Tuesday’s Practice Interrupted By Rain But Good
Defensive coordinator Bill Clark working with Jake Johnson and the linebackers during individual drills on Saturday morning.
On Tuesday morning the Jags hit the practice field until rainy weather interrupted their workout. They reconvened in the school’s recreation center to finish the workout on their last day on campus before traveling to Hawaii.
“You just have to adapt,” said defensive coordinator and assistant head coach Bill Clark after tuesday’s practice. “We’ve been blessed by not having to move inside a lot (this season) with the rain. It was a little tough at first but we came in and got a lot of good mental work and I think this time of year that’s more important than the physical, making your calls and checks. We wound up having a good day.”
Coach Clark said that the team will be tested like it has never been tested before as they make the long and much anticipated trip to Hawaii for the season finale. “I think it’s tough,” Clark said. “You could sugar-coat it and say it’s not, but it is. They know where they’re going, they know we’re at the end of the year and so the mental part, which we discussed (Monday), is going to be key.”
“How do we handle this transition? Can we put ourselves back in game mode on Thursday when everything gets started again? I think we will because we’ve got an older group of guys and I think they want to finish on a good note. That’s what out plan is.”
The South Alabama Jaguars began what some might consider a logistical nightmare of a trip on Tuesday.
The team will actually have to depart from three seperate locations in order to get to Hawaii for their game against the Warriors on Saturday. One group will fly out of Pensacola’s (FL) airport, another group will depart from Mobile’s Airport while a third group will fly out of New Orleans (LA) airport.
All three groups will reunite in Houston where they will continue their journey to Honolulu.
Head coach Joey Jones was part of a group that made the trip ahead of the team on Tuesday.
Following the game, most of the South Alabama group will begin their journey home following Saturdays’ game, which kicks off at 6pm local Hawaii time (10pm Central time). A few more will begin their journey home on Sunday morning while a few, including Coach Jones, will remain a couple extra days.
USA Men’s Basketball Add Two More Early Signees
The South Alabama Men’s basketball program announced that they have signed two more student-athletes to National Letter of Intent’s to play for the Jaguars in the 2013-2014 season. These two signees bring the early signing class for the Jaguars up to five.
Isaiah Matson, a 6’3″ shooting guard from Birmingham, AL currently attends Wenonah High School, who is a two-time defending 5A state champion.
Matson is a 2012 5A All-State Second Team selection by the Alabama Sports Writers Association. He played a key role in the Dragons’ repeat in the state title game by scoring 19 points on five three-pointers on the way to being named the tournament’s MVP. WHS posted a 29-7 record last season.
He averaged 16 points per game last season while hitting 118 three-point shots. He was honored by the Birmingham News by being named to their All-Metro and All-West honors after his junior season.
“Isaiah is just a born shooter,” Jaguar head coach Ronnie Arrow said. “You can’t have too many shooters on the team. He comes from a very good program that plays very hard and physical. He comes from a winning program and you always want to get kids from winning programs because they know how to win.”
Ladon Carnegie, a 6’5″ swing player who currently attends Odessa (Texas) College will come to South Alabama with two seasons of eligibility remaining. His previous season was spent at Paris (Texas) Junior College and played for former Jaguar Assistant coach Chuck Taylor.
As a freshman at Paris, he averaged 6.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in 27 games. The Dragons posted a 23-6 overall record and a 15-4 conference record.
Carnegie played on three consecutive OK Black Conference Championship teams at Grand Rapids Union (Michigan) High School and twice earned All-State honors. As a junior in 2009-2010 he averaged 21.3 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 blocks per game on his way to being named to the Grand Rapids Press All-Area and The Associated Press’ First Team All-State honors. During his senior year he averaged 17.2 points and 9.7 rebounds per game and was named to the Grand Rapids Press’ All-Area team for a second time while being named to the AP’s All-State Honorable Mention team.
“Ladon is a good athlete that can shoot the ball,” Arrow said. “He’s a ‘2’ or ‘3’ player that can go inside and score also. He fits our mold of getting up and down the court and shooting the ball. When you get an assortment of shooters that are tough kids and that can get up and down the court, good things can happen.”
The Jaguars will open their Sun Belt Schedule on Thursday at Florida Atlantic with Tip-off set for 6pm Central time.
Winkworth Named Head Soccer Coach
Graham Winkworth, photo from roarlions.com
The University of South Alabama Athletic Director Joel Erdmann announced that the school has named Graham Winkworth head soccer coach on Monday.
Winkworth comes to South Alabama from Division II University of North Alabama after leading them to the NCAA Tournament each of the last four years. Winkworth has spent the last 10 seasons with UNA while posting an overall record of 111-81-8, the most wins for a coach in UNA school history. His team has a record of 65-18-3 over the last four years.
“We considered several highly-qualified candidates as part of our national search,” Erdmann said. “Graham’s record of success, highlighted by his documented ability to build a consistently competitive program, is impressive. We feel he is a tremendous fit to lead our soccer program into the future.”
“I’ve had the chance to work with Dr. Erdmann in the past, I really enjoyed that experience so I am looking forward to working together again” Winkworth stated. “When I came down and visited, I saw that there were lovely facilities. Everyone that I met within the department was so friendly, it seems like they are all happy in that environment. I thought I would like to be a part of that and am very excited to be joining the staff.”
His recent run of success began during the 2009 season when UNA went 19-4-1 and set a program record for wins in a season and earned the schools first berth in the Gulf South Conference tournament since 1999 and the first-ever NCAA tournament appearance for the Lions. They would go on and win their opening match. The 2009 season would mark an 11 win increase over the previous season and would be the biggest improvment in the nation on his way to being voted the Gulf South Conference Coach of the Year.
Then in 2010 the Lions finished with a 16-4-1 mark while going 6-1 in the conference and returning to the NCAA tournament. The 2011 season they would post a 17-4 mark while going 6-1 in the conference again while earning a share of the regular-season title.
Winkworth led the program to the conference tournament title with wins over UAH, Valdosta State and also ended West Florida’s 54 match conference win streak.
Last season the Lions went 13-6-1 and 6-2-1 in the conference to advance to the title match of the conference tournament and won its NCAA Tournament first-round match against Valdosta State.
During his time at UNA the school produced the first two All-Americans in school history as well as 33 all-GSC selections.
“The key was definitely the people,” Winkworth said of his success at UNA. “When I started working at North Alabama, we didn’t have quite the funding that they have now. Dr. Erdmann put some things into place before he left, and Mr. [Mark] Linder continued that process. That enabled me to bring in some amazing people, I have been so lucky these last few years to work with and coach some fantastic individuals and lovely young ladies. They were able to create a family-type environment, and with that the girls wore the shirt with pride and would run through brick walls for me.”
“I’m very thankful and very lucky to have had the opportunity to work with such amazing young ladies,” he continued. “It’s going to be difficult leaving these girls because they are fantastic young women, but I know that they will continue to be successful because of that.”
Winkworth is a native of Reading, England and is a 2000 graduate of the University of Central Lancashire. He earned his master’s degree from UNA in 2005 and last fall earned his United States Soccer Federation A license.
His coaching career began in England with Preston North End Football Club as an assistant with the Center of Excellence before serving as the assistant men’s and women’s coach at Cumberland (TN) during the 2000 season. He was then an assistant at Central Arkansas for two years before taking the position at UNA.
Chapuseaux Honored As Special Teams Player Of The Week For Second Time This Season
Senior placekicker Michel Chapuseaux lines up for a field goal against Texas-San Antonio in the Jaguars opening game of the 2012 season.
Michel Chapuseaux has done it again. In October he became the first player in South Alabama history to earn a weekly award from the Sun Belt Conference. On Monday the senior became the first Jaguar to be honored twice.
Chapuseaux, from Fruitland Park, FL was noted Special Teams Player of the Week for the second time this season after matching his career high with three field goals in a game and finishing with 12 points in the game against Louisiana-Lafayette. He also set a new school record by scoring 83 points on the season and took over the Sun Belt lead with 20 field goals this season.
The mark of 20 field goals this season is two shy of matching the Sun Belt record. He will have a chance to add to his record 83 points scored this season and to tie or break the Sun Belt single-season field goal mark when the Jags kickoff against Hawaii at 10pm Central time on Saturday in Hawaii.
Monday Press Conference
Romelle Jones and Alex Page give chase to the FAU quarterback during the Jaguars win in 2012.
The University of South Alabama held their weekly press conference on Monday. As the Jags are very busy preparing for their trip to Hawaii, the offensive and defensive coordinators filled in for head coach Joey Jones. The coordinators were joined by quarterback Ross Metheny and defensive lineman Romelle Jones. Below are highlights from the press conference.
Defensive Coordinator Bill Clark began with an opening statement. “We’re going to lose a day in travel, so we have had to kind of tighten our belts coming straight off the last game and get the game plan in even earlier than we normally would. It’s a different feeling this week, you’re at the end of a long season; as a player, you just have to fight through that. From a preparation standpoint, it’s a time crunch trying to get ready, I think we have done a good job the last couple of days.”
Clark then spoke about going up against a program that is run by Norm Chow, a well known coach. “It’s like the trip, it’s a great experience. Of course, these are the things that keep coaches up at night, going against a guy who has been at Southern Cal and with the Titans. And that’s who they are; it’s a pro-style offense. That has been a point of interest for our players given his history and how well he has done as a coordinator.”
“They came into their own last week and scored a lot of points,” he continued. “They have played against a lot of great opponents their first year he has been running the program, so I hope they are not hitting their stride right now.”
Clark then spoke about what he has seen from his players the last few weeks. “The thing that we have talked about is fighting, and before last week I felt really good. You can sit here and talk about us being banged up, injuries and playing 13 games, but we can’t do that. I will promise you one thing, I know our guys are going to fight. We’re going over there to get a ‘W.’ We really want to see these guys finish strong, and finish on a good note for the seniors and next year’s team.”
“Our guys came out last night to practice just like it was week six or seven, and they did the same thing today. I think as a fan you have to like what you see on both sides of the ball and the kicking game, the effort that they have put in this year. Hopefully that can translate to a win.”
Finally Clark spoke about how important it is to finish the season strong in Hawaii. “We’re going to see their maturity level. Can you go do these things, have some down time and still be about your business? We have a lot of guys who have been through the wars, but they haven’t been through this though. It will be interesting to see how handle the long travel, the different time zone and one of the most beautiful places on earth.”
First year offensive coordinator Robert Matthews began with his opening statement before the press. “I think one of the things we have to make sure we are good at this week is monitoring the maturity level of the team with the travel, the long trip, the changing of the schedule and being in a place like Waikiki Beach. Certainly it’s a place where most of the guys on our team have not been before so they are going to see some sights and it will be a life-changing experience for them. While they are excited about being able to go and see a place like Hawai’i, they need to understand that we are going to play a football game. That’s our ultimate job, to go there, play the game and get a victory. Making sure our team is mature and that they handle it the right way, which I’m sure they will, is real important for us.”
Matthews then spoke about what Hawaii does defensively to create problems for opponents offenses. “They are a pressure defense, they try to create pressure situations on the quarterback and try to pressure your run game. It’s based out of a 3-5 [formation], and they are using multiple fronts and multiple coverages. They really just try to create confusion up front, give your quarterback different looks and wreck your run game with movement and blitzes.”
He then spoke about what he wants to see from the offense in the last game of the season. “I want them to finish strong. We have done some good things at times, and certainly there are things we would like to take back and work to correct. I want them to play with great energy, and I want them to enjoy playing the game of football. These guys don’t realize how lucky they are to be playing Division I football and to have the experiences they are having. I want them to embrace this opportunity, this is our final game of the 2012 season, and play with the passion that got them started in the game.”
“Obviously we want to execute, score points and move the football, but if they play with a high energy level and with that true passion that got them playing the game in the first place, then I think we will be successful.”
Quarterback Ross Metheny spoke about what he hopes to accomplish in the final game of the season for the Jags. “It’s a big trip, and we’re excited about it. We’re excited about playing a new opponent, but we have to keep in mind that it is a business trip and we are going there to win a football game and take care of business. We’re going to have fun with it, but again it is a business trip and we’re looking to play our best football.”
“It would be big for us to get a win going in to the offseason, just to have some momentum,” he continued. “The coaches and players always preach finishing strong, and I think a win at Hawaii would definitely be a good finish especially for our seniors who have put in so much hard work in building this program and getting this thing going. Finishing [the season] with a win would be great for them.”
Metheny then spoke about the importance of getting a win moving forward. “It just leaves a positive taste in your mouth going into all of the offseason work. This season has been up and down with a lot of close losses, and to be able to look back and say we finished strong with a win would be positive for our guys and a good motivator going forward.”
He also spoke about the Jaguars close losses this season. “Eventually, being so close isn’t enough. That’s kind of what has happened all season. We have been close in so many games, and haven’t been able to put a whole game together. Enough of that. We want to put one together, finish strong and take that into the offseason knowing that is what South Alabama football is going to be.”
Metheny then addressed where he thinks the program fits into the Sun Belt Conference. “If you look at the games we have played this year, we have been close in so many. It has kind of been a learning experience with everyone involved with this program. But one thing to take away from it is our competitiveness and our competitive spirit of this team and coaching staff. We have never quit in any game, and my hat’s off to my teammates and our coaching staff. You don’t want to take moral victories, but I think we have established ourselves and we can say that we can be competitive in this league especially going forward. There is a lot of respect for the teams in the Sun Belt, but we’re excited about the future going forward.”
Finally he spoke about going to Hawaii. “A lot of guys wouldn’t have this opportunity if they didn’t play Division-I football. It’s a neat experience. For me personally, I get to see my sister who lives out there. I’m excited about that. It’s going to be fun. It will be a new environment, but we will absorb it all then get down to business and go win a football game. We’re excited about it as a team. This is what Division-I football is – making big trips, travelling and going and playing football.”
Defensive lineman Romelle Jones began by talking about what he hopes to accomplish in the Jaguars final game of the 2012 season. “Our number-one goal is to definitely get a win. That is always the most important thing. It is a business trip. It’s going to be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. A lot of guys probably would have never had this opportunity without being a part of this great thing we have going at South Alabama.”
He continued by talking about the importance of getting a win for the program moving forward. “College football is built on momentum, and that would be great momentum going into the offseason. It would give guys something to look forward to. To have a win to finish the season and leave us with a great taste in our mouths going into the offseason would be great.”
Jones also spoke about the Jaguars close losses this season. “It’s not enough coming close every game. I feel like we shouldn’t look back at the past as much, but just look forward and use it as a building block as something great that we can build on this offseason. We can definitely have something to look forward to and build off of.”
He then spoke about where he feels the South Alabama program fits in the Sun Belt conference. “This season was a great building block. It wasn’t a great season, but I know it was a confidence-builder for a lot of guys. That let us know that we can compete with guys on any level and can pretty much go toe-to-toe with anybody in the Sun Belt.”
Finally, Jones also spoke about going to Hawaii. “It’s something that growing up I never thought I would be able to experience at such a young age. It just really warms my heart. It’s a great thing, but at the end of the day we still have to focus and realize that it is a business trip and we need to take care of our business and finish this season off in the proper way.”
South Alabama and Hawaii will kickoff at 10pm Central time.
Jags Head Into Final Game Of Season
The Jaguars will have to put their loss to Louisiana-Lafayette behind them quickly because this week will a flurry of activity.
They will have to get some practice in before they begin their travel to Hawaii early this week in order to acclimate themselves to the time change and the weather on the Pacific island.
But this may be a great time for the Jags to visit Hawaii as they are struggling this season. The Warriors only have two wins this season as they are coming off of a win against UNLV 48-10 on Saturday. UNLV only has two wins themselves.
After such a long and tough season, maybe a more relaxed atmosphere is just what they need. A win in their final game would snap a five game losing streak and would help the coaches and players take some momentum into the offseason.
Next season the Jags will be eligible for the Sun Belt Conference crown and for a bowl game.
The Jaguar offense, lead by Ross Metheny, set school records against ULL with completions (27) and passing yards (360). This was without two of the Jaguars top three running backs as well.
In addition, placekicker Michel Chapuseaux set a school record for points scored in a season by scoring 12 of the Jaguars 30 points to increase his season total to 83 points. He also took the lead in the Sun Belt Conference with 20 field goals for the season. He made kicks of 45, 33 and 50 yards against the Ragin’ Cajuns’.
Kickoff for the Jaguars and Warriors is set for 10pm Central time. The game can be heard on 105.5 FM WNSP and streamed from their website http://www.wnsp.com/. It will be available to view on Oceanic Pay-Per-View for $12.56 and can be streamed over the internet. But Baumhower’s Restaurant has announced that they will stay open late for Jaguar fans and will be showing the game.
Go Jags!
Lady Jags Split A Pair Of Games Over The Weekend
The Lady Jags suffered their first loss of the season on Friday when they played Cal State Northridge. Cold shooting lead to the Jags first loss in a 47-40 decision in the opening round of the Radisson Hotel Chatsworth Thanksgiving Basketball Classic at the Matadome.
The lady Jags shot a season-low 22.1 percent from the field in the game. “It really didn’t matter where the shots were coming from tonight, we just couldn’t score,” Jaguar head coach Rick Pietri said. “You have to give part of the credit to that to Cal State Northridge’s defense. In the second half, we were able to make some adjustments. We attacked them and got some open looks on the perimeter and some plays close to the goal. But we just couldn’t make plays. We were able to cut it to five late in the second half after being down by 12 or 13, and we just couldn’t make that one extra play offensively and (Cal State Northridge) responded. They’re a good team and were picked to win their league for a reason. They’re expected to be in the NCAA tournament. When they had to make a play, their players stepped up and finished. When we had to close the gap more, we just couldn’t finish.”
That dropped the Jaguars record to 4-1 on the season and took on Detroit on Saturday in the consolation game where they bounced back with a 59-56 win.
That win improved the the Jaguars record to 5-1 on the season before the Jaguars open up Sun Belt Conference play at Florida Atlantic on Wednesday.
Mary Nixon’s return to the lineup had an immediate impact for the Jags. She led the way with 19 points on 5-of-11 shooting and was also 6-of-8 at the foul line.
“Mary Nixon clearly is a difference maker for us,” Coach Pietri said. “She sat out the last two games for us and today was available to play and was excellent. She not only does things individually, but her presence has a positive effect on the rest of our group. Mansa El also played very well today and I think she was able to do that because of the presence of Mary on the court. When we are fully stocked, I feel really good about where we are as a team as we move forward.”
The Jags tip-off against Florida Atlantic at 6:05pm Central time.
Big Plays Down Jags Against ULL
Jaguar tight end Wes Saxton catches a pass from Ross Metheny over the middle in the Jaguars loss to FIU.
The South Alabama Jaguars fell to Louisiana-Lafayette 52-30 in their final Sun Belt game of the season on Saturday. Big plays were the key to the Ragin’ Cajuns’ win as they pulled away from the Jags after closing in within one point in the second quarter.
Cajun quarterback Terrance Broadway accounted for 365 yards of total offense while both Harry Peoples and Javone Lawson added over 100 yards receiving to improve to 7-4 overall (5-2 SBC). After the game the Cajuns accepted a bid to play in the R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl.
Jaguar quarterback Ross Metheny threw for a school-record 360 yards passing by going 27-of-44. The Jags record falls to 2-10 overall (1-7 SBC) in their Sun Belt and Football Bowl Subdivision debut season.
South Alabama would score the opening points of the game on their first possession that began with a 34 yard pass from Metheny to Greg Hollinger to quickly move into Cajun territory. That was followed with completions to Bryant Lavender for eight yards and T.J. Glover for 15 yards to move into the red zone at the Cajun 18 yard line. Facing third and eight from the 16, Metheny would find Saxton open for 13 yards to the 3 yard line and a first down. Terrance Timmons would fumble the ball on the next play and would be recovered by ULL, however an offsides penalty would negate the turnover and move the ball to the 1 yard line. Julian Valentin would take it into the end zone on two plays later to go up 7-0.
The Cajuns’ would answer by scoring the next 17 points unanswered to take a 17-7 lead with 3:18 left in the first quarter.
The Jags would begin to fight their way back beginning with their possession at the end of the first quarter. They would drive down to the Cajun 28 yard line before being forced to settle for a 45 yard field goal to shrink the lead to 17-10 with 14:08 left in the second quarter.
The subsequent ULL possession would be a three and out as a personal foul penalty would would put them at second and 24 at their own 11 yard line. After a completion for no gain Broadway would be sacked for an eight yard loss back to their own three yard line and forced to punt. Glover would call for a fair catch at the ULL 40 yard line.
After an incomplete pass on first down, Metheny would find Hollinger for a 17 yard gain to the Cajun 23 yard line then again for nine yards. But the Jags would not be able to make a first down and would settle for a 33 yard field goal to further cut into the Cajun lead at 17-13.
A personal foul on ULL would move the kickoff to the 50 yard line and it would be caught at the goal line and returned to the Cajun 7 yard line. Again the Cajuns’ could not get anything going and would actually be sacked back around the 3 yard line and forced to punt. The punt would be caught at the 44 by Glover and returned 13 yards to the ULL 35 yard line.
Terrance Timmons would rush for a gain of three yards and a loss of one on the first two snaps of the possession. On third and 8 at the ULL 33, Metheny’s pass to Glover fell incomplete and after a time out called by the Cajuns to react to a possible fake with Trey Fetner on the field. But the Jags Chapuseaux would convert the 50 yard field goal to get within one point at 17-16.
The score would be the same with over two minutes to go in the first half when Broadway would hit Lawson for big gains of 53 and 27 yards on back-to-back plays to quickly march down the field to cap off a five play, 98 yard drive to score a touchdown with 16 seconds remaining until halftime. The Cajuns’ would take the 24-16 advantage into the locker room.
The big plays would continue after halftime as ULL would would connect with Peoples for a 72 yard gain down to the Jaguar 4 yard line. They would put it into the end zone two plays later to extend the lead to 31-16 a mere 1:28 into the third quarter.
“I thought that drive was the turning point in the game,” head coach Joey Jones said. “And then they came out in the third quarter and drove down and scored. That turned the whole game.”
“Offensively they did a great job. We didn’t play as well defensively as we have played, we gave up a bunch of big plays and yardage, but they are a talented football team. They are very good on offense, and a lot of it had to do with the fact that they have some really good athletes.”
Broadway would score on a six yard run midway through the third quarter to cap off a 12 play, 75 yard drive that was kept alive by a 25 yard on fourth and five on a fake punt. That score would push the Cajun lead to 22 points.
South Alabama ended the Cajuns’ run of 21 unanswered points with with about two and a half minutes left in the third quarter. They would drive 67 yards in eight plays with the final play being a 23 yard touchdown pass from Metheny to Jereme Jones.
The Jags would score once more around mid way through the fourth quarter. Metheny would connect with Gabe Loper for the 28 yard touchdown. That was one play after Julien Valentin ran for 25 yards to set up the touchdown pass.
South Alabama would end the game with 414 total yards of offense. The Jags passed for 360 yards and rushed for only 54 yards in the game. The Jags would gain 21 first downs and control the ball for 30:12 in the game. The Jags converted 6 of 15 third down attempts.
Louisiana-Lafayette gained 538 total yards, 176 yards rushing and 362 yards passing. They earned 24 first downs and 29:48 in time of possession in the game. They also converted 2 of 10 third downs against the Jaguar defense.
Valentin was the Jaguars leading rusher with 34 yards on three carries. Glover added 19 yards on 10 carries. Demetre Baker and Kendall Houston both missed the game with lingering injuries.
Ross Metheny went 27-of-44 for 360 yards and two touchdowns. Wes Saxton was his favorite target with seven catches for 83 yards. Jereme Jones added 56 yards on four catches with a touchdown. Lavender chipped in 47 yards on four catches, Glover with 38 yards on four catches, Hollinger had 60 yards on three catches, Besteda added 37 yards on two catches and Loper added 36 yards on two catches. B.J. Scott was even credited with a catch for three yards in the game however I believe that was supposed to be credited to Cameron Broadnax.
Effrem Reed was the leading rusher for the Cajuns with 81 yards on 17 carries. Broadway added 65 yards on 13 carries. Broadway also went 11-of-19 passing for 305 yards and two touchdowns.
Harry Peoples caught five passes for 166 yards and a touchdown with Javone Lawson adding 113 yards on three receptions for a touchdown. Three other receivers had catches for the Cajuns.
South Alabama will end their first season in FBS play with a trip to Hawaii this Saturday, December 1. Kickoff is set for 10pm Central time.
Know Your Stadiums: Cajun Field
Louisiana-Lafayette’s Cajun Stadium also referred to as “The Swamp”.
The University of Louisiana At Lafayette football team call Cajun field home. It is used for both football and women’s soccer. It has an official capacity of 31,000 but has additional capacity on hills behind the end zones.
Planning began around 1967 when a rendition was featured on the football media guide and was built in 1970 as a replacement for McNaspy Stadium. It opened on September 25, 1971 with a shutout of Santa Clara University.
The stadium consists of a bowl with seating on the sidelines with a second deck on the east sideline.
Due to Hurrican Katrina, the 2005 New Orleans Bowl was hosted at Cajun Field instead of in New Orleans. The game saw Southern Miss defeat Arkansas State 31-19. The Tulane Green Wave also used the stadium for home games in the 2005 season after being displaced by the hurricane.
The Cajuns largest crown was when they upset then 25th ranked Texas A&M 29-22 on September 14, 1996 in front of 38,783 fans. It was the schools first victory over a ranked opponent. The largest ever crowd at Cajun Field was September 5, 2009 when they defeated Southern University 42-19 in front of a crowd of 41,357.
In the fall of 2007 ULL added a new building for all teams to have access to for practice. The Leon Moncla Indoor Practice Facility includes a full size football field with endzones and field goal posts.
In the summer of 2008 the school replaced the long-standing natural grass in favor of ProGrass, an artificial turf. The stadium was pressure washed and repainted and advertisements and banners were installed around the black retaining walls that surround the field.
The was nicknamed “The Swamp” in 1988 and was noted on stadium signage, in the school yearbook and in 1989 in the official Southwestern Lousiana sports media guide. The swamp-referenced nicknames are tied to the field’s early 1970 construction and even refer back to the original football field for the school that was known at those times as Southwestern Louisiana Industrial Institute in the early 1900s.
The University’s first football field was on the main campus adjacent to a small cypress pond, which later becase Cypress Lake and also nicknamed “The Swamp.”
The Swamp nickname also fits with the area’s geography which is comprised of many bayous and wetlands. It also includes the Atchafalaya Basic and nearby Gulf of Mexico marshlands.
The nickname “The Swamp” actually predates the use by the University of Florida for Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. It was not called “The Swamp” until 1991 when Steve Spurrier referred to it as that.
because Cajun Field’s surface is set two feet below sea level in a natural bowl. Since the surface is below sea level, a total of four 60 horsepower pumps and a sophisticated drainage system is needed to help keep the field in playing condition.
The subsurface stadium requires many fans to walk down to their seats while the football players and their opponents enter the field through an underground tunnel from the ULL athletics complex.
Head Coach Mark Hudspeth said on a radio interview that Cajun Stadium would undergo a $40 million dollar renovation after the 2012 season.
Jones Pleased With Preparations For ULL
Coach Tommy Perry talks with running back Terrance Timmons during preseason camp.
Overall Coach Jones is pleased with the preparations his team and coaching staff has made this week for their trip to Lafayette. Jones noted the balance the Ragin’ Cajuns have on both sides of the ball and how this will be a tough game for his team.
“I think the coaches have done a good job of honing things down. I say simplifying or cutting out some of the excess things we had in the gameplan where the kids could go out there and execute,” Jones said. “I think that’s the best thing that’s happened. I think the kids have studied it and have executed it very well to this point.”
The Jags went through a two-hour practice, their final prior to the game, on Thursday morning at the South Alabama Practice Facility. They met again later for a Thanksgiving lunch.
This is another first in South Alabama history as they have never played this late into the season before so this was the first time the team and the coaching staff had to schedule practices and activities around Thanksgiving day.
“First of all, you wish these young men could go home and be with their families, but obviously we are their extended family and I think there’s a certain love there as family members on this football team,” Jones said. “It’s the second best thing to going home.”
“We’re going to feed them at lunch and treat them like they are at home,” Jones continued. “Some of the guys will go home today, guys who live close by, will go home to eat and be with their families. They’ll be back tonight and get ready to leave (Friday) to go to Lafayette.”
South Alabama’s woes at the running back position will continue this weekend at Louisiana-Lafayette as both Demetre Baker and Kendall Houston will not play. Head Coach Joey Jones said after practice on Thursday that both have ankle injuries.
Baker and Houston are two of the top three rushers on the team. Baker leads the running back corps with 595 yards in nine games while Houston is third on the team with 207 yards rushing in 11 games. They have combined to score five of the teams nine rushing touchdowns.
When asked if the loss of Baker and Houston would limit what the Jags will be able to do offensively against the Ragin’ Cajun’s Coach Jones said, “It really doesn’t. We’re going to run our offense. Obviously, in goal-line situations we have some other guys who are going to come in. But other than goal-line and short-yardage, we’re going to run our offense.”
“Certainly, we don’t need to get anymore of them hurt,” Jones continued. “We’re down to the few and the proud right now. But we’re not going to change our offense.”
Terrance Timmons and T.J. Glover will see the most playing time at running back for the Jags against ULL. Ellis Hill, Julian Valentin will also see some playing time as well as quarterback Trey Fetner in certain situations.
Defensive lineman Will Thompson will miss the game as well with an ankle injury.
Jereme Jones, who sufferred a concussion against Middle Tennessee game last week, has been cleared to play. He has the school record of 25 consecutive games with a reception. He is also the teams leading receiver with 444 yards on 39 catches with six touchdowns.
South Alabama and Louisiana-Lafayette will kick off at 4pm in Lafayette, Louisiana. The game will be televised on ESPN3 and can be heard on 105.5 WNSP or their website http://www.wnsp.com/