MOBILE, Ala. — South Alabama spring practice resumed this week after a week off for spring break, as the Jaguars began their final week of preparation for Saturday’s annual Red & Blue Game.
Practice Structure
The session opened with special teams work on punting. The offense and defense then went against each other by position before the team split into position groups for about 40 minutes. The units came back together for offense-versus-defense work on inside running plays, followed by skeleton passing and play-action passing drills.
Defense Wins the Two-Minute Drill
The practice closed with simulated two-minute drills, and the defense kept both the first- and second-team offenses from scoring.
Quarterback C.J. Bennett moved the first-team offense into the red zone with completions to Jereme Jones and Bryant Lavender for a first down at the 19-yard line. Bennett spiked the ball on first down to stop the clock, but three straight incompletions ended the drive.
Trey Fetner directed the second-team offense and picked up a first down on two scrambles, stepping out of bounds to stop the clock on the second. The defense ended that possession with consecutive sacks and a pass breakup by Terrell Brigham.
Jones’ Assessment
Head coach Joey Jones said the offense made mental errors in its first day back.
“Offensively, we came out and had a few missed assignments, we jumped offsides a couple of times,” Jones said. “It wasn’t a lack of effort or want to, it was just making some mental mistakes. Defensively, I thought we came out and had a pretty good practice today.”
Jones said the next practice will open with fundamentals before the squad splits into its two game teams for the final 30 minutes. “Coaches have started talking smack to each other, and the players have here and there also,” he said. “It will be a fun time, the culmination of spring practice.”
Red & Blue Game Details
South Alabama practices for the last time Thursday at 6:30 a.m. at the Jaguar practice facility.
The Red & Blue Game kicks off at 2 p.m. Saturday, March 24, at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. Admission is free and open to the public, and a gumbo and chili cook-off will be held that morning. The Jaguars are preparing for the 2012 season, their first in the Sun Belt Conference.
