MOBILE, Ala. — Replacing three graduated starters on the South Alabama offensive line is one of the Jaguars’ chief tasks this preseason, and offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Robert Matthews is cycling 13 players through the unit as he searches for the right combination.
The Jaguars lost veterans Chris Brunson, Jon Griffin and Brian Krauskopf to graduation from last season’s line.
“We do have some young guys, a lot who are getting reps, including some who have been here but have not been starters,” Matthews said. “We have been rotating 13 different guys on the line right now. They have been changing positions because we are trying to find the best five. For the first week-and-a-half of practice there have been a lot of good things, and there have been some things we need to clean up. I think we are headed in the right direction.”
Veterans Lead the Way
Center Trey Clark anchors the group. Clark has started all 27 games in South Alabama’s history. Tremain Smith has played as a reserve in each of the past two seasons.
“Tremain and Trey have been tremendous leaders, they are vocal leaders and they lead by example, and a huge help to us,” Matthews said. “They have been real good telling the young guys that it is going to be OK. It’s a big transition coming from high school, but our young guys have done a good job getting through that.”
On the right side, Melvin Meggs returns after starting 19 games over two seasons. Matthews said he is pushing Meggs to raise his level of play.
“Melvin’s biggest challenge is being the best Melvin he can be,” Matthews said. “Everyone knows he is a good football player, he’s been a starter on the line. Any time you are that guy on a team, you have to push yourself to be better than just that. He’s been working hard on that. Melvin knows he is going to play, let’s be honest, everyone knows that. But he needs to play at a level he is capable of being at. Our challenge, and his challenge, is to continue to push himself to where he can be more than just a player. We want Melvin to be a great player.”
Open Spots on the Line
Drew Dearman entered camp competing for the starting job at left guard, and Shaun Artz is competing at right tackle. Shane Doty and Ucambre Williams are also in the mix.
Chris May, who redshirted last season, is expected to contribute. Matthews cited May’s footwork and the work he has put into learning the offense.
“He is very athletic, he was a state championship wrestler coming out of high school,” Matthews said. “I’ve been extremely happy with the progress of Chris, he is only a redshirt freshman so he has four years left to play. Certainly we want him to be game-ready in a couple of weeks, but his long-term future is really good.”
Four freshmen from the 2012 signing class are also taking repetitions. Daniel Aust and Clay Machen have worked at outside positions, while Steven Foster and Joseph Scelfo have worked on the interior.
The line has no seniors and two juniors. Eight of the linemen weigh 300 pounds or more.
Transition to the Spread
South Alabama began moving to a spread offense in the spring. The returning linemen had played in the pro-style offense the Jaguars used during their first three seasons.
“We play a lot faster than they used to play, but some of the schemes are very similar. Football is football, pass protection is pass protection and run blocking is run blocking,” Matthews said. “Our terminology is a little different, but I would say there is about a 50-percent carryover from a skill set and things of that nature. We’ll see how it goes. I think they are headed in the right direction, but we have a way to go before we are any good. This is coaching cliché, but we have to come out to work every day. It’s the truth. We’re not great, but we’re not bad and we have to get better.”
Matthews joined the South Alabama staff with previous experience at Southern Miss and Oklahoma State. The offense he is installing emphasizes tempo and quick decision-making.
Scrimmage Will Help Narrow the Field
The Jaguars hold their first scrimmage of the preseason on Saturday, and Matthews said it will play a large part in sorting out the line.
“We’re going to find our best five,” Matthews said. “A guy that played guard today might be playing center tomorrow. … We’ll start to narrow that down in the next week or so. … Saturday will be a big day for those guys to show what they’ve got and how they’ve progressed so far.”
The same approach applies to the rest of the offense, where players are being tried at multiple spots.
“The thing I like is we’re moving a lot of guys around right now trying to see where everybody fits,” he said. “Nobody is backing away or turning away from that. Guys are learning two, sometimes three positions, and they are embracing it, so I really like the attitude of how they’re doing that. I think there’s no question we’re a lot better right now than we were in the spring. We’ll continue to be a work in progress and every day is important for us.”
Other Position Groups
Matthews also offered updates on the skill positions.
On the wide receivers: “People don’t realize how much you run in this offense as a wide receiver. They’re changing sides of the field, they’re running routes. We might throw a 6-yard route, but someone else may have had to run 30 yards to get that route open and he didn’t get the ball. He has to run back and get lined up. They have worked extremely hard and I’m proud of their progress.”
On the running backs: “It’s good to see Kendall (Houston) healthy again. We’ve been working about five (running) backs back there, and I think that’s good for competition.”
On the quarterbacks: “We’ve been going two groups at once and we have five quarterbacks right now getting reps. Obviously, we’ve got to find out who our starter is, but even some of the younger guys on the roster, the reps they are getting right now are invaluable to them as they continue to learn the playbook.”
On the tight ends: “I think they’re getting better every day, and we’ve got about two or three guys who hopefully will help us win on Saturdays.”
Injury Update
- Trey Fetner returned to practice Thursday after missing a day and a half with an illness.
- Senior linebacker Jake Johnson missed much of Thursday’s practice with a mild ankle injury but is expected to be ready for Saturday’s scrimmage.
- Tight end Wes Saxton missed part of Thursday morning’s scrimmage work and is also expected to be available Saturday.
Saturday’s scrimmage is closed to the public. The team will have Sunday off.
Update: First Two-a-Day Practice Report
Thursday marked South Alabama’s first two-a-day of preseason camp, beginning with a 90-minute morning session that opened with special teams work and individual position drills before the offense and defense went head to head. Kendall Houston scored on a run, and C.J. Bennett threw a touchdown pass to Jereme Jones.
The morning session emphasized route running, with receivers working to create separation and adjust routes on the fly. Nathan Sassaman caught a touchdown pass on a fly route.
The defense had the upper hand in full-team periods. Bennett threw at least three interceptions, one of them to a defensive lineman following three consecutive pass breakups. Enrique Williams stopped Demetre Baker on a run up the middle, and Eddy Cabrera broke up a couple of passes. Ross Metheny also had difficulty against the defense but showed scrambling ability, and Corey Besteda made a one-handed, behind-the-back catch. Practice ended with special teams and conditioning.
“I thought we came out with a great attitude this morning,” head coach Joey Jones said. “We looked real sharp. I was pleased with it overall. They worked and had a good session with the offense going against the defense. I thought we achieved what we needed to achieve today.”
“We have to fight through the tough things. Toughness is one of the three things we talk about. We have to practice toughness to be tough, so that’s why we do it,” Jones said.
In the 4:30 p.m. session, running backs worked on pass protection. After 11-on-11 work, the team moved to red zone passing, where Bryant Lavender and Greg Hollinger made several catches. The Jaguars also ran a two-minute drill for the first time in camp. The first team, led by Bennett, failed on fourth down at the 34-yard line, while the second team, led by Metheny, reached the 26 with 10 seconds left and settled for a field goal.
Kicker Michel Chapuseaux kicked for the first time this preseason, and he and Aleem Sunanon both connected from beyond 40 yards. Chapuseaux made a 47-yarder in a hurry-up situation with three seconds remaining.
The Jaguars have a lighter practice before Saturday’s closed scrimmage.
