MOBILE, Ala. — The South Alabama defense held the first-team offense in check for long stretches and the Jaguars cut down on turnovers in their second preseason scrimmage of 2010 on Saturday, a performance head coach Joey Jones said looked sharper than the week before.
The scrimmage produced fewer touchdowns than the first one a week earlier, but also fewer turnovers. South Alabama ran about 93 plays, close to Jones’ target of 100. The offense gained 251 total yards, while the first-team defense allowed 48 yards in its seven series on the field.
Jones Sees Improvement
Jones said the team looked crisper and that the scrimmage had more of a game feel, with all special teams units called onto the field during play.
“We changed things up, but I thought we looked a little sharper,” Jones said. “There were a few penalties out there, which we have to get corrected in the next couple of weeks, but I thought it was a good day. It was more like a game, we called all the special teams out there so they had to be alert on the sidelines. My overall feeling is that the offense and defense got better, and special teams were pretty consistent.”
Jones said the staff will use the scrimmage film to set a starting point for the depth chart.
“We will evaluate this film and go into next week with an idea of who our ones and twos will be,” he said. “Of course, it’s not over because these kids compete for jobs every day, but we have to find a starting point when we begin next week.”
Defense Plays Shorthanded
The defense was without several regulars who were held out with minor injuries. Randon Carnathan, Justin Dunn, Tim Harvey, Jake Johnson, Romelle Jones and Alex Page did not participate. None of the injuries is considered serious.
With those players out, Jonathan Cameron and Bryson James led the first-team defense with four tackles each. Linebacker Zach Rone led the second-team defense with five tackles and nearly intercepted a pass near the right hash mark.
Anthony Taylor recorded back-to-back sacks for the first-team defense, and Kendell Bagnerise added a sack on the next play, pushing the offense back 18 yards on one possession.
The scrimmage’s only two turnovers were fumbles by running back Ellis Hill, one of them on a bad exchange from quarterback Brennan Sim. Jarred Williams and Montavious Williams recovered the fumbles.
Gibbon Leads Opening Touchdown Drive
Myles Gibbon took the first series with the first-team offense and led an 80-yard, seven-play touchdown drive. The series began with a 15-yard pass interference penalty on a slant intended for Ralph Turner. Brandon Ross then carried three times, the last for a 39-yard gain in which he knocked a defensive back to the ground. After Jaleel Atkins dropped Santuan McGee for a 4-yard loss and McGee made up the yardage on the next carry, Gibbon kept the ball around the left side and ran 9 yards into the corner of the end zone. Michel Chapuseaux added the extra point.
C.J. Bennett directed the first-team offense on its second possession. Starting near midfield, McGee ran for about 8 and then about 17 yards, and Kendall Houston added about 5 more. The drive stalled, and Chapuseaux made a field goal.
Bennett Hits Turner for a Score
The first-team offense’s second touchdown came on a drive shared by Gibbon and Bennett. Gibbon opened the series, handing off twice to Houston for 7 and 5 yards. With the offense facing fourth down at the defense’s 43-yard line, a 14-yard completion to Bryant Lavender along the left sideline kept the drive alive. Bennett then found Turner open on the right side for a 29-yard touchdown. The drive covered 60 yards in six plays.
Second-Team Offense
Bennett also led the second-team offense on the scrimmage’s opening possession, which was its best drive of the day. He completed passes of 14 and 7 yards to Lamontis Gardner and about 6 and 8 yards to Corey Besteda, and Johnny Lockett added a run of about 7 yards for a first down. The drive ended after a fumbled handoff on third down, which the offense recovered, and Scott Garber punted into the end zone for a touchback.
Raymond Cotton, who wore a blue No. 17 jersey rather than the white no-contact jersey worn by the other quarterbacks, ran two series. He was sacked on his first possession and recovered a bad snap before throwing incomplete under pressure. On his second series, Cotton picked up another bad snap and took a hard hit from linebacker David Hawkins. Coaches checked on him in the huddle, and he stayed in the game.
Sim’s series were limited by pressure. He completed a 17-yard pass to Lavender on one possession before the defense recorded consecutive sacks, and he later completed a short pass to Donte Rome. Matt Saucier followed with a long punt that was downed inside the 5-yard line.
Saucier and Gabe Graham also took snaps late in the scrimmage. Saucier completed a pass of about 6 yards to Gage Hayes, and a long run by Saucier was called back by a penalty. Graham ran for about 6 yards on a third-down keeper before Jordan Means missed a 45-yard field goal attempt wide left.
Passing and Receiving
- Passing: C.J. Bennett 5 of 8 for 65 yards and a touchdown; Brennan Sim three completions for 27 yards; Myles Gibbon one completion for 14 yards.
- Receiving: Corey Besteda, Lamontis Gardner and Bryant Lavender two catches each; Ralph Turner one catch for a 29-yard touchdown.
Red Zone Work Closes Scrimmage
Jones finished the scrimmage with red zone drills. Sim’s series produced no points, with two incompletions around a short loss by Ryan Scott. Gibbon nearly scored on a keeper before Lockett was stopped short of the goal line, and Houston then ran in for a touchdown.
On Bennett’s first red zone series, a fade to Besteda fell incomplete with Cameron in tight coverage, and Hill fumbled on a later carry, with the defense recovering. Gibbon’s next series ended with a false start penalty. Bennett returned for one final play, and Houston carried into the end zone for a touchdown to end the scrimmage.
Special Teams
Chapuseaux and Means handled kickoffs. Ralph Turner had a kickoff return of about 35 yards, and T.J. Glover had a return of about 19 yards. Donte Rome and Jeremy Roberts were also deep on kickoffs. Garber, Means and Saucier all punted during the scrimmage.
Injuries and Schedule
South Alabama reported no major injuries from the scrimmage. One player iced his right ankle, and another became slightly overheated.
The Jaguars will take Sunday off before returning to practice early Monday morning, which is also the first day of fall classes at South Alabama. The 2010 season is the program’s second under Jones.
