MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama football is working through its first one-week turnaround between games as the unbeaten Jaguars prepare to host Louisburg College on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
It is the first time in the program’s brief history that South Alabama has had only a standard game week to prepare for an opponent. The Jaguars’ inaugural schedule was built to allow longer preparation earlier in the season before back-to-back games.
Familiar Look From Louisburg
Louisburg, a junior college from North Carolina, enters the game 5-1 and ranked No. 18 in this week’s NJCAA poll. Like Georgia Military College, which South Alabama beat 31-3 last Saturday while holding the Bulldogs to 234 yards of total offense, Louisburg uses multiple offensive sets and a 3-3 stack defense.
Offensive coordinator Greg Gregory said the similarity has helped.
“What really was a blessing for us is that Louisburg’s defensive scheme is the exact same as Georgia Military’s,” Gregory said. “All we had to do this week was tweak some things.”
Defensive coordinator Bill Clark said the defense also benefits from facing a comparable offense.
“Obviously we won’t do all the same things as last week, but it will help us,” Clark said. “If we went from Army Prep running the option to more of a traditional offense it would’ve been harder.”
Clark said the condensed schedule has been an adjustment. “It’s a little bit different, everything is compacted, but we’ve handled it well,” he said. “Of course, Saturday will be the test to see how well we’ve handled it.”
Focus on Fundamentals
Gregory said the staff is splitting practice time between game preparation and basic skills as it builds the first-year program.
“Sure, we have to work against the scheme of the opponent, but we are really focusing more on ourselves,” Gregory said. “We want to win every game this year but we are trying to build a football program and lay a foundation, so half of our practice is based on improving fundamentals like throwing, catching and tackling rather than the opposition.”
Seeking Balance on Offense
South Alabama is 3-0 and has averaged 257.7 rushing yards and 135.7 passing yards per game. Gregory said the staff wants to improve the passing game.
“Right now we don’t throw the ball as well as I would like to throw it,” he said. “That’s a combination of not being good enough at quarterback yet and that we’re not a great pass protection football team yet. That always takes the longest amount of time.”
“The one thing we are trying to do is build a tough, hard-nosed, attacking football team,” Gregory said. “We’re doing that, but we have to become a more balanced football team not in how much we throw but just having more confidence in our ability to throw.”
Defense Strong on Third Down
The Jaguar defense has allowed an average of 268 yards per game and a total of 16 points through three games. Opponents have converted 7 of 38 third-down attempts, an 18 percent success rate.
Clark said the unit still has room to improve its tackling, noting that the defense had the Georgia Military quarterback trapped four or five times without bringing him down.
“We feel like we are about excellence, and one of our goals is a shutout,” Clark said. “Every week is a chance to improve, we’re only as good as our last game. I’m pleased at this point, but know we have work to do.”
South Alabama, coached by Joey Jones, is playing its inaugural season of football.
