MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama head coach Joey Jones said Monday that the Jaguars’ open week came at the right time, both physically and mentally, as the team prepares to face Texas-San Antonio on Saturday at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Kickoff is set for 4:30 p.m., and the game will be televised on the Longhorn Network.
Break After Two Physical Games
South Alabama is coming off two straight losses to Football Bowl Subdivision opponents, the first two defeats in the program’s short history. Jones said the two physical games made the open date especially valuable.
Jones said he used Monday’s team meeting to stress attention to detail. “When you do the little things right, the big things seem to work out,” he said. “We have to work on us, and if we work on that this week and really concentrate on getting better then we’ll let the chips fall.”
He said the players are excited to return to game action after a two- to three-day break.
A Program That Reminds Jones of His Own
UTSA is playing its first season of football, and Jones said the Roadrunners remind him of South Alabama’s first year. “They are a very hungry football team,” he said. “They remind me of us a couple of years ago, the way we came out that first year with a lot of hunger and excitement.”
Jones said UTSA runs a multiple offense built around a quarterback who can both run and throw, forcing the Jaguars’ defense to prepare for a wide range of looks. “We have to work on all of it because we don’t know what they are going to do,” he said. He described the Roadrunners’ defense as well coached and sound, with tough players on the interior, and said their special teams use a variety of return and kickoff schemes.
Scott: ‘The Most Formations’ He Has Seen
Safety B.J. Scott said the open week let players rest and recover. He said he is eager to see how the team responds to its first losing streak, and that while UTSA is hungry, the Jaguars are as well.
Scott said UTSA uses more formations than any team he has faced since he began playing football, and that his approach is to study as much film as possible. He added that he is never satisfied with his own performance and wants teammates to follow the way he plays.
Baker Eager to Return
Running back Demetre Baker said most players needed the week off to recover and to identify and fix mistakes. He said the losses helped the team refocus and stay hungry, and that he and his teammates are eager to play again. Baker said what matters after a loss is how a team responds, and that the teams that fight the hardest come out with wins.
South Alabama and UTSA kick off at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at the Alamodome on the Longhorn Network.
Update: UTSA by the Numbers
UTSA is 2-3 in its first season under coach Larry Coker, who was hired March 6, 2009. Coker went 60-15 in six seasons at Miami, winning his first 24 games there and leading the Hurricanes to the 2001 national championship in his first season. He has twice been named national coach of the year.
Offense
The Roadrunners have outscored opponents 135-101 through five games, an average of 27 points to 20.2. UTSA averages 363.2 yards of total offense and 5.4 yards per play, with 152 rushing yards and 211.2 passing yards per game. The Roadrunners have run for 760 net yards and nine touchdowns on 176 carries, 4.3 yards per attempt, and have completed 86 of 163 passes for 1,056 yards with seven touchdowns and five interceptions. Their 105 first downs include 52 by pass, 41 by rush and 12 by penalty.
Evans Okotcha leads UTSA with 179 net rushing yards, one more than quarterback Eric Soza, who has 178. Kam Jones and Brandon Freeman each have 17 receptions; Jones has 261 yards and a touchdown and Freeman has 213 yards and two touchdowns. Jones also leads the team with 413 all-purpose yards, 82.6 per game, and Kenny Harrison is second with 286, including 199 on kick returns.
UTSA converts 36 percent of its third-down attempts and 57 percent on fourth down, and scores on 85 percent of its red-zone trips, 65 percent of them touchdowns.
Defense
UTSA allows 342.6 yards per game and 5.3 yards per play. Opponents have rushed 157 times for 450 net yards, 2.9 yards per carry and 90 yards per game, with five rushing touchdowns. Opponents have completed 95 of 164 passes for 1,263 yards, 252.6 per game, with six touchdowns and five interceptions. Opponents have scored on 61 percent of red-zone trips, with touchdowns on 44 percent.
UTSA has allowed 19 points in the first quarter of its games and 35 in the fourth. The Roadrunners have scored 37 points in the second quarter, their highest total, and 29 in the fourth.
Penalties and Possession
UTSA has been penalized 27 times for 249 yards, averaging 5.4 penalties and 49.8 yards per game. The Roadrunners have averaged 30:28 in time of possession to their opponents’ 29:32.
