MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama football returns to Ladd-Peebles Stadium on Saturday to face Georgia State in what the athletic department calls the program’s biggest game from a marketing standpoint since its inaugural game, and coach Joey Jones said his players are ready after two road wins, including one at UC Davis.
Kickoff against the Panthers, coached by former Alabama head coach Bill Curry, is set for 4 p.m. Jones and offensive line coach John Turner previewed the game Tuesday on the Joey Jones Show with host Lee Shirvanian.
A Rivalry-Type Game
Jones said Georgia State feels like a rivalry game, probably the closest thing South Alabama has to one. He said the players are eager to play at home again in front of a bigger crowd.
Georgia State lost its last game to Old Dominion, 34-20. Jones said the game was close at halftime before Old Dominion pulled away in the second half. He noted that Old Dominion, which went 9-2 last season in its first year of football, added junior college players and has a fairly mature roster.
Jones said Georgia State likes to pass, similar to UC Davis, but runs more often and is more balanced. Turner said Georgia State’s defense lines up in multiple fronts and brings a variety of blitzes, which will challenge the offensive line to recognize different looks and adjust within its schemes.
White Out and Attendance Push
Travis Toth said several factors make Saturday a good opportunity for fans to see the Jaguars: Alabama and LSU both have open dates, Curry is coaching the visitors, and Georgia State will play Alabama in Tuscaloosa on Nov. 18, making the game a measuring stick. The Jaguars will wear white from head to toe for a white out.
Jones noted that Kendall Houston has broken the school rushing record and Courtney Smith the school receiving record, and said it is time to break the attendance record as well.
Building the Offensive Line
Turner said the offensive line has improved significantly since the program’s first scrimmage, which he called a “borderline fiasco.” He explained that the linemen were not quick at the time, offensive coordinator Greg Gregory had just installed a new offense that changed all the calls and communication, and defensive coordinator Bill Clark’s defense was showing multiple blitzes. Turner said the group has worked hard but is not yet where it wants to be.
Jones credited the offensive line for the offense’s success. Turner said linemen understand that they rarely receive public recognition and take pride in the team’s success instead.
Turner said South Alabama looks for size, strength, intelligence and foot speed in offensive line recruits, but because the offense pulls and moves linemen frequently, the staff prefers athletic players. Jones said he has wanted “tough, tough football players” from the start and that opposing coaches who study film notice how hard the Jaguars play.
Asked how the line will match up next season against opponents such as Kent State and NC State, Turner acknowledged the Jaguars might not look comparable on paper but said that cannot measure what is inside the players, and he expects them to be ready. Turner, a former assistant at UT-Chattanooga, said he believes South Alabama would be a strong contender at the Division I-AA level.
Jones said that while some fans want to see South Alabama play teams like Alabama, his players are not yet experienced enough, and the program will continue building step by step.
Game Management Questions
Jones said a fumble with 2:15 remaining at the South Alabama 36-yard line, on a play needing about a yard for a first down, resulted from a miscommunication on the snap between center Trey Clark and quarterback C.J. Bennett. The Jaguars were trying to draw the defense offside and planned to run a quarterback sneak if that failed.
Jones said Houston is a power runner between the tackles while Santuan McGee is faster and can attack the perimeter. With defenses stacking the box, the staff expected the game to call for perimeter runs and played McGee more.
Asked about rotating quarterbacks Myles Gibbon, Brennan Sim and Bennett, Jones said the decision on who plays a series is largely by feel, based on the qualities each brings, the game plan and how each performs in practice during the week.
Jones also explained an incident in the Kentucky Wesleyan game, when the visitors’ headsets failed. Many conferences require the other team to remove its headsets in that situation, but the requirement was not in the game contract. South Alabama removed its headsets anyway, but after noticing Kentucky Wesleyan coaches using cell phones, Jones called a timeout and told the referee that the Jaguars would use their headsets if the opponent used phones. The officials allowed it.
Roster Continuity
Jones said South Alabama will lose seven seniors this season and six to nine next season, meaning most current players will remain when the program reaches the FBS level in 2012. He said the program will have 85 scholarships and will likely lose only about 18 players before then.
Update: South Alabama vs. Georgia State by the Numbers
Saturday’s matchup at Ladd-Peebles Stadium pairs two start-up programs that took different paths to their first seasons. South Alabama began play in 2009, opening against Hargrave Military Academy, and did not lose that season. This season the Jaguars’ schedule consists entirely of four-year institutions, and South Alabama remains unbeaten after a home win over Nicholls State and road victories at Lamar and UC Davis.
Georgia State did not play games in 2009, practicing throughout the season before debuting this fall. The Panthers are 5-3 with wins over Shorter, Campbell, Morehead State, Savannah State and North Carolina Central, and losses to Lambuth, Jacksonville State and Old Dominion. Their schedule also includes Alabama.
Georgia State coach Bill Curry, a former ESPN analyst, had been out of coaching since 1996 before taking the job. He previously led Georgia Tech, Alabama and Kentucky. His 1989 Alabama team went 10-2 and lost the Sugar Bowl 33-25 to Miami. At Kentucky, his best record was 6-6 in 1993, a season that ended with a 14-13 Peach Bowl loss to Clemson; the Wildcats went 1-10, 4-7 and 4-7 over the next three seasons.
Scoring and Yardage
- Scoring: South Alabama averages 43.7 points per game and allows 7.3; Georgia State averages 29.8 and allows 20.9.
- Total offense: South Alabama averages 426.0 yards per game (2,982 yards on 425 plays, 7.0 per play); Georgia State averages 354.5 (2,836 yards on 484 plays, 5.9 per play).
- Total defense: South Alabama allows 213.3 yards per game (1,493 yards on 400 plays, 3.7 per play); Georgia State allows 327.1 (2,617 yards on 558 plays, 4.7 per play).
- First downs: South Alabama 141, opponents 79; Georgia State 139, opponents 149.
Rushing and Passing
- Rushing offense: South Alabama 1,610 yards on 274 carries (5.9 per rush); Georgia State 1,086 yards on 238 carries (4.6).
- Rushing defense: South Alabama has allowed 454 yards on 200 attempts (2.3); Georgia State has allowed 1,422 yards on 347 attempts (4.1).
- Passing offense: Georgia State has completed 153 of 246 passes for 1,750 yards with seven interceptions; South Alabama has completed 97 of 151 with two interceptions, both thrown against UC Davis, averaging 14.1 yards per completion.
- Passing defense: South Alabama opponents have completed 90 of 200 passes for 1,039 yards with 10 interceptions; Georgia State opponents have completed 130 of 211 for 1,195 yards with nine interceptions.
Situational Statistics
- Third down: Georgia State has converted 44 of 96 (46 percent); South Alabama 21 of 73 (29 percent). South Alabama opponents have converted 23 of 96 (24 percent); Georgia State opponents 51 of 118 (43 percent).
- Fourth down: South Alabama 6 of 8; Georgia State 2 of 8. South Alabama opponents are 4 of 11; Georgia State opponents 7 of 11.
- Red zone: South Alabama has scored on 37 of 43 trips with 29 touchdowns; Georgia State has scored on 29 of 34 with 20 touchdowns. South Alabama opponents have scored on 5 of 9 trips with four touchdowns; Georgia State opponents have scored on 19 of 23 with 14 touchdowns.
- Fumbles: South Alabama has fumbled 10 times and lost six, while forcing 18 and recovering nine. Georgia State has fumbled 14 times and lost 11, while forcing 20 and recovering eight.
Special Teams
South Alabama has returned 13 kickoffs for 310 yards (23.8 average) and 19 punts for 372 yards (19.6 average). The Jaguars have allowed 18.4 yards per kickoff return on 42 kickoffs and 50 yards on 12 punt returns. Georgia State averages 25.0 yards per kickoff return and 7.1 per punt return, while allowing 17.8 and 7.2.
By Quarter
South Alabama has scored 63 percent of its points in the first half, and the Jaguars’ defense has not allowed a fourth-quarter point this season. Fifty-three percent of the points scored against South Alabama have come in the first quarter. Georgia State has scored about 19 percent of its points in the third quarter, its lowest-scoring period, and has allowed 12 percent of opponents’ points in the first quarter and 17 percent in the third.
Individual Leaders
Kendall Houston leads South Alabama with 472 rushing yards on 66 carries, one of six Jaguars with more than 100 rushing yards. Brandon Ross ran for 274 yards on 36 carries before suffering a torn ACL. Courtney Smith leads the Jaguars with 23 receptions for 371 yards and five touchdowns.
Georgia State has five players with more than 100 rushing yards, led by a back with 358 yards on 46 carries. Danny Williams leads six Panthers with more than 100 receiving yards, with 42 catches for 497 yards and four touchdowns.
Computer Ratings
Jeff Sagarin’s computer ratings place South Alabama 100th, ahead of every Sun Belt Conference team, and Georgia State 184th. Teams rated near the Jaguars include Purdue (82), Army (85), Rutgers (88), Tennessee (89), Boston College (99), Troy (101), Vanderbilt (102), Colorado State (111), Tulane (118) and Kent State (119).
