MOBILE, Ala. — With South Alabama in a compressed week of preparation before its season finale at Hawaii, defensive coordinator Bill Clark and offensive coordinator Robert Matthews stood in for head coach Joey Jones at the Jaguars’ weekly press conference Monday.
The coordinators were joined by quarterback Ross Metheny and defensive lineman Romelle Jones. South Alabama closes its first Sun Belt Conference season against Hawaii in Honolulu, with kickoff scheduled for 10 p.m. Central time. The Jaguars are coming off a 52-30 loss at Louisiana-Lafayette.
A Shortened Week
Clark said the long trip to Hawaii will cost the team a day of travel, forcing the staff to install the game plan earlier than usual immediately after the Louisiana-Lafayette game.
“From a preparation standpoint, it’s a time crunch trying to get ready,” Clark said. “I think we have done a good job the last couple of days.”
He acknowledged that the end of a long season brings its own challenges for players. South Alabama is playing a 13-game schedule this year. Clark said the team will not use injuries or fatigue as an excuse. “I will promise you one thing, I know our guys are going to fight,” he said. “We’re going over there to get a ‘W.'”
Clark said the players practiced Sunday night and again Monday with the same energy they showed in the middle of the season, and that the staff wants the team to finish strong for the seniors and for next year’s squad.
Facing Norm Chow’s Offense
Hawaii is in its first season under head coach Norm Chow, a veteran offensive coach whose résumé includes stints at Southern California and with the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. Clark said the Warriors run a pro-style offense and noted that Hawaii scored a lot of points in its most recent game.
“These are the things that keep coaches up at night,” Clark said of facing Chow. He said Hawaii has played a demanding schedule in Chow’s first year.
Managing the Trip
Both coordinators said one of the week’s priorities is making sure players stay focused amid long travel, a time-zone change and the surroundings in Honolulu.
“We’re going to see their maturity level,” Clark said. “Can you go do these things, have some down time and still be about your business?”
Matthews, in his first year as South Alabama’s offensive coordinator, said most of the players have never been to Hawaii and will see new sights, but they need to understand the purpose of the trip. “That’s our ultimate job, to go there, play the game and get a victory,” he said.
Hawaii’s Pressure Defense
Matthews said Hawaii plays a pressure-oriented defense built on a 3-5 alignment, using multiple fronts and coverages, movement and blitzes to disrupt the quarterback and the running game.
He said he wants the offense to finish the 2012 season with high energy and the passion that first drew the players to the game. “Obviously we want to execute, score points and move the football,” Matthews said, adding that playing with energy would lead to success.
Metheny: ‘Being So Close Isn’t Enough’
Metheny called the game a business trip and said a win would give the Jaguars momentum heading into offseason work, particularly for a senior class that helped start the program.
The quarterback said South Alabama has been in many close games this season without putting together a complete performance. “Eventually, being so close isn’t enough,” Metheny said. “We want to put one together, finish strong and take that into the offseason.”
Asked where the program stands in its first year of Sun Belt play, Metheny said the team has shown it can compete in the league and has never quit in a game. “You don’t want to take moral victories, but I think we have established ourselves and we can say that we can be competitive in this league,” he said.
Metheny said the trip also gives him a chance to see his sister, who lives in Hawaii.
Romelle Jones Wants Momentum
Romelle Jones said winning is the top goal, describing the trip as a once-in-a-lifetime experience that many players would not have without the South Alabama program.
“College football is built on momentum, and that would be great momentum going into the offseason,” he said. He described the 2012 season as a building block that gave players confidence they can compete with anyone in the Sun Belt.
South Alabama and Hawaii kick off at 10 p.m. Central time.
Update: Rain Moves Final Practice Indoors; Team Travels in Three Groups
Rain interrupted South Alabama’s practice Tuesday morning, the team’s last day on campus before leaving for Hawaii, and the Jaguars finished the workout inside the university’s recreation center.
“You just have to adapt,” said Bill Clark, the Jaguars’ defensive coordinator and assistant head coach. “We’ve been blessed by not having to move inside a lot (this season) with the rain. It was a little tough at first but we came in and got a lot of good mental work and I think this time of year that’s more important than the physical, making your calls and checks. We wound up having a good day.”
Clark said the trip will test the team. “I think it’s tough,” he said. “You could sugar-coat it and say it’s not, but it is. They know where they’re going, they know we’re at the end of the year and so the mental part, which we discussed (Monday), is going to be key.”
“How do we handle this transition? Can we put ourselves back in game mode on Thursday when everything gets started again? I think we will because we’ve got an older group of guys and I think they want to finish on a good note. That’s our plan.”
The traveling party is leaving from three airports. One group is flying from Pensacola, Fla., another from Mobile and a third from New Orleans. The three groups will meet in Houston before continuing to Honolulu. Head coach Joey Jones traveled ahead of the team with a separate group Tuesday.
Most of the South Alabama party will begin the trip home after Saturday’s 6 p.m. Hawaii time kickoff (10 p.m. Central). Others will leave Sunday morning, and a few, including Jones, will stay a couple of extra days.
