South Alabama held its first preseason scrimmage of the year Saturday at Hancock Whitney Stadium, and the biggest opponent may have been the weather. The more than two-hour scrimmage was played in temperatures that reached the high 90s, with a heat index climbing into triple digits.
“You know, if we ever play on the surface of the sun, we’re prepared for it,” head coach Major Applewhite said afterward.
Applewhite moved his players and coaches inside the Jaguar Training Center for the second half of the scrimmage due to concerns over a possible heat-related emergency. The session was held in front of a small crowd of family members and University of South Alabama officials.
Applewhite said the extreme heat, combined with it being the team’s first scrimmage of preseason camp, made for a especially demanding day, but that the Jaguars responded well overall.
“I think for the first time out being in that heat, going that long, physically I thought they gave a lot,” Applewhite said. “I thought they did some things really well. I think what happens with the first scrimmage — and I always tell them this — you saw us have great success, great execution and then things went sideways. And you saw guys start to press. What we’ve got to focus on is our fundamentals in every play and understand that when things go sideways, we don’t panic and just keep going out and doing our jobs.”
South Alabama’s second scrimmage is scheduled for next Saturday, again at Hancock Whitney Stadium, and will be open to the public. The Jaguars open the regular season Aug. 30 at home against Morgan State.
About the Jaguars’ Home Field
Hancock Whitney Stadium opened on South Alabama’s campus in 2020, giving the Jaguars an on-campus home after years of playing at Mobile’s Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Applewhite, who had been the team’s offensive coordinator, was promoted to head coach in December 2024 after Kane Wommack left to become defensive coordinator at Alabama.
