MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama’s new football program reached two milestones Tuesday, releasing the first schedule in school history and holding its first spring practice in full pads.
The Jaguars’ inaugural 2009 schedule includes seven games: one against a Division III school, two against junior colleges and four against preparatory schools.
The 2009 Schedule
- Sept. 5, 4 p.m. — Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy
- Sept. 26, 4 p.m. — Army Prep School
- Oct. 10, 11:30 a.m. — Georgia Military Junior College
- Oct. 17, 4 p.m. — Louisburg (N.C.) Junior College
- Oct. 31, 4 p.m. — Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy
- Nov. 7, 4 p.m. — Milford (N.Y.) Academy
- Nov. 14, 4 p.m. — Huntingdon (Ala.) College
Building Toward Division I
South Alabama expects to have roughly 40 to 45 scholarship players on its roster this fall. Because the school may award no more than 30 scholarships in any one year from 2008 through 2010, it will take at least three seasons to reach the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision limit of 85 scholarship players.
The Jaguars will play their first two seasons as an unclassified NCAA program before starting a two-year transition to the FBS level. South Alabama will count as an FCS opponent on other schools’ schedules in 2011 and as an FBS opponent in 2012. Under the plan, the Jaguars will be eligible for a bowl game and the Sun Belt Conference championship for the first time in 2013.
Straight Into Contact
Head coach Joey Jones wasted little time getting to contact Tuesday. Although the team was returning from a 10-day layoff for spring break, players were hitting within about 15 minutes of the start of practice.
The offense wore blue jerseys and the defense wore red. After warm-up periods similar to those from the opening week of spring drills, coaches matched defenders against skill-position players in two exercises: one-on-one tackling drills, and a drill that required defensive players to shed a blocker before reaching the ball carrier.
Group contact began about halfway through the workout. Offensive and defensive linemen squared off on inside handoffs, and the running backs later departed while the remaining players ran 7-on-7 skeleton passing drills.
First 11-on-11 Work
With about 45 minutes left, the Jaguars lined up for full-contact 11-on-11 work for the first time. The defense intercepted three passes and broke up several others against a mix of running and passing plays.
The units opened with first-and-10 situations, which featured mostly shotgun formations and passing. They then moved to third-and-4 situations with a mix of runs and passes from both the shotgun and under center, and finished the session with red zone plays.
Coaches rotated groups on and off the field depending on the play call, both to teach the plays and to practice substitutions in game-like conditions.
Coaches React
Jones said he was pleased with the team’s intensity and with the defense’s performance. Offensively, he said, “We improved a little bit offensively, but their timing was off because of the break.”
Assistant coach Crain, who works with the linebackers, said physical play is central to the defense’s identity.
“We take a lot of pride on defense that we’re going to outhit you,” Crain said. “If you’re going to be a great defensive football team, you have to win the contact battle. I saw good contact today, guys hitting with their head up and I didn’t see anyone hit a player low. Football is not for everybody. It’s a very physical, violent game.”
Crain said the staff had been eager to get into pads. “It’s been such a long haul. It seems like we have been in shorts forever,” he said. “I told my guys that this is like going to Disney World. It’s a chance to be out doing something that has never been done at South Alabama. If that doesn’t get you excited as a player or a coach, you shouldn’t be here.”
Evaluation Begins
Practicing in pads allows the coaching staff to begin evaluating players in earnest.
“We’ll be able to watch tape tonight and tomorrow morning to evaluate each player,” Jones said. “But, where they are right now is not where they are going to be. Every one of them has to know that. I don’t care if they thought they did well today or if they played poorly, they just have to keep getting better.”
The Jaguars will practice again Wednesday and Thursday before holding the program’s first scrimmage Friday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
