MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama opened the second week of preseason camp Monday by practicing in full pads for the first time, with the defense controlling a third-down team period that featured three sacks and an interception.
Early-morning cloud cover over the practice facility provided the Jaguars some relief from the August heat.
Practice Structure
The session began with a special teams period of about 10 minutes, followed by roughly 30 minutes of individual and group drills. The offense and defense then came together to work on the inside and outside running game before moving to skeleton passing drills. The team took a short break about midway through practice.
After the break, the Jaguars went into team drills, with the offense and defense first working against scout teams before facing each other. The full-team period again centered on third-down situations. The defense recorded three sacks, Anton Graphenreed intercepted a pass, and the drill ended with the defense forcing three consecutive incompletions.
Practice concluded with a special teams period focused on punt returns.
Jones on the First Day in Pads
“It was a good first day in full pads, though we’ve been hitting anyway before this morning. It was lively,” head coach Joey Jones said. “Practice went well even though we had a few guys on the ground. One thing I talked to the team about, if we can practice 100 percent hitting all the time with nobody getting hurt, that’s what we want to do.”
Jones said the team is close to where he wants it in learning how to practice. “They are giving great effort, and it is always better to pull them back than push them forward,” he said. “I think they have a great attitude toward practice. They care about it and are competitive. It’s those traits that are going to win us some ballgames.”
Jones singled out three freshmen for their work Monday: linebackers Desmond LaVelle and Maleki Harris and running back Devin Robinson.
Building Depth During a Demanding Week
The week includes six consecutive days of practice and the start of two-a-day sessions. Jones said the staff will meet daily to decide when to push the team and when to ease off.
“We’ve got some veterans who have been around and don’t need as many reps, so my goal is to get other guys in there and let the young players work,” Jones said. “We won’t look quite as good, but I don’t care because we are trying to get those other individuals ready. The goal is to develop some depth this week and be smart about what we are doing.”
Two-a-Days Begin Tuesday
Tuesday brings the first of three scheduled two-a-day practices. The morning session will be held in full pads at the usual 6:15 a.m. start, and an afternoon session in shirts and helmets, focused primarily on special teams, will begin at 4:30 p.m.
