MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama’s first two-a-day practice of fall camp ended early Tuesday when lightning in the area forced the Jaguars off the field midway through the afternoon session, as the program continued preparations for its inaugural football season.
Head coach Joey Jones said the interruption cost the team little, because the staff had already planned a lighter afternoon workout.
Morning Session
The morning practice opened with special teams, with the place kickers working on field goals. The team then spent about 35 minutes in position drills.
From there, the cornerbacks and receivers worked on passing drills while the offense practiced its running game against the defense’s front seven. The full offense and defense then faced off in third-and-long situations, and the session closed with third-and-10 work.
Jones said the morning practice was a good one, with plenty of contact and a couple of scuffles between players.
Afternoon Session Halted
The afternoon session split the units, with the defense working on the grass field and the offense on the artificial turf. Both groups began with position drills before moving to special teams, where the focus was punt coverage. The players returned to position drills before lightning ended practice at about 4:30 p.m.
“We had backed off of the afternoon session anyway. Their legs are pretty tired right now,” Jones said. “We got in most of the practice. We missed one period of defense and an offense-only period at the end, but we were only going to go about an hour-and-a-half. We’re going to get another one Thursday.”
Injuries and Effort
Jones said the team has avoided serious injuries despite the physical nature of camp.
“Nothing major right now, but just some slight pulls, hip flexors, thigh bruises and those types of things,” Jones said. “I think we’re fine. We’ll get most everybody back in the next three or four days.”
Defensive coordinator Bill Clark said the staff’s emphasis begins with effort. “We say it starts with effort, and then it’s enthusiasm and then it’s playing smart,” Clark said. “First we’ve got to get the effort, and we’re getting some good strides there. It’s been exciting so far to see these guys taking steps to get better because a lot of them were in high school not long ago.”
Jones said the players have arrived ready to work each day. “There hasn’t been a day that our kids haven’t come prepared to work,” he said. “They got a little tired toward the end of practice, but they followed through. Some of the receivers are running a good bit, and when you’re running routes all day long it kind of gets to you, but they’re learning to fight through the last part of practice.”
Depth Chart Coming
Jones said the coaching staff intends to settle on first- and second-team units by the end of the week.
“At the end of this week we’re going to make our decision on the ones and twos,” he said. “Of course it’s not over at that point, but you get more reps, so you have a better chance to keep it. If you’re a number three after this week you’re going to have to really fight to get reps to prove yourself.”
What’s Next
The Jaguars return to the practice field Wednesday at 7:30 a.m. They will hold another two-a-day on Thursday, take Friday off and then hold a scrimmage Saturday in conjunction with the program’s Fan Day.
South Alabama, a member of the Sun Belt Conference, is preparing for its first season of college football this fall and will play its home games at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in Mobile.
