Belt’s progress, but it will not deter it.
“We were on our way,” said Benson. “… We were hoping we had time to build the conference to the point where we could stand alongside Conference USA with a comparable name. But we will eventually get there.”
MTSU And FAU To Join CUSA In July
Early speculation and a recent report by Brett McMurphy of ESPN.com has been confirmed by AL.com. Middle Tennessee State and Florida Atlantic have negotiated their buyout and will be joining Conference USA on July 1.
They will follow North Texas and Florida International who announced plans to join CUSA for the 2013 season prior to the 2012 football season. This will affect the 2013 football schedule for all Sun Belt members.
An official announcement is expected to be released on Tueday concerning MTSU and FAU’s early exit from the conference.
Originally MTSU and FAU would have joined CUSA on July 1, 2014, however with the early exit this will leave the conference with eight football-sponsoring schools. The Sun Belt currently provides an eight game conference schedule for each team, however with eight teams they will only be able to provide a seven-game conference schedule.
Now the remaining schools will have time to seek another game to fill their schedule with another non-conference game.
South Alabama’s non-conference schedule next season has trips to Tennessee, Navy and Tulane with a home game against GoDaddy.com Bowl participant Kent State.
A letter was released by the South Alabama Ticket Office about 2013 season tickets concerning a delay about renewal letters being released. Since the number of home games is currently unknown, they are working with the conference office and the football program to see how many home games will be on the schedule this season for pricing and such.
It may be difficult to schedule a FBS program for the 2013 season and may have to turn to the FCS ranks to fill the open date on the scedule. The Jags currently do not have a FCS program on the schedule this upcoming season so it would not affect the number of wins needed to be eligible for a bowl game. FBS programs can only use one win over an FCS team towards bowl eligibility unless there are not enough bowl-eligible teams to fill all of the bowl slots.
Could Georgia Southern Be Added To SBC Next Week?
When could we hear the first about possible new additions to the Sun Belt Conference? It could be as early as next week.
Tonight is the semifinal round of the FCS playoffs kickoff with #1 North Dakota State and #5 Georgia Southern playing for a slot in the FCS National Championship game. Kickoff is set for 8pm.
Rest assured that Sun Belt Conference officials and Georgia Southern officials have been in contact and talking about their interests in moving up to the FBS level and the Sun Belt’s interest in adding a strong team within it’s regional footprint.
Earlier this year the students voted to move up to the FBS level with an increase in student fees to help support the move. I believe that these meetings have been occurring since the students voted for the move but were going to wait until after the season was over to get serious about talks. But with Middle Tennessee and Florida Atlantic accepting invitations to Conference USA, I believe those talks were accelerated.
If Georgia Southern loses their Semifinal game then we could hear an announcement as early as next week. However if they win and earn a spot in the National Championship Game against the winner of the #2 Eastern Washington vs Sam Houston State game, then the announcement would probably be delayed. The FCS National Championship game is set for January 5th in Frisco, Texas.
That would put the Sun Belt back up to nine football playing schools. Who else would the Sun Belt consider adding? There are rumors about New Mexico State, Appalachain State, UT-Chattanooga all the way to Lamar, Liberty or Sam Houston State.
New Mexico State is already an FBS school but were a bottom dweller in the WAC with only one win last season that came in their season opener against Sacramento State. They would bring a very tall basketball team as the Jags learned in a recent game.
Appalachain State is another team in the regional footprint of the Sun Belt and has been a powerhouse in FCS for some time. However their location in Boone, NC is a very beautiful place, it is also a difficult place to travel for sports.
UT-Chattanooga is an interesting school to consider. It is located in well-known Chattanooga, TN which makes travel quite easy for sports and also fits in the regional footprint as well. They could be a very good replacement for Middle Tennessee who is just up Interstate 24 from Chattanooga towards Nashville.
Many South Alabama fans may know some about Lamar University. The Jags played their first true road game against the Cardinal in Beaumont, TX a couple years ago in the Jaguars second season of football. Football had been dropped from Lamar back in 1989 but in January of 2008 the students voted to add an athletic fee to bring football back to the University. Their stadium had a huge overhaul and a large jumbotron screen was installed. Their campus is very nice and could be a nice hidden gem in conference expansion.
Sam Houston State, as mentioned above, is in the semifinals of the FCS playoffs. They are located in Huntsville, TX which is north of Houston on I-45. Either school Sam Houston State or Lamar would be a nice addition to compliment Texas State out in the Lone Star State.
Then there is Liberty. I haven’t heard much about the possibility of Liberty joining the Sun Belt. Liberty is a private christian university located in Lynchburg Virginia. They have an enrollment of about 12,500 and 80,000+ studying through their online program. Their chancellor is Jerry Falwell Jr. I don’t see them moving to the FBS level, but stranger things have happened.
Who do you think would be good additions to the Sun Belt to comprise a 10 or 12 (football) team conference? Post your suggestions here or on our Facebook page.
Change Is Constant In College Sports
Each year there are changes in every conference. Coaches fired, coached hired, players graduate and new ones recruited, offensive and defensive schemes change. But for some conferences they have whole teams move in and out.
Gus Malzahn is gone from Arkansas State and Willie Taggart is gone from Western Kentucky. So far we have added Bobby Petrino at Western Kentucky, Dennis Franchione will enter with Texas State and reports are circulating that University of Texas offensive coordinator Bryan Harsin has been hired at Arkansas State.
Two-time Sun Belt Player of the Year Ryan Aplin graduates from ASU, but Kolton Browning returns to Louisiana-Monroe. Browning was possibly the most exciting player this past season.
As conference realignment trickles down, the Sun Belt continues to be affected. As mentioned before, North Texas and Florida International will leave the conference this summer for what they hope is greener pastures in Conference USA. Conference Commissioner Karl Benson added Georgia State and Texas State to the conference as well as Texas-Arlington (non-football school).
But realignment occurred again this year when Florida Atlantic and Middle Tennessee accepted invitations to Conference USA. But no announcement of additional schools have happened yet, but speculation is that Georgia Southern is one of the schools that could be added. Appalachain State and New Mexico State have been rumored to be possible additions as well.
Offenses will continue to be high power in the conference, but like they say “defenses win championships.”
Many braced for a tough season as the Jags played their first full Sun Belt schedule resulted in a 2-11 overall record and 1-7 conference record. Some expected them to win more games than they did, and they probably should have. But they were more competitive in their first FBS season than any team in recent memory.
South Alabama’s first season of FBS play was a big learning experience. They went up against 12 FBS teams in their 13 game schedule with seven games on the road. They measured themselves against several good teams and know where they are and what they need to do to get there.
The Jags will make an impact in the conference sooner rather than later. Coach Jones along with his staff and players have established a presence in the conference and have earned the respect of many opponents.
Coach Jones still has holes to fill and the team has some maturing to do. It needs to take what it has learned this season and build upon it. They need to use what they learned on game day and in key situations. The depth chart will benefit from a 2012 signing class where all but one player was redshirted and it will benefit from several fifth-year players ready to fill spots in the starting lineup and on the depth chart.
Troy was another school that had a disappointing season and missing out on a bowl game for the second consecutive season. In 2011 the Trojans went 3-9 (2-6 SBC) but improved to 5-7 (3-5 SBC) in 2012. But look for them to play a role in the Sun Belt in the future as they have in the past.
It could be an interesting few years in the Sun Belt as both Troy works it’s way back up and South Alabama strives to blaze it’s own way toward the top as well.
Sometimes change is good and sometimes it makes you think, “what were they thinking?”
Malzahn Will Not Coach ASU In Bowl Game
On Wednesday, Arkansas State Athletic Director Terry Mohajir announced defensive coordinator John Thompson will be the Red Wolves interim head football coach effective immediately. This move means that former head coach Gus Malzahn will not coach the Red Wolves in the GoDaddy.com Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 6.
Thompson has over 30 years of experience at the collegiate level both as an assistant coach and as a head coach. He will oversee ASU’s preparations for their bowl game and fill the head coaching duties at game time.
“Not only does coach Thompson’s wealth of experience make him an excellent fit to assume the role of interim head coach, but he is also man of character with great leadership qualities who has earned a great deal of respect from this administration and the players,” Mohajir stated. “We are confident he will help our football program make a smooth transition into the postseason, while also giving this team a tremendous opportunity to finish the season on a successful note in the GoDaddy.com Bowl.”
“The decision to move forward with an interim head coach for the GoDaddy.com Bowl was not made lightly, but we feel it is in the best interest of our student-athletes since Coach Malzahn will understandably be consumed with his commitments to Auburn and not be able to give his full attention to this team and its upcoming preparations for the postseason bowl,” said Mohajir.
Thompson, as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach this season, oversaw the Red Wolves defense that ranked first in the conference in scoring defense and third in total defense. ASU led the conference with 10 selections to the All-Sun Belt Conference.
“We have a mature group of players with strong leadership, and I am certain this team and coaching staff is going to rise to the occasion,” Thompson said. “The team has improved on a weekly basis, and we expect it to continue to get better and compete at an even higher level. This has been a special season and everyone associated with this program wants to finish the year strong, none more so than our players and coaches. I know we will continue to show the same commitment we demonstrated all year that resulted in a Sun Belt Conference championship.”
Names that have been mentioned as possible head coaches for Arkansas State are: Texas A&M offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, Texas’ Co-Offensive coordinator Major Applewhite, former University of North Carolina head coach Butch Davis and former University of South Florida head coach Skip Holtz.
More Coaching Changes Coming To The Sun Belt
More coaching changes are coming in the Sun Belt.
It began with Arkansas State’s Gus Malzahn accepting the head coaching position with Auburn University. Now Florida International has dismissed Mario Cristobal after a 3-9 season.
Last season Cristobal’s name came up for several opening around the country but he stayed with FIU. His first three seasons with the Golden Panthers were tough but he showed improvement. In 2007 his team went 1-11, then in 2008 they improved to 5-7, in 2009 they slipped back to 3-9. But in 2010 they went 7-6 with a win in the Little Caeser’s Bowl. Then in 2011 they started off strong but finished with an 8-5 record and a loss in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl.
His overall record at FIU was 27-47 (20-26 SBC, 1-1 Bowls). This season they had wins over Akron, South Alabama and Florida Atlantic.
FIU’s Executive Director of Sports and Entertainment Pete Garcia announced Cristobal’s dismissal with the following press release. “Today we informed Coach (Mario) Cristobal that a change was being made in the direction of our football program. I want to thank Coach for all that he has done to develop the football program over the past six seasons. We will now turn our attention to attract the very best candidate to fill the position of head coach. We will begin a national search immediately.”
There are reports swirling that Western Kentucky’s head coach Willie Taggart may accept the position at the University of South Florida that became vacant when the University fired head coach Skip Holtz earlier this week.
The leading name for the FIU position is former UNC head coach Butch Davis. Other possible names are FSU OC James Coley, Miami DC Mark D’Onofrio, Texas DC Manny Diaz, Navy OC Ivin Jasper, Lousiana Tech OC Tony Franklin and Jacksonville Jaguars assistant offensive line coach Ron Prince.
Four Jags Earn Conference Honors
Game Captains for South Alabama Romelle Jones, B.J. Scott, Greg Hollinger and Alex Page meet the Troy captains at mid-field for the coin toss in the two teams first meeting and the Jaguars first Sun Belt Conference game.
Four Jaguars have been honored with All-Sun Belt Conference honors on Wednesday.
First-team selection Jake Johnson was the top tackler in the conference. Alex Page was voted to the second-team All-Sun Belt team. While B.J. Scott and Enrique Williams were chosen for honorable mention recognition.
Voting was conducted by the 10 head coaches in the conference and selected members of the media. This was the first time in the programs four year history that they were able to be selected for All-Conference honors.
Jake Johnson is a 6’1″, 240-pound senior linebacker from Fredericksburg, VA. He is the only player in the conference that averages double-digits in tackles after totally 131 total stops in 13 games this season. He ranks third in the conference with 15 tackles for loss with at least one in every game this season. He also has three sacks and six quarterback hurries. He led the team in stops seven times this season and had double-digit tackles in a game five times this season.
Alex Page, a 6’1″ 245-pound junior defensive lineman from Prattville, AL, ranked fifth in the conference with six sacks and eighth with 11.5 tackles for loss. He recorded a career-best 64 tackles which ranked fifth on the team and the most among the Jags defensive linemen. He also became the first player at his position in Jag history to record double-digit tackles with 10 against FAU.
B.J. Scott is a 5’11” 205-pound senior safety from Prichard, AL. He transferred to South Alabama from the University of Alabama with two years of eligibility. Scott ended the season with 84 tackles, six of them for a loss. He also had two interceptions, three passes broken up and two forced fubmles with a fumble recovery. He had four games with double-digit tackles including a career-best 12 in the season finale against Hawaii. He finished tied for 15th in the conference this season with an average of 6.5 tackles per game.
Enrique Williams is a 6′, 235-pound junior linebacker from Mobile, AL. He finished the season with 105 tackles, which was good enough for seventh in the conference, with six of them for losses. He finished four games with double-digit tackles and led the team in tackles on five occasions. He had a career best 12 tackles against then #23 ranked Mississippi State and again at Arkansas State in the Jags first ever conference road game.
The defense, led by these four individuals, allowed an average of 383.7 yards per game to finish the season ranked second in the conference in total defense and ranked 3rd in the conference against the pass. The Jags also led the conference in red zone defense and was second in opponent third-down conversion percentage as well.
Arkansas State Looking For New Head Coach For Second Consecutive Season
Photo from astateredwolves.com.
Arkansas State is searching for a head football coach for the second year in a row as Gus Malzahn accepted the position at Auburn University. This also marks the second season in a row that the Red Wolves will visit the GoDaddy.com Bowl without their head coach.
Sources did not know if ASU would name an interim coach for the bowl game or if Malzahn wants or intends to coach the team in the bowl game.
Tim Hudson, chancellor of ASU and Terry Mohajir, director of athletics, issued statements yesterday concerning the football program.
“Coach Gus Malzahn informed us this afternoon that he would be accepting the head coaching position at Auburn University,” ASU Chancellor Dr. Tim Hudson said. “We appreciate his contributions to our conference championship season and wish him well.”
Hudson, Mohajir as well as ASU System President Dr. Charles L. Welch will begin an immediate search for Malzahn’s successor.
“The back-to-back championships in the Sun Belt Conference make this a very attractive position, and we’re confident we’ll have a lot of interest,” Mohajir said. “This administration, this community and the entire Arkansas State family have demonstrated our commitment to have a nationally prominent intercollegiate athletics program and will continue to do so.”
Mohajir said that he would be meeting with Malzahn to discuss the transition and “keeping the interests of our student-athletes foremost in mind.” Mohajir’s plan is for Malzahn and his staff to coach the Red Wolves in their bowl game on January 6 against Kent State in Mobile, AL.
“We remain firmly committed to our facilities upgrade plans,” Welch said. “We owe this to our student-athletes and fans, and we remain excited about the opportunities ahead for the Red Wolves.”
However, after Malzahn meets with Auburn officials to finalize his contract and timeline those plans by Mahajir may not pan out.
But Arkansas State may not be the only team in the GoDaddy.com Bowl with a new coach or searching for a new coach. It is being reported that Kent State’s head coach Darrell Hazell has accepted the head coaching position at Purdue University according to Brett McMurphy of ESPN.
More Coaching Changes In The Sun Belt
More coaching changes are coming in the Sun Belt.
It began with Arkansas State’s Gus Malzahn accepting the head coaching position with Auburn University. Now Florida International has dismissed Mario Cristobal after a 3-9 season.
Last season Cristobal’s name came up for several opening around the country but he stayed with FIU. His first three seasons with the Golden Panthers were tough but he showed improvement. In 2007 his team went 1-11, then in 2008 they improved to 5-7, in 2009 they slipped back to 3-9. But in 2010 they went 7-6 with a win in the Little Caeser’s Bowl. Then in 2011 they started off strong but finished with an 8-5 record and a loss in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl.
His overall record at FIU was 27-47 (20-26 SBC, 1-1 Bowls). This season they had wins over Akron, South Alabama and Florida Atlantic.
FIU’s Executive Director of Sports and Entertainment Pete Garcia announced Cristobal’s dismissal with the following press release. “Today we informed Coach (Mario) Cristobal that a change was being made in the direction of our football program. I want to thank Coach for all that he has done to develop the football program over the past six seasons. We will now turn our attention to attract the very best candidate to fill the position of head coach. We will begin a national search immediately.”
There are reports swirling that Western Kentucky’s head coach Willie Taggart may accept the position at the University of South Florida that became vacant when the University fired head coach Skip Holtz earlier this week.