MOBILE, Ala. - When the University of South Alabama football team takes the field Saturday, it won't just be facing the challenge of playing on back-to-back weekends for the first time this season. That's because in Louisburg (N.C.) Junior College, the Jaguars will be taking on their second straight nationally ranked junior college program.
USA improved to 3-0 last week with a 31-3 victory over Georgia Military J.C., which entered the contest 14th in the National Junior College Athletic Association poll. Now the Jags will take on the Hurricanes, who entered the top 20 this week at No. 18 after picking up a 55-8 win over Southern Tech Academy to move to 5-1 on the season, with kickoff slated for 4 p.m. at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
LJC has outscored the opposition 115-8 the last two games after suffering its only loss of the year against ASA Institute on Sept. 27. In fact, all five of the Hurricanes' victories this fall have been by double digits.
Previously, USA had three weeks off after its season-opening victory over Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy and two prior to defeating GMJC.
"We're excited about having a game this weekend, and I know the kids are too," said Jaguar head coach Joey Jones. "We've got to change our mentality a little bit because of our previous schedule. Now we're in urgent mode and need to have three solid days of practice before Saturday. Obviously with a shorter week the learning curve is a little shorter -when you're preparing for a team and you have two or three weeks, you have a lot of time for it to sink in. Now we have to study it more frequently so it'll sink in and be second nature to us on Saturday.
"The good thing is, their offense and defense are very similar to Georgia Military. They run a 3-3 stack on defense and offensively there are a lot of the same formations. It's good to have these teams back-to-back."
The Jags enter play allowing just 267.7 yards per outing after holding both Army Prep and Georgia Military J.C. below 250 total yards. Justin Dunn leads the unit with 24 total stops and five tackles behind the line of scrimmage, while Clifton Crews - one of five other individuals with 10 or more tackles on the year - has four stops for loss including a team-best 2.5 sacks. He recovered a fumble he forced on a sack of Bulldog quarterback Chris Hart last week, running it back 10 yards for a score.
And, Zach Brownell returned the second of his three interceptions last time out 26 yards for a touchdown as the defense scored twice in the win.
LJC also has a strong defensive unit which is surrendering 119.3 yards passing and 11.7 points per game. Antonio Gates paces the squad with 43 tackles, while both he and Justin Thomas - who has been credited with 41 stops - share the team lead with 11.5 stops behind the line. Titus Best has added 10 tackles for loss among his 38 total stops.
The Bulldogs have intercepted 10 passes and forced eight fumbles in six games this fall.
On offense, USA collected 199 of its 251 yards against GMJC on the ground as Brandon Ross carried 15 times for 79 yards and two touchdowns. It was the second time in three contests he has paced the team in rushing, as he is averaging 74.3 yards per game to go along with a team-high five scores. Santuan McGee, who has an average of six yards per attempt, added 60 rushing yards while leading the Jaguars with 85 all-purpose yards against the Bulldogs.
In three games, Myles Gibbon has completed 57.6 percent of his pass attempts for 292 yards. Courtney Smith continues to lead Jag receivers with nine receptions for 168 yards and two scores.
Karl-David Birkenfeld guides a Hurricane offense that averages 363.7 yards per contest, as he has completed 72-of-118 passes for 1,075 yards and 10 touchdowns. He's also run for 92 yards and a score.
D.J. McFadden has a team-high 23 catches for 338 yards and four touchdowns, with Jameze Massey supplying another 15 receptions for 300 yards and three scores. Demario Askew leads LJC with 285 yards rushing, scoring four touchdowns while averaging 6.6 yards per carry.
Scott Garber has an average of 46.8 yards per punt for the Jaguars, with four kicks of 50-plus yards as well as four that have ended up inside the opposition's 20-yard line. Michel Chapuseaux ranks second on the team with 16 points, while Lawson McGlon also has kicked a field goal after connecting from 39 yards in Saturday's win over the Bulldogs. Erling Riis is averaging 19 yards per punt return, with Ralph Turner and McGee each running back a kickoff 25 yards or better last time out.
The Hurricanes are led in scoring by Brad Holmes, who has kicked seven field goals while making 21-of-23 extra-point attempts for a total of 42 points. Danny Heimrich is averaging 36.7 yards per punt with a long kick of 44 yards this fall.
Tickets for the game can be purchased online at www.usagameday.com, or by calling the USA Athletic Ticket Office at (251) 461-1USA (1872) by 5 p.m. Friday. They can also be obtained in person by visiting the Mitchell Center ticket office on campus through the end of the day Friday, or at the stadium starting at 10 a.m. Saturday.
The stadium parking lot will open and tailgating will begin at 8 a.m. Saturday. Buses from the USA campus will run at 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. and are open to the general public - there is no charge for students, and it costs $5 round trip for all other individuals. Shuttles from the Bel Air Mall will start running at noon from the south parking lot behind Target and JC Penney. Tickets for the shuttle are $2.50 for a round-trip ride, with continuous service provided until 90 minutes after the completion of the contest.
The Jaguar Prowl will begin at the south end of Ladd-Peebles Stadium when the team arrives at 1:40 p.m. Stadium gates will open at 2 p.m.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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