Lady Jags Down Sam Houston State 71-61 On Saturday
The Lady Jaguars improve to 7-3 on the season after they defeated Sam Houston State in the Mitchell Center on Saturday. For the first time this season the Lady Jags overcame a halftime deficit to pick up the 71-61 win over the Bearkats.
The Jags trailed by three points at halftime, but used a pair of runs early in the second half to overtake the Bearkats for the win.
“At the half, I talked to our team about the fact that we need to show more resolve and gumption,” head coach Rick Pietri said. “We needed to apply ourselves more from a standpoint of intensity and desire. I just felt like we were being out desired. Sam Houston State deserves credit for that. In the second half, I think our kids responded excellently in every aspect of the game. Our attention rose and we shot a much better percentage in the second half. I just think that all-in-all in the second half, the effort, the intensity, the discipline we were staying true to our principles and as a result we won the game.”
Camille Reynolds led the Jags with 14 points by going 4-of-6 from the floor with three 3-pointers. Mary Nixon added 11 points as well while Veronica Cherizol narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and 12 rebounds.
The Jaguar bench was the key to the victory, as it has been all season. The Jags had a 28-10 advantage over the Bearkat bench. Also three-point shots were key in the win as the Jags connected on 11 shots from outside the arc.
The Lady Jags will have an 11 day break for final exams before returning to the court with a trip to Central Florida on December 19.
Jags Fall To UAB 92-78 On Saturday
The Jaguar men’s basketball team started off the game slow again against UAB in Birmingham on Saturday. The Blazers jumped out to a 16-4 lead to open the game in route to defeating the Jaguars 92-78 at Bartow Arena.
This win put the Blazer even for the season at 5-5 while the Jags drop to 4-5 on the season. The Jags continue to struggle in Bartow arena. They have lost the last nine games there and hold an all-time record of 2-19 in Birmingham. The Jags have not won at UAB since 1988.
The Blazers shot 57.1% from the floor and 52.9% from three-point range for the game. While the Jags struggled again by missing all 12 attempts from 3-point range and missing their first 14 attempts for the game.
“We didn’t play defense, there wasn’t much effort, we had poor shot selection and didn’t share the ball until late in the game,” Jaguar head coach Ronnie Arrow said. “We’re not going to win games until our guys start taking a personal interest in their defense. It starts with them. There’s not enough discipline on offense and way too much not-knowing-what’s-going-on on defense.”
UAB made 11 of their first 14 shots of the game and lead 25-13 with 11:15 left in the first half. The Blazers would take a 46-27 lead into halftime.
The Blazers would lead by as much as 28 points in the second half.
“They were working hard and we were standing around,” Arrow said. “We have basic things that we do that we didn’t do tonight until we decided to start getting some points and sharing the ball. We’re going to look at this long and hard and we’re going to play the guys that share the ball and want to work.”
The Jags would hit their stride late in the game and went on a 14-3 run, capped off with a three-pointer from Mychal Ammons, to close the Blazer lead to 90-78 with 1:25 left in the game. The Blazers would get an offensive rebound on its next possession and hit two free throws for the final points of the game.
Augustine Rubit earned his fourth double-double of the season with 24 points and 11 rebounds, 16 of his points coming after halftime. Xavier Roberson added 18 points, 13 of his in the second half as well. Freddie Goldstein chipped in 13 points coming off the bench.
South Alabama show just 30.3% from the floor in the first half, but would come out of the halftime locker room and shot 54.8% and 46.7% from three-point range. The Blazers would shoot 51.3% in the first half and would improve on that by shooting 66.7% in the second half.
UAB had five players in double-digits lead by Fahro Alihodzic with 17 points.
South Alabama will open a three-game home stand beginning on December 16 when they host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:05pm at the Mitchell Center.
Hernandez Named To 2012 NCSAA All-South Region Team
South Alabama Junior midfielder Clarissa Hernandez was named to the 2012 National Soccer Coaches Association of America’s NCAA Women’s Division I All-South Region Team.
She led the Jaguars in almost every statistical category in the fall. She led the team in goals with six, assists 5, shots 56, shots on goal 24 and tied with junior Kristyn Thacker in game-winning goals with two. She also finished in the top 10 among Sun Belt Conference players in each of the previous stats.
Hernandez is from Pensacola, Florida.
She scored a goal and added two assists for the Jags in a 4-0 win over ULM in mid-October. It was a single game career high for Hernandez with four points. She also put the Jags ahead of FAU on a free kick in late September.
The Jags finished the season 8-10-3 and earned a berth in the Conference tournament for the second consecutive season.
CJ Bennett Announces Intention To Transfer
C.J. Bennett reads the defense while head coach Joey Jones looks on from the sidelines in Starkville Mississippi.
Quarterback C.J. Bennet announced via Facebook and Instagram that he intends to transfer to Murray State in Kentucky. He will be eligible to play immediately for the Racers.
In his post he said “When I committed to South I had no idea it would be this tough to say good bye.”
Bennett took over the starting duties for the final three games of the 2010 season and the entire 2011 season. He started the 2012 season but rotated with Junior transfer Ross Metheny before Metheny was named the starter in the Jaguars sixth game of the season after their off week.
Good luck CJ! Once a Jaguar, always a Jaguar.
Jaguar Arts Holiday Contest
Our friends over at Jaguar Arts is conducting a holiday photo contest for Jaguar Nation. Follow these instructions to win a print of the Inaugural Season from Jaguar Arts.
- Like the Jaguar Arts facebook page and share the contest photo.
- Post your favorite Jag holiday picture to the Jaguar Arts timeline by December 25th.
- Get your friends to like your photo in the album, “Christmas Starts with Jaguar Arts.”
- The photo with the most likes by December 31st win a framed print of the Inaugural Season.
The earlier you submit your photo, the better your chance to win is. Jaguar Arts will be uploading the pictures as they come in and spotlighting them throughout the month of December.
Trey Clark Named To Capital One Academic All-America Team
From left to right is Offensive coordinator Robert Matthews, Center Trey Clark and offensive lineman Drew Dearman in the Jaguars first practice preparing for the fall football season.
Trey Clark has been one of the most consistent players for the South Alabama Jaguars football team over the program first four years of existence. He is the only individual in that time to start every game in the program’s existence. But he is also a consistent performer off the field and in the classroom.
For his accomplishments off the field, Clark was named to the second-team Capital One Academic All-America team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
In order to qualify for the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team, Clark had to be selected first-team academic All-District, to be nominated for the organization’s academic honors, individuals must carry a minimum of a 3.30 cumulative GPA, have sophomore status both academically and athletically, and be a starter or important reserve.
Trey has been voted first-team academic All-District each of the last two years and was also selected to the FCS Athletic Directors Association Academic All-Start Team in 2011. South Alabama’s district includes the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
Clark is one of only two players to start every game on offense this season for the Jaguars. But he is the only Jaguar from the offensive team to be on the field for every one of the school’s 938 snaps in all 13 games this season. He earned a season-high 91% mark at 23rd ranked Mississippi State on September 22. He went on to finish the season with an 89% grade. He averaged more than six knockdown blocks per game as well.
Trey was the lone individual from the Sun Belt to be named to the 2012 Capital one Academic All-America team.
Trey is a native of Prattville, Alabama.
Malzahn Will Not Coach ASU In Bowl Game
On Wednesday, Arkansas State Athletic Director Terry Mohajir announced defensive coordinator John Thompson will be the Red Wolves interim head football coach effective immediately. This move means that former head coach Gus Malzahn will not coach the Red Wolves in the GoDaddy.com Bowl at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on January 6.
Thompson has over 30 years of experience at the collegiate level both as an assistant coach and as a head coach. He will oversee ASU’s preparations for their bowl game and fill the head coaching duties at game time.
“Not only does coach Thompson’s wealth of experience make him an excellent fit to assume the role of interim head coach, but he is also man of character with great leadership qualities who has earned a great deal of respect from this administration and the players,” Mohajir stated. “We are confident he will help our football program make a smooth transition into the postseason, while also giving this team a tremendous opportunity to finish the season on a successful note in the GoDaddy.com Bowl.”
“The decision to move forward with an interim head coach for the GoDaddy.com Bowl was not made lightly, but we feel it is in the best interest of our student-athletes since Coach Malzahn will understandably be consumed with his commitments to Auburn and not be able to give his full attention to this team and its upcoming preparations for the postseason bowl,” said Mohajir.
Thompson, as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach this season, oversaw the Red Wolves defense that ranked first in the conference in scoring defense and third in total defense. ASU led the conference with 10 selections to the All-Sun Belt Conference.
“We have a mature group of players with strong leadership, and I am certain this team and coaching staff is going to rise to the occasion,” Thompson said. “The team has improved on a weekly basis, and we expect it to continue to get better and compete at an even higher level. This has been a special season and everyone associated with this program wants to finish the year strong, none more so than our players and coaches. I know we will continue to show the same commitment we demonstrated all year that resulted in a Sun Belt Conference championship.”
Names that have been mentioned as possible head coaches for Arkansas State are: Texas A&M offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury, Texas’ Co-Offensive coordinator Major Applewhite, former University of North Carolina head coach Butch Davis and former University of South Florida head coach Skip Holtz.
More Coaching Changes Coming To The Sun Belt
More coaching changes are coming in the Sun Belt.
It began with Arkansas State’s Gus Malzahn accepting the head coaching position with Auburn University. Now Florida International has dismissed Mario Cristobal after a 3-9 season.
Last season Cristobal’s name came up for several opening around the country but he stayed with FIU. His first three seasons with the Golden Panthers were tough but he showed improvement. In 2007 his team went 1-11, then in 2008 they improved to 5-7, in 2009 they slipped back to 3-9. But in 2010 they went 7-6 with a win in the Little Caeser’s Bowl. Then in 2011 they started off strong but finished with an 8-5 record and a loss in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl.
His overall record at FIU was 27-47 (20-26 SBC, 1-1 Bowls). This season they had wins over Akron, South Alabama and Florida Atlantic.
FIU’s Executive Director of Sports and Entertainment Pete Garcia announced Cristobal’s dismissal with the following press release. “Today we informed Coach (Mario) Cristobal that a change was being made in the direction of our football program. I want to thank Coach for all that he has done to develop the football program over the past six seasons. We will now turn our attention to attract the very best candidate to fill the position of head coach. We will begin a national search immediately.”
There are reports swirling that Western Kentucky’s head coach Willie Taggart may accept the position at the University of South Florida that became vacant when the University fired head coach Skip Holtz earlier this week.
The leading name for the FIU position is former UNC head coach Butch Davis. Other possible names are FSU OC James Coley, Miami DC Mark D’Onofrio, Texas DC Manny Diaz, Navy OC Ivin Jasper, Lousiana Tech OC Tony Franklin and Jacksonville Jaguars assistant offensive line coach Ron Prince.
Four Jags Earn Conference Honors
Game Captains for South Alabama Romelle Jones, B.J. Scott, Greg Hollinger and Alex Page meet the Troy captains at mid-field for the coin toss in the two teams first meeting and the Jaguars first Sun Belt Conference game.
Four Jaguars have been honored with All-Sun Belt Conference honors on Wednesday.
First-team selection Jake Johnson was the top tackler in the conference. Alex Page was voted to the second-team All-Sun Belt team. While B.J. Scott and Enrique Williams were chosen for honorable mention recognition.
Voting was conducted by the 10 head coaches in the conference and selected members of the media. This was the first time in the programs four year history that they were able to be selected for All-Conference honors.
Jake Johnson is a 6’1″, 240-pound senior linebacker from Fredericksburg, VA. He is the only player in the conference that averages double-digits in tackles after totally 131 total stops in 13 games this season. He ranks third in the conference with 15 tackles for loss with at least one in every game this season. He also has three sacks and six quarterback hurries. He led the team in stops seven times this season and had double-digit tackles in a game five times this season.
Alex Page, a 6’1″ 245-pound junior defensive lineman from Prattville, AL, ranked fifth in the conference with six sacks and eighth with 11.5 tackles for loss. He recorded a career-best 64 tackles which ranked fifth on the team and the most among the Jags defensive linemen. He also became the first player at his position in Jag history to record double-digit tackles with 10 against FAU.
B.J. Scott is a 5’11” 205-pound senior safety from Prichard, AL. He transferred to South Alabama from the University of Alabama with two years of eligibility. Scott ended the season with 84 tackles, six of them for a loss. He also had two interceptions, three passes broken up and two forced fubmles with a fumble recovery. He had four games with double-digit tackles including a career-best 12 in the season finale against Hawaii. He finished tied for 15th in the conference this season with an average of 6.5 tackles per game.
Enrique Williams is a 6′, 235-pound junior linebacker from Mobile, AL. He finished the season with 105 tackles, which was good enough for seventh in the conference, with six of them for losses. He finished four games with double-digit tackles and led the team in tackles on five occasions. He had a career best 12 tackles against then #23 ranked Mississippi State and again at Arkansas State in the Jags first ever conference road game.
The defense, led by these four individuals, allowed an average of 383.7 yards per game to finish the season ranked second in the conference in total defense and ranked 3rd in the conference against the pass. The Jags also led the conference in red zone defense and was second in opponent third-down conversion percentage as well.
Arkansas State Looking For New Head Coach For Second Consecutive Season
Photo from astateredwolves.com.
Arkansas State is searching for a head football coach for the second year in a row as Gus Malzahn accepted the position at Auburn University. This also marks the second season in a row that the Red Wolves will visit the GoDaddy.com Bowl without their head coach.
Sources did not know if ASU would name an interim coach for the bowl game or if Malzahn wants or intends to coach the team in the bowl game.
Tim Hudson, chancellor of ASU and Terry Mohajir, director of athletics, issued statements yesterday concerning the football program.
“Coach Gus Malzahn informed us this afternoon that he would be accepting the head coaching position at Auburn University,” ASU Chancellor Dr. Tim Hudson said. “We appreciate his contributions to our conference championship season and wish him well.”
Hudson, Mohajir as well as ASU System President Dr. Charles L. Welch will begin an immediate search for Malzahn’s successor.
“The back-to-back championships in the Sun Belt Conference make this a very attractive position, and we’re confident we’ll have a lot of interest,” Mohajir said. “This administration, this community and the entire Arkansas State family have demonstrated our commitment to have a nationally prominent intercollegiate athletics program and will continue to do so.”
Mohajir said that he would be meeting with Malzahn to discuss the transition and “keeping the interests of our student-athletes foremost in mind.” Mohajir’s plan is for Malzahn and his staff to coach the Red Wolves in their bowl game on January 6 against Kent State in Mobile, AL.
“We remain firmly committed to our facilities upgrade plans,” Welch said. “We owe this to our student-athletes and fans, and we remain excited about the opportunities ahead for the Red Wolves.”
However, after Malzahn meets with Auburn officials to finalize his contract and timeline those plans by Mahajir may not pan out.
But Arkansas State may not be the only team in the GoDaddy.com Bowl with a new coach or searching for a new coach. It is being reported that Kent State’s head coach Darrell Hazell has accepted the head coaching position at Purdue University according to Brett McMurphy of ESPN.