Monday Press Conference – Texas State Edition
Colby Sawyer with South Alabama student-athletes during his visit with coach Jones and and the team prior to the Monday press conference. | Photo: al.com usajaguars.com
The University of South Alabama head football coach Joey Jones met with the media on Monday for his weekly press conference where he and two Jaguar student-athletes reflect on their previous game and look ahead at their upcoming match up.
This week Coach Jones was joined by defensive lineman Jesse Kelley and offensive lineman Joseph Scelfo. Below are highlights from that press conference.
Head coach Joey Jones’ opening statement. “Obviously last week was disappointing. We had eight starters out, and we didn’t play as well as we could have without those guys. But I’m looking forward to this week. It’s a big week for our football program. Our players understand what’s at stake here, but this biggest thing for me was a real-life example of what you need to do when you get kicked in the gut. I’ve watched our players the past couple of days, and I know how we will respond. I’m looking forward to this ballgame.”
Jones on what the team is doing to move forward after the loss to Arkansas State. “We didn’t do much Sunday on the previous game; we started on this week’s game. It doesn’t happen many times in your coaching career, but that is one of those games you just put away and move on. Our guys are doing that. They’ve been challenged, but they have good character and understand what we’re talking about here. The way they respond is what’s most important to me – not so much the win as how they respond this week and how they go out there and get after it.”
Jones on the importance of this week’s game in the scope of the team’s goals this season. “On the positive side, here we are in a game that’s going to determine whether or not we can go to a bowl. We’ve put ourselves in a position to do that. Had we lost some other games earlier in the year, we might be out of the race. But we’re in the race right now to get into a bowl game, and exciting to know that we can win this one and get to our first-ever bowl game.”
Jones on what he wants to see this week from his team as they prepare for Texas State. “First of all I want to see those (injured) guys back out there. We’re missing five starters on the offensive side and two or three on defense, so getting those guys back out there in practice is going to be big this week. It’s just one of those deals where they weren’t ready to go on Saturday. We thought they might be able to go, but we got to the game and they just weren’t able and it was disappointing at that time. They’ll be ready to go this week, and I think we’ll be back to full strength other than the fact that we lost (wide receiver) Marvin Shinn for the season and Jay Jones earlier in the year.”
Jones on Texas State. “They are a much-improved team. (Head) Coach (Dennis) Franchione has done a great job with them. Offensively they can run it and throw it. They have a quarterback who can do both; he was a freshman last year and he didn’t throw quite as much. But now that he has a year of experience, he is throwing the ball more and they can trust him doing it. They are very effective on offense. Defensively, Coach John Thompson has been around a long time. He coached at Alabama and Arkansas State, and he knows what he’s doing. I have coached against him for about three years now, so we know what we’re getting into there. They are very well-coached, so it’s going to be a good ballgame. It’s two very similar teams, and I think it’s going to be a knock-down, drag-out.”
Defensive lineman Jesse Kelley on this weekend’s game against Texas State. “Both teams have a common goal coming into this game – get a sixth win and get into a bowl game. So I expect this will be the most physical game we will have played this year. We know that on the defensive side of the ball that they are very physical. They ran the ball downhill, and I expect the same thing this year. The quarterback has started to throw the ball a little more, but if we have to stop the run game. This is our Super Bowl. If we don’t win this game, we’re not going to a bowl game. Win and we’re going to a bowl game – it’s that simple. We have to prepare this week like we never have before, and go in with the mindset that we must win.”
Kelley on the importance of playing in front of a hometown crowd. “I think it makes a real difference. We need all of our fan support this Saturday. This game makes our season. I know all of our fans want to make a bowl game, so we really need them to come out and support us.”
Offensive lineman Joseph Scelfo on this weekends game against Texas State. “It’s definitely going to be a physical game judging by last year. It came down to the wire, and they beat us late in the game so we still have that taste in our mouth. They bring some blitzes defensively, and are strong up front. It’s going to be a really physical game, but we’re physical on the offensive line and we have some skill guys who can go up and make some plays. We just have to create the holes up front and protect for (Brandon) Bridge and give him time.”
Scelfo on last week’s game. “We just had to be able to flush it out of our system and move on. Coach Jones challenged us yesterday in the team meeting to be all-in with this team and completely buy in. I think we are, so we just have to continue to get better this week and take every opportunity we can to improve and be ready for Saturday.”
Scelfo on the importance of playing in front of a hometown crowd. “When you step out onto the field and there’s a packed crowd like there was against Mississippi State, it’s electric out there. I know the fans want it for the city, and we want it for the fans. We’re going to give the fans our all out there. We’re going to leave it all on the field because we know how big this game is for not only the team but our fans. We have great fans; they’re loud and are proud to be a part of Jag Nation and we’re proud to play in front of them. We really need them to be loud this weekend.”
Scelfo on playing with a sense of urgency. “If we don’t win, then we don’t go to a bowl game. Last year they took it away from us, so this year we want to take it away from them and get into a bowl game. This win is crucial; we need this sixth win.”
Coach Jones and the players had a very special guest for the press conference on Monday. 11-year old Colby Sawyer signed his National Letter of Intent with South Alabama. Colby is a leukemia patient at USA Children’s and Women’s Hospital.
Colby also had a few words to say. Colby on signing his NLI with USA. “I was a little nervous for the press conference, but I got through it. I’m excited about the game Saturday, and I really want us to win. I’m happy about being on the sideline, and I’m looking forward to a win. It feels really good to be a part of the team.”
Colby talking about meeting Coach Jones and the team. “It was really cool because Coach Jones is letting me come to the game and watch on the sidelines. They gave me a locker; that’s my favorite thing. I’m going to keep my jersey and football stuff in it.”
South Alabama and Texas State is scheduled for a 6:30pm kickoff at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Jags Travel To Face #1 Seed Florida State Friday in First Round of NCAA Championships
The South Alabama soccer team celebrates their second-consecutive SBC Tournament championship after defeating Troy 1-0. | Photo: usajaguars.com
The University of South Alabama found out that they will be traveling to Tallahassee to face Florida State in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Soccer Championships.
With the Jaguars Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship, they knew they had an automatic bid to the tournament, but they didn’t know which way they were going. Now that they know, they can begin preparation to face one of the four #1 seeds.
The Seminoles (18-1-1) will host the Jaguars (19-2-1) on Friday, November 14 at Seminole Soccer Complex. The Noles received an automatic invitation and a #1 seed.
Last year, the Jaguars season ended with a 5-0 loss to the Seminoles in Tallahassee in the first round of the NCAA Championships. The winner of this match will face the winner between Northeastern and Boston University on November 21 on the campus of one of the participants.
The First, Second, Third and Quarterfinals will all be held on campus sites. The National Championship match will be held at FAU stadium in Boca Raton, Florida and will be broadcast live on December 7 at 1pm ET on ESPNU.
The release by the NCAA can be read here. The NCAA has an interactive and printable bracket here.
Hassell Sets New Dig Record as Jags Fall To UT Arlington 3-1
Senior Jenna Hassell earns her place in school history as she sets a new record for career digs. | Photo by John Adams, usajaguars.com
South Alabama senior libero Jenna Hassell earned her spot in Jaguar volleyball history Sunday as she passed for Jaguar Keturah Carter to become the school’s all-time career digs leader. Though the Jaguars lost the match 3-1 (25-21, 19-25, 18-25, 21-25).
Texas-Arlington improved to 22-7 overall and 12-5 in conference play.
Hassell’s story began as a walk on for the Jaguars but then a few years later she earned her 1,510th dig of her career to move into first place. She would end the match with 19 digs, her third time this season and 73rd time in her career that she recorded double-digit digs in a match.
Mechell Daniel led the Jags offensively with 12 kills while Nikki Gitten added 10 of her own. Freshman Setter Emma Anderson had her second-career double-double with 39 assists and a caree best 17 digs.
South Alabama (10-16, 5-11) will return home to face Appalachian State as the Jags look to snap their five-match losing streak. In the last nine matches the Jags have lost eight of them.
USA vs TXST Kickoff Time Announced
The Sun Belt Conference office and the University of South Alabama announced the kickoff time for the Jaguars final Sun Belt Conference game of the season.
South Alabama and Texas State will kickoff at 6:30pm on Saturday, November 15 at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
The Jaguars (5-4, 4-3 SBC) will try to earn bowl eligibility against Texas State (5-4, 3-2 SBC).
Soccer Successfully Defends SBC Tournament Title, Earn Bid to NCAA Tournament
The South Alabama soccer team celebrates their second-consecutive SBC Tournament championship after defeating Troy 1-0. | Photo: usajaguars.com
The University of South Alabama women’s soccer team only needed one goal to defeat Troy 1-0 and successfully defend their Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship on Sunday.
Freshman Charde Hannah put the ball in the net in the 22nd minute of the match when she deflected a long free kick from sophomore Nikki Shirtcliffe. It was all the Jags needed to defeat Troy.
Hannah was named the most outstanding player for her three goals scored in the tournament and her 20th of the season, only one shy of the school’s single season record of 21 set in 1999.
South Alabama sets a new school record for wins in a season as they are 19-2-1 and is unbeaten in their last 18 games. They will have an opportunity to add to that total. The winner of the SBC Tournament receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Troy entered the match on Sunday with a six-match winning streak and Hannah’s goal was the first one allowed by the Trojans in over 600 minutes of play.
Sophomore Sarah Hay had five saves total, four in the second half, as Troy turned up the pressure after halftime outshooting USA 7-3.
The Jaguars had five named to the All-Tournament team: Nini Rabsatt-Smith, Sarah Hay, Rio Hardy, Nikki Shirtcliffe and Charde Hannah, who was also named the Most Outstanding Player.
“My girls were fantastic,” South Alabama head coach Graham Winkworth said. “They battled. It wasn’t always pretty but sometimes teams have to win with hard work alone. We played some nice stuff, particularly in the first half, moving the ball around, but in the second half, we just had to grind it out. I’m really proud of their efforts; they’re phenomenal group and a young group, and it’s going to be a nice future for the program.
“If they’re good enough, they’re old enough, so it doesn’t matter what grade they’re in,” Winkworth said. “We’ve got good players in every age category. It’s a squad effort; they push each other all day long to get better and from one to 23, they’re a good group of girls and I couldn’t be more proud of them. This year I just sat back and watched their smiles and it’s just a great feeling as a coach.”
The only thing left is to find out where they will be playing next. And you can join them at Heroes Sports Bar & Grille on Hillcrest Road to find out where they will be playing at 2:30pm when the NCAA Tournament announcement is made.
South Alabama Soccer Plays Troy at 1pm for SBC Tournament Championship
The University of South Alabama women’s soccer team will host Troy today at 1pm in the Sun Belt Conference Tournament Championship match at The Cage.
The Jags defeated Georgia Southern 3-0 on Friday night to earn their spot in the finals. Nini Rabsatt-Smith put the Jags on the board first with a header. Then freshman Rio Hardy scored two goals in the second half as USA cruised to the victory.
The Jags (18-2-1 and undefeated in Sun Belt play) looks to defeat the Trojans for the second time this season to successfully defend their 2013 tournament title.
Come out to The Cage to cheer on the Jaguars!
South Alabama Falls to A-State 45-10
South Alabama did not have an answer for Arkansas State’s Fredi Knighten on Saturday. The conference’s leader in total offense showed why he tops that category as he threw for 186 yards and rushed for 80 more. He accounted for three touchdowns in the game as well.
South Alabama’s offense struggled to move the ball the whole game. They only managed 22 yards of total offense in the first half and only had 35 total yards late in the third quarter before Terrance Timmons pass reception and run gained 50 yards.
The Jaguars defense played a very good first quarter against the Red Wolves, but they could not keep the flood gates closed for long. A 17-point onslaught in the second quarter firmly put the game in A-State’s favor.
USA entered the game with a laundry list of injuries to starters. They lost starting running back Jay Jones a couple games ago against Georgia State, but they entered Jonesboro without quarterback Brandon Bridge, tight end Wes Saxton, offensive lineman Drew Dearman, linebacker Maleki Harris, and cornerback Qudarius Ford.
A number of other players saw little to no practice time such as Clay Machen and center Joseph Scelfo.
But matters go worse towards the end of the first quarter when wide receiver Marvin Shinn suffered a broken leg on a 4th down pass play into the end zone.
An uncharacteristic number of turnovers also plagued the Jaguars on Saturday. Three interceptions and a lost fumble led to 17 points for the Red Wolves.
Davin Hawkins led all players with 14 total stops.
Matt Floyd went 8-of-20 for 86 yards and two interceptions filling in for the injured Bridge before being pulled late in the game in favor of Hunter Vaughn. Vaughn went 1-of-5 for 4 yards passing but led the team with 38 rushing yards.
The Jaguar offense posted a season-low 201 yards of total offense, most of which came late in the game.
Berron Tyson rushed for 34 yards while Xavier Johnson added 28 yards on the ground. Braedon Bowman, Cameron Broadnax and Shavarez Smith each caught two passes.
“They [Arkansas State] came out and just played hard,” South Alabama head coach Joey Jones said after the game. “We had a lot of guys [eight starters] out; it makes a difference even if it shouldn’t have. I just don’t think we played very well, we didn’t run it or throw it well on offense. Defensively, we weren’t our usual self. We had three starters out on that side of the ball including Maleki [Harris], who is our team captain and our quarterback out there. They were on the field entirely too much.
“I think it’s going to come down to us and Texas State for that third bowl game,” Jones continued. “I told the kids that we have to put this one behind us. It’s a loss and a bad loss, but we have to do something about next week. We want to go to a bowl, and our kids will bounce back. They’re hurting right now, but they’ll bounce back tomorrow.”
The Jaguars have the week to get ready for Texas State (5-4, 3-2 SBC) who are also looking to reach bowl-eligible status. They came up short against conference leading Georgia Southern in a 28-25 loss at home. USA needs to get as many injured players back as possible and find reserves to step up and fill those positions if any of them cannot go against the Bobcats.
Jags Face Georgia Southern In SBC Semifinals This Evening
The Sun Belt Championships will continue today with the semifinals.
The first match of the day at 4pm will be #2 Troy versus #3 Texas State. The winner will earn a spot in the championship match on Sunday.
The Jaguars will continue their defense of their Sun Belt Conference Tournament championship as they face the #4 seeded Georgia Southern Eagles at 7pm at The Cage. The winner will earn the other spot in the championship match on Sunday.
The Jags and Eagles met on the pitch on October 17 in Mobile with the Jaguars earning a 2-0 win. Charde Hannah scored both goals for USA in that match.
Preview: South Alabama at Arkansas State
The Jaguars travel to Jonesboro for their next-to-last Sun Belt Conference game of 2014 needing one win to be bowl eligible. But the coaches want at least two more wins to feel that they are in a more comfortable position for a bowl game.
Injury List Looming Large
The South Alabama football team are nursing a laundry list of injuries to key starters as they prepare for their road trip to Jonesboro, Arkansas to face defending co-Sun Belt Champion Arkansas State on Saturday.
On the offensive side of the ball, quarterback Brandon Bridge is considered an game-time decision after he suffered two injuries in the last two weeks. He suffered an AC Joint injury to his non-throwing shoulder against Troy that brought him out of the game just before halftime, but he was able to return in the second half though visibly in pain at times.
Last week against Lafayette, he injured his right ankle in the third quarter and did not return to the game.
Tight end Wes Saxton sprained his left ankle against Troy two weeks ago and only played briefly against Lafayette and is considered questionable against Arkansas State and will also be a game-time decision.
Center Joseph Scelfo re-injured his right ankle against the Cajuns but was able to return and finish the game. While he has not practiced this week, he is listed as probably against the Red Wolves.
Offensive lineman Clay Machen is expected to be ready for the game on Saturday after being sidelined with a lower back injury. However the news for left guard Drew Dearman is not as good. He suffered a concussion against the Cajuns and has not cleared the test protocols to be cleared to play. Currently Dearman is listed as doubtful for Saturday’s game.
Defensively two key players are injured. Linebacker Maleki Harris, the team’s second leading tackler, will miss the game with a knee injury. He had 50 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, five pass breakups, three forced fumbles, an interception and a fumble recovery.
Cornerback Qudarius Ford is a game-time decision with a right knee injury. He has not practiced this week and missed a game earlier in the season with a concussion. He has 27 tackles and five pass breakups.
A-State Preview
J.D. McKissic is questionable for the game against the Jaguars. McKissic is the Red Wolves leading receiver with 43 catches for 512 yards on the season and averaging 64 yards per game. If he cannot go they will look to Tres Houston and Dijon Paschal among others to step up and fill his cleats.
Key an eye on junior running back Michael Gordon, he’s the Red Wolves leading rusher with 680 yards on 79 carries. Gordon tied the conference record for most rushing touchdowns in a game (5) against Idaho. He is known to break long runs and the Jaguars defense can be suspect against the run. Fredi Knighten, the quarterback, is the next in line with 467 yards on 138 attempts.
Also keep an eye on freshman defensive end Ja’Von Rolland-Jones. He was named the SBC Defensive player of the week for his five tackles for loss and four sacks against the Vandals. He with Chris Stone makes for a solid pair of defensive ends.
Arkansas State struggled against Idaho last week even though they forced eight turnovers. They will look to capitalize on any and all turnovers that go their way this week.
Jags Win If
In order for the Jaguars to win, and this has been said week in and week out, the offense must play more consistently. In order to do so they have to be able to hit on some of their vertical passes. In most of their wins they have used it to prime their offense and keep the opposing defense honest. But when they can’t, the entire team struggles (see Georgia Southern, Mississippi State, Lafayette, Georgia State and Troy).
This game is hard to predict with the injury situation. If Bridge doesn’t start, how ready is Floyd to take over the offense? He has kept his cool whenever he’s been in the game previously, especially last week when he was two yards short of leading the Jaguars back into the lead towards the middle of the fourth quarter.
A-State is about a 3.5 point favorite at home, the Jaguars have typically played their best on the road, and the players seem focused and ready to pounce on the Red Wolves.
Jags Win Exhibition Game Over UM 69-52
The University of South Alabama men’s basketball team opened their season with an exhibition game against University of Mobile at the Mitchell Center last night. Sophomore Ken Williams led the Jags with 19 points, 13 of them in the first half, as they pulled away in the second half for a 69-52 win.
USA started slow but used a 7-0 run midway through the second half to pull away.
Freshman Taishaun Johnson scored 14 off the bench, seven of them from the charity stripe. Junior John Brown added 13 in his Jaguar debut as well.
The Jags led out of the gate behind Williams and Brown’s three-pointers in the first two-plus minutes, but a shooting slump midway through the first half allowed the Rams to take a 15-13 lead. But they could only hit once from the field for almost 11 minutes.
Sophomore Georgi Boyanov broke the slump with a three at the 6:53 mark to ignite a 19-6 run to take a 32-23 lead at the half.
The Jaguars season officially opens on November 14 against Carroll (Montana) at the Mitchell Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:05pm.