Gameday: South Alabama vs Idaho
Both South Alabama and Idaho look to get their first conference win of the season. South Alabama’s offense has been disappointing as they return 9 of 11 starters from a year ago, but just have not found that spark to make them gel on a consistent basis.
After scoring 16 points in the first half against Kent State, the Jaguars have only managed to score 16 points in the last 10 quarters and only seven points in the second half. They average under 11 points per game and rank in the bottom half of the conference in most offensive statistics. Their highest ranking is in rushing offense per game with 130 yards which is good for 6th in the conference.
Defensively the Jaguars are playing very well but the statistics don’t show it. They have been put in some tough positions and have done as well as expected. Despite the offensive production being lackluster and +3 in turnovers, they still rank in the top half of the conference in several categories. But they will be tested by Idaho this week. The Vandals enter the game with the top ranked passing offense in the conference. But they are very one dimensional because they rank last in the conference in rushing with just over 75 yards per game. They can put points on the board.
This is a huge game for the Jaguars, particularly the offense. They enter a stretch of five games where their combined records are 3-15 with both Idaho and Troy both winless. The Jags cannot afford to lose this game and fall to 0-2 in the conference.
Here are the key statistics for the Jaguars and the Vandals.
| South Alabama (SBC Rank) | Idaho (SBC Rank) | |
| Offense | ||
| Scoring Offense | 10.7 (11th) | 29.3 (6th) |
| Total Offense | 329.3 (9th) | 422.0 (6th) |
| Rushing Offense | 130.0 (7th) | 75.7 (11th) |
| Passing Offense | 199.3 (10th) | 346.3 (1st) |
| Pass Efficiency | 92.0 (11th) | 130.3 (4th) |
| Sacks Against | 12 (T9th) | 11 (8th) |
| First Downs (avg/game) | 20.7 (10th) | 23.7 (7th) |
| 3rd Down Conversions | 17-49 34.7% (10th) | 25-54 46.3% (5th) |
| 4th Down Conversions | 1-4 25.0% (T9th) | 6-7 85.7% (T1st) |
| Red Zone Conversion Percentage | 3-6 50.0% (11th) | 8-10 80.0% (T5th) |
| Defense | ||
| Scoring Defense | 25.3 (5th) | 39.7 (9th) |
| Total Defense | 403.7 (6th) | 507.7 (11th) |
| Rushing Defense | 229.0 (8rd) | 221.7 (7th) |
| Passing Defense | 174.7 (4th) | 286.0 (11th) |
| Pass Defense Efficiency | 123.0 (5th) | 172.0 (11th) |
| Opponent 1st Downs (avg/game) | 19.0 (4th) | 23.3 (T9th) |
| Opponent 3rd Down Conversions | 19-43 44.2% (7th) | 13-35 37.1% (3rd) |
| Opponent 4th Down Conversions | 1-1 100.0% (T9th) | 2-5 40.0% (4th) |
| Opponent Red Zone Conv. % | 7-9 77.8% (4nd) | 12-14 85.7% (6th) |
| Special Teams | ||
| Kickoff Return Average | 23.9 (2nd) | 18.4 (9th) |
| Punt Return Average | 2.0 (T9th) | 2.0 (T9th) |
| Punting | 36.2 (7th) | 44.1 (1st) |
| Field Goals | 1-2 (T7th) | 3-3 (T1st) |
| Penalties | 15 92yds 30.7yds/G (4th) | 24 230yds 76.7yds/G (10th) |
| Opponent Penalties | 15 125yds 41.7yds/G (8th) | 24 197yds 65.7yds/G (3rd) |
| Turnover Margin | -1 (8th) | -5 (9th) |
Kickoff is scheduled for 4:00pm CDT. Pregame will begin on 99.9FM WMXC at 3:00PM CDT followed by play-by-play with JD Byars and Color commentary by Pat Greenwood. The game can be viewed on ESPN3.
Go Jags!
A Record Number of Jaguars Earn SBC Academic Recognition
South Alabama had a record 155 student-athletes to earn Sun Belt Conference Academic Recognition for 2013-2014 by being on the SBC Commissioner’s List or Academic Honor Roll as announced by the conference office on Thursday.
The Jags had 84 individuals named to the Commissioner’s List which recognizes student athletes with a GPA of 3.5 or better during the previous two semesters and 71 on the Academic Honor Roll which includes student-athletes with a 3.0-3.49 GPA during that same time span.
Ten of USA’s 17 sports had double-figure totals. Women’s Cross Country/Track and Field team led the way with 27 followed closely by Football with 26. Men’s Cross Country/Track and Field and Soccer both had 19, Softball had 14, and baseball had 13.
The Jags finished second in the final standings for the Vic Bubas Cup which is presented to the top overall program in the Sun Belt Conference.
Here is a link to the 2013-2014 South Alabama Sun Belt Conference Academic Honorees. Congratulations Jaguar Student-Athletes!
Volleyball Falls To Texas State On The Road
The Jaguar volleyball team fell to Texas State who stays undefeated in Conference play 3-0 (12-25, 25-27, 15-25) in San Marcos, Texas. The Bobcats used nine service aces, a 52-27 kill advantage and a .333 to .120 hitting average to defeat the Jaguars.
Jessica Lewis was the only Jaguar in double digits for the night with 10 kills. Nikki Gittens added seven kills with a .353 hitting percentage. Mechell Daniel only had three kills, a season low for her as she ranks second on the team in that category.
The Jags will return to Mobile to host Arkansas State on Friday evening with the match set to start at 6pm.
Jaguar Soccer Host Troy At The Cage Tonight
The South Alabama Soccer team will host conference rival Troy at The Cage on Friday evening. The Jags look to extend their six-match winning streak as it begins their Sun Belt Conference schedule.
But Troy enters the game with their own winning streak as well. They have won their last eight matches after falling in their first two matches of the season against LSU and Louisiana Tech. Two of their wins, Kennesaw State and UAB, are the two schools responsible for both of the Jaguars losses this season.
USA has shutout five of their last six opponents and seven overall this season. The Jaguars Charde Hannah has won the Offensive Player of the Week honor for two-consecutive weeks. Sarah Hay recorded 11 saves last week and five shutouts in six appearances on the season to earn Defensive Player of the Week honors. A USA player has won a weekly award five times this season. Nini Rabsatt-Smith and Sophie Haywood swept the weekly Defensive and Offensive awards on September 9.
The Jaguars (8-2, 0-0 SBC) and the Trojans (8-2, 0-0) will begin at 7pm.
Know Your Stadiums – Idaho’s Kibbie Dome
A view inside the Kibbie Dome from the end zone. It shows the hanging field goal posts. Photo: boards.sportslogos.net
We like to spotlight the story and history behind any new stadium that the Jaguars are set to visit. This week the Jags travel to Idaho to visit the Kibbie Dome in Moscow, Idaho. It is a one-of-a-kind domed stadium that only diehard college football fans know anything about.
The University of Idaho’s unique stadium is officially known as the William H. Kibbie-ASUI Activity Center or more commonly known simply as the Kibbie Dome. It seats 16,000 which makes it the smallest venue in Division I FBS. It set a record with a crowd of 17,600 for their rivalry game against Boise State in 1989. It is situated with the field running east and west, but even with new translucent upper end walls that were completed in 2009 and 2011, sun location is not an issue.
The Kibbie Dome is a multi-purpose athletic stadium on the campus of the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho and is the hope of the Idaho Vandals. It is used for intercollegiate competition in four sports: football, basketball, tennis and indoor track and field.
The story of the Kibbie Dome begins in 1937 with the wooden Neale Stadium which was used between 1937 – 1968. The dome was built in stages over several years. Originally the new stadium was to be outdoors and seat over 23,000 spectators with an adjacent 10,000 seat indoor arena for basketball.
Construction on concrete grandstands began in February 1971 after a fire destroyed the previously condemned wooden Neale Stadium. It had been condemned in the summer before the 1969 season due to soil erosion beneath the grandstands. The next two seasons the football team played its limited home schedule at Washington State University’s Rogers Field in Pullman. A fire heavily damaged Rogers Field’s south grandstands in April 1970. WSU moved all of it’s games to another stadium while Idaho played at Rogers for four “home” games in 1970.
A revised plan called for a smaller capacity football stadium that would be enclosed to allow use as a basketball arena, indoor track and tennis. The multi-purpose concept was used recently at Idaho State which opened in 1970.
Construction was delayed due to weather and put the opening a month behind schedule. The 1971 team played their first home game in Boise and their second two weeks later in Spokane. The uncompleted stadium debuted on October 9 with a 40-3 win over Idaho State in front of 14,200 spectators. It was the first game on campus in almost three years.
For the first four seasons from 1971 – 1974 the stadium was outdoors. In the summer of 1972 a Tartan Turf field was installed over a four-inch asphalt bed with a roll-up mechanism behind the west end zone. It was the first one-piece field in the world.
In November 1974 approval was granted by the board of regents to enclose the stadium. An arched roof and vertical end walls were completed in time for the 1975 season opener on September 27.
The enclosed stadium was renamed for William H. Kibbie, a construction executive from Salt Lake City and the primary benefactor of the project. He donated $300,000 in 1974 to initiate the funding drive. He was a student at UI for less than a month in 1936 when he withdrew due to family hardship.
At the time steel and aluminum were the products most used for domes and large unsupported structures. Trus-Joist, who bid on and won the contract, saw the stadium as a chance to demonstrate the strength, durability and economy of their engineered wood products. From final design to the end of construction the enclosure project took only 10 months and $1 million to complete. The roof won the “Structural Engineering Achievement Award” from the American Society of Civil Engineers in 1976.
After the first season of football indoors, the asphalt underneath the field was covered with Tartan Polyurethane in January 1976. The first basketball game was played on January 21, 1976 and the first Vandal Invitational indoor track meet was held three days later.
The roof of the dome spans 400 feet from sideline to sideline and reaches a maximum height of 150 feet above the hashmarks.
Shortly after completion in 1975 problems began to arise with the roof’s exterior. The outer surface of hypalon and underlying polyurethane foam were improperly applied. A second attempt to seal the roof with Diathon was completed in the late 1970s but did not succeed. Leaks continued to occur and wood rot was potentially a problem by 1980.
An infrared scan of the roof in the spring of 1981 exposed that half of the roof was moist and the insulating foam was in bad condition. Various attempts to stop the leaks took place in 1981. Various finger pointing and threatening of legal action occurred until finally an out-of-court settlement was reached. A new superstructure made of composite materials was built over the existing roof and completed in the fall of 1982 and coincided with the completion of the East End addition which provided the entire athletic department with locker rooms, offices, a weight room, athletic training facility and equipment room. Previously the football and basketball teams as well as visitor teams had to dress in Memorial Gym and make a lengthy walk or run west towards the Kibbie Dome, often in rain or even snow, which had been the practice since the opening of Neale Stadium in 1937.
In February of 2007, the state board of education appropriated funds to study expansion possibilities. On December 6, the board approved funding to begin design work for $52 million in improvements which included expansion to 20,000 seats, lowering the playing field and other safety and spectator improvements to the stadium.
Upgrades began in 2009 with the west wall being replaced with a non-combustable assembly of translucent plastic panels on the upper half and opaque metal siding on the lower half. They added field level exiting to the new west wall, added handrails to the seating isles, smoke exhaust system and other safety and code mitigation. The second phase completed in 2011 with the replacement of the east wall. A new press box was constructed above the north grandstand and the former press box above the south grandstand became premium seating.
Up until 2007, the artificial turf could be rolled up at the bast of the west wall to expose the 93,000 square feet of polyurethane tartan surface which is used for indoor tennis and track and field. It has five lanes of of track that are 320 yards in length and includes 9 tennis courts lined on the infield. Basketball and volleyball courts are also lined on the tartan infield.
In 2007 the turf was replaced with RealGrass Pro which is an infilled synthetic turf similar to Field Turf. Unlike the field of old, it is not easily rolled up in a continuous reel so it has to be removed in sections. Each section is five yards in width and run from sideline to sideline. They are attached to each other with velcro.
The basketball configuration is positioned at midfield on the south sideline in front of the press box and south grandstand with temporary seating on the other three sides. The main court was originally a smooth, hard tartan rubber poured directly onto the pavement floor which was a big home court advantage in the early 1980s. After eight seasons it was replaced with a conventional hardwood floor in the fall of 1983.
During basketball games the stadium is referred to as the Cowan Spectrum after Bob and Jan Cowan who financed the configuration.
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- A view of Neale Stadium. Photo: tomandrobna.com
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- Another view of Neale Stadium. Photo: dnews.com
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- A view of the construction of the first rib of the Kibbie Dome structure.
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- Arial photo during the construction of the dome. Photo: timber.ce.wsu.edu
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- Aerial View of the Kibbie Dome. Photo: imagearcade.com
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- Aerial view of the Kibbie Dome. Photo: uidaho.edu
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- A view of the Kibbie Dome from the East practice field after the renovation to add transparent upper walls to allow light in. Photo: id.Cityseekr.com
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- A rather small photo showing how the basketball court is set up in the Kibbie Dome. Photo: Valdalhoopscamp.com
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- Photo from up high in the Kibbie Dome. Photo: templefootballforever.blogspot.com
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- A view inside the Kibbie Dome showing the large video board. Photo: idahostatesman.com
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- A view inside the Kibbie Dome from the end zone. It shows the hanging field goal posts. Photo: boards.sportslogos.net
Jags Soccer Sweep Player Of The Week Honors For Second Time This Season
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- Sarah Hay, a junior, made two stops in penalty shootout, the second to advance the Jags to the Conference Final against Georgia State on Sunday at noon. Photo: usajaguars.com
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- Freshman Charde Hannah became the second Jaguar and second SBC player ever to win both Freshman of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year awards in the same season. Photo: usajaguars.com
The University of South Alabama soccer team swept the Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week awards for the second time this season when freshman Charde Hannah and Sophomore Sarah Hay were honored this week. The Jags went 2-0 over the last week to extend their current winning streak to six games with their help.
Hannah earned the honor for the second consecutive week while Hay is honored for the first time in her career.
Hannah tied a school record with four goals and added an assist in USA’s 5-0 win over Francis Marion. She ranks second in the nation in points per match with 2.6, fourth in goals per match with 1.1 and 11th in game-winning goals with 3. With her help the Jaguars rank sixth in Division I in scoring with 3.70 per match.
Hay helps the Jaguars on the other end of the field. She made 11 saves in the two shutouts over the past week. She had five saves in a 1-0 win over North Florida then added six more against Francis Marion.
Hay has led the Jaguars to five shutouts in six appearances this season with a goals-against average of 0.32, which ranks 10th in the nation while her save percentage is third in the nation at .939.
The Jaguars begin conference play on Friday at 7pm when they host Troy at The Cage.
Monday Press Conference Reflects on GSU; Previews Idaho
Maleki Harris, a senior from Cordova, Alabama, recorded his second double-digit tackle total against Mississippi State where he also forced two fumbles. The Sun Belt Conference named him the Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, September 15, 2014.
University of South Alabama head football coach Joey Jones was joined by linebacker Maleki Harris for their weekly press conference on Monday. They reflected on the Jaguars loss to Georgia Southern and previewed this weekends visit to Idaho.
Coach Jones began with his opening statement. “It’s obviously a big game this week. Idaho is scoring a lot of points, and really playing better defense as I have watched them throughout the year. Our focus is on that. I told the guys yesterday that last week doesn’t mean anything. We have to move forward; that’s the way life is. I wish we would have played a little better. We did some really good things and did some bad things, but our kids are playing their tails off. They’re playing with great effort. We’re going to fix some things this week and get ready to play.”
Jones stressed that the team is not playing at the level they need to be playing at in order to win games. On Sunday, he talked to the offense about what is going on and what they need to do in order to make corrections and win games.
“We have good players and we’re calling good plays; we’re doing a lot of things right,” Jones said. “But out on the field some of the things are clicking. We have to get to where everyone on offense is being more consistent, and that’s really all it boils down to. We addressed a lot of issues as an offense and we are going to implement those, but the bottom line is we have to go get it done on the field. We’re not far off and we’re not going to panic right now, but we certainly have to pay attention to detail and get better. If we don’t get any better on offense then we’re going to have a tough time. I feel like our defense and special teams are playing well enough to win right now, the offense just needs to pick it up a bit.”
“Offensively, their quarterback is a very talented player,” Jones said turning his attention to Idaho. “He stands in the pocket and throws the ball. He has a good arm and understands where to go with the ball. Defensively, they have improved. They were giving up some points early in the year, but their coaching staff has done a good job of simplifying their scheme. They are much more sound right now. It’s going to be a tough ball game, it always is. This conference has a lot of good teams, and we have to be ready for each one. But we have to get better ourselves and concentrate on that, more so than concentrating on Idaho.”
Maleki Harris told the media that the coaches are putting them into good positions to make plays, but the players need to go make the plays. He pointed out that Idaho is a good team and that he and the team need to go up there focused and take care of business.
When asked about his play, Harris said that he is listening to his coaches and they are putting him in good positions to make plays. “They are giving us a good game plan each week, and they have us prepared for every game. It’s just a matter of going out there and making sure I do everything they coach me on and just follow what they tell me to do.”
“I feel like our defense is as good, if not better than last year,” Harris said when asked about the defense. “We’re playing at a higher level. I feel like our secondary is playing better than they were last year. Our linebackers are playing well, and our defensive line is talented and has depth. Defensively, I feel like we’re on pace to pick up where we left off last season.”
“One of the things Coach (Jones) has been preaching is the little things are what separates the good teams from the great teams,” Harris answered when asked about the team. “We have to capitalize on opportunities when they are there, and just make plays and do our jobs and handle our responsibilities. The little things are the difference in us being 3-0 and 1-2.”
Coach Jones, the players and staff look to get back to even on the season when they travel to Idaho to take on the 0-3 Vandals. Kickoff is scheduled for 4pm CDT and can be heard on 99.9 WMXC or viewed on ESPN3.
Volleyball Defeats Georgia State 3-0
The South Alabama volleyball team defeated Georgia State on Sunday 3-0 (25-18, 25-14, 25-18) in straight sets. The win improves the Jaguars record to 7-5 overall and 2-0 in conference play while Georgia State falls to 3-9 overall and 1-2 in conference play.
Abby Baker led the team with 11 digs while Mechell Daniel led the way with 11 kills. Emily Hundt had 20 assists to go along with nine digs.
Next the Jaguars will travel to San Marcos, Texas to face the Texas State Bobcats on Thursday, September 25 at 6:30pm.
Hannah Ties Record With Four Goals Against Francis Marion in 5-0 Win
Freshman Charde Hannah earned Offensive Player of the Week honors on Tuesday, September 16, 2014. She is the third Jaguar to earn a weekly honor this season. She tied a school record with four goals against Francis Marion on Sunday, September 21. Photo: usajaguars.com
South Alabama’s Charde Hannah tied a school record on Sunday with four goals in a 5-0 win over Francis Marion.
Charde got the scoring started with a goal in the 5th minute of the match and an assist by Danielle Henley. She would net her second goal in the 28th minute with an assist by Jordan Duncan on a shot into the upper right corner. At the half the Jags were up 2-0.
In the second half, Chelsea Followwell scored a goal after a rebound on a goal keeper save from about six yard out in the 50th minute of the match.
Just under six minutes later, Hannah scored a hat trick with a shot from about 20 yards out. In the 66th minute, Hannah could get her record tying goal on a throughball with an assist from Sophie Haywood.
Sarah Hay had six saves on the day.
The Jags held a 35 – 10 advantage in shots, 18-6 advantage on shots on goal.
Eagles Use Strong Running Game to Defeat Jags 28-6
The offense looks to the sideline for the play call against Georgia Southern on Saturday, September 20, 2014. GSU won their first Sun Belt Conference game 28-6.
Dropped passes, missed opportunities and inconsistent offensive play was the story for the second consecutive week for the Jaguars. The opportunities were there within reach, but they could not capitalize on them.
Brandon Bridge was 13-of-34 for 149 yards, a touchdown and two late interceptions while being sacked four times. Many of the incomplete passes were in receivers arms, but they could not be caught and it was frustrating to fans in the stands. Shavarez Smith led the receivers with four catches for 69 yards and the only touchdown of the game.
On the ground the Jaguars gained 147 yards with Kendall Houston leading the attack with 38 yards on seven carries. Jay Jones and Xavier Johnson both gained 37 yards on 12 and seven carries respectively.
The Jaguar defense played brilliantly at times, but were worn thin when the offense could not sustain a drive to give them a breather. Overall the defense allowed yards, 335 of them rushing on 52 carries. Georgia Southern quarterbacks were 6-of-11 for 85 yards and an interception.
The first quarter saw neither offense playing particularly well until the final play when GSU’s Matthew Breida went off left tackle and outran the Jaguar defense to the end zone for a 64-yard score and a 7-0 lead.
About five minutes into the second quarter the Eagles struck again on a 1-yard touchdown run by L.A. Ramsby. The highlight of their drive was a 48 yard pass completion from Kevin Ellison to receiver B.J. Johnson that was well defended by Qudarius Ford, but Johnson was able to haul in on the bounce.
The Jaguars responded late in the first half. Facing fourth and 1 at the GSU 28, Jaguar head coach Joey Jones called a time out to set up the offense. Shavarez Smith ran a short pattern near the right sideline and found a soft spot pass the first down marker, Bridge connected with him and Smith broke the tackle and sprinted 28 yards for the touchdown. Aleem Sunanon’s extra point attempt would be no-good, leaving the Jaguars trailing 14-6 at halftime.
Midway through the third quarter the Eagles extended their lead on a Breida touchdown from one yard out to make the score 21-6.
South Alabama had an opportunity to add to their score, but facing fourth-and-goal from the 7 yards line, Bridge suffered one of his four sacks to end the threat.
The Jags would a break when the Eagles field goal attempt would sail widel left, but again the Jaguar offense could not take advantage of that or any other opportunities the rest of the game.
GSU would score once more with 3:21 on a six yard touchdown run by Ellison for the final score of 28-6.
Breida led Georgia Southern on the ground with 187 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns while averaging 8.9 yards per carry. Ellison added 96 yards on 16 carries.
B.J. Johnson caught five of the six completed passes for 76 yards. Kentrellis Showers caught the other complete pass for nine yards.
The loss drops the Jaguars to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in conference play. Georgia Southern evens their record at 2-2 overall and 1-0 in conference play.
South Alabama travels to Moscow, Idaho to face the 0-3 Vandals in the Kibbie Dome. Georgia Southern has a short week as they host Appalachian State on Thursday evening.