MOBILE, Ala. — With its second full scrimmage two days away, South Alabama football put together a physical, situation-heavy practice on Thursday after weather had cut into the team’s preseason schedule earlier in the week.
Head coach Joey Jones and his staff departed from the routine the Jaguars had followed through the first two and a half weeks of preseason camp, devoting far more of the two-hour session to live 11-on-11 work. Through the earlier part of camp, the team had spent less than half as much time in live team drills.
A Different Practice Plan
Practice opened with about 30 minutes of special teams work, much of it focused on the hands team for onside kicks. Players then spent roughly 20 minutes in small-group, one-on-one competition at several positions.
About an hour of the session was dedicated to situational work. The practice closed with another 30 minutes of special teams, this time on punt and kickoff coverage.
“Any time you change the routine up, I think the kids like that,” Jones said. “They hate to come out to practice and do the same thing every day. We’re trying to get them to learn about these different situations, and to understand certain things like when you’re inside the 25-yard line the quarterback can’t take a sack. Sometimes in practice you just run plays, but this is a more realistic scenario that they will see in games.”
Jones explained why the staff had waited until now to emphasize game situations.
“The first weeks we were just putting as much information in their heads as possible,” he said. “With the scrimmage coming up on Saturday and another next weekend, that’s when we really want to prepare them for everything they will see in a game.”
Red-Zone Drills
After the special teams and individual periods, the offense ran about 10 minutes of first-down plays from midfield before moving to red-zone work starting at the defense’s 20-yard line.
On the first possession, facing third-and-6, quarterback Myles Gibbon connected with Paul Bennett for a 7-yard gain and a first down. On the next snap, Santuan McGee went off right tackle for a touchdown.
The defense controlled the next three series. Eddy Cabrera intercepted a pass at the goal line. On the following possession, Anthony Taylor recorded two of the defense’s three tackles for loss. On the final red-zone drive, Marquise Diamond broke up a pass in the end zone, forcing a field goal attempt that was missed.
Third-Down Situations
The final situational period had the offense running third-down plays needing 9, 5 and 2 yards. The defense opened with seven consecutive stops, with Justin Dunn and Bryson James making key tackles during the stretch.
Gibbon ended the run of stops with a completion to 6-foot-5 receiver Courtney Smith for a first down. The defense then held the offense short of the line to gain on six of the next eight attempts.
Jones Credits Fresh Legs, Defensive Growth
Jones said the weather-related time off earlier in the week appeared to help the team.
“I think we had a great physical day,” Jones said. “The kids were ready mentally, and I noticed their legs were a little fresher as well. That’s probably because we’ve had some extra time off the last two days due to the weather. The coaches noticed in the weight room this morning that they were bouncing around, so now we’re thinking as a staff that we ought to plan more often to give them breaks during camp. Sometimes the rain forces you to do that, and I think that in this case it was really a good thing for us.”
He also pointed to progress on the defensive side of the ball.
“The guys on defense have been practicing extremely hard, and they are learning where they need to be,” Jones said. “They were playing tentative the first couple of weeks because they were constantly asking themselves, ‘Where do I line up?’ Then, ‘What’s my responsibility?’ Then, ‘What is the offense doing?’ It’s hard to decipher all of those things, but now it is starting to become second nature and they are able to just react and run. The defense has definitely gotten more confident in what it is doing.”
Early Friday Workout, Saturday Scrimmage
Because Wednesday’s practice was canceled, the Jaguars will return to the field at 5:45 a.m. Friday. The session will be held in helmets and pads but will be lighter, focusing on passing drills and the kicking game with no tackling.
“We’re going to practice in the morning for two reasons,” Jones said. “One is because we want to try and avoid the rain, which has been a problem for us this week. And two, it will give the players a full 24 hours to rest before the scrimmage so hopefully their legs will be fresh.”
South Alabama’s second scrimmage of the preseason is scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The team held its first scrimmage on Aug. 15.
The Jaguars are preparing for the program’s first season of football in 2009.
