BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — South Alabama head coach Joey Jones told the Over the Mountain Touchdown Club that the large paychecks the Jaguars receive for road games at major programs are part of the price of building a young program, as South Alabama prepares for consecutive trips to NC State and Mississippi State.
“Blood Money”
Jones referred to the payments that larger programs make to bring smaller schools to their stadiums.
“I read an article recently called ‘Blood Money,’ and that’s a good analogy,” Jones said, according to The Birmingham News. “You have to take a beating in those games.”
Jones said South Alabama will receive $980,000 for its game at Tennessee next season. He added that such games also help in recruiting, because prospects can be told they will travel to places such as Raleigh, N.C., Starkville, Miss., and Hawaii.
From Building a Program to Building a Team
Jones said the Jaguars have made progress as they move through their transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision.
“For four years we’ve been building a program, but now we’ve got to start building a team,” Jones said. “The players we were getting at first weren’t Division I players … but now it’s completely different. The athletes we got this year and will get moving forward are D-I players. We’re a better team this year. We’re competitive and on track where we need to go.”
Demanding Stretch Ahead
South Alabama is not eligible for the Sun Belt Conference championship this season but will play a full eight-game league schedule.
The game at NC State opens a stretch of four games in five weeks. After visiting the Wolfpack and Mississippi State, the Jaguars return to Mobile to host Troy in the program’s first Sun Belt game at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Following an open date, South Alabama travels to defending Sun Belt champion Arkansas State, coached by former Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn.
Update: Jones Clarifies Remark
Jones clarified a remark from the event that The Birmingham News reported as, “We try to keep (the opponents’ score) in the 40s. You’re going to get beat bad, but if you can keep them in the 40s it’s OK.”
Speaking to Tommy Hicks of the Press-Register, Jones said the comment was a joke made in response to an audience question about Savannah State losing a game 77-0.
“There was a question from the audience about Savannah State getting beat 77-0 and so I made a joke and said, ‘Yeah, we try to keep ours (games against bigger schools) in the 40s and not the 70s.’ I was just making a joke obviously and everyone in the room laughed,” Jones said.
South Alabama played two FBS opponents last season, holding both under 40 points. The Jaguars lost 35-13 at NC State and, in a loss at Kent State, scored 25 unanswered points in the second half after falling behind early, getting the ball back late with a chance to drive for a potential tying score and two-point conversion.
