Monday Press Conference
Defensive coordinator Bill Clark working with Jake Johnson and the linebackers during individual drills on Saturday morning.
The University of South Alabama held their weekly media day on Monday with head coach Joey Jones along with seniors Trey Clark and Jake Johnson. They reflected on the teams loss at North Texas and previewed this weekend’s game against Middle Tennessee State.
Below are highlights from the press conference.
Head coach Joey Jones opened the press conference with his opening statement. “I want to thank our seniors for all they have done and committed to this football program, for what they have meant not only to this university but to our team. They are great leaders and great young men, they care about this team and have done all the right things to build this program from the ground up. Some of the guys have been here the whole time, some have transferred in, but the bottom line is that they have all contributed in great ways. They will be forever missed because they have done a good job here, they have created an atmosphere of hard work and character. We will be indebted to them forever.”
He then spoke about Senior Day this weekend. “I think this is a special day, it really is, because you almost treat it a little differently since it is your last day to play [at home]. Not that you are going to go out and play any harder, because those guys are going to play hard anyway, but you look at it with a little different perspective because you realize this is your last one. There are not many things in life that you know are going to end, maybe retirement. They [the seniors] plan for it a little bit and react in a great way but if they come out with the same attitude that they have all year long then they will enjoy the day very much and take it all in.”
Jones then fielded a question about frustration at being close to winning several games without actually getting the win. “I don’t know that there is anyone more frustrated than I was after the game. I didn’t talk to my wife, I didn’t talk to anyone on the plane coming back, I’m just that way. The next day I wake up and the sun comes up.”
“It has been difficult,” he continued. “One of the things we showed our players today is video of all the plays that had we made we would have won the ballgame the opportunities missed. Not that you are going to make every play every game, but there are certainly 12 to 15 plays in a game that if we make them the game is close and we win. That’s the difficult thing, leaving plays on the field. You’ve got to make those plays. You hear coaches say it all the time, you have three to five plays a game that make the difference.”
“Unfortunately — and fortunately — we are in Division I football right now, and the margin of winning in this conference are about that much [fingers held approximately an inch apart]. Right now we are not making those plays to win the ballgame at the end. Against FAU we did, we made a bunch of plays in the end. They are not difficult, astronomical diving catches, you just have to make simple plays and execute, throw it, catch it, tackle somebody. That’s the negative side of it.”
“The positive side of it is that we are putting ourselves in a position to win games in our first year [in the league]. But all of that doesn’t matter because we are here to win ballgames. We’re not young anymore, we’re 10 games into the season, so we have got to develop and be able to make those plays in games to be successful. I told our players this morning that they are growing up at this point, you’ve got to take the responsibility to look ahead of time and see yourself making those plays. It’s not good enough to just get to the fourth quarter, we have to make those plays in the fourth quarter. We have to coach better, everybody’s unit has to do better.”
“We’ve learned a lot from this season. We’ve learned how tough it is in the Sun Belt Conference. You look at Louisiana-Lafayette take Florida to the wire and Middle Tennessee beating Georgia Tech, it’s a tough league. Florida Atlantic beat Western Kentucky this past weekend, and we beat Florida Atlantic. It isn’t very far from the top to the bottom of the conference. I think in years past it has been a big gap, but right now there’s not a big gap at all between the top and bottom. We had to step in during a year when the Sun Belt is very good, but it has helped us learn a lot about what we have to do as a program to get better and be able to beat some of those teams. We are in that learning stage right now.”
Jones then spokes about Middle Tennessee State, who visits Mobile this weekend. “Middle Tennessee and Arkansas State are probably the two hottest teams in the league right now, they beat Western Kentucky a couple of weeks ago and beat Georgia Tech, they know how to win. The only loss they have in the conference was to ULM when ULM still had their [starting] quarterback. They are playing very good football.”
“They’re running backs are very deep, they have a great offensive line, a good quarterback and a couple of stud receivers on offense” Jones explained. “You can’t just say that you are going to take away the run or take away the pass, they can do both very well. They are very balanced on offense.”
“Defensively, they are very athletic. Tyrone Nix, their defensive coordinator, has been all over the place coaching, he is a very knowledgeable guy who understands the game and how to get those kids to play hard for him. They are a very well-coached team, and that’s why they are in the position they are right now, they’re very good.”
“I know if they win the next couple of weeks they’ve got a chance to play for the [conference] championship with Arkansas State being their last game. I’m sure that’s what their eyes are on right now.”
Senior Offensive lineman Trey Clark, the only player to start all 37 games in the programs history. He began by talking about Senior Day this weekend. “I’m sure with it being our last game as seniors at Ladd-Peebles Stadium that it is going to be emotional with a lot of energy. It’s important for us to stay focused on playing well and trying to get a win. It’s going to be emotional, but we have to stay focused on Middle Tennessee.”
Clark then spoke about what his time at South Alabama has meant to him. “It means a great deal. I’m so fortunate to have been given such a great opportunity to come and play. I have made so many friends and memories along the way, I’m just so thankful and grateful for the opportunities I have been given. I’m looking forward to Saturday and getting a win for our last home game.”
Next he spoke about the Jaguars overall record. “It can be very frustrating, especially the way we have lost these past several weeks. But I’m so proud of my teammates and the coaches because we haven’t given up. We come to practice every day with the attitude that we are going to improve and win. I’m so proud of our attitude and willingness to keep going despite the adversity.”
Clark then spoke about the development of the offense this season. “It helps any time you have players stepping into a role and actually getting game experience, and it certainly helps once you get a few games under your belt. We were still really close the first couple of games. Here of late, we have made strides and put it together more. The young guys have done a great job, and have improved all season.”
Senior Linebacker Jake Johnson also spoke about Senior Day this weekend. “It’s going to be emotional for all of the seniors heading into our last game at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, the last game here in Mobile in front of our fans – it’s going to be hard. But once that game is over you get over it. We have to stay focused on Middle Tennessee and what our opponent does.”
Johnson also spoke about what his time at South Alabama has meant to him. “It means a lot to me. I transferred here [from Virginia Tech], I just wanted to play again. I didn’t want to play a position that I knew I wasn’t going to play. I wanted to play a position that I could excel at and make it to the next level. I found my home here at South Alabama, and I have had a great experience my first two years along with this year. I wouldn’t change anything for the world. We have played tough every single game this year, there have just been a few bumps in the road each game but we’re right there. My experience has been great here, and I can’t wait to continue it with these next three games.”
He also spoke about the Jaguars overall record this season. “It’s disappointing after the game. Nobody wants to lose. But it does give you the hope being that we are in just about every game. We’re right there every game, right down to the fourth quarter. It gives me the hope that we can get it done and put it all together.”
Johnson then previewed Middle Tennessee State this weekend. “They are a good offense. They have a great quarterback, and a good athletic offensive line. They come off the ball probably faster than anybody we will play this year. They have a good running back and good receivers, they are a good all-around team. We just have to eliminate the big plays. Doing the little things in practice this week are what is going to help us get over that hump.”
South Alabama and Middle Tennessee State kick off at 2:30pm at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Jaguar Volleyball Drops Set To FIU, Ends Season
Senior Olivia Mohler against Jackson State earlier in the season.
The South Alabama Jaguar Volleyball team ended their season Saturday night with a loss to Florida International. The Jags took a 2-0 set lead but saw the Panthers rally to capture the match 3-2 (25-17, 26-24, 19-25, 20-25, 13-15).
“The team that we put out on the floor tonight fought hard the whole match and that’s all we can ask for, but we have to get better as we move forward to next year,” Jaguar head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said. “Overall, I think we had some good leaps this season, but we definitely took some losses here in the last six matches. It’s going a big lesson learned for us going into the future. We have to work harder and get toughter.”
With the loss and missing the Sun Belt Conference Tournament, the Jags will say goodbye to five seniors. Olivia Mohler, Lindsay Schwartz, Katariina Kananen, Elina Strautniece and Valerie Podczasy.
“Olivia and Lindsay left it all out on the floor tonight and unfortunately we weren’t able to pull it out for them tonight,” Hendrichovsky said. “I appreciate their hard work and their effort tonight. I wish all five of our seniors the best as they move on to the next stage of their lives.”
The Jags were led offensively by a pair of seniors in Schwartz and Mohler. Schwartz led the team with 19 kills, a career high, on 34 attacks and committed just two attack errors for an even .500 hitting percentage in her final collegiate match. Mohler posted 16 kills on 36 attacks. She also led the team at the net with six total blocks, two solo and four assists.
Thank you Olivia, Lindsay, Katariina, Elina and Valerie! Jag Nation appreciates your hard work, determination and representation of the Jaguar volleyball program. We wish you the best in the future and always remember Jaguars are Jaguars for life.
Jags Fall To North Texas 24-14 On Saturday
Receiver Jereme Jones looks in the pass from CJ Bennett in the first half of the 33-31 loss to Texas-San Antonio.
Jags gave up two long touchdown runs over 50+ yards as they lost to North Texas 24-14 on Saturday.
After holding the Jags on a fourth and one at the 49 yard line, Jereme Brown broke the second play of the second quarter, the first play of the possession for UNT, for a 51 yard touchdown run to tie the game with the Jags 7-7.
South Alabama would mount another scoring a little past midway through the second quarter that began with a 17 yard completion from Ross Metheny to Wes Saxton. After an incompletion, Metheny would complete passes to Bryant Lavender and Greg Hollinger for 6 and 14 yards respectively. A facemask penalty would move the ball to the North Texas 13 yard line where Metheny would find Jereme Jones for the touchdown and a 14-7 lead with under three minutes to go in the half.
The next possession by North Texas would begin with an illegal formation penalty against the Jags on the kickoff and wouldn’t get any better after that.
After an incomplete pass, UNT’s Derek Thompson would complete back to back passes for 15 and 18 yards to quickly move down to the Jaguar 33 yard line. Another incomplete pass and a rush for one yard forced the Mean Green to call a time out with 1:33 left in the half to consider their options for a 3rd and 9.
Coming out of the time out, Thompson would connect with his receiver for an 18 yard gain and a first down. After two more incomplete passes and UNT wuold face another long third down play. This time they would only get four yards but one of the Jaguar defenders would pick up the ball, thinking it may have been fumbled, and took off with it. That would draw a delay of game penalty on the Jags to give the Mean Green a fourth and 1 at the Jaguar 5 yard line. Then a substitution infraction would give UNT a first down at the 2 yard line. After a rush for no gain and an incomplete pass, Thompson would find an open receiver for the touchdown to tie the game at 14 with 17 seconds until halftime
South Alabama would begin the second half with a promising drive that would stall at the North Texas 11 yard line with a fourth and 1. Michel Chapuseaux would attempt a 28 yard line but it would miss wide right.
After taking over at the Jaguar 20 yard line, UNT would be flagged for a false start. But this would not matter as Brandin Byrd would take the first down handoff 85 yards for a touchdown to take a 21-14 lead with 9:32 left in the third quarter.
On the next Jaguar possession, Terrance Timmons would fumble the ball away at the Jaguar 46 yard line. North Texas would capitalize by driving down for a field goal to cap off the scoring 24-14.
A couple of possession later, the Jags had a golden opportunity to cut into the Mean Green lead when Tyrell Pearson would pick off a pass at the North Texas 40 yard line and return it down the left sideline. He would return it 38 yards to the two yard line and try to dive/reach for a touchdown, but the officials would rule it a fumble that would go into the end zone and out of bounds giving the ball back to North Texas at the 20 yard line.
The fourth quarter would become a punt fest. The Jags would go for it near midfield when they faced a fourth and 23 at the Jaguar 47, but Metheny’s pass completion to Gabe Loper would come up 2 yards short of the first down.
The Jags record falls to 2-8 (1-5 SBC) while North Texas’ record improves to 4-6 (3-3 SBC).
South Alabama held edges in some statistical categories. Jags edged the Mean Green in total yards (366-303), net passing yards (233-106), first downs (24-12) and time-of-possession (33:08 – 26:52). North Texas would lead the Jags in rushing yards 197-133.
Kendall Houston led the Jaguar running game with 42 yards on 11 carries, and his first touchdown since Georgia State over a year ago, as he filled in for Baker who did not see the field in the second half. Baker would end the game with 39 yards on six carries, Glover would add 36 yards on eight carries and Metheny would gain 17 yards on eight carries.
Metheny would go 23-of-45 for 233 yards and a touchdown. Lavender would haul in six passes for 36 yards, Jereme Jones would add five catches for 72 yards and a touchdown. Saxton had three catches for 38 yards, Corey Besteda had two catches for 31 yards, Loper added 26 yards on two catches. Greg Hollinger and Corey Waldon would both add a catch for 14 yards each.
Alex Page and Bryson James would both end the game tied for the most tackles with seven. Jake Johnson would add six tackles and a tackle-for-loss. The Jags were unable to get to the quarterback for a sack in this game.
“We played a good first half. We played hard and smart. They dominated us in the third quarter,” Jaguar head coach said after the game. “We had a good drive [to open the second half], and we missed a chip-shot field goal that would have put us up 17-14. We were playing great defense but we missed the field goal, then they scored on a long run and kind of dominated us from that point on. We didn’t much on offense after that.”
“We’re just a few guys behind right now,” Jones continued. “Everything we do has to be perfect, but I told them in the locker room that we have to stick together. This is as tough of a thing as any of us have been through, nobody likes to lose. We have to stick together and back up and support each other. This [transition to FBS] is a tough thing to go through. My hat’s off to North Texas. They came out and made great adjustments at halftime, and played a better game in the second half.”
“The good teams learn from the losses, watch film, make corrections and move forward. That’s what we have to do,” quarterback Ross Metheny said. “We have to put it behind us. It’s tough. There comes a point where being so close is not enough. We’re so close in so many games, and hopefully we’ll put it all together. We have three more chances to win football games, and that’s what we’re looking to do.”
“I told the guys in the locker room that I will never quit on them,” stated Jones. “We knew this year was going to be like this, so we have to stick together. Those guys really care about each other, and that’s all I can worry about right now. I can’t worry about what anybody else says. We just have to keep working and building these men up. They’re going through a tough thing right now. They have been asked to step up in a very good Division I league and try to win, we’re just coming up a little bit short in a lot of games.”
South Alabama returns home to Ladd-Peebles Stadium on Saturday for their final home game of the season against Middle Tennessee. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30pm on Saturday.
Two Jaguars Name To CoSIDA Academic All-District On Thursday
The University of South Alabama continues to have new firsts in the program. This time the University has multiple individuals that have been named to the first-team Capital One Academic All-District 4 by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Senior Trey Clark and junior Alex Page were honored on Thursday when they released the list.
This is the second consecutive year that Clark has been named to the team. They advance to the Capital One Academic All-America Team ballot. The first, second and third-team All-America honorees are expected to be announced on Thursday, December 6.
Clark, from Prattville, Alabama, is the only individual in school history to start each of the program’s 36 games. So far this fall he has been on the field for every snap the offense has taken. In addition to being named to the All-District team a year ago, he was also a member of the FCS Athletic Directors Association Academic All-Star Team.
Alex Page, also a Prattville natice, rankes second in the Sun Belt in sacks and is in the top 10 with tackles for loss.
In order to be eligible for academic all-district honors, individuals must have a sophomore stadium both academically and athletically, be a starter or important reserve and maintain a minimum of a 3.30 cumulative GPA.
Know Your Stadiums: North Texas’ Apogee Stadium
A view of Apogee Stadium.
The University of North Texas plays at the newly built Apogee Stadium, originally named Mean Green Stadium.
The University broke ground on the new stadium on November 21, 2009 and opened on September 10, 2011. The stadium was proposed by the University of North Texas System Board of Regents after the 2002 New Orleans Bowl and cost $78 million. UNT opened the stadium against the University of Houston and lost 48-23.
A referendum in 2002 for higher student athletics fees was rejected by 55 percent of the UNT’s voting students. But after the vote, the school administrators lobbied the North Texas Student Government Association to increase the fees as a way to help the University’s athletics program in order to achieve Title IX compliance. The student senators approved the fee increase at half the proposed rate, which the Board of Regents implemented immediately. Consequently students mounted a recall election campaign, which was supported by documentary filmmaker Michael Moore, which resulted in the removal of 14 senators from their office.
In September 2002, the university purchased land on the opposite side of Interstate 35 from the main campus in Denton, Texas for $5.1 million from Liberty Christian School. Following the Mean Green’s victory in the 2002 New Orleans Bowl on December 17, 2002 school administrators announced their intent to build new athletic facilities on the property. They referred to this area as the “Mean Green Village” which included the new football stadium.
The reason given to build a new stadium rather than renovating their existing stadium, Fouts Field, was that then Vice Chancellor of Administrative Affairs Richard Raefs claimed that it would cost $8 million more to renovate the existing stadium that it would to build an entirely new stadium. The project’s primary objective was to consolidate the academic facilities.
Fouts Field, the old stadium, was opened in September 1952 and originally named Eagle Stadium. In 1954 it was renamed in honor of Theron J. Fouts, former football coach, athletics director and founder of the UNT track and field program. The Stadium originally consisted of two sideline grandstands on either side of the track and was oriented northwest to southeast. It sat 20,000.
They added endzone grandstands which stretched around the track in 1994 which added another 10,500 seats for a total of 30,500. The playing surface was Sportex Omnigrass Artificial Turf.
The University Master Plan calls for the demolition of Fouts Field and the land will be absorbed by the university. The plans calls for two residence halls, a parking garage and a University Opera House to be built on the grounds freed up by the stadium.
Apogee Stadium opened on September 10, 2011 with a capacity of 30,850 and was built in a horse shoe shape. It was designed to be able to expand to 50,000. The playing surface is PowerBlade HP+ and it comprised of synthetic fibers with a rubber and sand infill. The home side of the stadium includes 21 luxury suites with they sell for $20,000 per year plus a “six or seven-figure gift to the Stadium Fund”. It also has 754 club seats. The stands on the east side of the stadium is generally reserved for student seating and is between the stadium and the tailgating area called “The Hill.”
The seating behind the north end zone forms a distinctive “V” shape to resemble an eagle’s wings in flight. The South end zone does not have any seating but has a 47′ by 27′ scoreboard and a five foot bronze bust of an eagle named “Spiriki” that was donated by the members of the school’s first social fraternity the Geezles.
They also have a scale cannon named “Boomer” which is fired each time the team scores.
A 2,500 square-foot pavilion for alumni is located just north of the stadium.
The stadium actually because the first newly built stadium to achieve Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Platinum certification, the highest awarded by the US Green Building Council. In 2008, then university president signed the American College and University President’s Claimat Commitment to achieve carbon neutrality by 2040 and to ensure all new university buildings and facilities would achieve a minimum of LEED silver certification.
The stadium uses various forms of environmental technology to achieve this. In order to reduce water consumption and urban runoff, the facility includes an 85,000 square foot water retention system, 338,000 square feet of permeable paving and low flow plumbing systems.
The facility includes three Northwind 100 wind turbines which are 120 feet tall with 30 foot blades. They are expected to produce a combined 450,000 kilowatt-hours of energy per year which would account for roughly 1/3 of the stadium’s energy needs.
Wind Turbines near the Apogee Stadium.
Arial view of Apogee Stadium showing the Eagle Wings shaped endzone seating.
Jags Open Season Against Florida State On Friday
South Alabama Men’s Basketball team will open the season in Tallahassee against the Seminoles. This is the second year in a row that the Jags and Florida State have faced each other on the hardwood. FSU defeated the Jags 80-39 last season to improve their record against the Jags to 10-2. They have also won the last four times they have met with all of them being since the 1988-1989 season.
The Jags and the Seminoles will open the season in the first round of the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament. The ‘noles enter the season ranked 25th in the nation by the Associated Press and tied for 24th in the USA Today Coaches’ Poll.
FSU is picked to finish fourth in the 2013 ACC standing by the media after winning the 2012 ACC Championship.
Senior Michael Snaer won the 2012 ACC Tournament MVP. He is also an All-American candidate and led the ‘noles with a career high 14.0 points per game average. He is also the returning leader in five different statistical categories including scoring, steals, assists and minutes played. They also return Junior Okaro White who is FSU’s leading returning rebounder with an average of 4.4 per game in 35 games played as a sophomore as they won 25 games last season.
The Jags and ‘Noles tip off at 6pm Central. The game will be broadcast on ESPN3.
Jags Volleyball Looks To Lock Up Tournament Bid This Weekend
South Alabama’s volleyball team is looking to secure a bid to the Sun Belt Conference tournament this weekend. They need a win over Florida Atlantic or Florida International to do so.
The Jags will travel to play FAU on Friday night then will travel to FIU for a match on Saturday. Both are set to start at 5:30pm.
“Florida Atlantic always plays hard and gives it their best, and I expect no different this weekend,” head coach Amy Hendrichovsky said. “Florida International has been putting up impressive blocking statistics against many opponents this season. For us to offset that, we’re going to have to be in system and continue to be aggressive. FIU is obviously going to get its blocks with it being their strength. We just have to stick to our strengths and keep our offense balanced.”
The Jags go into this final weekend with a 13-15 record (6-7 SBC) and on a four match losing streak.
Offensively, sophomore Melissa Waelter leads the way for the Jags. She is eighth in the Sun Belt with an average of 3.17 kills per set. She is also in a three-way tie for fourth in the conference in aces with 0.3 per match. She recorded 17 kills against MTSU on Friday night.
Savannah Stewart, a true freshman, leads the team in kills with 288 and ranks second on the team in kills per set with 2.72. She has also earned eight double-doubles this season.
The Jags are third in the conference in digs with 15.23 per match. Junior libero Jenna Hassell is seventh in the conference in digs with an average of 4 per match.
FAU is 6-18 on the season and 1-12 in the Sun Belt and have lost their last seven matches entering this week. They lost a straight set decision to FIU last weekend 3-0. They are 3-5 at home this season and have only one conference win against ULL back on October 5.
FIU is 8-17 on the season (5-8 SBC) coming off of their win over FAU last weekend. They have won three of their last five matches in a late push to try to earn a berth in the SBC Tournament.
Heading into this weekend they are seventh place in the conference and only needed a win in one of their two matches this weekend to lock up their bid to the tournament.
Jags Practice In Shells For Second Straight Day Wednesday
Head coach Joey Jones is preparing his team for what he says will be a physically challenging team on Saturday. Jones said that North Texas likes to come right at the teams they face, especially on offense, to see how they handle it.
Coach Jones said that the team will have to be both physically and mentally prepared for the Mean Green’s attack. “Defensively, we better realize it’s going to be a very physical game and we better step up to the challenge,” Jones said following Wednesday’s practice. “They’re going to run the football right at you and find out if you can stand up to them.”
“Offensively, they’re the same way,” he continued. “They’re physical inside and they’re going to try to take the run away and we have to be physical to match up with their physicality. We better be ready for that type of game.”
The Jags practiced in shells for the second consecutive day. On Tuesday coach Jones said that practice sessions are not being altered as to how they prepare, but that they are just not dressing out in full pads.
However coach Jones was not impressed by the teams two hour practice Wednesday morning. He described the practice as being “Average.” He continued by saying, “I didn’t think we had a great day. I thought we had an average day. We were up and down a little bit and not as consistent as I would like to be.”
The WNSP morning show talked to Mean Green head coach Dan McCarney on Wednesday. He was very complimentary of South Alabama and coach Joey Jones. It was mentioned that the North Texas offensive line ranks first in the conference in sacks again by only allowing six sacks through nine games. While the Jaguar defense is ranked second in the conference with 20 sacks in nine games.
McCarney also mentioned how good the defensive line and linebackers are for the Jags. But he thinks the UNT offensive line will be ready since they were able to hold up against the likes of LSU, Kansas State and Houston along with the rest of the Sun Belt schedule while only allowing six sacks.
It could come down to who gets the early advantage in the game. Both teams are slow out of the gate but finish games strong. South Alabama has been outscored 175-75 in the first half while North Texas has been outscored 143-80 in the first half. But both have outscored their opponents in the fourth quarter.
Jags Look For Complete Game Against Mean Green
As the remaining games dwindle down this season the Jags continue to work hard to add more wins to their season total. A few weeks ago South Alabama notched their first win against an FBS team and a Sun Belt team when they defeated Florida Atlantic in double overtime.
While the Jags record is 2-7 (1-4 SBC) it does not show how close they are to a much better record. In recent weeks they have dropped games by a margin of one possession to FIU last weekend and Arkansas State a few weeks back. They also dropped the season opening game to UTSA by a field goal in the final minute of the game. If those game swing the Jags way the record would be 5-4 overall.
But those games did not go the Jags way and the team is eager to add more to the win column.
“We’ve played some good games, but I don’t know that we have played a four-quarter game yet, I really don’t,” Jones said. “I think we have played three quarters, we have played two, we have played three-and-a-half against Louisiana-Monroe and Arkansas State. We are doing some good things. For where we are in our program, we have to play four quarters to have a chance to win.”
“I think we have gained some respect from the other coaches and the teams we have played against,” Jones continued. “That’s gratifying in some ways because when you walk across the field and shake a guy’s hand, you can tell that they respect what you are doing. But it still wasn’t a win on the scoreboard, and until we start getting some of those it’s going to sting.”
While the totals in the Win and Loss columns may not show it, but the Jags have improved from game one through game nine this season. Yes they have had letdowns in certain facets of their game from week to week, but they still improve from week to week.
South Alabama dug themselves a big hole against FIU, yet put up attention-grabbing numbers on both sides of the ball against FIU, the preseason pick to win the Sun Belt title. The Jags posted a season-best 458 yards of total offense and averaged six yards per play. Defensively the Jags held FIU to a mere 31 yards of offense in the second half with only two first downs.
The Jags also scored 13 unanswered points in the second half including a 75 yard touchdown pass to open the half from Ross Metheny to Corey Besteda. They also had three drives that crossed midfield in the fourth quarter and had a third and goal from inside the one yard line in the fourth quarter but could not get in the endzone after a false start penalty back them up five yards.
“We’re a much better football team now than we were the first year,” Jones said. “It’s probably the biggest improvement that any team we have had these first four years has made within the season. Is it showing up in the conference standings? No, because we still see some L’s over there on our side. Did we play really well? Yes, but this game is all about winning.”
South Alabama will be looking to put together a complete, four quarter game against North Texas this weekend.
The Jags gave up 334 yards of offense to FIU to rank second in the Sun Belt with an average of 364.7 yards per game. Metheny put up a game-record of 326 yards of total offense against FIU as he threw for 270 yards and rushing for 56 more yards.
North Texas enters the game averaging 405.8 yards per game including an average of 175 yards rushing per game. The Mean Green ranks fourth in the conference in rushing with two backs in the top 10 individually. Brandin Byrd has 572 yards on 152 carries with two touchdowns while Antoinne Jimmerson has 522 yards on 105 carries with five touchdowns.
UNT quarterback Derek Thompson has thrown for over 200 yards in seven consecutive games with a 316 yard game against Arkansas State last weekend. He averages 229.3 yards per game passing for the season to rank fifth in the conference.
However the Mean Green is missing Breland Chancellor to a season-ending injury. He had 966 all-purpose yards including 25 catches for 450 yards and five touchdowns.
“The thing that is dangerous about them is that they will run, run, run, run and all of a sudden run play action and throw it deep over the top,” Jones explained. “We have to be smart and not give up the big throw. Our cornerbacks and safeties are really going to have to do a good job this week. We have to be disciplined in the secondary, especially this week.”
UNT has allowed an average of 410 yards per game and over 250 yards per game passing. In the last four games opponents are averaging over 315 yards per game through the air.
“North Texas is a very physical team, they play power football offensively,” Jones said. “Defensively they don’t run a lot of things, but they do them extremely well. They have big guys up front who are 330 and 300 pounds inside. They play very good fundamental football and are very well coached. They beat Louisiana-Lafayette on TV three weeks ago, they got after them. They play with a physical nature that they bring to every game.”
The Jags will kickoff against North Texas in Denton, Texas at 4pm. The game can be heard on WNSP and viewed through the University of North Texas’ online video service.
Jags Practice In Shells On Tuesday
Enrique Williams combines with another Jaguar to tackle a FIU runner.
South Alabama deviated from their usual schedule on Tuesday morning by practicing in shells rather than full pads. Coach Joey Jones mentioned conserving energy in a long season as a reason for doing that. Though the intensity and work was the same as if the team had actually wore full pads.
“We just felt like we’re at least 13 or 14 weeks into practice, and this just gives them a little (break),” Jones said. “We didn’t practice any different, we just took the pads off. A lot of teams go to that late in the year to just give them a little mental break.”
One area of concentration was to make sure to get reps for backup players in every phase of the game. Jones noted that it was very important for those players who don’t get to see as many reps in practice as the starters to be ready in a moment’s notice.
“I thought we had pretty good focus,” he said of the practice. “We’ve got to make sure that our back-up guys, guys that are on our second string, are ready to go too. I think that sometimes you lose focus as a back-up but you’re one injury away from playing. We’ve got to get with those guys and make sure that they’re ready to go. Other than that, I think we had a good practice.”
Linebacker Jake Johnson did not practice on Tuesday as his right arm is in a sling. Though the injury is not serious and is expected to be back at practice on Wednesday. Johnson continues to be the leading tackler in the conference with 92 as he collected 15 total against FIU, 12 of them solo. He average 10.2 tackles per game.
Randon Carnathan’s season is over as Coach Jones said during his radio show that he had a torn ACL.
Linebacker Enrique Williams ranks 4th in the conference with 82 tackles and averagind 9 tackles per game. Alex Page is ranked #2 in the conference with five sacks. Pat Moore is tied for 4th in the same category with four in eight games.
Moore also ranks #7 in the conference in tackles for loss while Page ranks 8th in the same category.