MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama returned to the practice field Sunday night for the first time since its season-opening 22-21 loss to Southern Utah, holding a light workout in shorts and helmets after a team meeting that lasted nearly two hours.
The coaching staff spent the two previous days breaking down game film and grading individual performances.
Jones: ‘We Didn’t Finish the Game’
Head coach Joey Jones told AL.com that the film showed positives but that the Jaguars failed to close out the game.
“Looking at the film, I feel like we did some really good things. But the thing we didn’t do was obvious – we didn’t finish the game,” Jones said. “We were up eight points with eight minutes left and we lose the ball game. We learned a hard lesson from that.”
“Defensively, we’ve got to stop them, and offensively we’ve got to make first downs late to win the ball game. That’s bottom line.”
Special Teams Numbers
Jones pointed to special teams as a strength despite a couple of breakdowns. He said kickoff coverage held Southern Utah to an average starting point of the 15-yard line, calling it probably the best the program has had. South Alabama averaged 31 yards per kickoff return, and the punt team averaged 42.1 yards per punt while allowing less than 1 yard per return.
“We did some good things. When you have a loss you tend to look at things and it seems like everything is gloom and doom. In some ways it is. But we did some positive things,” Jones said. “The thing I challenged the guys with today was we’re going to fight and we’re going to get better. We’re a better team. If we had finished out the game the other night we’d feel a lot better, but we just didn’t finish. So we’ve got to learn to win ball games.”
How the Opener Unfolded
South Alabama picked up two first downs on its first three offensive plays, but the opening drive stalled and the Jaguars punted. Southern Utah scored on each of its first two possessions to take a 10-0 lead, and South Alabama cut the margin to 10-7 before halftime.
Southern Utah added a field goal in the second half before the Jaguars went ahead 14-13 and then extended the lead to 21-13 early in the fourth quarter.
South Alabama committed one turnover, which Southern Utah converted into a touchdown. The Thunderbirds’ two-point attempt to tie failed, but Southern Utah won the game on a field goal as time expired.
Brandon Bridge ran 40 yards for a first-half touchdown, and Jay Jones had a 57-yard run. Receivers Shavarez Smith and Danny Woodson Jr. joined the receiving corps for quarterbacks Ross Metheny and Bridge.
Defensively, South Alabama allowed three points in the second and third quarters combined and broke up five passes but did not force a turnover. Late in the game, Southern Utah converted on a second-and-12 and gained 13 yards on a third-and-5.
Suspension Updates
Jones said defensive back Tyrell Pearson and tight end Ben Giles will return from suspensions for violations of team rules. Cornerback Akeem Appleton, who sat out the opener, will serve one more game of his suspension.
Next Up: Tulane
South Alabama travels to New Orleans to face Tulane on Saturday at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
