Q&A with Ben Moore of PantherTalk.com
Ben Moore, Co-Founder and Editor of PantherTalk.com, reached out to me for a question and answer piece for their “Know your Opponent” series. We asked each other a few questions about each respective program leading up to tomorrows game in the Georgia Dome.
Ben: What are Jag fans expecting as they enter the Georgia Dome on Saturday?
Thunderjags: I think the fans expect a good football atmosphere and an exciting game. I think most fans come into this game expecting a win because the Jags won last season, albeit in a high scoring shootout. The fans have developed high expectations for the program and they expect them to beat teams that are in the same classification (or lower if you look back to previous opponents), which they have done 21 out of 23 times so far.
But there are many that understand that this is a homecoming game for the Panthers and a renewal of an old basketball rivalry between two schools who just added football. While GSU has had a rough season so far, what better way to turn the rest of the season around than a win on Saturday.
Ben: South Alabama has seemed to find their identity as a run first football team as CJ Bennett has struggled to throw the ball this year. Do you expect to see USA establish the run Saturday?
TG: The Jags rely on establishing the running game. Kendall Houston is a punishing runner that just isn’t easy to bring down and Baker has great break away speed while being very physical as well. I expect them to establish the run, but to what degree will determine how the game goes. If Houston and Baker get their average of about 5 yards per rush, then that’s a huge advantage and takes pressure off of Bennett and the receivers.
Ben: How many South Alabama fans do you expect to make the trip to Atlanta Saturday?
TG: I hope a lot. When South Alabama traveled to Beaumont, TX for their first true road game they had probably around 500 there. Then probably a similar number, 500 or so, at UC-Davis the week after. This year in Raleigh, NC there were probably 750-900 fans there. With Atlanta being much closer than any of the previous road games, I would hope to see at least 1,200 or more. Obviously the administration and coaches would be absolutely thrilled to see 2,000 or more fans make the trip.
Thunderjags: How is GSU trying to set itself apart from the other schools in the state such as UGA and Ga Tech?
Ben: We’ve had trouble setting ourselves apart and our fan base still maintains loyalties to Tech and UGA. We’ve seen a noticeable decline in attendance when both Tech and UGA are at home. Our athletic administration has moved game times, given students more access to the entire Georgia Dome and allowed them all sit in the lower level (overflow was in the club level). It will be a consistent challenge winning the affinity battle until we graduate classes who entered and exited school with football. Atlanta is a very front running town and not winning home games has hurt us as well. Right now Tech is ranked #22 and UGA has won 5 straight. Entering the Dome at 1-5 is tough for any Panther fan to stomach right now.
Thunderjags: Has playing three quarterbacks with differing strengths limited the progression of the offense so far this season?
Ben: I think the QB rotation (which started when 2010 starter Drew Little was suspended, then Kelton Hill had his legal issues that were resolved during Fall practice) has played a huge part but we’ve had terrible luck this season with injuries. We’ve had our starting offensive line healthy for one game this season and we ran for 244 yards on 45 carries vs. SC State. One of our top offensive threats WR/KR Albert Wilson pulled his hamstring vs. Jacksonville State and is just now getting back to full speed. Our fan base has their opinions on who should be starting but until Drew Little recovers from his sternum injury, the job should be Kelton Hill’s to lose. He is very good on designed runs but has yet to show any consistency throwing the ball with accuracy. Both he and Schlechter struggled mightily vs. SC State going a combined 6/19 on the day. I expect shorter routes and a steady dose of the running game to limit Hill’s passing attempts on Saturday.
I’m sure South Alabama fans can relate with Georgia State’s struggle with Georgia Tech and Georgia fans. USA has to compete with Alabama and Auburn television time. However our advantage is that we are not nearly as close to AU and UA as GSU us to Tech and UGA.
I lived in north Alabama when UAB began their football program and I saw how difficult their struggle was against both of those teams. Alabama and Auburn had such a long history in Birmingham with the Iron Bowl. Plus Alabama played many home games at Legion Field before moving all of their home games to Bryant Denny. In addition, it’s a relatively short drive from Birmingham to Tuscaloosa.
The Jags struggled trying to figure out game times before the first season until they decided that they cannot schedule around Alabama and Auburn every week. They picked 4pm at their kickoff time on Saturdays barring television coverage and it has worked well for the Jags. When Alabama and Auburn play early, some fans will watch it in the lot while tailgating. Others may stay home but attendance has persisted to be good. If either or both kick off late, they still come out but many leave at or around halftime to make the drive back home or to a nearby bar to watch the game. But they are still supporting the program.
You can see Ben’s post in their “Know Your Opponent” series here and look around at more of Ben’s great work at PantherTalk.com. Special thanks to Ben Moore for his time.
Previewing Georgia State
As South Alabama gets ready to travel to Atlanta for their rematch against Georgia State, it’s time to look at the Panthers have done this season.
The Panthers are 1-5 on the season. They started the season with a 41-7 win over Clark Atlanta before dropping the next five straight coming into their homecoming game versus the Jaguars. They lost to Old Dominion 40-17, Jacksonville State 37-21, Houston 56-0, Murray State 48-24 and South Carolina State 23-13.
Georgia State averages 19.3 points per game while allowing an average of 35.2 points per game. Their first down numbers are pretty evenly split between rushing (49) and passing (43).
On the season, the Panthers have gained a total of 1,886 yards offensively for an average of 314.3 yards per game. Most of their total yardage comes through the air which totals 1,101 yards and an average of 183.5 passing yards per game. They have 785 yards on the ground for an average of 130.8 yards per game average. They have actually gained 916 total yards rushing but 131 lost yards to give that total. That is an average of 3.7 yards per rush.
Panther quarterbacks are 83-of-183 on the season with five touchdowns and 10 interceptions. They average 6 yards per pass attempt and 13.3 yards per catch.
The Panthers have protected the ball very well with only three fumbles this season while only losing one to the opponent. They have forced 14 fumbles and have recovered five of them.
GSU is 27-of-90 in 3rd down conversions, which is only 30% while their opponents convert 49% of their 3rd down attempts. Also, the Panthers have converted converted 5-of-8 4th down attempts (62%) and their opponents have converted 4-of-7 4th down attempts (57%).
The GSU defense has recorded 12 sacks on the season while allowing nine sacks themselves.
In the red zone, GSU scores 83% of the time they drive down there (15-of-18) with 61% of them coming by way of a touchdown (11-of-18). Opponents have scored 81% of the time they get into the red zone (25-of-31) and 71% of the time they are touchdowns (22-of-31).
GSU is a perfect 14-of-14 in PAT attempts while opponents have missed two (25-of-27).
In the Panthers three home games, they have averaged 16,312 in attentance.
Scoring by the Panthers tend to be highest in the 2nd and 3rd quarters with 41 and 38 respectively. They have scored 30 points in the first quarter but only 7 points all season in the 4th quarter.
Travis Evans is the Panthers leading rusher with 68 carries for 330 yards. Donald Russel is next with 59 rushes for 282 yards and Kelton Hill with 27 rushes for 140 yards.
Passing Bo Schlechter is 42-of-86 passing with 3 interceptions for 550 yards and four touchdowns while playing in five games. Drew Little is 37-of-83 on the season with six interceptions and no touchdowns in four appearances. Kelton Hill is 3-of-12 with one touchdown and no interceptions in three appearances.
Receiving, Danny Williams has 20 receptions in all six games for 309 yards and one touchdown. Albert Wilson has 15 receptions in four games for 326 yards and two touchdowns. Other receivers with over 100 yards on the season is Jordan Giles with 119 on nine catches and E. Oguehi with 7 catches for 100 yards.
The Jaguars and the Panthers kickoff in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta at 2pm Central time on Saturday (3pm Eastern).
Coach Arrow completes first weekend of practice
Coach Ronnie Arrow and his staff completed their first weekend of practice with eight new guards on the roster for the upcoming season. With that many players at that position being new, obviously they would be behind the rest of the team in learning Coach Arrows system.
Coach Arrow said it was exactly what he expected, lots of learning for the guards. “The post men know from years past what we’re doing,” Said Coach Arrow. “For the guards, it’s a whole new ballgame. We’ve only been going a couple of days but yesterday we had a good practice. They showed that they learned a lot from the first day–not everything, but that’s expected.”
However not all positions are new. Augustine Rubit returns after being named 2011 Sun Belt Conference freshman of the year to lead the post players. “Needless to say, Aug and Javier are doing well and Lundy has come back wanting to do really well this year,” Arrow said. “He’s lost a lot of weight and is moving so much better. He’s looking like the old Lundy that we recruited, going after rebounds and doing those types of things. Hersey has been a pleasant surprise, he’s showing more physicality and finishing power, which we were hoping to see. All of our post men are competing.” Arrow was talking about Javier Carter, Antoine Lundy and DeAndre Hersey.
The current game of basketball is very heavy in guard play. So the coaching staff is trying to build the team from the ground up and be ready for the season opening game on November 12.
“We’re trying not to overdose them right now,” Coach Arrow said. “We’re trying to break it down as much as possible. I’ve tried to go back to four years ago when we had a really good team and I was new, the coaching staff was new and the players didn’t know our system. When you have all new guards, that’s pretty much how it is. I’ve tried to go back and break it down like that. They don’t react the way you want because their brains are still learning and it’s keeping them from going all out, but yesterday (Sunday) I saw a lot of improvement from guys that were bewildered out there.”
The Jaguars first exhibition game is coming up on Wednesday, November 2 against Spring Hill with tip-off set for 7:05 pm.
Coach Joey Jones Show Recap 2011-10-18
The Jaguar Defense lines up against UT-Martin.
Along with Lee Shirvanian and Coach Joey Jones are joined by secondary coach Duwan Walker at Baumhower’s Restaurant on Airport Boulevard in Mobile Alabama.
Coach Jones, talking about Coach Walker, mentioned that Coach Walker has had to deal with quite a bit of turnover in the secondary in the two and a half years he has been at South Alabama. But has done a great job with it and is well liked and respected on the team.
Coach Walker mentioned that the defense did a good job keeping to their game plan. They kept the offense off balance early, did not allow many “home run balls” execept for one big play early. They also mentioned that Gabe Loper is coming along at an good rate in place of Damond Smith. Coach Walker said they had a really good problem in that they were trying to get him on the field, but it’s unfortunate that the Smith situation happened to get him on the field though. This is the classic case for the backup where you always have to be ready to play.
In the Fuego who’s hot segment coach Jones mentioned Gabe Loper defensively for stepped up in a situation where they weren’t sure how he would react, but thought he would play well, and he exceeded their expectation and had a great game. Offensively Paul Bennett and Kevin Helms were mentioned. Coach Jones said that their blocking has been outstanding lately. They are very physical like the rest of the team, but these two are on an extra level.
The Orthopedic Group injury update segment only had one questionable player. Melvin Meggs has a rolled ankle and will be evaluated the rest of the week to see how he is leading up to game time.
They mentioned that Jereme Jones is a fearless punt returner and it’s not from the coaches, he has the choice to fair catch they said. Coach Jones said that the rule of thumb on a punt is to put your heels on the 10 yard line and if you have to backpedal, let it go. Also, if there is any doubt let it go.
FIU and Arkansas State play tonight on tv. May not be much interest right now, but Coach Jones said that he watches whenever he has a chance to see how the Jags match up with future opponents.
A caller asked about Ameriol Finley and how he is coming along. They said he is a true freshmen with a great attitude and that he is a great athlete. He can play multiple positions and has played cornerback in a game recently for the Jags. Right now he is getting work at multiple positions and is a bit of a utility player for them right now.
BJ Scott brings alot to the table for the Jags. Mentally, he brings a sense of urgency to the team. He teaches kids how to prepare and how to watch film. The are little things that make such a big difference at this level.
Coach Jones said he has noticed that Scott has become a vocal leader on the team recently which has made a difference. Lee asked if they have considered using him on offense like he was used at Vigor. Coach Jones said he has thought about it often but jokingly he said the defensive coaches frown when he brings that up.
Turning towards Georgia State, they said that they are averaging around 16,000 for their home games, but the Georgia Dome seats somewhere over 70,000. The team isn’t doing so well are are currently 1-5 so far. Lee asked what Coach Jones sees in game film that is going on with their team. Coach Jones said that looking at the tape you can’t really tell what’s going on, they have some really good players and some really good coaches. Sometimes there are internal problems that can cause strife, but Coach Jones does not know if this is what is going on or not. He said that they are like a wounded dog, you never know when they are going to jump up and bite you, so you have to be prepared and not dismiss them because of their 1-5 record.
Lee asked if we recruit against Georgia State. Coach Jones said that we do, we recruit against them and we recruit pretty much the entire state of Georgia. Lots of recruits or potential recruits will be at the game to see who wins. It will be a measuring stick game for sure since both programs are pretty close in age. The state of Georgia has plenty of good players.
After a story by Coach Jones about the worst weather game he has ever played or coached in, Lee asked about conserving timeouts and his strategy with them. Coach Jones said that ideally you want to save them towards the end of a half, but he said that you just don’t want to “lose anything on a drive” which I believe he was indicating momentum. If it’s 3rd and 1 and you have an issue, you don’t want to make it 3rd and 6 if you have too many people or something, so in that case you may want to use a time out to keep the drive going and get that first down.
Asking about communication problems that the Jags had against UT-San Antonio in a dome, Lee asked how they can overcome that. Coach Jones answered that you overcome it by staying calm and poised. You can’t hear the snap count, so you have to go on ball movement and that the calm and composure is especially needed on the offense and offensive line to look at the ball and not to move until the ball is snapped.
Other than that, potential problems for players playing in a dome is the ceiling and lights. If you are not used to it, you can lose sight of the ball. What they did for the walk through before the UTSA game was to take some time and kick some punts so the returners can see what it’s like and get comfortable with it. They also had the quarterbacks throw some high, deep passes so the receivers and defensive backs could get comfortable looking for the ball as well. Coach Jones said that J.J. Keels had an instance where he lost the ball on a wheel route against UTSA.
Lee mentioned that they have three quarterbacks that they play. Coach Walker said that one of their quarterbacks, Little, gave us problems last year because he’s throws the ball very well but has a sternum problem. They have another one that runs the ball very well and can pose problems running. The third quarterback is a bit of a mixture of the other two so he can throw pretty well and also tuck it and run.
The final question was from a caller about the number of players that they will have next year. Coach Jones said they will have 85 scholarship players and will have a total of 130 players on the team.
USA Sports Marketing’s Lloyd came on to talk about the next home game on October 29th, which is just before halloween. This will be the third year of “trunk or treat” for the kids. He urged the fan to decorate for this and bring candy for the kids. They are doing a first, second and third again this year for the best decorated tailgating spot. But the biggest announcement is that the Jags are going to wear their all blue uniforms for the first time versus Henderson State for a “blue out.”
Coach Jones commended the fans for the environment for the homecoming game. They had the second largest crowd at Ladd-Peebles Stadium for a game in the programs history. Coach Jones also mentioned that the Jaguar Prowl was great.
Monday press conference previewing Georgia State
Jaguars taking the field vs UT-Martin
Anton Graphenreed joined head coach Joey Jones for Monday’s press conference at the University of South Alabama Football Fieldhouse.
Coach Jones opened the press conference with the following statement reflecting back on the Jags win over UT-Martin. “I thought our kids were extremely ready to play. They came out from the first play mentally, physically and emotionally ready to go. When you do that you’ve got a chance, and that was our challenge to them the last two weeks. We played a really good football team, in the first half I think our offense had it 48 plays and their offense had it 20 plays. We did all we could do to keep it away from their offense. Our defense came out and played great, and our offense kept it away from them in the first half, which was the difference in the half. We continued that in the third quarter and played really well, but in the fourth quarter their offense showed what it can do. They have a really good offense and scored 17 points in the quarter to make it a real close game there at the end.”
“I was real proud of our guys, I thought we played the game very well. We could’ve wrapped it up a little better, but as far as the way we played, I was extremely proud of that.”
Coach Jones commented on the homecoming crowd that was present for the game on Saturday. “It was a great crowd. One of the most exciting parts was getting off the bus when we went to the Jaguar Prowl, it’s probably the biggest crowd we have had for that since I’ve been here. They [the players] were excited, and the fans were very excited. The one thing our kids continue to do , they’re shaking hands and hugging little girls and having a good time walking through, it’s been a great tradition for us that I think will only get better and better as time goes on.”
When asked how well the defense played in the first three quarters, coach Jones answered with the following statement. “I think the whole team played well. The defense played real well, we stopped what they did well running the football, and that’s where you start trying to stop an offense. The stretch play — which is an outside running play — we did a great job of stopping that, and that was the best play they had in their offense. When they didn’t have that anymore, they had to resort to something else which I think helped. And again, offensively, keeping the ball away from them, running the clock, getting the third-and-twos and making it to move the ball as methodically down the field as possible; that’s the kind of team we are. And we didn’t have any turnovers. If we don’t have any, we have a chance to play with anybody.”
Coach Jones then began talking about this weekend’s contest in Atlanta against Georgia State. “As far as Georgia State, it all starts with the head coach. Bill Curry is a great football coach and a great man. They’re putting a program together like we are and have recruited some really good, athletic players. I have all the respect in the world for their coaching staff.”
“Offensively, quarterback Drew Little really makes them go. He gave us a hard time last year, completing a lot of passes. He’s a big guy, a Roethlisberger-type who is 6-foot-4, 250 pounds and can really deliver the ball. They’ve got two more quarterbacks that they’ve rotated into games, so you really don’t know what to prepare for other than to prepare for all of them. I think they are more athletic than they were on defense last year, they’ve done a good job recruiting real tall, rangy athletic guys. They run a lot of different looks, they’re real hard to prepare for from a standpoint of what we’re going to do so we have to cut our game plan down some offensively to be able to attack all the looks they have.”
Coach Jones was then asked what Georgia State does offensively that might concern him. “The biggest thing is the multiplicity of it, they have Kelton Hill who is a great runner and a good thrower, Drew Little is more of a thrower and not a runner, then you’ve got Schlechter, who is a combination of the two. The difficulty is being able to have plans when those guys come in the game, and our guys realizing when they come in and making adjustments accordingly.”
Another question asked about playing in a domed stadium again, the Jags won their previous experience in a dome against UT-San Antonio in double overtime. “That was a great atmosphere we played in at San Antonio. Our kids liked it, they really did. It was a little difficult to communicate with the crowd as loud as it was, but the kids really liked the atmosphere. I think they are very excited about going to the Georgia Dome, a lot of them haven’t been there so it will be the first time for most of them playing in the dome. It’s a great place and it’s their Homecoming so I would think they have a good crowd there as well.”
Jaguar cornerback Anton Graphenreed commented on the defensive performance in the first half against the Skyhawks. He said that they “We pretty much just stuck to what we practiced all week. I think we held on to our fundamentals a lot longer this game, especially in the first half. Everything was just dominant from the snap of the ball. I just wish we could have come out in the fourth quarter and put the nail in the coffin, but that’s something that we just have to work on and stay on each other about not letting up because no one is going to let up on us.”
Graphenreed also mentioned that this weekends game will be a bit of a homecoming for him being from Georgia. Lots of his family and friends will be there for the game. He also has experience in the Georgia Dome twice in high school.
He also said that last years game was similar to the last weekends game against UT-Martin. He said that the Jags jumped out early but didn’t finish well. He wants to make sure that they go out and not let up this weekend.
Jags hold on to 33-30 homecoming victory over UT-Martin
One of several punishing runs by Kendall Houston vs Tennessee-Martin.
South Alabama held on after a late charge by the UT-Martin Skyhawks to win 33-30. Although, their rally was aided by some questionable calls down the stretch by the officials.
South Alabama again did not play a complete game. They came out with an opening drive score but would continue to play well in the first three quarters. However the fourth quarter would see the Skyhawks put up 17 unanswered points.
The first half was all Jaguars statistically. They rolled up 239 yards to only 64 for the Skyhawks and possession the ball for over 21 minutes.
“Our guys were really physically and mentally ready to play, and I thought we had a great game plan. The coaching staff did a great job offensively, defensively and special teams,” said coach Jones. “We played really good football for three quarters. Had we not done that, we would have lost the ball game. There were a lot of positives in this game, so I was real proud of the way we came out ready to play. When we are ready to play, we’re a good football team.”
Coach Jones continued by talking about the Skyhawks. “That is a really good football team. After the first three quarters, people watching might not have thought so because we were playing so well. But you saw what they could do in the fourth quarter. They are very well-coached and they never quit.”
Stats wise, South Alabama and UT-Martin both had 325 yards of total offense. The Jags picked up 197 yards on the ground while adding 179 yards passing. The Skyhawks rushed for 131 yards and threw for 211 for their total.
The Jags dominated the time of possession statistic with 38:02 of possession time to UT-Martin’s 21:58. The Jags held the ball for 11:48 seconds in the second quarter alone.
Kendall Houston lead all rusher with 85 yards on 16 carries with two touchdowns. Demetre Baker added 51 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown. While C.J. Bennett went 12-of-19 for 179 yards and a touchdown and zero interceptions.
Corey Besteda had three catches for 64 yards and the one touchdown through the air. Lamontis Gardner added 40 yards on three catches and Kevin Helms added 44 yards on two receptions.
Scott Garber punted seven times for an average of 43.4 yards per punt with one spectacular 64 yard punt. Jordan Means added two field goals of 21 and 32 yards but did have a PAT blocked.
Gabe Loper picked off a pass by Derek Carr from a deflection and returned it 27 yards for the Jags.
South Alabama had two good drives that consumed a fair amount of time off of the clock in the second quarter for points. The first was a nine play, 80 yard drive for a touchdown consuming 5:05 off of the clock. Their next possession was a 12 play 62 yard drive down to the UT-Martin 4 yard line but the Jags would have to settle for a field goal as time expired. It spanned 4:31.
In the third quarter, the Jags would capitalize on a turnover for a touchdown. After Gabe Loper intercepted the ball and returned it 27 yards, Kendall Houston would take the next play 16 yards and into the end zone.
UT-Martin would respond with an 80 yard drive in nine plays for a touchdown to cut the Jaguar lead to 10 points at 23-13 with 6:02 left in the third quarter.
The Jags would respond with a two play 42 yard touchdown drive. The drive would begin with a 40 yard completion from Bennett to Besteda to get to the UT-Martin two yard line. Then two plays later Kendall Houston would pick up the one yard needed for the touchdown to make it 30-13 with 5:07 left in the third quarter.
On UT-Martin’s ensuing possession, Alex Paige would force a fumble by Tevi Barksdale which he would recover at the Skyhawk 22 yard line. However the Jags were not able to put the ball in the end zone, but settled for a 32 yard field goal to extend their lead to 33-13 with 1:22 left in the third quarter.
UT-Martin would go three and out on their next possession as would the Jaguars in their possession after that.
UT-Martin would then begin their rally with a five play 40 yard drive to the South Alabama 21 yard line but would have to settle for a field goal.
The Jags would get the ball with 12:22 left in the game and would only manage one first down and use up 3:49 off of the clock before having to punt.
The Skyhawks would put together a 13 play, 87 yard drive in 4:39 to further cut into the Jaguar lead, 33-23 with 3:54 left in the game.
South Alabama would recover an onsides kick but keeping the ball on the ground with Kendall Houston would only get them six yards in three tries before having to punt. This gave the Skyhawks the ball with 2:07 left in the game.
UT-Martin would put together an 8 play 74 yard drive for a touchdown in 1:45. Another onsides kick would be recovered by the Jaguars effectively sealing the game with 22 seconds left. One kneel from the victory position would put the game to rest with the final score of 33-30.
South Alabama’s next game is their final road game of the 2011 season. The Jags will kick off against Georgia State in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia at 2pm central time with pregame coverage beginning on WNSP 105.5 FM at 1:30pm CT.
UT-Martin reminder
Remember that kickoff has been moved up to 2:30pm at Ladd-Peebles Stadium for today’s game against the University of Tennessee-Martin Skyhawks due to TV coverage. Also, we need a LOUD crowd today. Coach Jones has commented several times this week how UTSA fans were very loud and was disruptive and he has asked and almost pleaded for the fans to do the same to the Skyhawks.
If you don’t have a parking pass you can ride The Wave from Bel Air Mall to the stadium and back for a very affordable price of $2.50. The Wave will run for 90 minutes after the game to make sure everyone is shuttled back to their vehicles.
If you cannot make it out to the game at Ladd, then you can watch the Jags on UTV44 locally in the Mobile area or regionally on Comcast Sports Southeast (CSS) as well as nationally on ESPN3.com (depending on your internet service provider).
Among the local places carrying the game for you is Jags Grill at University and Old Shell as well as Baumhower’s Restaurant on Airport near I-65. Other locations may carry it as well.
Go Jags!!
Preview of the UT-Martin Skyhawks
The Skyhawks have a fairly prolific offense. They have a 3-2 record this season so far with wins over Union College (63-0), #24 Murray State (48-26) and Austin Peay (61-23). They dropped their opening game of the season to #9 Jacksonville State 24-23 and Tennessee Tech 34-31. They average 45.2 points per game while giving up an average of 21.4 points per game to their opponents.
UT-Martin has racked up 2,558 total yards of offense in quite a balanced attack. They have 1,144 yards rushing and 1,414 yards passing. Rushing, they have 230 attempts for an average of 5 yards per rush with 14 touchdowns and an average of 228.8 yards per game.
Passing, the Skyhawks quarterbacks have gone 100-for-168 with 6 interceptions and 13 touchdowns. They average 14.1 yards per catch and 8.4 yards per passing attempt for 282.8 yards per game.
Offensively, the skyhawks average 6.4 yards per play and averages 511.6 yards per game.
Defensively, UT-Martin allows an average of 316.6 yards per game for a total of 1,589 yards. Which averages out to 4.8 yards per play. Their rush defense has been pretty solid. They only allow an average of 130.4 yards per game which is 3.7 yards per rush and only 3 rushing touchdowns all season. Through the air, they have allowed 931 yards total which is an average of 186.2 yards per game, 11.2 yards per catch and 6.2 yards per attempt. They have allowed 8 passing touchdowns so far this season and have intercepted opposing quarterbacks five times.
However, they are heavily penalized with an average of 92.8 yards per game of penalty yardage while their opponents average 50.2 yards of penalties against them. The Skyhawks protect the ball very well with only three fumbles all season while only losing one of them. They have forced five fumbles of opposing teams and recovered four of them. So they are +1 in the turnover margin.
Again, the skyhawks are solid offensively by converting 49% of their 3rd down attempts and 50% of their 4th down attempts. Defensively their opponents only convert 22% of their 3rd down attempts and 40% of their 4th down attempts.
UT Martin scores well in the first three quarters but have been lacking in fourth quarter scoring. Defensivley, they are stingy in the first quarter but give up more points in the remaining three quarters, but still not a whole lot.
The Skyhawks have a good rushing tandem in McNair and Barksdale. Between the two, they have over 800 of the teams rushing yardage. Their quarterback Derek Carr isn’t much of a rusher but completes almost 60% of his passes.
Again receiving, they have two receivers who have seperated themselves from the rest of the receiving corps. Stephen Shiver and Quentin Sims have combined for 38 recptions and 591 yards and 6 touchdowns.
They have returned a punt and a kickoff for touchdowns while only allowing one kickoff return for a touchdown.
Behind Derek Carr passing, the next player with the most offensive yardage is McNair with 465 yards or 93 yards per game. But down rule out Barksdale with his 64.6 yards per game average too.
In order for the Jags to win the game, they will have to be able to stop this high-powered offense. They have to get pressure on Carr and keep McNair, Barksdale, Shiver and Sims all in check.
Offensively, C.J. Bennett will have to be efficient. The Jags cannot afford turnovers stalling drives. I would expect Coach Gregory to work high percentage passes to open up the run behind the experienced offensive line.
Coach Joey Jones Show Recap 2011-10-11
Bo Bishop from Baumhower’s Restaurant, the host and sponsor of the radio show, said that they will be carrying the Jags game on the TV’s for those who can’t make it out to Ladd-Peebles Stadium on Saturday.
After some technical difficulties, Coach Jones, Coach Antoine and Lee Shirvanian came back on the air, but unbeknown to Mr. Shirvanian we had missed all of his previous conversation with Coach Jones until the “return to air” moment.
Lee picked up with officiating in the game with UTSA. Lee mentioned the intentional grounding call when C.J. Bennett was out of the pocket, being hit and threw the ball to a place where a receiver was in the vicinity. Coach Jones said that that was a bad call and that he thought the referee admitted it afterwards.
The Fuego Mexican Restaurant, Whos Hot segement saw Coach Jones mention Demetre Baker having a break-out game with a big gain during regulation and the game-winning 25 yard run to cap it all off. Defensively Coach Jones recognized Jake Johnson again for another great game and is playing at a very high level for the team. When asked, Coach Jones said that the thought Johnson has NFL potential.
Coach Jones reported during the Orthopedic Group injury report that the Jags came out very well from San Antonio. Brian Krauskopf turned an ankle and is day-to-day right now, but is expected to be ready to play on Saturday. Tremain Smith will fill in for him if he is not ready to go. Probably the best thing was that Coach Jones feels that the young offensive line guys are coming along and that they are developing some depth there.
Coach Jones declined to say anything about Damond Smith’s suspention from the team. He did think it impacted the defense. Gabe Loper was their nickle player and mainly played safety, so a bit last minute they moved him to cornerback to fill in.
Lee asked an email question that stated that Jereme Jones seems to be the most sure-handed receiver on the team and asked why he is not more involved in the offense. Coach Jones said that their offense spreads the ball around alot and tries to get as many players involved as possible. He finished the answer by saying that they take what the defense gives them and don’t try to get any one person the ball.
Lee asked about the receiver rotation. Coach Antoine said that they want to be full speed on every route, so they are going to rotate players fairly often. They start with Lavender and Gardner on the outside with Jones and Walden as their inside guys. He also mentioned that freshman Jake Howton was very good for them and ran routes well.
When asked about how quarterbacks sometimes have go-to receivers, Coach Jones said he does not feel that Bennett has a specific go-to receiver, but does a good job of going through his progression and finding the right guy for the situation.
Another email question asked about getting some freshmen time in the game with Howton and Keels named specificly. They asked if the coaches wanted get them some experience playing or did they see a matchup that they wanted to exploit. Coach Jones said that they are slowly involving J.J. Keels by trying to fit him into certain situations. Ellis Hill fit in well and scored a touchdown. Howton was mentioned before and Hollinger is getting involved more as well.
Another email asked about the number of assistant coaches, previously the team had 10 but now they only have nine. Coach Jones said he will not be adding another coach because NCAA rules for FBS only allows 9 assistant coaches. Coach Jones indicated that they intend to redshirt the JuCo transfer Ceasare Johnson this year. They intend to move him from defensive end to an inside position and that he should be up around 300 lbs by then.
Coach Jones said he felt that the offensive line was the way to go late in the game because he could see the defense with their hands on their hips indicating that they were getting tired. He felt like they were controlling the line of scrimmage and he also felt very good going into overtime because of that. He also said that they had a secret two-point conversion play they could have fell back on that he felt would have caught them by surprise if he felt like they needed to use it.
When asked by Lee if he anticipated the fake punt, Coach Jones said yes, they warned about it in the huddle but on 4th and 1 they were still able to get the yard they needed for the first down.
Another person emailed about how the offense seems to come out and score on their opening possession but then goes a bit flat. Coach Jones said that they only had four possessions in the first half and they scored on two of them for 10 points. They could have scored on another one but an interception at the goal line ended that one. Another part of the question asked if they may be underestimating their opponents to which Coach Jones replied that they are “definitely not underestimating their opponents.”
Yet another email asked about the difference in Bennett’s touchdown to interception ratio and how this season it has almost flipped toward the opposite of last years good run. Coach Jones reiterated what he said a couple weeks ago. He said C.J. has matured and has expanded to the point where he really knows the offense, but he thinks in doing so he has opened to progressing to his third and fourth receivers but to a point tries to make a perfect throw every time to get the ball to the right person which has lead to some turnovers. He has made some great throws, but this is also part of the growing process for his position.
Another caller asked for a Brandon Ross update and if he might make it back this season or if they will try to get him a redshirt. Coach Jones said he has been out on the field some and is looking good and may be as much as 85-90% back. However, they will not play him unless they are sure he is 100% ready. They think if they really push him, that he might be back for the last couple games. But they don’t know if that is in the best interest for him. However they do know he will be back next year.
As for a redshirt, they will have to wait until after the season to petition the NCAA for a sixth year.
The last caller asked about the blocked kick versus UTSA, if that was something they work on every week or if they saw something they could exploit against them. Coach Jones said that they they work on it from time to time, but that they also put in either a punt block or a field goal block or sometimes both when preparing for an opponent.
Previewing UT-Martin coach Jones said that they will be the best team to come into Ladd-Peebles Stadium so far against the Jags. They score lots of points and are very good. They play Division I-AA (FCS) teams every week and do well. They had #9 Jacksonville State beat 23-10 but gave up the lead in the fourth quarter to lose the game. They had Tennessee Tech beat by a couple touchdowns but let them come back late to beat them as well.
Coach Antoine said that they will use lots of different coverages against the Jags. They will have man-to-man, cover 0, cover 1 and more. Some teams will settle into just a couple coverages, but it looks like UT-Martin will use several.
Coach Jones ended the show by asking for a big, loud crowd to come out to Ladd for the game. They want it to be a big advantage playing them in Mobile. So bring people out and get loud.
Jags end two game skid with 30-27 double-overtime victory
Coach Jones looks on as Demetre Baker looks to the sideline before blocking for a field goal attempt.
South Alabama went on the road for their third consecutive game this season and came away with a 30-27 double overtime victory over Texas-San Antonio to end their two game losing skid.
The Jags got on the board early after forcing UTSA to punt on their first series. Starting at their own 22 for their first drive, C.J. Bennett and Lamontis Gardner would spark the offense with a 35 yard pass. Then the Jags would methodically continue marching until Kendall Houston would put the ball in the end zone from the one yard line to cap off a 12 play, 78 yard drive that spanned 7:24 on the clock.
The Roadrunners would answer back on their next possession. After driving 25 yards out to mid field as the first quarter ended, they would open the second quarter with a 50 yard pass from Soza to Okotcha to tie the game at 7 each.
Again sparked by big offensive plays, the jaguars would respond on their ensuing possession. Bennett would find Gardner again for 11 yards to start the drive. Then would be forced to burn a time out when the play clock was running down. Coming out of the time out, Bennett would hit Kevin Helms for a 32 yard gain to go from the Jag 33 yard line to the 35 of UTSA. From there, the jags would have to settle for a 48 yard field goal by Jordan Means to retake the lead 10-7.
Not to be outdone, UTSA would mount their own drive but would stall at the Jaguar 31 yard line and also settle for a 48 yard field goal to tie the game again at 10 apiece.
The Jags next possession would start at their own 20 yard line and would drive out to the 43 before Kendall Houston would be hit in the backfield and fumbled the ball which would be recovered by UTSA at their own 48 yard line. Soza would connect with Kam Jones for 51 yards to the USA 1 yard line. Okotcha would take it in on the next play to take the lead over the Jaguars 17-10 with 2:54 left in the first half.
On the kickoff, Jereme Jones would find a seam and return it 55 yards to the UTSA 26 yard line before being forced out of bounds. However the defender would be flagged for a personal foul for a half-the-distance penalty to start the Jags at the UTSA 13 yard line. However the Jags offense never found forward gear. Houston would lose a yard on first down. Then an incomplete pass to Corey Waldon would bring up third and 11 going into the Roadrunner student section.
Brian Krauskopf would be flagged for a false start putting the Jags facing 3rd and 16 from the UTSA 19 yard line. After a time out, Bennett would float a lob pass towards the end zone which would be intercepted by UTSA ending the Jags hopes of tying the game before half time.
After running a few plays, the Roadrunners allowed the clock to run down and go into halftime with a 17-10 lead.
South Alabama would receive to open the second half and start at their 30 yard line. Houston would rush for no gain and five yards on back-to-back rushes to open the series. Then facing 3rd and 5, the Jags would burn their first time out of the second half with 13:33 left in the 3rd quarter when the play clock was running down again. Following the time out, Krauskopf would be flagged for another false start backing them up to the 30 and face a 3rd and 10. Bennett would find Gardner for six yards and would be forced to punt.
The Jags defense would hold the roadrunners to a three and out and force a punt. USA would be flagged for holding after the punt and would start their possession on their own 24 yard line. After a one yard run by J.J. Keels, Bennett would complete back to back passes. The first to Bryant Lavender for 17 yards then to Gardner for 18 yards to get into UTSA territory.
Keels would rush for no gain, then Bennett would be flagged for intentional grounding even though he was hit as he was trying to deliver the ball. After the 11 yard loss and loss of down, the Jags faced 3rd and 21 at their own 49 yard line. But Bennett would find Jereme Jones for 30 yards to get the first down at the UTSA 21 yard line. Demetre Baker would take it in from there to tie the game at 17 each with 8:09 left in the third quarter.
UTSA would start from their own 20 yard line after the kickoff. They would move down the field fueled by key long plays. The first was on 3rd down for 21 yards and a 16 yard pass on 4th and one at the Jaguar 46 yard line. However the defense would come up big and force a Soza fumble at the Jaguar 10 yard line which was recovered by Charles Harris.
Houston would end the quarter with three consecutive rushes for 6, 8 and 5 yards respectively.
As the drive continued to begin the 4th quarter, the Jags would again have to burn a time out when the play clock was running down with 13:20 left in regulation. Eventually the UTSA defense would hold and force a Scott Garber punt which would be downed at the 1 yard line.
The Roadrunners would move the ball out to the 25 yard line before a mishap on the snap would occur and be recovered by Soza back at the 3 yard line to face a 3rd and 32. A six yard pass would give the punter a little breathing room. Jereme Jones would field the punt at the UTSA 48 yard line.
Bennett would run for 10 yards and a first down to start the drive, but would then stopeed and forced to punt at the UTSA 44 yard line.
With 4:18 left in the game and UTSA in possession of the ball at their own 24 yard line, they began running the ball and the clock to set up a game winning score. Soza would start the drive with a 9 yard pass. Then Okotcha would run for eight yards and a first down. Soza would thrown on first down again, this time for five yards to their won 46 yard line. Then UTSA would rush four consecutive times to move the ball and continue winding the clock. Okotcha would go for five yards. Then Harrison for 18 to the USA 31 yard line but would go out of bounds to stop the clock.
Then Kam Jones for four more yards and again go out of bounds. Okotcha would rush for 6 yards and a first down to the USA 21. Kam Jones would try to throw the ball on first down but Gabe Loper, filling in for suspended Damond Smith, would be flagged for pass interference putting the ball on the USA 6 yard line with 1:12 left in the game.
Soza would be caught for a loss of 6 yards to the 12 yard line by Jake Johnson. Okotcha would rush on the right side for three yards to the 9 yard line. UTSA would take a time out with 3 seconds left on the clock to attempt a game-winning field goal. Coach Jones would take the Jags final time out to try to ice the kicker.
The 26 yard field goal attempt would be blocked by Randon Carnathan sending the game to overtime for the first time in Jaguar history.
USA would get the ball first to start overtime and would keep it on the ground. Baker would rush for 10, 2 and 12 yards to get the ball to the 1 yard line. Ellis Hill would take it in on the next play and Jordan Means would add the PAT to take the 24-17 lead.
UTSA’s ensuing possession would start with a false start. But Soza would hit Kam Jones for a 30 yard touchdown pass and add the PAT to tie the game at 24 and go into the second overtime.
UTSA would have the ball first and Okotcha would be dropped for a loss by Jake Johnson on the first play. Soza would rush for one yard then throw and incomplete pass as he was hurried by Montavious Williams. Ianno would kick a 43 yard field goal to take a 27-24 lead.
Demetre Baker would scamper 25 yards on the first play of the Jaguars possession to score the game winning touchdown for the final score of 30-27.
UTSA would outgain the Jags overall 409-351 and through the air 263-196. But the Jags would outgain them on the ground 175-146.
Demetre Baker would lead all rushers with 88 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns. Houston would gain 74 yards on 19 carries and a touchdown. Soza would be the leading rusher for UTSA with 70 yards on 15 carries.
C.J. Bennett went 11-of-17 for 176 yards and one interception while Soza was 15-of-22 for 263 yards and two touchdowns. UTSA’s Kam Jones would lead all receivers with 103 yards on five catches with a touchdown. Lamontis Gardner would lead the Jags with 70 yards on four catches.
UTSA held the ball longer, 33:51 to the Jags 26:09.
After the game Coach Jones had this to say. “We have a fighting spirit about us. It looked kind of bleak there for a minute when they had the ball down on the five-yard line. But we rushed through and sacked the quarterback and we block a kick, so they never quit. It was a big win for our program. I’m just so proud of them for fighting. We lost two games on the road, and to have another road game right behind them and to come back and win was real big for us.”
“I want to congratulate UTSA. I thought they came out and played a tremendous game — it was a big game for them,” Coach Jones also stated. “The crowd was into it; it was that typical home atmosphere. They had a great game plan and great coaching, and probably deserved to win the game in some ways. But on the other side of it, we said at halftime we were not going to quit.”
“We came prepared and had a good game plan. Good things happen when you fight your tail off,” said running back Demetre Baker. “Their defense was big and solid. I didn’t think they were very fast sideline-to-sideline, but they were much bigger physically.”
Linebacker Jake Johnson spoke highly of the roadrunners. “For a first-year program, they are a heck of a team. They had some great players and had a good game plan against us. I’m glad we came out on top. We had a few mistakes here and there, but that is all correctable. I’m just glad we got out of Texas with a win.”
South Alabama returns to Mobile for their first home game in five weeks when they host Tennessee-Martin for homecoming. The game will kick off at 2:30pm, earlier than normal, since it will be aired live on UTV44, Comcast Sports Southeast and nationally on ESPN3.com.