MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama finished its second week of spring football practice with a full scrimmage Friday morning, and the Jaguars now break for four days while students are away for spring break.
The week included early-morning workouts Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, with Thursday’s session marking the halfway point of spring drills. The team moved its scheduled Saturday scrimmage up a day because of weather concerns. Practice resumes Wednesday at 7:45 a.m.
Emphasis on Individual Improvement
Monday’s practice began at 7 a.m. and lasted about two hours, divided into individual and team periods. Head coach Joey Jones said the individual work carries more weight for him during the spring.
“I like to see how much better each guy is getting, and to evaluate talent,” Jones said. “I think we have some individuals who are, and we’re challenging the ones who aren’t so that by the end of the spring every player will get better, that’s the whole goal.”
The team portion Monday focused on first-down and third-down plays in the red zone. Jereme Jones made a diving touchdown catch in the back corner of the end zone, and Kendall Houston scored on a screen pass from C.J. Bennett. Jones said the final segment appeared even between the offense and defense but that he would need to review film to be sure.
The Jaguars returned Tuesday at 7:45 a.m. for another two-hour workout. Offensive coordinator Greg Gregory echoed his head coach’s emphasis.
“We’re not anywhere close to where we want to be as an offensive football team, but that’s really not our goal in the spring. Our goal has been to focus on individuals,” Gregory said.
Gregory pointed to returning receiver Corey Besteda, newcomer Greg Hollinger and offensive tackle Tremain Smith as examples. “Are Corey Besteda and Greg Hollinger going to become big-time receivers, or are they just going to look like big-time receivers? Is Tremain Smith going to become a big-time offensive tackle or look like one?” he said. “How good is each individual player going to be? That’s what it is really all about.”
Gregory said the offense installs only enough scheme in the spring to move the ball and leaves game planning for the fall. “I never want to look at a situation in the spring thinking we have to win this drill, because I don’t want to do something now that we will not do next season,” he said.
Offensive Line Returns Every Starter
The offensive line is a point of emphasis this spring, with Gregory saying the staff is evaluating blocking, footwork and hand placement. Offensive line coach John Turner said each play is broken down and graded.
“We start with our split and stance, then we look at our first step, hat placement and our hands. We go back and try to break down every play to see if we are accomplishing those things. And we try to harp on effort,” Turner said. “So we go back and grade that every day to make sure that we are challenging ourselves to give a great effort.”
South Alabama returns all five linemen who started the 2010 season finale against Arkansas-Monticello: center Trey Clark, guards Jon Griffin and Melvin Meggs, and tackles Brian Krauskopf and Levi Slaydon. Chris Brunson, who started four games last season before a season-ending injury, also returns. Four of the five starters will complete their eligibility after the 2011 season; Meggs is the only underclassman in the group.
That has created opportunities for younger linemen from the program’s second recruiting class. Turner named Ucambre Williams, Drew Dearman, Shane Doty and Chris May as contributors.
“I tell you what, we’re finding some players. We are looking at some younger guys who are getting better. Obviously, they still have a long way to go, we’re not there yet,” Turner said. “But I am proud of them, they have improved every day. You can see them compete, you can see them fight. They are not backing down.”
Injuries Shape the Offense
Brunson and Shaun Artz have been held out of drills this spring, and running back Brandon Ross continues to recover from knee surgery. T.J. Glover is moving from running back to wide receiver.
“T.J.’s absence has hurt us the most. We know Brandon can play, but we’re moving T.J. and there were some things we wanted to do with him at receiver that we wanted to look at in the spring but have junked,” Gregory said. “I think the big loss is Chris and Shaun. They are two big bodies, and we need to get bigger up front. Shaun is 290 and Chris is almost 300 pounds, we need them in there as starters or top back-ups who are going to play a lot.”
Thursday: Red Zone and Two-Minute Work
Thursday’s eighth practice of the spring, held on the field behind the team’s fieldhouse, featured third-and-goal situations in the red zone and a two-minute drill in which the first- and second-team offenses each had one possession.
Bennett moved the first team from its own 40-yard line into the red zone with consecutive completions to Bryant Lavender, Kevin Helms and Jereme Jones before the drive ended with a 28-yard field goal by Jordan Means.
The second-team offense, led by Myles Gibbon, crossed midfield on its second play when Gibbon hit Taylor Noon for 24 yards. After three straight incompletions, Gibbon found Hollinger in the back corner of the end zone for a 36-yard touchdown on fourth-and-10, the final play of the team session.
Defense Focuses on Tackling, Takeaways and Pursuit
Each defensive practice opens with tackling drills. Defensive coordinator Bill Clark has also stressed takeaways. South Alabama has won all 17 games in program history and forced 48 turnovers in that span, 23 in its first season and 25 last fall.
“We always say that a turnover is a gift that the offense gives us. We’re not looking for gifts, but we’ll take them,” Clark said. “We know that we have to physically take the ball away, and there’s a science to that — punching it out, stripping it, scooping and scoring.”
Clark said pursuit angles and leverage are also being emphasized. “Our goal, when you look at our defense, is to have people say they’ve never seen anyone run that fast to the ball. But there’s a way to do that,” he said. “So that’s where we start, putting those three things — pursuit, tackling and takeaways — together. Then you go to individual fundamentals. And so far we’ve been pleased, it’s been a real good spring up to this point.”
The Jaguars added transfers from four-year schools and junior colleges in the secondary during the offseason, but only two of the newcomers, Ameriol Finley of Spanish Fort and Damond Smith, have been able to take part in drills in the first two weeks.
“The future is bright, but we’re a little frustrated. There are different reasons why guys aren’t here, and though we see them coming they’re not here yet,” Clark said. “A lot of these guys have been with us and are going into their third season. That in and of itself is exciting.”
New Hybrid Position in the 3-4
South Alabama continues to use a 3-4 defense, but Clark and Jones have created a hybrid position combining the duties of defensive end and outside linebacker. Anthony Taylor, Logan Bennett, Clifton Crews and Alex Page have worked at the spot.
“For us, the position has fit real well. We think it fits our personnel probably a little bit better,” Clark said. “We always say that we are reactors on defense, we counter the trends in offensive football. You can see from the national championship game the spread formations used and the speed of the game, and that’s what we have to get ready for.”
Friday Scrimmage: Defense Holds Offense Under 300 Yards
The Friday scrimmage began at 7:30 a.m., lasted nearly two hours and included about 100 snaps. The defense held the offense to fewer than 300 total yards, allowing two touchdowns and three field goals.
Gibbon opened with a 14-play, 70-yard touchdown drive capped by Ellis Hill’s 2-yard run. On third-and-4 from the offense’s 37, Gibbon connected with Hollinger for 34 yards, and later on third-and-14 he hit Richard Ross for 15 yards. Gibbon finished 5-of-6 passing for 57 yards.
Bennett led the next drive, completing passes of 12 yards to Lamontis Gardner and nine yards to Jereme Jones to cross midfield. Houston ran 16 yards on third-and-1, but a 50-yard field goal attempt went wide right. Bennett completed five passes for 50 yards in the scrimmage.
The defense then allowed only two field goals over the next nine possessions, both on drives led by Ray Cotton, and forced two turnovers. Bryson James forced and recovered a fumble at the defense’s 27-yard line, and Jonathan Cameron intercepted a pass at the goal line on the first play of a drive that began at the 30.
On another possession starting at the defense’s 30, Demetre Baker carried four straight times for 20 yards, Bennett completed an eight-yard pass to Ross, Baker added a 1-yard run and Houston scored from a yard out.
James and Justin Harris shared the team lead with four stops each, and Jake Johnson was among four players with three tackles. Hollinger led all receivers with four catches for 55 yards, and Ross was the only other player with multiple receptions. Julien Valentin led the rushers with 41 yards on eight carries, while Baker and Santuan McGee each ran for 24 yards.
The scrimmage also included kickoff return and kickoff coverage periods, and all three kickers on the roster attempted at least three field goals during and after the session.
Jones: ‘It’s About Who Is Getting Better’
Jones said the freshmen who joined the program at the start of last season have made noticeable progress.
“I think we have some guys who have gotten fundamentally better, especially the freshmen who joined us at the beginning of last season. They have really jumped,” Jones said. “We ran about 100 plays including the kicking game, which was what we wanted to do. And I don’t think anybody got hurt, which is always a positive.”
“Defensively we had a good day, they got after it; they played with a lot of effort and intensity,” he said. “All three quarterbacks came out and played well today. They were calm in the huddle and did a good job running the team. We also got a little better blocking on the offensive line today. I know I keep saying this, but it’s not about who won the scrimmage. I don’t even care. It’s about who is getting better fundamentally.”
