MOBILE, Ala. — The South Alabama defense bounced back Tuesday, limiting the offense in third-down and two-minute drills one day after the offense had the upper hand in preseason practice.
Tuesday’s workout followed the Jaguars’ second two-a-day session of 2011 preseason camp.
Practice Structure
Practice opened with special teams work and moved into individual and group drills. The Jaguars then worked on the inside running game and play-action passing before shifting to skeleton passing drills, while the offensive and defensive linemen worked on pass protection.
After a 10-minute break, the team worked against the scout team before the offense and defense faced each other in third-down situations and two-minute drills.
Third-Down Drills
In 12 third-down plays, the defense forced five incompletions, broke up two passes and recorded a sack. The offense gained positive yardage on only four of the 12 snaps.
Two of those gains came on quarterback draws by C.J. Bennett and Trey Fetner. Fetner accounted for the other two with a 40-yard completion to Corey Besteda and a 10-yard swing pass to Tyrome Bivins.
Two-Minute Drill
Damond Smith intercepted a pass on the first play of the two-minute period to end the drive. The defense forced an incompletion to open the next possession.
Fetner then hit Donte Rome for a 21-yard gain to the 29-yard line and moved the ball to the middle of the field to set up a 47-yard field goal attempt. The defense called timeouts in an attempt to ice kicker Jordan Means, who made the kick.
Jones Likes The Response
Head coach Joey Jones said he was pleased with how the defense answered a difficult previous day.
“You like to see guys who respond to adversity. The defense had a rough day yesterday and it responded,” Jones said. “That’s what it’s all about – getting out there and fighting. We have a bunch of competitive guys.”
Jones called it a better overall practice than Monday’s. “For the end of camp, I think we’re okay. We don’t have anyone with dead legs, we just have some tired guys. But I’m real pleased with where we are,” he said.
Camp Grace Visit
Instead of practicing Wednesday, the Jaguars are visiting Camp Grace for team-building exercises. The break also gives banged-up players time to heal and offers the team rest after about two and a half weeks of camp.
“It helps you overcome your fears,” Jones said. “You have your team helping you, and you find ways to work out a solution out there. It’s really a neat deal, and our kids love it. It’s just another way we can get together and team-build without having to be on a practice field, so I think it’s a valuable tool for us in the middle of camp.”
South Alabama returns to the Jaguar Practice Facility on Thursday for its final two-a-day of preseason camp, with the first session beginning at 6:15 a.m.
