MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama offensive lineman Chris Brunson will miss the rest of the season with a broken ankle, coach Joey Jones said this week as the Jaguars prepared for a cross-country trip to face UC Davis.
Jones and assistant coach Mitch Rodrigue discussed the injury, the trip and the Jaguars’ use of tight ends on the Joey Jones Show with host Lee Shirvanian.
Brunson Injury
Jones said South Alabama is not deep at Brunson’s position. Brian Krauskopf, who worked at center in practice, will probably move into Brunson’s spot. Jones called Krauskopf perhaps the most valuable player on the offensive line because of his flexibility and willingness to fill any role.
In the Jaguars’ game at Lamar, running back Kendall Houston rushed for more yards by himself than Lamar’s entire team.
Travel Logistics
Jones said the team will fly out of Mobile at 9 a.m. Friday and is scheduled to land in California around 12:40 p.m. Pacific time. For the Lamar trip, the team carried most of its equipment by truck. Items needed for the UC Davis game but not for practice, including jerseys, stayed on the truck and continued on to California, while shoulder pads and helmets returned to Mobile with the team for practice and will travel in bags on the flight.
Jones called the planning tedious and said it requires careful thought, especially when flying. Staff meetings continued Tuesday to finalize details.
Scouting UC Davis
Jones called UC Davis a sound football team that won its conference last season and was picked to win it again this year. The Aggies have previously beaten Stanford. He said UC Davis plays hard on defense and, while perhaps not as athletic as some of South Alabama’s opponents, plays well as a team. He said the Aggies are good on special teams and limit turnovers, so South Alabama will have to beat them rather than wait for mistakes.
Jones said UC Davis throws the ball efficiently but has struggled to establish a consistent running game, and that opponents have tried to exploit that imbalance.
Responding to a listener’s question about South Alabama converting 1 of 20 third downs over the past two games, Jones said he was not aware of the figure but acknowledged the Jaguars have been too conservative in the red zone and need to improve.
The Role of Tight Ends
Rodrigue called tight end one of the most important positions on the field and said South Alabama uses its tight ends as receivers, blockers and fullbacks, with about four tight ends playing in a typical game.
Jones said he wanted the program’s offense to be different. He said he moved to the spread in the late 1990s when most teams ran the I-formation, and that most teams now use four-receiver spread sets. Jones said he believes championships are won by running the football, and that having Brandon Ross as a big, strong back fit that approach.
Jones explained that four-receiver sets shrink the defensive front and make running harder, while tight ends spread the front out. A tight end detached from the line creates more running lanes and passing opportunities, he said, because a cornerback cannot block a tight end and a linebacker cannot cover one.
Rodrigue said defensive coaches first want to know what personnel is on the field, and two tight ends usually signal a run. He said South Alabama can use the same personnel to do almost anything, including lining up two tight ends with an empty backfield. A strong running game also helps tight ends get open on play-action passes.
Early Practices and Outlook
Rodrigue credited the team’s early-morning practices for its success, saying players arrive focused on football before the distractions of a school day.
Asked how the Jaguars would fare against Division I-A competition, Rodrigue said the program has work to do before competing with BCS schools but could be competitive against some Division I teams, including in the Sun Belt Conference. He said a lack of depth and experience would be the main weaknesses.
Update: UC Davis by the Numbers
UC Davis enters Saturday’s game averaging 19 points per game and allowing 27.2. The Aggies average 275.7 yards of total offense and 4.7 yards per play while giving up 386.7 yards per game and 5.8 yards per play.
Season Results
The Aggies opened with a 52-3 loss at California and a 41-33 loss to Portland State before winning 38-24 at San Diego. After a 20-9 loss at Weber State, UC Davis has won two straight, beating Football Bowl Subdivision opponent San Jose State 14-13 on the road and South Dakota 17-13 at homecoming. UC Davis has averaged 9,294 fans in its two home games.
Offense
UC Davis has rushed for 447 yards, an average of 74.5 per game, and passed for 1,207 yards, just over 201 per game. Aggie quarterbacks have completed 108 of 189 passes, about 57 percent, with seven touchdowns and four interceptions. The Aggies have 86 first downs, about 65 percent of them through the air.
Josh Reese leads the team in rushing with 268 yards and two touchdowns on 67 carries, and Nick Aprile has 188 yards and four touchdowns on 47 carries. Sean Creadick is the top receiver with 34 catches for 429 yards and a touchdown. Dean Rogers has 18 receptions for 247 yards and three scores, Anthony Soto has 16 catches for 154 yards, and Reese has 16 catches for 108 yards and a touchdown.
UC Davis has converted 22 of 75 third downs (29 percent) and 3 of 7 fourth downs. The Aggies have scored on 15 of 17 red-zone trips, 59 percent of them touchdowns, and have allowed eight sacks for 51 yards.
Defense and Special Teams
The Aggies have allowed 1,028 rushing yards, just over 171 per game, and 1,292 passing yards, just over 215 per game. Opposing quarterbacks have completed 102 of 176 passes with nine touchdowns and three interceptions. Opponents have converted 35 of 90 third downs (39 percent) and scored on 20 of 24 red-zone trips, with 45 percent of those ending in touchdowns. The UC Davis defense has 11 sacks for 85 yards and has forced 13 fumbles, recovering six. The Aggies have fumbled nine times and lost six, leaving them at minus-1 in turnover margin. Time of possession has averaged 28:21 for UC Davis and 31:39 for its opponents.
UC Davis kickers have made eight of nine field goal attempts. The Aggies have not returned a kickoff for a touchdown and have allowed one punt return for a touchdown.
South Alabama on Third Down
South Alabama has converted 18 of 61 third-down attempts this season, 30 percent.
