Jags Vs Bobcats Overview With Franchione Press Conference Video

October 25, 2013 · By · Filed Under Football · Comments Off on Jags Vs Bobcats Overview With Franchione Press Conference Video 

Jags_vs_TexasState

The University of South Alabama football team (3-3 overall, 1-1 SBC) travels to Texas State (4-3, 1-2 SBC) for a 6pm kickoff on Saturday in San Marcos, Texas.

The Jags enjoyed a 38-21 homecoming win over Kent State last Saturday, the first comfortable win in almost two seasons and snapping a two-game losing streak.

Texas State’s head coach Dennis Franchione is in his third season as head coach of the Bobcats and are coming off of a 24-17 win over Georgia State and ranks first in scoring defense in the Sun Belt Conference. This will be the Bobcats homecoming game and hope to enjoy a win similarly to the Jags win last week.

Going against one of the top Sun Belt Conference defense is the Jaguar offense who gained 481 yards of offense with a balanced attack. The Jags rushed for a season high 224 yards and threw for 257 more while controlling the ball for almost 35 minutes.

One of the key stats from the game against Kent State is that the Jags did not commit a single turnover. The Jags will need to protect the ball against Texas State as they are among the leaders in turnover margin in the Sun Belt.

Play-by-play of the game can be heard on WNSP 105.5FM as well as streaming online worldwide on www.wnsp.com. The game can be seen on ESPN3 as well.

This is a video of Texas State head coach Dennis Franchione from his Tuesday press conference where he spoke about their win over Georgia State and looking ahead to tomorrows game against South Alabama.

Go Jags!

Jaguar Women’s Soccer Defeat ULL 4-2

October 25, 2013 · By · Filed Under Soccer · Comments Off on Jaguar Women’s Soccer Defeat ULL 4-2 
Freshman Lauren Allison scored three goals against ULL on Thursday evening. | Photo usajaguars.com

Freshman Lauren Allison scored three goals against ULL on Thursday evening. | Photo usajaguars.com

The South Alabama women’s soccer team controlled the match against Louisiana-Lafayette from beginning to end at The Cage on Thursday and earned the 4-2 victory.

The Jags snapped a back-to-back losing streak when they Jags were shutout by Western Kentucky and Troy. The Jags (11-5-2 overall, 4-2-1 SBC) shook that off and quickly got on the scoreboard in the eighth minute when Lauren Allison got her first goal in four matches.

Senior midfielder Clarissa Hernandez followed with two shots on goal before knocking home a header of sophomore defender Nini Rabsatt-Smith’s corner kick to put the Jags up 2-0.

ULL finally got on the scoreboard after an appeal for a handball. Freshman Yazmin Montoya netted her chance and cut the Jaguar lead in half to 2-1.

Seven minutes into the second half (53rd minute) sophomore Jordan Duncan intercepted a ULL pass, fed it to Allison who netted it for the Jags to regain their two goal lead at 3-1. Allison would add another goal less than 20 minutes later (71st minute) to push the Jags lead to 4-1.

Montoya scored for ULL in the 90th minutes, just before the final whistle, for the final score of 4-2.

The Jags regular season finale will get started at 1pm at The Cage when they host ULM Warhawks. As tradition for Senior Day, the seniors will be honored during the pregame. The match, along with all the lady Jaguar matches, are free to the public.

Jaguar Women’s Soccer Host ULL, ULM In Regular Season Finale

October 24, 2013 · By · Filed Under Soccer · Comments Off on Jaguar Women’s Soccer Host ULL, ULM In Regular Season Finale 

USA_Soccer

The South Alabama women’s soccer team will conclude their regular season schedule with home matches against Louisiana-Monroe and Louisiana-Lafayette.

The Jags (10-5-2, 3-2-1 SBC) will face ULL (8-5-2, 5-1-0 SBC) on Thursday at 7pm. Then they will host ULM (6-10-1, 1-5-0 SBC) on Sunday afternoon.

The team will be wearing pink on Thursday for Breast Cancer Awareness then will hold a silent auction on-site for four NCAA pink soccer balls used in the weekend’s matches. Money raised from the auction will be presented to Troy in support of it’s “Project 19 Campaign.”

Sunday will be Senior Day as 14 Jaguars will be recognized during pregame. Both matches will be free to the public at The Cage, which is located on Old Shell Road just east of Eddie Stanky Field.

The Jags will travel to San Marcos, Texas for the 2013 Sun Belt Conference Tournament on November 6-10 despite the outcomes this weekend. However they look to improve their conference standing as well as improve on their 4-1-1 home record.

Go Jags!

USA Continues To Prepare For Texas State

October 24, 2013 · By · Filed Under Football · Comments Off on USA Continues To Prepare For Texas State 
South Alabama first-year defensive coordinator Kevin Sherrer talks with the defense on the sidelines during the Jags game against Kent State.

South Alabama first-year defensive coordinator Kevin Sherrer talks with the defense on the sidelines during the Jags game against Kent State.

The Jaguars continue to hone their gameplan for Texas State in hopes of spoiling the Bobcat’s homecoming.

USA’s defense is preparing for the Texas State offense who use the option and has a potent running game. Meanwhile the Jaguar offense is preparing a defense with a strong front seven and a defense that leads the conference in scoring defense.

“I thought it was really good,” head coach Joey Jones explained to AL.com about Wednesday mornings practice. “I thought we’re starting, especially on defense, to pick up our assignments a little better. We need another good day though. But I thought we’re moving towards being pretty good.”

Execution will be key for the Jags on Saturday, just like anytime they play on the road. But the bobcats will want to defeat the Jags at home on homecoming. The bobcat defense plays very disciplined and rarely gives up long runs while doing a good job of swarming to the football.

The Jaguar offensive line will have a challenge as Texas State will look to put pressure on the quarterback and stopping the running game.

Head coach Joey Jones challenged his team to continue to get better. He told them, “…we’re at the midway point of the season and great teams get better as the season ends and finish strong. That was my challenge to them.”

The Jags are coming off of a 38-21 non-conference win over Kent State. This was the Jaguars first win by more than seven points since the Jags 35-3 win over Mississippi Valley State in 2011.

USA (3-3 overall, 1-1 Sun Belt) and Texas State (4-3, 1-2 SBC) will kickoff at 6pm CDT on Saturday in Sam Marcos, Texas. Play-by-play will be available on 105.5 FM WNSP and streamed worldwide on www.wnsp.com. We have reached out to Texas State for confirmation if video of the game will be streamed online through their video portal for a fee.

USA vs Texas State By The Numbers

October 23, 2013 · By · Filed Under Football · Comments Off on USA vs Texas State By The Numbers 

Jags_vs_TexasState

Last night’s win by Louisiana-Lafayette over Arkansas State puts them in first place in the Sun Belt standings. ULL (5-2 overall, 3-0 SBC) won 23-7 over the Red Wolves.

South Alabama is tied with Arkansas State and UL-Monroe at 1-1 in Conference play.

ULL sits on top of the conference in scoring offense with an average of 35.5 points per game, Troy is second with 34.4 ppg and the Jags rank third with a 31.3 ppg average. Texas State ranks 6th with an average of 23.0 points per game.

However Texas State ranks first in the conference in scoring defense by allowing an average of 22.6 points per game. The Jags rank fourth by allowing an average of 28.5 points per game.

Troy leads the Sun Belt in total offense with an average of 486.9 yards per game, South Alabama ranks 4th with an average of 452.8 yards per game with Texas State coming in last with an average of 314.9 yards per game.

ULL leads the conference in rushing offense with Texas State coming in fourth with an average of 186.3 yards per game on the ground. The Jags rank right behind them with an average of 175.0 yards per game rushing.

Troy leads the conference in passing offense with an average of 327.7 yards per game passing. South Alabama is second in the conference with an average of 277.8 yards per game passing. Texas State ranks last in the conference with only 128.6 yards per game passing from their option offense.

Troy also leads the conference in passing efficiency with a rating of 157.2 while the Jags rank fifth  with a 132.9 rating. Texas State is seventh with a rating of 100.1.

The total defense leader is Western Kentucky by allowing an average of 350 yards per game. Texas State ranks third by allowing an average of 381 yards per game. South Alabama ranks fourth by allowing an average of 410 yards per game.

Texas State if the leader in rushing defense in the conference by allowing a mere 100.3 yards per game on the ground. The Jags rank fourth in the conference allowing an average of 163.0 yards per game on the ground.

WKU leads the passing defense standings by allowing only 170.1 yards per game through the air. The Jags rank sixth in the confernece by allowing 247.0 yards per game through the air.

Texas State ranks first in the conference in pass defense efficiency with a 115.3 rating. The Jags are sixth with a 134.1 rating.

In special teams rankings, the Jags are second in the conference with an average return of 25.9 yards per kickoff return. Texas State is third with an average of 25.7 yards per return. Though Texas State takes the top spot in punt return average with 12.5 yards per return. The Jags rank sixth with an average return of 5.9 yards.

Texas State ranks second in the conference in punting with a net average per punt of 40.1 yards. The Jags rank fifth with a net average of 35.3 yards per punt.

The Jags rank fifth in the conference in Field Goal percentage as Aleem Sunanon is 7-of-12 on the season for a .583 average. Texas State ranks last (7th) in the conference as they are 4-of-9 on the year for a .444 average.

Texas State is tied with UL-Lafayette for first place in the conference in interceptions with nine through seven games. The Jags rank third with seven interceptions through six games.

South Alabama and Troy are tied atop the ranking for defensive sacks with 15. Texas State is third with 13. Texas State also ranks first in the conference by allowing only nine sacks while the Jags are tied with Troy, UL-Monroe, WKU and UL-Lafayette with 12 sacks allowed.

In third down conversions, South Alabama ranks fifth by converting 41.9 percent into first downs. Texas State ranks last in the conference by only converting 32.3 percent of their third downs into first downs.

Texas State ranks second in the conference in opponents third down conversion rate by allowing their opponents to convert 36.2 percent of their attempts. The jags ranks sixth with opponents converting 40 percent of their attempts.

Texas State converts 37.5 percent of their fourth down attempts, good for fourth place. The jags are sixth in the conference with a 27.3 percent conversion rate.

South Alabama ranks fifth in the conference in penalties with an average of 56.3 yards per game while Texas State ranks seventh with an average of 67.3 yards per game.

Time of possession ranking has Texas State on top with an average of 32:50 while the Jags rank fifth with 30:08 per game.

Texas State is second in the conference in turnover margin with +5 the Jags are fourth with +1.

Non-AQ Top 10 Rankings

October 23, 2013 · By · Filed Under Sun Belt Conference · Comments Off on Non-AQ Top 10 Rankings 

This week’s Non-AQ Top 10:

Non-AQ Top 10
RK
TEAM
RECORD
PTS
1
Fresno
State (9)
6-0
108
2
Northern
Illinois (2)
7-0
98
3
Brigham
Young
5-2
85
4
Ball
State
7-1
71
5
Boise
State
5-2
70
6
Bowling
Green
5-2
51
7
East
Carolina
5-2
41
8
Louisiana
4-2
22
9
Tulane
5-2
20
10
Ohio
5-2
17

Dropped from rankings: Marshall

Others receiving votes: Marshall 12, Rice 5, Toledo 4,
Buffalo 2.

USA Volleyball’s Lewis Earns Back-To-Back Freshman Weekly Honors

October 22, 2013 · By · Filed Under Sun Belt Conference, Volleyball · Comments Off on USA Volleyball’s Lewis Earns Back-To-Back Freshman Weekly Honors 
Jessica Lewis earned her second Freshman of the Week honor this season. Photo by Brad Puckett | usajaguars.com

Jessica Lewis earned her third Freshman of the Week honor this season and the first back-to-back weekly honor in program history. Photo by Brad Puckett | usajaguars.com

South Alabama’s Jessica Lewis earned her third Freshman of the Week honor on Monday. This marks back-to-back weeks she has earned the honor as well.

In all, this is the fifth weekly award for the Jaguar volleyball program and only the 11th time a Jaguar has earned a conference weekly honor in program history. This is the first time in the program’s history that a student-athlete has been honored with weekly honors in consecutive weeks.

Lewis led the Jags with 31 kills and 22 digs over the weekend. She began the weekend with 12 kills and seven digs at Texas-Arlington. Then on Sunday she earned her first double-double with 19 kills and a career high 15 digs at Texas State.

Lewis ranks second on the team and fifth in the conference in kills with 3.19 per set while also ranking seventh in the conference in points with 3.49.

The Jags will host Texas State on Friday at 7pm and Louisiana-Lafayette on Sunday at 1pm at Jag Gym.

Monday Press Conference

October 22, 2013 · By · Filed Under Football · Comments Off on Monday Press Conference 
Running back Jay Jones diving in for a Jaguar touchdown against Kent State.

Running back Jay Jones diving in for a Jaguar touchdown against Kent State.

The Jaguar football team is fresh off of their 38-21 win over Kent State where they put together a balanced, complete performance. The win snapped a two-game losing streak and evened their season record at 3-3 overall.

But they will have to turn around and learn how to defend an offense that is rarely seen in the college ranks these days, the option.

Below is highlights of the Monday press conference.

Head coach Joey Jones opened the press conference with his opening statement where he spoke about how pleased he was to see his team win a more comfortable game. “I thought we played a fairly complete game (last week), and played well in all three phases,” Jones said. “I liked our confidence and how we approached the game. We didn’t turn the ball over and didn’t have a ton of penalties, so it was just a game that you like as a coach. But you always see things you can fix and get better from when you watch the film. It was a good game overall, and I’m real pleased with the way our kids came out and played against Kent State.”

The focus then turned to Texas State. “Defensively, they are number one in the league in points allowed,” Jones explained. “That’s the only way you can rate a defense to me. They are keeping people out of the end zone, and that’s what matters. They’re doing a great job and have a great scheme. They have a lot of movement on their front, getting people where they want them to be. They are very well-coached on defense. Offensively, they run an option scheme which causes some issues so we have to be smart about how we play. And their special teams are really sound.”

Jones then spoke more about defending the option. “You don’t see it as much,” he explained. “Our players, as well as players on other teams, don’t see it much in this day and time even in high school. But years ago you would play against it in high school and you could just brush up on it. But right now it is a totally new thing for them, so we have to be smart about how we present it to them. We have to present it to them in a way they understand it.”

He also spoke about the team’s confidence after the win over Kent State. “I think it did a lot for our confidence,” Jones said. “Our kids came off the field and realized they beat a darn good team. I thought we controlled the game very well. What it taught our players more than just confidence is if we play every quarter and treat each quarter like it is the end of the game, then we have a shot. From that standpoint, I thought we grew up.”

Running back Jay Jones was the offensive representative for the press conference. He reflecting back on his performance against Kent State. “The Kent State game was just a game that was focused on me coming out and making plays,” he explained. “Our offense is full of playmakers and to this point, I’ve just been playing my role like everyone else. Coach Jones told me before Saturday’s game to come out ready to get the ball. They just put me in great positions to make plays in the game.”

Jay then spoke about what Saturday’s success does for his confidence. “It does a lot for our confidence, because we’ve lost some close games this season that we felt we shouldn’t have and where we felt we were the better team,” Jones Said. “This past week, we took the preparation seriously. We just wanted to win every quarter. Winning it easily did a lot for our confidence and its going to help us this week.”

He also addressed how the offense seems to have more of a comfort level now. “I think it’s just everyone understanding what their part (in the offense) is,” Jay explained. “The receivers know that when I’m running the ball, they know that their blocking is key, whereas on a pass play, my blocking is key. We now know how good this offense can be if everyone does their role.”

He talked about how the offensive line has developed as the season has progressed. “We do a lot of group schemes with our offensive line and blitz pickups in practice,” he said. “They take everything seriously. When we’ve had injuries, a lot of guys have stepped up and made a difference. Our offensive line goes hard every play. They give me gaps and creases that help me make plays.”

The defensive representative was linebacker Enrique Williams. He talked about what the team’s win did in helping the team’s confidence. “Going into the week, the coaches were saying that we needed to make a statement,” Williams explained. “Not just win, but show other teams we can win by more than a touchdown or a field goal. A lot of our games have been going down to the last second, so we needed to come out and make that statement to the rest of our opponents.”

Williams explained how they will have to adjust to the Texas State’s option offense. “We’ve played against some option teams the past few years,” Williams said. “It’s always difficult (to face a team) when you have a running threat at quarterback, so we’re just going to have to be disciplined and stay in our gaps with everyone just doing their job.”

South Alabama will travel to San Marcos, Texas for a Sun Belt Conference game against Texas State on Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 6pm.

Jaguar Volleyball Falls In Five Sets To Texas State

October 21, 2013 · By · Filed Under Volleyball · Comments Off on Jaguar Volleyball Falls In Five Sets To Texas State 

USA_Volleyball

The Jaguar Women’s Volleyball team fell to Texas State in five sets on Sunday even though Freshmen Jessica Lewis and Mechell Daniel both recorded double-double’s.

The Jags (7-12, 2-7 SBC) will return home to face Texas State (15-9, 5-4 SBC) again in Mobile on Friday night at 7pm in Jag Gym.

“Our team started off well and was prepared for today’s match,” USA Volleyball head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said. “The issue today was that we weren’t able to sustain that type of play for three complete sets. We were able to play two very good sets and had a hard time finding that third set. Texas State’s backs were against the wall and they were able to respond when they needed to.”

Lewis and Daniel both recorded 19 kills with Daniel tying a career best with 17 digs and Lewis setting a new career best with 15. This was the fifth double-double for Daniel this season while this was the first for Lewis. Kelley Little also set a new career-high with 17 digs while Abby Baker recorded a match-high 18 digs for the Jags.

The Jags also fell in three straight matches against Texas-Arlington on Friday night.

As mentioned above, the Jags will host Texas State on Friday at 7pm then they will host Louisiana-Lafayette on Sunday at 1pm in Jag Gym.

Lady Jags Soccer Fall To Troy 1-0

October 21, 2013 · By · Filed Under Soccer · Comments Off on Lady Jags Soccer Fall To Troy 1-0 

USA_Soccer

The South Alabama Women’s Soccer team fell at Troy on Sunday afternoon. The Jags were once the nation’s leader in scoring but have been held scoreless for the second time in a week after falling to Troy 1-0.

Necee Jennings netted a goal in the 66th minute to even their conference record and pull within one match of the Jaguars. The Jags (10-5-2 overall, 3-2-1 SBC) fell to third place after last week’s loss to Western Kentucky. Troy improved to 7-9 overall and 3-3-0 in Sun Belt play.

The Jags will host the final two matches of the regular season with Conference runner-up Louisiana-Lafayette set to visit The Cage on Thursday at 7pm then eighth place Louisiana-Monroe to visit on Sunday at 1pm.

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