MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama released its 2010 football schedule on Monday, a 10-game slate against four-year institutions that includes the program’s first road games and four opponents that already compete at, or are moving to, the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision level.
Seven of the 10 games will be played in Mobile. The Jaguars will travel to Edward Waters, Lamar and UC Davis.
September: Opener and First Road Trip
The Jaguars open their second season on Saturday, Sept. 4, at home against Pikeville (Ky.), an NAIA program that finished 3-8 this year.
After an open date, South Alabama hosts Nicholls State on Sept. 18. The Colonels went 3-8 overall and 2-5 in the Southland Conference this season.
On Sept. 25, the Jaguars play the first road game in program history, traveling to Jacksonville, Fla., to face NAIA member Edward Waters. The Tigers finished 1-10 this season, though their head coach has been named conference coach of the year twice in the last three seasons.
October: Back-to-Back Road Tests
South Alabama opens October with consecutive home games against two members of the Great Lakes Football Conference, Kentucky Wesleyan on Oct. 2 and Missouri S&T on Oct. 9.
The Jaguars then go on the road for two straight weeks. They visit Lamar on Oct. 16; the Cardinals are restarting football in 2010 for the first time since 1989 and are transitioning to the FCS. On Oct. 23, South Alabama travels to UC Davis, which went 6-5 and won the Great West Conference in 2009. Davis lost 34-16 at Boise State this season.
The month closes Oct. 30 with a home game against Georgia State, a new program that is beginning its own move to FCS play. The Panthers are coached by Bill Curry, the former head coach at Alabama, Kentucky and Georgia Tech who also worked as a college football analyst for ESPN.
November: Homecoming and Finale
Henderson State (Ark.) visits Mobile on Nov. 6 for homecoming. The Reddies lost 27-24 at Southland Conference co-champion McNeese State this season.
The Jaguars close the season on Thursday, Nov. 11, at home against Arkansas-Monticello, which finished 4-4 in the Gulf South Conference.
Game times will be announced later.
2010 South Alabama Football Schedule
- Sept. 4 — Pikeville
- Sept. 18 — Nicholls State
- Sept. 25 — at Edward Waters (Jacksonville, Fla.)
- Oct. 2 — Kentucky Wesleyan
- Oct. 9 — Missouri S&T
- Oct. 16 — at Lamar
- Oct. 23 — at UC Davis
- Oct. 30 — Georgia State
- Nov. 6 — Henderson State (Homecoming)
- Nov. 11 — Arkansas-Monticello (Thursday)
Coaches and Administration Comment
Head coach Joey Jones said the schedule reflects the program’s goals as it moves toward the Division I level.
“Our coaches and players want to move up the ladder from a competitive standpoint,” Jones said. “This schedule is a good one as we continue to transition to the NCAA Division I level. It will be a challenge for the kids, but it is one big step in that process.”
Jones said the road games will give the team valuable experience. “We would’ve liked to have played a road game this year, so we’re excited about the opportunity to be able to do that next season,” he said. “It’s exciting not just playing in someone else’s stadium, but in getting used to the travel process.”
Athletics director Joel Erdmann called the schedule “appropriate for the maturing process of the program,” adding that it “will provide tremendous college football contests, both home and away, for our Jaguar fans.”
Transition Timeline and Tickets
The 2010 season will be South Alabama’s second and final year as an unclassified NCAA program. Under the school’s current plan, the Jaguars will begin a two-year transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2011 and become full football members of the Sun Belt Conference in 2013, when they would be eligible for the league title and a bowl bid.
Season tickets for 2010 are on sale for $85 through Dec. 31. The Jaguars play home games at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
