Keys To Jags Game This Weekend
Jaguar Pat Moore closes in on Mississippi State quarterback Tyler Russell in the first quarter of the Jaguars 30-10 loss to the Bulldogs.
South Alabama has a tough challenge in their first Sun Belt game when they host Troy on Saturday. The Jags (1-3, 0-0 SBC) has dropped their last two games against formidable opponents NC State and Mississippi State is looking to rebound against in-state rival Troy (2-2, 1-1 SBC) while trying to win their first conference game.
There are a couple keys points that are expected to play a big role in how the game goes for the Jags.
The Jaguar defense versus the Troy offense. Troy’s Corey Robinson is the Sun Belt’s leading passer with an average of 321.5 passing yards per game which totals more than the Jaguar offense averages in total yards per game with 312. Additionally, Troy has three of the conference’s top 10 receivers in receptions with Chip Reeves also currently second place in the conference with an average of 90.2 yards receiving per game.
The Jaguar secondary has given up some big plays this season. They gave up touchdown passes of 58 yards (on a center screen), 23 and 34 yards to UTSA. NC State’s Mike Glennon had touchdown passes of 33 and 44-yards.
But the Jags secondary does have four interceptions on the season. Tyrell Pearson has two and Terrel Brigham and Bryson James have one each. Free Safety B.J. Scott is the team’s third leading tackler with 20, two quarterback hurries, a pass breakup and a tackle for loss.
The secondary numbers does not stop there. Brigham is fourth on the team in tackles, Pearson ranks fifth on the team in tackles and Darrius Morrow is eighth.
The Jags rank near the top in rushing defense.
The next key is the Jaguar offense against the Troy defense. Can the Jags move the ball consistently, get first downs and score from in the red zone?
Troy’s defense is allowing an average of 25.8 points per game, fifth in the conference, and rank seventh in the conference in total defense allowing an average of 431.8 yards per game.
Their passing defense is in the middle of the pack, ranking fifth, with an average of 244 yards per game. While the Troy rush defense ranks eighth with 187.8 yards per game.
South Alabama has been rotating between two quarterbacks in their first four games. Coach Jones has declined to comment about who may be the starter or if the Jags will continue to rotate quarterbacks against Troy. But the Jaguars spread offense has shown, at times, that they can move the ball in large chunks in rapid succession. Now that they are facing a defense with a history of giving up lots of yards and more than 20 points per game, the Jags have a chance to put up some good numbers.
The Jags offensive line played very well against Mississippi State, a team with a huge defensive line. They had problems against NC State but seem to have corrected them. Their blocking scheme seems to have started clicking and couldn’t have come at a better time. If they can handle any new wrinkles introduced this week by Troy’s scheme, they should be okay.
The final key is turnovers. This has been a major factor for the Jags and the Trojans as well. South Alabama ranks dead last in the conference with -7 in turnovers, losing seven fumbles and five interceptions while gaining one fumble and four interceptions. Troy is only very slightly better with a ninth place ranking in the conference with a -6 in turnovers by losing six fumbles and four interceptions and gaining three fumbles and one interception.
Those Jaguar turnovers are magnified because the opponents have converted those turnovers into points. All four turnovers against UTSA were turned into points in their 33-31 loss to the Roadrunners.
We don’t have to repeat the saying, but it’s true more times than not: Whoever wins the turnover margin will be in a good position to win the game. But when you have two teams who are turnover prone, it may be a “slippery” subject.
Coach Joey Jones On The Tim Brando Show Yesterday
Yahoo! Sports Radio and CBS Sports host Tim Brando interviewed Jaguar head coach Joey Jones on his radio show yesterday leading up to the Jags game this weekend against Troy. It was a very good interview and you can view it right here thanks to CBSSports.com posting the clip on Youtube.
You may notice the beautiful South Alabama helmet behind Mr. Brando. A great marketing tool for South Alabama.
Also, at the end Coach Jones mentions how people in and around the area of Mobile have been supporting the program. The Sun Belt’s record attendance for a single game is only in the 32,000 range and Ladd-Peebles Stadium has the largest capacity of any stadium in the conference. The Jags have a really good shot at breaking that attendance record in their first Sun Belt game. So come out and be a part of history as well as viewing history in the making! The Jaguars first game in the Sun Belt Conference and the Jaguars first game against Troy!
Troy Players Speak Out About South Alabama
Troy players spoke with the Montgomery Advertiser and had some interesting things to say about the Jaguars. Previously Troy’s head coach Larry Blakeney had some choice words to say about the Jaguars before the season started, in particular how the Jags were unclassified in their first two seasons and only played teams that they could beat for the first two seasons (you can read the article here).
Troy Linebacker De’Von Terry said, “We can’t let the new guys just come and take over the Sun Belt. They have to earn their respect. They have to beat somebody, earn some championships. They can’t just come muscle us around.”
Quarterback Corey Robins said, “The first game is going to set the tone for the rivalry. We have to go down there and show them that we’re still here. Troy hasn’t fallen off. We have to play a good football game because they’re a good football team.”
Linebacker Kanorris Davis said, “It’s going to be as big as people want it to be. Everybody wants to win. This is our first time playing each other. It’s a new era. They’re welcoming the Sun Belt. We’re going to welcome them to the Sun Belt.”
Troy is also having to play ‘Keeping up with the Jones’ so to speak. Troy began making plans for a new football building after getting an up-close look at the Jaguars’ facilities for the 2010 GMAC Bowl.
Additionally, the Jags and the Trojans are recruiting the same players in the same areas. “We’re running into them all the time,” said Troy recruiting coordinator Randy Butler, whose primary territory includes Mobile. “The kids that we’re offering down there, they’re offering.”
Some Troy supporters may deny that a rivalry does not exist between South Alabama and Troy. But there has always been a rivalry between the two schools. It formed when South Alabama announced plans to start a football program and both schools began recruiting the same areas and the same players. It happened before the first whistle between the two school and before either school appeared on the others schedule.
All the denying is useless, embrace it but keep it positive. We have enough poisoned trees and name calling already in this state.
De’Von Terry is right, the Jags will have to earn their respect. The Jaguars have earned quite a bit of respect in their four years of existence, but they haven’t gotten that first FBS victory yet. Lets hope that it comes this weekend at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Jags Are Fine Tuning Their Gameplan For First Ever Sun Belt Game Against Troy
Head Coach Joey Jones talking with wide receiver Carr Tigner during preseason practice.
Head coach Joey Jones and his staff continued to install and fine tune their game plan for the Jaguars game against Troy University. This will be the Jaguars first game against a Sun Belt opponent and it just so happens to be a school just up the road from Mobile.
Much of practice on Wednesday was used to prepare for Saturday’s game and Coach Jones is pleased with the plan he and his staff have put together. But as with all plans, there is still some tweaking left to be done between now and Saturday. “We were kind of finalizing the gameplan,” Coach Jones said to the Press-Register on Wednesday. “What we’ve got to do as a staff is we’ve got to go narrow some things down to exactly what we want to do in the game. I think we’re getting there. I really like some of the things that we’re doing on both sides of the ball and special teams. The kids have fought hard. They’re a little tired this morning but the bottom line is they came out and worked and that’s what we want.”
So far this season most people have been focused on Troy’s offense, but Troy’s defense is pretty good too. We took a look at the statistical numbers for the Sun Belt Conference on Monday and Tuesday and pointed out where Troy ranked in those same categories.
Coach Jones understands that Troy is good on defense too. “The offense gets the glitz and the glamor because they’ve been doing extremely well with what they’ve done,” Coach Jones said to the Press-Register. “But Troy has always been known for defense. They know how to play defense, they play hard-nosed defense. They run to the football, they tackle and they play defense the way it’s supposed to be played. When I look at them on film I don’t see much difference but I think in the media people tend to look at the offense because they put up so many points and so many numbers. But they are very good on defense.”
But the Jaguar defense has played very well themselves. “We’ve played extremely well,” Jones said. “The staff has done a great job and the players have done a great job defensively. You win ballgames most of the time because you play good defense. We’ve got to continue to do that. Once we get it rolling offensively we’re going to be pretty good.”
Replay Of USA vs Mississippi State Aires Tonight On CSS
C.J. Bennett reads the defense while head coach Joey Jones looks on from the sidelines in Starkville Mississippi.
A replay of the Jaguars game at Mississippi State will be aired on CSS (Comcast Sports Southeast) tonight from 9-11pm. This will be a time-compressed game and may be edited to fit the time allotted. It may also be edited to show more MSU highlights than Jaguar highlights, but for those who were unable to view the game on Saturday, this may be of interest anyway.
Jags Close Practice As They Continue To Prepare For Troy
South Alabama practiced for about two hours on Tuesday as they continue to prepare for their first-ever Sun Belt Conference game. A game against a rival school that is nearby and has experienced success in football over the last several years.
Since this is such a historic game for the Jags and Coach Jones wants the players as focused for the game as possible without any of their preparation leaking out to opponents, Coach Jones has done something he has never done before. He has closed practices to fans and the media this week.
“With the social media nowadays, there’s too many people that talk, so we’re just going to close practice this week,” he said.
However he did comment about practice to the Press-Register. “It was good today,” Jones said. “Our kids realize that Troy’s a great football program. They know how to win, they’ve been in a lot of big games and they’re kind of the standard for what we’re trying to get to. So our kids have prepared well. They understand it’s going to be a big game, but the bottom line is we’ve got a lot of big games this year. We’ve just got to keep preparing. I’m just proud of the way they’re coming to work. They need to keep doing that and continue to work hard this week to get better. The game’s designation as the Jags’ first game against a Sun Belt team only serves to increase the attention the game will receive from fans and others.”
Troy will be the measuring stick that the Jaguars will be measured against and Coach Jones understands this. “Sure. This is the standard by which our football program is going to be measured in the future,” Jones said. “Obviously, Troy’s at the top of the league. That’s the measuring stick for our football program because they’ve been so dominant. We’ll find out this Saturday where we measure up.”
But unlike Mississippi State last week, the Jags will be measured on the scoreboard more than the statistical sheet. The Jaguar offense has struggled moving the ball and scoring this season. The Jags scored 31 points in their season opening game agaisnt Texas-San Antonio, but have scored a total of 26 points in the last three games. This has the Jaguars averaging just 14.25 points per game this season.
“We’ll see Saturday, but obviously the biggest goal offensively is we’ve got to score points,” he said. “We’ve moved the ball and we haven’t gotten it in the end zone and that’s something that we’ve got to do. We’ve got to score some points in order to be able to compete with Troy. They’re going to score some points. They’re just very good on offense. They’re one of the best offenses I’ve seen in the Sun Belt on film. They’re very good so we’ve got to score some points offensively.”
South Alabama and Troy kickoff at 2:30pm on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, the Jaguars first home game after a two week road swing against NC State and Mississippi State.
The Jags will attempt to break the single-game record attendance in the Sun Belt. Ladd-Peebles Stadium is the largest in the conference and the single-game record is around 32,000. But if you cannot make it out for the first-ever Sun Belt game, it will air on CSS (Comcast Sports Southeast) on Saturday.
Jaguar Individual Statistical Leaders In The Sun Belt Conference
Below is some of South Alabama’s statistical leaders with a comparison to Troy, the Jaguars next opponent and the first team they will face in the Sun Belt Conference.
Jags do not have any rushers in the top 10, but Troy’s Shawn Southward leads the Sun Belt with 430 yards rushing on 78 carries.
Also Troy’s quarterback Corey Robinson leads the conference in passing average per game with an average of 321.5 yards per game on 119-of-178 with four interceptions and six touchdowns for a total of 1,286 yards.
The Jags C.J. Bennett ranks 10th on the list with an average of 130.2 yards per game. He is 50-of-85 with three interceptions, three interceptions and 521 yards on the season.
The Jags do not have a quarterback in the top ten of passing efficiency, however Troy’s Corey Robinson ranks fifth with an efficiency rating of 134.2.
Additionally Troy has three receivers ranked in the top ten for receptions per game with Chip Reeves is tied for fifth averaging 6.5 per game, Eric Thomas is tied for sixth averaging 6 receptions per game and Southward averages 5 receptions per game. The Jags do not have a receiver in the top ten currently.
Again the Jags do not have a receiver in the top ten for receiving yards per game while Troy’s Chip Reeves ranks second on the list with an average of 90.2 yards per game.
In the total offense rankings, Troy’s Corey Robinson ranks second with 316 yards per game while South Alabama’s C.J. Bennett comes in tenth with an average of 144 yards per game.
South Alabama’s T.J. Glover ranks fourth in the conference in Punt Return average with 11.2 yards per return and ranks third in kick return average with 30 yards per return. In both instances he ranks ahead of Troy players. Troy’s Justin Albert ranked ninth with a 2.7 yard average while the Trojan’s Worthy ranks sixth with an average of 23.4 yards per return.
In all purpose yards, the Jags once again does not have a player in the top ten, yet Troy has three in the top ten. Southward averages 141.2 all-purpose yards per game, Worthy has an average of 102.2 yards per game and Chip Reeves has an average of 90.2 yards per game.
The Jaguars Scott Garber ranks seventh in punting with an average of 41.1 yards per punt while Troy’s Will Scott is ninth with an even 40 yards per punt average. The leader Josh Davis from MTSU averages 43.1 yards per punt.
Michel Chapuseaux is fourth in the conference in kicking percentage by making 71.4 percent (5-of-7) of his field goal attempts. MTSU’s Carlos Lopez leads the conference making a perfect 5-of-5 while Troy’s Will Scott ranks fifth by hitting 60 percent of his attempts (3-of-5).
Defensively, Jake Johnson is second in the Sun Belt in tackles with 40, one behind FIU’s John Cyprien who has 41. Enrique Williams is tied for tenth and B.J. Scott tied for 40th with 20 tackles so far this season. Troy has four players in the top 40 in tackles, the highest is Trawick with 35 this season.
The Jaguars Alex Page is tied for first in the conference with three sacks with Western Kentucky’s Smith who has three sacks through three games, one less than Page. Anthony Taylor was tied for third with two sacks prior to his season ending injury at Mississippi State.
Jake Johnson is in second place in tackles-for-loss with 5.5 so far this season. He trails Tim Starson from Arkansas State who has 6. Alex Page is tied for 8th with 3.5 TFL’s this season. Again Anthony Taylor was tied for 12th with 3 before his injury. Enrique Williams and Montavious Williams are in 18th and 19th positions for the Jags.
A pair of Jaguars are in the top 13 for passes defended as well. Tyrell Pearson is in fourth place with five passes defended, three broken up and two intercepted. Terrell Brigham is in an eight way time for 13th place with three. He has two break-ups and an interception.
With his two interceptions, Pearson is also tied for 2nd place with his two interceptions.
Jones Pleased With Monday’s Practice
Head coach Joey Jones was happy with the Jaguars practice on Monday in preparation for his teams first Sun Belt Conference game against Troy on Saturday. This will be the Jaguars first game against a Sun Belt opponent.
Coach Jones said that the team practices for about an hour on Monday as they went over special teams and installed the gameplan for Saturday. The historical importance of this game has not been lost to Coach Jones. “We understand it’s a special game,” he said. “The tradition that Troy has and what they’ve done in the Sun belt is truly tremendous. When you think of the Sun Belt you think of Troy. I think having them come to our field and us getting into the Sun Belt Conference is something that we’ve looked forward to, playing great programs like that.”
Additionally, Coach Jones was able to give former Florida Atlantic head coach Howard Schnellenberger a tour of the South Alabama football fieldhouse on Monday. Coach Schnellenberger started the FAU football program from scratch and Coach Jones talked with him when he was tasked with starting the South Alabama program.
“It was great,” Jones said. “I met him four years ago. We went down there (to FAU) to visit with them and talk about starting a program. He gave me some really good pointers and I got to spend the day with him, He was good to me then and it was good to see him again. He’s a lot of fun to talk to. He has a lot of stories from coach Bryant and starting a new program. It meant a lot to have him there and it was good to see him.”
The Jags and the Trojans kick off on Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium at 2:30pm and will air on CSS.
South Alabama And Troy – The Beginning Of A Rivalry?
The South Alabama Jaguars have now turned their focus to their first Sun Belt Conference football game against Troy University. While they have never met on the gridiron, South Alabama and Troy have a long rivalry in the Sun Belt.
Both schools have fought hard against each other in all other sports. But in the south, football is king. And that rivalry is about to reach new heights this week when Troy visits Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
While the Jags are playing a full Sun Belt schedule this season, they are not eligible for the conference championship or a bowl game. But that does not deter the Jags from wanting to make waves in the conference this season.
Up to this point, the Jags have only played a handful of teams more than once. UTSA and Georgia State were the closest things to a rivalry game Jags fans have experienced until Saturday’s kickoff arrives. But this game will be a true rivalry game, an intense one, between the two schools.
“It will be a very exciting thing just because of geography,” Troy director of athletics Steve Dennis was quoted by the Press-Register. “Now that South Alabama has matriculated through the football stages, and we’ve always had a great rivalry in basketball and baseball and we recruit the same areas, football is just another addition to the puzzle, so to speak. It’s a very big piece though when you talk about football in the state of Alabama.”
Sun Belt commissioner Karl Benson spoke about the South Alabama and Troy rivlary. “Once South Alabama started football, that was the impetus for a true, legitimate rivalry,” he said. “When you have two schools in the same state, just a few miles from each other and fans have a chance to travel to the respective schools, that’s what makes a rivalry. The fans have to embrace the rivalry in order for there to be a rivalry.”
“Their proximity allows for it,” he continued. “The state of Alabama kind of has it’s own structure. Obviously there’s Auburn and Alabama and now you can thrown in Troy and South Alabama. … I think Troy-South Alabama has the same type of rivalry potential as Auburn-Alabama.”
Dr. Joel Erdmann, the South Alabama Athletics Director, is looking fowards to this weekend’s game as well as the rivalry’s future. “Due to several things – due to our proximity, due to the fact we’re located in the same state, due to the fact that we each have alumni in each other’s backyard – I think it’s a natural and tremendous fit for a rivalry that can be grown over the years,” Erdmann said. “They are an institution that has been around a little longer than us and they have been playing football a little longer than us – quite a while longer than us – but they have some aspects where they have climbed, too. They made a great climb from Division II through the old Division I-AA and now to the FBS. And not only has football had great success on a national level, but they have other sports that have been successful in the Sun Belt Conference and on a regional and national level.”
However, in the early days of the Sun Belt, South Alabama had a different in-state rival. UAB and South Alabama had a strong rivalry in basketball, but when the Blazers left the conference for Conference-USA the rivalry faded. Though they have played each other in basketball over the last few years, it isn’t the same.
Troy had a great rivalry with Jacksonville State when both teams were in Division II. However that rivalry was lost when Troy moved through Division I-AA to Division I-A (FBS) competition. Though they have developed a football rivalry with Middle Tennesse State and other schools in different sports, but not to the potential level a football rivalry with the Jags could reach.
“I think we can work to build this rivalry into something very special,” Erdmann said. “This could be one of those events that our people and their people circle on their calendars when the schedules come out in early spring.”
But a good rivalry has an equally good name. What name will emerge for this rivalry?
Hopefully this rivalry will stay on the positive side without the negativity that so many fans know and associate with the Alabama-Auburn rivalry.
Taylor Broke Two Bones In Right Leg Against MSU
South Alabama’s Anthony Taylor, a 6’3″ 225-pound senior defensive end/outside linebacker, will miss the remainder of the season after suffering a broken leg early in the first quarter against Mississippi State on Saturday.
Initially it was reported that he had fractured his fibula. However during surgery, doctors found that he had also fractured his tibia. Director of sports medicine Jinni Frisbey reported that Sunday’s surgery to repair the break went well.
Taylor has been a member of the Jaguars since the programs first season in 2009. He came into this season with 49 total tackles, 11 tackles-for-loss and 3.5 sacks with an interception and four pass deflections. This season Taylor had recorded eight tackles, two sacks and three tackles-for-loss.
With Romelle Jones’ injury that will keep him out for a couple weeks, Taylor’s loss will affect the depth the Jaguars had at defensive line. But worst of all is that Taylor will miss the remainder of his senior season.
Jaguar Nation will be pulling for Taylor to make a full and speedy recovery.