Jags Opener Versus UTSA To Air On ESPN3
Yesterday the University of South Alabama announced that their Sun Belt opener against Troy will be televised. Thursday, South Alabama announced that their season opening game on Thursday, August 30, 2012 versus the University of Texas-San Antonio will be aired nationally on ESPN3 as part of the Sun Belt’s network in the fall.
This is the first of two Jaguar contests that will be broadcast on ESPN3. The Jaguars game in Raleigh versus North Carolina State on September 15th is the other game scheduled on the network. The Jags game against Troy will likely be broadcast on the network as well, but there has not been a formal announcement.
ESPN3 is the live multi-screen sports network for ESPN. It is available nation wide online and also available on many mobile devices via the WatchESPN app. ESPN3 is freely available to around 73 million homes nationwide through their high-speed internet service provider or video subscription from an affiliated service provider.
It is also available at no cost to around 21 million US college students and US-based military personnel.
Go Jags!
Jags Sun Belt Debut Vs Troy Will Be Televised
It was announced today that the Jaguars first-ever Sun Belt Conference football game will be televised. This historic game will feature the Jaguars versus Troy University and will be televised on a regional basis as it will be included in the league’s broadcast package this fall.
The September 29th game will be available on the Sun Belt Network which is a joint partnership with Comcast Sports Southeast (CSS) and Cox Sports Television (CST). It will be available in 13 states across the southeast and it is likely to also be carried on ESPN Game Plan and ESPN3 nationwide outside of CSS and CST markets.
In order to accommodate television, the kickoff time will be moved up to 2:30pm on Saturday, September 29.
It’s Our Time! Go Jags!
SBC Sets New Record In Academics
The Sun Belt Conference has reached a new high in academics. According to the release by the conference on Thursday, a record 1,793 SBC student-athletes earned a GPA over 3.0 for the previous school year and were named to either the SBC Academic Honor Roll or SBC Commissioner’s List.
The Commissioner’s List is made up of student-athletes who received a GPA of 3.5 or higher for the previous academic year. The Academic Honor Roll is awarded to those maintaining a GPA between 3.0 and 3.49.
The list this year has 826 student-athletes on the Commissioner’s List, up from last year’s total of 797, while 967 student-athletes were recognized on the Academic Honor Roll. The overall number is up to 1,793, which was an increase from the 2010-2011 total of 1,659.
“This is a tremendous accomplishment for our member universities, athletics departments and our quality student-athletes,” SBC Commissioner Karl Benson stated. “We are very proud of the high academic achievement of our student-athletes in the Sun Belt and it proves that our member universities and athletics programs are committed to excellence, not just on the fields and on the courts but in the classroom as well.”
“Our coaches and administrators have done an outstanding job in mentoring and providing the necessary tools and resources for our student-athletes to succeed and reach such high levels of academic success,” Benson continued.
WKU lead the way on both lists with 109 on the Commissioner’s List and 124 on the Academic Honor Roll. While Women’s Soccer placed the most student-athletes on the list in the by-sport category with 134 on the Commissioner’s List and 79 on the Academic Honor Roll. Football had the most student-athletes on the Academic Honor Roll with 183.
This is the second year in a row that new highs in academics were reached and four of the last five years have set new record highs.
Three SBC Players Named To Doak Walker Watchlist
Three Sun Belt Conference running backs have been named to the Doak Walker Award Watchlist. Nominations for the award will be accepted through October.
Florida International’s Kendrick Rhodes, Middle Tennessee’s Benny Cunningham and Troy’s Shawn Southward were the three from the conference included in the list.
The PwC SMU Athletics Forum Board of Directors will name the semi-finalists on November 9 then the Doak Walker Award National Selection Committee, which consists of former NFL All-Pro and college All-America running backs, media members and selected special representatives, will cast votes to determine the finalists, which will be announced on November 19th. Then the committee will cast a second vote beginning on November 26th to determine who the recipient will be.
Other high-profile runningbacks on the watchlist are Montee Ball (Wisc.), Knile Davis (Ark.), Eddie Lacy (Ala.), Marcus Latimore (South Carolina), Onterio McCalebb (Aub.), Curtis McNeal (Southern Cal.) and Joseph Randle (Ok. State) among others.
Troy AD Abruptly Announces Resignation
Troy University is prepping a search committee after the abrupt announcement by Athletics Director Steve Dennis of his plans to resign from his position effective September 30, the day after South Alabama plays their first Sun Belt game versus Troy in Mobile.
Dennis did not give a reason for his announcement which was released via a short statement by the University’s athletics media relations department.
Troy University is a special place and I have been privileged to play a role in the growth and development of its athletic program over the past seven-and-one-half years. The University will always hold a special place in my heart and my family will always be a TROY family.
I have presented my resignation as Director of Athletics to Chancellor Hawkins effective September 30. Our athletic department has accomplished a great deal at TROY, and I believe this is the right time in my life to explore other opportunities. In announcing my departure, I thank the members of the coaching and support staffs of the Department of Athletics and I cannot thank Chancellor Hawkins enough for giving me this opportunity. He is a tremendous leader but most of all he is a great human being and it has been a privilege to work for and learn from him. I am sure that great things lie ahead for Trojan athletics and I look forward to watching the growth and maturity of the program in the years to come.”
Dennis played football at Georgia where he was a defensive captain in 1978, is a former assistant coach at Auburn where he was on the staff with Troy head football coach Larry Blakeney.
Erdmann Appointed To NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament Selection Committee
USA Director of Athletics Dr. Joel Erdmann.
The University of South Alabama Athletics Director Dr. Joel Erdmann has been appointed to the NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament selection committee. Dr. Erdmann will begin his first term with the committee on September 1, 2012 and runs through September 1, 2016.
Committee members are selected by geographical location to assure equal representations across the nation. THeir responsiblities are the oversight of the College World Series which is held in Omaha, Nebraska each year and the continual exposure of the sport nationally. They also select and seed the field for the NCAA Tournament each spring.
Erdmann was notified of his appointment to the committee this past spring but had to go through a lengthy process to become a member. He was first nominated to be on the 10-member Sun Belt Conference committee, then in conjunction with a nomination, each potential candidate must then submit a justification as to why they would be qualified to server on the committee. They must also list any applicable past experience in a role or some type of knowledge or expertise in the sport that would be beneficial.
Erdmann has previously served on both the NCAA Division II Football Committee while at the University of North Alabama during 2006-2007 academic year. He also co-chaired the NCAA Division II Football Southeast Region Advisory Committee during his time with UNA. he was also an assistant coach at USA in 1996-1997 and a graduate assistant before that for the Jags during the 1992 season.
“I’m very humbled and honored to be nominated and selected to be on the committee,” Erdmann stated. “I think part of the benefit is to try and make sure the game itself is healthy and the championships are healthy and good. Any time a person can represent a university and a conference, that’s also a benefit and has some intangible benefits to it. I’m looking forward to serving on the committee. I think it will be a great experience. It’ll be a bit of work and a lot of time, but it’ll be well worth it.”
South Alabama Set To Add Four To USA Hall of Fame
Four former Jags are set to be inducted into the South Alabama Athletics Hall of Fame. Three of them are former All-Americans and another is a nationally ranked women’s tennis player.
Former Jaguar baseball players P.J. Walters and Juan Pierre, former men’s tennis player František Babej and Cindy Summers will be the four added to the 57 former players who are currently in the South Alabama Athletics Hall of Fame.
The first weekend in November will be the school’s Hall of Fame weekend with a formal ceremony on Saturday, November 3 at 10 a.m. at the Laidlaw Performing Arts Center on campus. They will then be recognized at Ladd-Peebles Stadium during halftime of the Jaguars game versus Florida International.
P.J. Walters lettered for the Jaguars from 2004-2006 and earned Freshman All-American accolades from Collegiate Baseball his first season with the Jags after posting a 10-1 records with 119 strikeouts in 117 innings. As a junior, Collegiate Baseball named Walters a second-team All-America while Baseball America named him a third-team honoree. He led the Sun Belt with 166 strikeouts, which was the second highest total in school history, as he earned an 11-3 mark. Walters owns the career record with 404 strikeouts and 410.1 innings pitched. He is also second all-time with 31 wins.
Juan Pierre’s only season as a Jaguar saw him lead the Sun Belt with 95 hits, 77 runs and 54 stolen bases and earning conference player-of-the-year and being named first-team all-league. The 54 stolen bases ranked 5th nationally. American Baseball Coaches Association named him to the second-team All-American team and was also named to the third team All-America team by both Collegiate Baseball and the National College Baseball Writers Association. The Jags won the regular-season title with a 42-19 overall record and went 2-2 at the NCAA South I Regional. Both losses were by one run to eventual National Champion USC.
Babej lettered for the Jags in 2004 and 2005 while earning All-America honors in singles from the Intercollegiate Tennis Association both of those seasons. In his first season with the Jags, Babej became the first Jaguar player to ever reach the semifinals of the NCAA Championships. He ended the season ranked 17th in the country in singles and 49th in doubles in 2003-2004. He would end his senior season ranked 16th in the final rankings after winning his first two NCAA singles matches. He would end his senior year with a 32-3 record with a 26-match winning streak.
Summers earned numerous Sun Belt Conference honors during her time as a Jaguar. She lead the Lady Jags to four consecutive league championships from 1994-1997. She was also included in the Sun Belt Conference 30th Anniversary All-Time Women’s Tennis Team. She was selected the MVP of the conference championships in both 1996 and 1997 while earning all-league honors in singles three times and doubles on three occasions as well. In 1996 she would finish ranked 34th nationally in singles and 40th in doubles. At the end of her senior year she was ranked 57th nationally in doubles and 65th nationally in singles.
EA Fesses Up And Pledges “Extras” For South Alabama
Mock-up of Kendall Houston on the cover of NCAA Football 13. But it would be just as good if it were NCAA Football 14.
EA Sports, the publisher of the NCAA Football video game franchise, informed the University of South Alabama that they would make up for their oversight in leaving the Jaguars out of the 2013 edition of the game.
About two weeks ago EA released a preview of the game and, much to South Alabama fan’s dismay, the Jaguars had been left out. South Alabama, who made it known all the way back in 2009 that they were going to take the most immediate route from program inception to joining the FBS division of sports. However the University of Texas-San Antonio, Texas State and UMass were all included in this years game even though they announced their transition to FBS after South Alabama.
This set off a bit of a firestorm from South Alabama fans. They took their complaint online to websites and social media only to be rebuffed with a short statement from their communication manager.
“South Alabama was a provisional member of FBS last year and did not play a full FBS schedule. We did not receive confirmation that they were changing to a full FBS schedule this year until it was too late for inclusion in NCAA Football 13. South Alabama will be included in NCAA Football 14.“
Their cries of #FreeSouthAlabama were heard and posted about by many other websites mentioned in a previous article on this website.
EA Sports officials have contacted the University officials and administrators and has informed them that the Jaguars are going to be part of NCAA Football 14 with a list of extras.
- EA Sports will video the team and cheerleaders running out onto the field and will try to replicate the run out as make it as realistic as possible.
- EA Sports will record the crowd at a South Alabama game this year and use that to replicate the stadium sound effects and crowd chants.
- EA Sports will work closely with the South Alabama athletic department in developing the South Alabama team introductions that ESPN announcers Brad Nessler, Rece Davis and Kirk Herbstreit will voice at the start of each Jaguar game.
- EA Sports will be adding South Paw into the game and have him on the sidelines during the game. He will also be part of the “Mascot Mash-Up” game mode included in the game.
- EA Sports wants to meet with the Jaguar Football coaches to replicate the playbook and make it as realistic as possible to match what the team uses during the 2014 season.
- EA Sports is already looking into licensing the rights to use Ladd-Peebles Stadium so they can perform a “Stadium Scan” and get the most authentic stadium for South Alabama’s home.
These things are typically reserved for “the biggest and highest profile teams in the country” not just the latest school on the FBS block. If this does not get your heart pounding, then you may need a defibrillator because your heart just skipped a beat (like mine).
The fans did a great job continuing to keep this story going and EA listened.
But just as importantly, thanks to EA Sports for recognizing this oversight and going above and beyond what many expected to rectify the situation. Now the South Alabama family can help lobby to get that video of the team running out onto the field included as part of the opening montage.
If someone at EA is reading this, the mock-up cover with Kendall Houston would make an awesome cover for NCAA Football 14, or at least a great special edition for South Alabama fans. I would fork over some extra cash for it. It might even be a great fundraiser for charity.
GO JAGS!!
South Alabama Gets Lots Of Press Over EA Fumble
Kendall Houston as an alternate cover of NCAA Football 13
Several writers around the nation who cover College Football have written posts about NCAA Football ’13 set to release next month by EA Sports and how South Alabama is missing while UTSA, Texas State and UMass are all three included. South Alabama trustees voted on December 6, 2007 to add football and then hired Joey Jones to be the first coach on February 15, 2008 and played their first game in 2009.
However in 2009, they announced they were taking the most expedient route available under NCAA rules to become a full member of the FBS division of football. The three other schools only recently announced their intentions of moving up to the FBS level and will be classified the same as South Alabama.
An EA Sports communication manager Julie Foster said, “South Alabama was a provisional member of FBS last year and did not play a full FBS schedule. We did not receive confirmation that they were changing to a full FBS schedule this year until it was too late for inclusion in NCAA Football 13. South Alabama will be included in NCAA Football 14.” Further clarification was not made, however.
But this has left a sour taste in the mouth of many South Alabama fans. Many, like myself, have looked forward for over three and a half years to see our school among the storied programs of Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, USC and Oklahoma in a video game. Unfortunately, we have to wait yet another year and it was not the fault of our school. It was a complete blunder by EA Sports.
Among those who have written about this are Kevin McGuire, Sports Video Game Examiner; Jason Kirk, College Football Editor and co-host of Shutdown Fullback at SBNation (first and second articles); Graham Watson at Dr. Saturday a Yahoo! Sports Blog and one of my favorite writers, Holly Anderson with Sports Illustrated put it in her Weekend Whimsy. (By the way, it wasn’t a paperwork issue either).
But fans have not stopped there, they are attempting to get EA’s attention by tweeting with the hashtag #FreeSouthAlabama. While I don’t work in the game development world, I do work in the field of software and studied game development (a little). I doubt they can add us to the game that will be shipped out next month, but us in Jag Nation hope that we will be included with an online update at least. But the last thing I want is a half-hearted attempt to stuff us in the game.
EA highly disappointed me and they disappointed all of us in the South Alabama family. I hope this will be rectified in the next edition, a very long year from now. But there are seniors on this years squad who will not get to see their number out on the field wearing the Jaguar Red, White and Blue. It’s those guys who I feel for. Some of them came to South when there wasn’t a football field house. They came on a vision and will be leaving a program that is well on it’s way to great heights. It’s already something special.
C.J. Bennett as the alternate cover for NCAA Football 13. Image created by J.T. Crabtree.
Phil Steele Releases His USA Preview
Phil Steele, the College Football Preview magazine, has released their preview of the South Alabama Jaguars with a nice section promoting it on the front page of their website. They dedicate a full two pages for their review unlike other publications who, if they even include the Jags yet, may have a couple paragraphs dedicated to them.
They have a great write-up about the team. Go download your copy and enjoy it for yourself.