Jags Split Two Games Last Week To End Four Game Losing Streak
The Jags split their two games last week to finally snap their four game losing streak.
The Jags traveled to play the University of New Orleans Privateers on Thursday in quite a sad environment. UNO announced that they are dropping from Division-I play to Division-III at the conclusion of this season. They had an estimated 150 in attendance with about 20 Jags fans in attendance. However, there were around 50 in attendance for the half time dance group.
It was a low scoring game with the Jags winning 59-51. South Alabama out rebounded UNO 40-23. The Jags took the game in hand late in the first half with a 17-4 run and went into the locker room with a 33-23 lead.
However, the second half opened with UNO going on a 14-2 run with four 3-pointers to regain the lead 37-35. Once again, the Jags took the game in hand with a 13-0 run. UNO would close to within six points twice, however the Jags would hold onto the victory.
Gary Redus and Tim Williams both scored 16 points against the Privateers with Williams getting his second straight double-double.
Coach Arrow had this to say after the game. “I’m just real happy for the guys. We’ve been working and we’ve had some situations that haven’t worked out for us. The things that we haven’t been doing late in games we did tonight. We didn’t turn the ball over late and made our free throws late. Those are the things we were doing earlier in the year when we were beating teams.”
On Saturday, the Jags had the lead by 16 points in the first half but allowed MTSU to tie the game up late in the first half. Actually, the Jags squandered two leads in the game to fall to 13-12 on the season and 5-8 in the Sun Belt Conference in the 80-68 loss.
Early in the game, the Jags built on the momentum of winning against UNO two nights earlier by starting off sizzling with a 14-2 lead. Shortly thereafter they had a 22-6 lead after a Martino Brock dunk.
However, the Jags would cool off and MTSU would warm up by answering with a 20-4 run to tie the game at 26. The Blue Raiders would take a 34-33 lead into half time.
The second half opened with the two teams trading the lead several times before the Jags opened up a seven point lead, 58-51 with 11:26 left in the second half. The lead came about as a result of five consecutive points from Brock.
However, the Jags would have another late half letdown. The blue raiders would score 20 of the next 25 points including 10 consecutive when they trailed the Jags 63-61.
MTSU would convert a turnover into a 3-pointer followed by a jumper from the field on their next possession and took the lead at 68-63 with 5:54 left in the game.
The Jags would commit three of their 15 turnovers in a span of four possessions and also missed four consecutive shots as the game slipped from their grasp.
Tim Williams scored a team high of 16 points in the game, with 11 of them after halftime. Bryan Sherrer had 14 and Gary Redus added 13.
After the game, Coach Arrow spoke about the loss. “This game was pretty much an exact replica, with the exception of New Orleans, of our last five or six games. We had at least a 10-point lead in the first half again and we haven’t been able to put the game away. They had kids that delivered and gave them big shots when they needed it.” Coach Arrow continued, “It’s frustrating for the players and it’s frustrating for us. It’s frustrating for our fans. We just have to find a way to come back.”
The Jags will continue their three game home stand against Florida International on Thursday with tip-off scheduled for 7:05pm at the Mitchell Center.
Go Jags!
South Alabama’s 2010 Signing Class
Coach Jones, as always, gave lots of credit to his assistant coaches on the excellent job they have done, both last year and in recruiting since the season ended. He said that recruiting is the lifeblood of a program. Either your program will improve or your program will flounder depending on how well your coaches can recruit players to your school.
Coach Jones continued by saying that last year they had to recruit players by selling them a dream. They had plans for a field house and a practice field, but nothing had been built yet. Now they have a state-of-the-art football field house that is among the nicest in the nation. They have a very nice artificial practice surface. They have an undefeated inaugural season and thousands of season ticket holders filling the stands. They have something concrete to show the players now.
The fans were obviously a big part of the recruiting process. When players attended games for their visit and saw the South Alabama fans come out like they did for each game it really helps the recruiting process by showing the players that the fans truly support the team.
The players they recruited had to meet two criteria. They had to be as good or better than their previous signing class and they had to be good academically. Their previous signing class was quite good and if these guys are better, watch out Sun Belt. The Jags are coming.
Here are the signees for the 2010 class at the University of South Alabama with notes based on the highlight video shown at the National Signing Day Announcement held this evening at the Mitchell Center.
Davin Hawkins a defensive back listed as 6’2″ weighing 215-lbs from Etowah High. Hawkins video showed his speed breaking on the ball and as a kick returner.
Melvin Meggs offensive lineman listed at 6’2″ weighing 320-lbs from Petal High School in Mississippi. Meggs is a big, wide guy who can dominate his opponent.
Rush Hendricks who played full back and inside linebacker listed as 6’2″ weighing 225-lbs from Jay High school in Florida. His highlight video showed him at inside linebacker. It showed that his time at full back helped him develop vision to get to the ball and make the stop.
T.J. Glover listed as an athlete at 5’9″ weighing 170-lbs from Plant High in Tampa, Florida. Glover had good speed, good vision and he made very good cuts.
Trey Sims a defensive back listed at 6’2″ weighing 185-lbs from North Gwinnett High in Buford, Georgia. Sims seemed to have great instincts for the ball.
Drew Dearman an offensive lineman listed at 6’3″ weighing 280-lbs from Vestavia Hills High School. Dearman had very good blocking ability and comes from a school that produces alot of good talent.
Shawn Artz is an offensive lineman listed at 6’6″ weighing 265-lbs from Buford High School in Georgia as well. Artz is very tall but could probably use some more weight (that’s coach Schwind’s job).
Vondre Jackson a defensive back listed at 5’11” weighing 190-lbs from Troup County High in West Point, Georgia. He looks to be another hard hitter with a good nose for the ball. He should make a good compliment to Jerron Mitchell at corner.
David Crumitie a defensive back listed at 5’10” and weighing 170-lbs from Jefferson County High in Monticello, Florida. His video showcased his speed and agility.
Johnny Lockett a running back listed at 5’9″ and weighing 185-lbs from Sweet Water High. He is big and had decent speed. He comes from a perinial powerhouse at Sweet Water in 1A.
Rodney Thomas a defensive lineman listed at 6’1″ weighing 300-lbs from Auburn High School. Thomas is big and can move lineman. Defintely a run stopper.
Ucambre Williams an offensive lineman listed at 6’3″ weighing 250-lbs from Central-Phenix City. Ucambre is one of those dominating offensive linemen. He is going to be in control.
Terrell Brigham a defensive back listed at 6′ and weighing 185-lbs from Burke County High School in Waynesboro, Georgia. In his highlight video he played both quarterback and safety. It accentuated his speed over his throwing ability. I would expect him to play safety for the Jags.
Shane Doty an offensive lineman listed at 6’4″ weighing 255-lbs from Fork Union [Va.] Military Academy. Doty is another one of those big players. He has experience playing since he was at Fork Union and he also faced the Jags.
Colby Harper is a wide receiver listed at 6’1″ weighing 180-lbs from Wylie High in Texas. He ran good routes and is a good possession receiver. He is probably not as fast as some receivers, but his catching ability and work to make people miss makes him a good recruit.
Chris May an offensive lineman listed at 6’3″ weighing 275-lbs from Deshler High School. He is a solid blocker for the offenive line.
Cassius Bradley a defensive back listed at 5’10” and weighing 190-lbs from Blinn Junior College in Caldwell, Texas. He had very good speed off the edge in blitzing plays.
Antwan Williams a defensive back listed at 5’10” and weighing 175-lbs from Hoover High School. He had good ball sense and comes from school known for good players.
C.J. Bennett a quarterback listed at 6′ weighing 200-lbs from Alonso High School in Tampa, Florida. His video showcased his strong arm. His accuracy seemed good, however most of his receivers were well open most of the time.
Jonathan Cameron is a defensive back listed at 6’1″ and weighing 190-lbs from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. A good cover corner with two years of experience which will help the young secondary of the Jags.
Calvin Jenkins is a quarterback listed at 5’11” and weighing 175-lbs from Auburn High School. His video showcased his scrambling ability which highlighted his speed.
Audoniss Madison an offensive lineman listed at 6’5″ and weighing 290-lbs Karr High School in New Orleans, Louisiana. Another tall, large offensive lineman that was a solid blocker.
First Official Signee Of The Incoming 2010 Class
Drew Dearman, a 6’4″ 270-lb offensive guard from Vestavia Hills High School, who was being recruited by Arkansas, Duke, Louisiana-Monroe, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Samford, Southern Miss and UAB, posted on his twitter account just a few minutes ago that he was on his way into his school to fax in his National Letter-of-Intent to South Alabama. This makes him the first signee of the 2010 freshmen class for the Jaguars.
On top of his physical attributes, he scored a 25 on his ACT and maintained a 3.75 GPA at Vestavia Hills High School. We will try to keep you up to date with official signees the best we can. If you have an account on Twitter, you can follow us at http://twitter.com/USAThunderjags
February 1st Vanguard Poll Question
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Recruiting Update For Monday, February 1st
Some updates on recruiting as we near National Signing Day on Wednesday.
Audoniss Madison, a 295-lb, 6’6″ offensive lineman from Edna Karr High School in New Orleans has given his verbal commitment to the South Alabama coaching staff. He received interest from Virginia, Memphis, Louisiana Tech and Northern Illinois.
Madison was all-metro, all-district and all-state. He provides size with agility that the Jags need to continue to improve.
Antwan Williams who is a 5’11” 175-lb corner from Hoover High School verbally committed to the Jags. He had received interest from UAB, Memphis, Kentucky and Louisiana Tech. Hoover has been a perinial power in the 6A ranks.
Terrell Brigham, a 6’1″ 185-lb corner from Burke County High School in Georgia. He played both quarterback and cornerback in High School but will play cornerback for South Alabama.
C.J. Bennett a 6′ quarterback from Hillsborough County verbally committed to South Alabama last week. He made a visit to South Florida but did not receive an offer from new coach Skip Holtz. Just before former coach Jim Leavitt was fired, Bennett received an offer for an official visit and was hoping to receive a scholarship offer when he visited.
Bennett had committed to Wyoming back in the summer but then decommitted about halfway through the high school season. He blamed the distance from home as his main reason. Offensive Coordinator Coach Gregory had a long relationship with Bennett during his time at South Florida which helped the Jags land Bennett.
Another player that is reportedly ready to publically commit is Trey Sims from North Gwinnett High School. He is a 205-lb 6’3″ Safety who has a reported time of 4.39 40. He is projected as an outside linebacker. Other schools that showed interest in Sims was Akron, Indiana, Toledo, Lousiana-Monroe and Western Michigan.
Shaun Artz of Buford High School in Georgia also committed as reported in the last Thunderjags.com recruiting update. He is listed as a 6’6″ 246-lb offensive tackle. He comes from a football powerhouse in Georgia and will have a chance to earn a spot quickly. Artz can play either guard or tackle and will have a chance to play either. He received interest from Samford, Eastern Michigan among other schools.
But note, that these are only verbal commitments and can change at any moment. Wednesday, February 3rd is the first day that players can sign National Letter-of-Intent’s which make their decisions official.
South Alabama will be hosting a National Signing Day event at the Mitchell Center. Coach Joey Jones and his staff will be showing a brief video of the incoming freshman class and they will speak about the upcoming 2010 schedule. Attendees will also have the opportunity to get autographs from teh current Jags roster and coaching staff.
So come out and on Wednesday for the 5pm event and support the Jags!