MOBILE, Ala. — The Blue squad beat the Red squad 17-10 Saturday afternoon at Ladd-Peebles Stadium as South Alabama closed its fourth spring practice period and its first in preparation for a full Football Bowl Subdivision schedule.
The South Alabama spring game gave fans their first look at the Jaguars’ new offense. Tyrannace Brazil scored the only touchdown of the second half, and a late fumble at the 1-yard line ended the Red squad’s best chance to tie the game.
Early Scoring
Each team threw an interception to open the game. Jake Johnson picked off a pass on the Red squad’s first snap.
The Blue squad scored first on a six-play, 61-yard drive. Demetre Baker opened the march with a nine-yard run, and C.J. Bennett completed three straight passes to Jereme Jones, Tyrome Bivins and Baker to reach the 10-yard line. Baker ran for seven yards and then scored from three yards out.
The Red squad answered late in the first quarter with an 11-play drive that ended in a 31-yard field goal by Michel Chapuseaux. Trey Fetner completed all four of his passes on the drive for 44 yards, and walk-on freshman Terrance Timmons accounted for 42 yards, including an 18-yard run to start the drive and a 22-yard catch on third-and-13.
Valentin’s Unusual Touchdown
The Red squad took its only lead with about three minutes left in the first half on a 45-yard touchdown run by Julien Valentin. Valentin appeared to be stopped after a short gain, but no whistle blew, and he broke free while defenders eased up.
“It was a freaky play,” Valentin said. “I don’t know where it came from but I had to just keep fighting and keep going. The next thing you know I’m in the open field and the ref is running with me, so I just ran as hard as I could to the end zone.”
The Blue squad tied the game at 10 when Chapuseaux kicked a 28-yard field goal with 41 seconds left in the half. Bennett completed 5 of 6 passes on the eight-play, 64-yard drive, including two to J.J. Keels, the second for 35 yards, before the drive stalled at the 11.
Brazil Scores the Winner
The Blue squad took over with 45 seconds left in the third quarter with Brandon Bridge at quarterback and put together a 12-play, 80-yard drive that took 4:58. Bridge hit Jereme Jones for 16 yards on the first play, and a 20-yard pass to Brazil moved the ball across midfield.
Facing fourth-and-1 at the 35, Bridge completed a 10-yard pass to Wes Saxton. Bryant Lavender then made a nine-yard catch to the 14 but was injured when he was struck in the back of the head by a player’s knee; officials called a late-hit personal foul that moved the ball to the 7. Two plays later, Brazil scored to make it 17-10.
Goal-Line Strip Preserves Lead
On the Red squad’s next possession, Myles Gibbon found Anthony Ingram open for a 67-yard gain after a coverage breakdown. McGaskin, who was beaten on the play, chased Ingram down and knocked the ball loose at the 1-yard line, and it rolled out of the back of the end zone for a touchback, giving the ball to the Blue squad.
“It looked like he got stripped,” head coach Joey Jones said. “That’s a lesson on both sides of the ball. On offense, securing the ball all the way across the goal line is paramount, and defensively to never give up. That was a great play to never give up.”
After a Blue squad three-and-out and a simulated punt, Byron Sneed sacked Fetner for a six-yard loss. Charles Watson then stopped Austin Powell short of a first down on fourth-and-12 at the Red squad’s 43 to end the threat.
Statistical Leaders
The Blue squad gained 217 total yards, 192 of them through the air. Bennett completed 11 of 14 passes for 128 yards, and Bridge was 4-of-7 for 55 yards. Keels, Bivins and Lavender each caught three passes, with Keels totaling 52 yards. Jereme Jones and Baker each had two receptions.
The Red squad finished with 294 yards, 163 passing and 131 rushing. Fetner was 7-of-14 for 69 yards, and Gibbon was 3-of-5 for 84 yards. Valentin ran 10 times for 88 yards and caught two passes for 10 yards, and Ingram had four catches for 98 yards; the two shared the game high in all-purpose yards. Timmons added 50 rushing yards and 24 receiving yards on two catches.
Defensively, Johnson led all players with six tackles to go with his interception. Dylan Hutto had five tackles, and Davin Hawkins and Dionte McDuffy added four each. Logan Bennett, Jonathan Cameron, Robert Terrell, Watson and McGaskin had three tackles apiece. Logan Bennett left before the end of the game with a possible concussion.
Qudarius Ford, Darrius Morrow and Andrew Philon each made five tackles. Justin Walker had four, and Cordivido Grice, Desmond LaVelle and Pat Moore had three each. Moore recorded a game-high 1.5 tackles for loss.
Players and Coaches React
“We talked and bickered back and forth all week,” C.J. Bennett said. “It’s kind of fun going against each other and putting the pads on for real. I think the offense is coming along great, as you saw here we are capable of some long drives and getting that ball moving. If we take care of the ball, I think we have big things ahead of us.”
“I thought we did well, we’ve come a long way since the first practice of the spring,” Johnson said. “But we still have leaps and bounds to get better.”
Jones said both units were limited in what they could run. “We kept both teams handcuffed, the defense could run a couple of fronts, the offense could only run so many plays,” he said. “We achieved what we wanted to, I don’t think anyone was hurt badly. Our evaluations through the first 14 practices were really what it was all about, we know where we are.”
Defensive coordinator Bill Clark said the defense kept its scheme simple. “We didn’t blitz and we were in man coverage all day. We didn’t want to show anything,” he said.
Looking Ahead
South Alabama opens the 2012 season, its first with a full FBS schedule and its first full season of Sun Belt Conference play, on Thursday night, Aug. 30, against Texas-San Antonio at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
