South Alabama closed out its first week of fall practices Saturday with the Jaguars’ second day of work in full pads. The roughly two-hour session was held in the heat and humidity at the program’s outdoor practice fields, part of the team’s buildup to its Sept. 5 season opener.
Head coach Major Applewhite said he saw good things from a team that will open the season at 6 p.m. against Southeastern Louisiana at Hancock Whitney Stadium.
Building Physicality Through the Pads
The Jags worked through all phases of the game Saturday, continuing the position-by-position competition Applewhite highlighted after Wednesday’s first practice. In many cases, players have been alternating between the first and second units, a rotation designed to give as many players as possible quality reps during camp.
“You see most of the guys moving around the way we want them to move around in terms of violence, physicality and finish,” Applewhite said following the practice. “We’ve still got a long way to go as a team. I love the fact that there’s a vast majority of the guys, regardless of the elements and those things, given that they’re all being physical.”
Applewhite noted the transition into contact drills is always an adjustment. “The first day in pads (Friday) was a little different,” he said. “There were some guys that after 15 days during the offseason of having no helmets on and touch football and things like that, your pad level can get up high. You get in some scenarios where you can’t hit people, and then all of a sudden you finally get in this opportunity (to make contact) and you’re unsure. Today was much better in terms of people getting in front of people, understanding what we’re trying to do with our practice and be physical, but not bringing people to the ground.”
A Retooled Defense Takes Shape
South Alabama lost several contributors from last season’s defense to graduation and the transfer portal, and new defensive coordinator Todd Orlando has spent camp rebuilding the unit. Applewhite said he likes what he has seen so far.
“I love the attitude and the demeanor of our defense right now and where it’s going,” he said. “You know, it’s not a finished product, but I like where it is now and where it’s headed. I don’t think many people are going to feel on Day 4 that they’re a finished product, but I do like the direction, the leadership, the intensity we’re trying to play with, and as long as we stay on an upward trajectory, we’ll be fine.”
Applewhite described the offseason organized training activities and the team’s first practices in shorts and helmets as the “underwear Olympics” — a period that tells coaches little about how a team will perform once full-contact work begins. He said the coaching staff will learn far more about this year’s roster from the full-pads practices heading into the season.
“Today there were more guys popping, guys that were showing,” he said. “I try to stay away from singling out guys, but I’ve seen some plays made up front. You know, our defensive line has done a good job. They’ve just got to continue to trust Coach (Chris) Achuff because he’s great. I’ve seen our backs do great things. We’ve got to continue to build up that position, but it’s still a little early to say somebody … we just don’t have a large enough sample size to where this guy’s really shining.”
“I’ve seen a lot of guys come on in terms of their understanding of the scheme,” Applewhite added. “They’re going to be able to contribute more as long as they can produce with the pads on, but that’s what’s a little bit more encouraging. Some of the guys who were a little bit far off in terms of understanding what to do in the spring are much further along.”
Offensive Identity Still Taking Shape
On defense, Applewhite said he wants to “see us play violent and finish on people. When you do that, the turnovers will happen, the stops will happen, just being violent and finish on people.”
Applewhite, who also serves as the team’s offensive coordinator, said he continues to look for a few fundamentals from that side of the ball. “I want to see us take care of the ball, but I want to see us be aggressive with the football,” he said. “I want to see us take shots, take opportunities, be explosive — be able to have an explosive mindset, but at the same time, take care of the ball. And then you always think defense physical, offense go execute, score, be explosive, but I still want to see us finish with physicality and violence on offense.”
What’s Next
The Jags return to the practice field Monday and will hold their first scrimmage of fall drills next Saturday, Aug. 15, as South Alabama continues building toward its season-opening matchup with Southeastern Louisiana on Sept. 5 at Hancock Whitney Stadium in Mobile.