MOBILE, Ala. – Coming off a loss at Georgia State last weekend, the University of South Alabama football team will look to bounce back Saturday with the first of three straight home contests to close out the 2011 campaign.
The Jaguars dropped a 27-20 decision in double overtime to the Panthers at the Georgia Dome in the last of four road contests this fall, and will face Henderson (Ark.) State at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
“We hate to lose,” stated senior tight end Paul Bennett. “Everyone’s expectations are still high. We’re not going to conform to what everyone else wants us to — we have our own high expectations. We’re just going to keep practicing how we’ve been practicing, and work out the kinks.”
“It’s in the back of your mind,” added Alex Page, a sophomore defensive end/outside linebacker. “But as a player, you have to put it past you and keep practicing and preparing for the next game no matter how tough the loss was. That’s what we’re going to do this week.”
The challenge for the Jag defense this week will be stopping a Reddie unit that averages nearly 31 points and 350 yards per contest. Jake Johnson has team-leading totals with 61 stops, six-and-a-half tackles for loss and a pair of sacks as USA is allowing 24.3 points and 334.6 total yards per game entering play. Charles Harris — who recorded a career-best 14 tackles and forced two fumbles at GSU — has 51 total stops, while Enrique Williams and Ken Barefield have posted 45 and 40, respectively. Both Clifton Crews and Page have been credited with 22 tackles and two forced fumbles, with the duo combining to make six stops behind the line of scrimmage.
Nathan Nall was 27-of-45 passing with three touchdowns, finishing with 296 yards as HSU extended its winning streak to three games last time out with a 41-40 overtime victory over East Central Oklahoma. Jarvis Smith added 163 yards on 24 carries — he is averaging better than seven yards a rush and has scored eight touchdowns total, seven on the ground — while Elliot Hebert led a group of 10 receivers who caught at least one pass in the contest with seven receptions for 89 yards and a score.
“They really throw the ball very well; they throw a lot of quick passes where you can hardly get to the quarterback,” USA head coach Joey Jones observed. “He takes the snap and gets rid of it in about a second-and-a-half, it’s a lot of short passes and timing patterns. They are very efficient in what they do offensively.”
The Jaguars will counter offensively with a rushing attack that averages 158 yards per outing, with Kendall Houston leading the team with 501 yards and six scores while Demetre Baker has chipped in with 379 yards and a squad-best seven touchdowns. Five different receivers have caught at least 10 passes this fall to help USA average nearly 180 yards per game through the air; Jeremé Jones has 18 receptions to lead the group, Bryant Lavender has caught 17 balls for 268 yards — most on the team — and Corey Waldon has 15 catches for 218 yards. C.J. Bennett has completed 89-of-168 attempts for 1,258 yards, throwing six touchdowns including two in last weekend’s contest.
The Reddies are led defensively by Keaton Stigger, who has recorded 43 tackles including two-and-a-half for loss, broken up four passes, forced two fumbles and recovered a pair of fumbles. Benny Anderson has been credited with 41 stops and Wesley Brady 40, as HSU has six individuals with 30-plus tackles through seven games.
The unit has three touchdowns on fumble returns this fall, but is surrendering 240 yards per game through the air and almost 385 overall while the opposition has scored nearly 28 points per game.
Scott Garber’s lone punt at Georgia State covered 41 yards, as he has a season average of 42.1 yards per kick — that figure has him ranked 16th at the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision level, and Jordan Means is tied for 22nd in the country with 1.29 field goals per; he has made two in two straight games and at least one in six consecutive contests, taking over the team lead with 43 points last weekend.
Eric Torres has connected on 4-of-5 field-goal attempts in the last month for the Reddies, while Chrisian Latoof is averaging 37.5 yards per punt.
“I think our special teams have improved, they have become a real plus for our program,” explained Jones. “Early in the year I thought we were deficient there, especially the first ball game, and have gradually got better as the season has gone on. We were only a couple of things away from making every goal we have.”
Kickoff time is 4 p.m. Saturday, with gates opening two hours prior. USA’s entrance to the stadium, the Jaguar Prowl, will start at 1:40 p.m. at the South end of the facility when the team arrives on site.
The Ladd-Peebles Stadium parking lot is set to open at 8 a.m. as well. Fans tailgating are encouraged to decorate their vehicles and have candy available to hand out to children as part of “Trunk or Treat,” which will take place from 1-3 p.m.
A shuttle providing continuous loop service to and from the stadium until 90 minutes after the contest ends will run from the Bel Air Mall parking lot south of Target and J.C. Penney. It will begin running at noon, with round-trip tickets available for $2.50 per person.
USA will debut all blue uniforms for the first time in the program’s history; all fans attending the contest are encouraged to wear blue as well. Also, the day’s pregame ceremony will feature the U.S. Army Silver Wings parachuting into the stadium flying a large American flag as they deliver the game ball.
Tickets starting at $10 can be purchased either by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872) until noon on Friday or via the web at www.usajaguars.com.
The game is a rematch of a 37-31 Jaguar victory on Nov. 6 a year ago, where the two teams combined for 1,007 yards of total offense. In that contest, Bennett completed 20-of-26 attempts for 280 yards and rushed for two scores while Houston amassed 140 yards on 27 rushes; he also reached the end zone. Hebert carried 15 times for 63 yards and also caught five passes for another 57 for the Reddies, with Jazz Scott supplying six receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown.
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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