MOBILE, Ala. — The South Alabama football schedule for 2014 is complete after the Sun Belt Conference released its league slate Saturday morning, filling in the conference portion of a 12-game season that includes two Southeastern Conference opponents and no Football Championship Subdivision teams.
The Jaguars’ non-conference opponents had already been set. The conference schedule was reshaped by membership changes: Western Kentucky is leaving the league, Georgia Southern and Appalachian State join as full members, and New Mexico State and Idaho join as football-only members.
Conference Matchups
South Alabama will not face Louisiana-Monroe or New Mexico State this season. The Jaguars will travel to Appalachian State and Idaho and will host Georgia Southern in their first home conference game.
The Jaguars open the season at Kent State, returning to Ohio after hosting the Golden Flashes last season. Mississippi State visits Mobile the following week. South Alabama closes the season with two non-conference games, at SEC member South Carolina and at home against Navy.
2014 Schedule
- Sept. 6 — at Kent State
- Sept. 13 — Mississippi State
- Sept. 20 — Georgia Southern
- Sept. 27 — at Idaho
- Oct. 4 — at Appalachian State
- Oct. 11 — Open
- Oct. 18 — Georgia State
- Oct. 25 — Troy
- Nov. 1 — at Louisiana-Lafayette
- Nov. 8 — at Arkansas State
- Nov. 15 — Texas State
- Nov. 22 — at South Carolina
- Nov. 28 — Navy
Kickoff times have not been announced. Home games will be played at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
Five of the Jaguars’ 12 opponents played in bowl games last season, and all five won. Eight of the 12 finished with winning records in 2013.
Erdmann: “A Type and Level of College Football Experience”
“We are extremely excited about our 2014 schedule. Most people have pointed to this year since the beginning of the football program as one with peaked interest and enthusiasm,” Director of Athletics Joel Erdmann said. “The home portion of the schedule brings a type and level of college football experience to Mobile that has not been here before. Each opponent provides a unique attractiveness to that particular game.”
Erdmann said the schedule continues the program’s development against quality opponents, including multiple teams that have played in bowl games in recent seasons, and gives fans an opportunity to renew season tickets and bring new people to games.
“Our crowds have continued to ‘mature’ and grow traditions, tailgating a certain way, cheering a certain way in various situations and ultimately creating a home field advantage which is vital to our program’s success,” Erdmann said.
Jones: “Probably the Most Challenging Schedule”
“We are excited by the types of teams we are playing, obviously it will be very challenging. It’s probably the most challenging schedule we have played to date,” head coach Joey Jones said. “It’s a very challenging schedule, but it’s one that when our players look at it they get excited.”
“A lot of schools play four non-conference teams early in their schedule,” Jones said. “I like the fact that Navy is at the end of ours.”
The Jaguars play five straight games before their open date. “We are going to have to watch how we practice and monitor our players,” Jones said. “We’re playing all Division I teams with some road games in that stretch, so we are going to have to be smart about how we handle these young men during the season. We have a lot of seniors who will be mentally tough enough to handle this, but we have to make sure that we do things and make decisions throughout the season where we are not wearing our players out.”
Jones also pointed to the late-season stretch. “I see Troy, Louisiana-Lafayette, Arkansas State and Texas State all in a row, that’s a tough road right there,” he said. “But, it’s exciting to have Georgia Southern, a team that beat Florida last year, for our opening home conference game, there should be a lot of buzz around that game. Then we go to Idaho and Appalachian State which is two long trips in a row. I don’t know that you can ever design a schedule that is going to be perfect, so the bottom line is we are going to have to get ready each week to win ball games.”
