MOBILE, Ala. — Trey Clark, Jake Johnson and B.J. Scott have started all 10 games this fall.  Cori Barnett and Brandon Ross have yet to see action this season due to injury.

The circumstances vary, but the story will be the same for those five and 10 other individuals when the University of South Alabama football team plays host to Middle Tennessee Saturday.  It will be their last game on the Jaguars’ home field, as the program will celebrate Senior Day prior to a 2:30 pm. kickoff at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.

In addition to the aforementioned quintet, the Jags’ 2012 senior class is comprised of Ryne Baxter, Jonathan Cameron, Michel Chapuseaux, Andy Dalgleish, Kennedy Helms, Ellis Hill, Gabe Loper, Chris Rivers, Tremain Smith and Anthony Taylor.

“I want to thank our seniors for all they have done and committed to this football program, for what they have meant not only to this university but to our team,” said USA head coach Joey Jones.  “They are great leaders and great young men, they care about this team and have done all the right things to build this program from the ground up.  Some of the guys have been here the whole time, some have transferred in, but the bottom line is that they have all contributed in great ways.  They will be forever missed because they have done a good job here, they have created an atmosphere of hard work and character.  We will be indebted to them forever.

“I think this is a special day — it really is — because you almost treat it a little differently since it is your last day to play at home,” he continued.  “Not that you are going to go out and play any harder, because those guys are going to play hard anyway, but you look at it with a little different perspective because you realize this is your last one; there are not many things in life that you know are going to end — maybe retirement.”

Tickets are still available for as low as $10 and can be purchased in advance by either ordering online at www.usajaguars.com or calling (251) 461-1USA (1872) prior to noon on Friday, or they can be obtained at the stadium ticket office beginning at 9:30 a.m. Saturday.

The Ladd-Peebles Stadium parking lot is scheduled to open for tailgating at 8 a.m. the morning of the game, and gates will be opened at 12:30 p.m.  The Jaguar Prowl — the team’s entrance to the stadium — will start at 12:10 p.m. in the South parking lot.  Shuttle service from the Bel Air Mall parking lot south of Target and J.C. Penney; it will provide continuous loop service to and from the stadium from 10:30 a.m. until 90 minutes after the end of the, with the cost $2.50 per person for a round-trip ticket.

USA enters play 2-8 and 1-5 in the Sun Belt Conference after three straight defeats in league play, while the Blue Raiders have won two consecutive contests to improve to 6-3, 4-1 in the SBC.  They enter the weekend just a half-game behind first-place Arkansas State in the conference standings.

Johnson and Scott leads a Jag defense that gave up only 303 yards last time out at North Texas, the fewest the program has surrendered against an NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision opponent.  As a unit, the group stands second in the Sun Belt allowing 358.5 yards per outing, and is also second in pass defense and fourth against the run.

Johnson’s 98 stops lead the Sun Belt while he also stands third in the conference with 12½ tackles for loss.  Enrique Williams and Scott stand second and third on the squad, respectively, with 86 and 55 tackles, while Alex Page as 49 stops; that figure includes 10 behind the line of scrimmage and five sacks, with both among the top 10 in the league.  Tyrell Pearson is in the top five in the SBC rankings in both interceptions and pass break ups after picking off a third-quarter pass against the Mean Green, and Terrell Brigham has seven total passes defended — he’s intercepted two passes and broken up five others — while recording 52 tackles.

USA faces a Blue Raider attack that is averaging 30.6 points per game — they have scored no less than 31 in their six victories — and ranks second in the Sun Belt with 185.8 yards per contest.  Benny Cunningham ran for 600 yards and 11 scores in MT’s first five games, but was lost for the season on Oct. 13 in a four-point win at Florida International; in his place, Jordan Parker is averaging 4.6 yards per attempt with 483 yards on the season after a 32-carry, 149-yard performance in MT’s 34-29 victory at Western Kentucky in its most recent outing.

Logan Kilgore has completed 163-of-244 passes for 2,048 yards and 14 touchdowns running the Blue Raider offense, with Anthony Amos catching 58 passes for 860 yards and eight scores to lead the SBC with 95.6 yards per contest.  Kyle Griswould has added 420 yards and three touchdowns on 32 receptions as well.

“They’re running backs are very deep, they have a great offensive line, a good quarterback and a couple of stud receivers on offense,” Jones observed.  “You can’t just say that you are going to take away the run or take away the pass, they can do both very well.  They are very balanced on offense.”

“They are a good offense.  They have a great quarterback, and a good athletic offensive line,” stated Johnson.  “They come off the ball probably faster than anybody we will play this year.  They have a good running back and good receivers — they are a good all-around team.  We just have to eliminate the big plays.  Doing the little things in practice this week are what is going to help us get over that hump.”

Jeremé Jones and Bryant Lavender have each caught 33 balls — the latter has a team-best 391 yards and six scores after collecting a career-best 72 on five receptions in the NT game — with Corey Besteda adding 21 catches for 322 yards and Greg Hollinger supplying 19 receptions.  Wes Saxton has nine catches in the last two outings, giving him 15 on the season.

Ross Metheny is connecting on 54.3 percent (134-of-247) of his pass attempts for 1,488 yards and a school season-record-tying nine touchdowns, as he has thrown for more than 200 yards in each of the last three contests.  While Demetre Baker paces the Jaguars with 595 yards and three scores on the ground, Kendall Houston paced the attack with 11 carries for 42 yards in last weekend’s game against the Mean Green — that included scoring his first touchdown since USA’s season-opening contest against Texas-San Antonio Sept. 1.

The Jags recorded 366 total yards last weekend, picking up a season-high-tying 24 first downs while holding the ball for more than 33 minutes.

“It helps any time you have players stepping into a role and actually getting game experience, and it certainly helps once you get a few games under your belt,” Clark explained.  “We were still really close the first couple of games.  Here of late, we have made strides and put it together more.  The young guys have done a great job, and have improved all season.”

They will be facing a Blue Raider defense that is last in the Sun Belt allowing 441.4 yards per contest, a figure that includes giving up over 250 yards per game through the air.  Craig Allen has 67 stops to lead the group, with Roderic Blunt adding 61 tackles, Jajuan Harley 58 and Kevin Byard 55.  Leighton Gasque and Shubert Bastien have combined for seven of MT’s 12 sacks with four and three, respectively, while both Byard and Kenneth Gilstrap have each intercepted two passes.

“Defensively, they are very athletic,” commented Jones.  “Tyrone Nix, their defensive coordinator, has been all over the place coaching, he is a very knowledgeable guy who understands the game and how to get those kids to play hard for him.  They are a very well-coached team, and that’s why they are in the position they are right now, they’re very good.

“Middle Tennessee and Arkansas State are probably the two hottest teams in the league right now, they beat Western Kentucky a couple of weeks ago and beat Georgia Tech — they know how to win.  The only loss they have in the conference was to ULM when ULM still had their [starting] quarterback.  They are playing very good football.

“I know if they win the next couple of weeks they’ve got a chance to play for the [conference] championship with Arkansas State being their last game; I’m sure that’s what their eyes are on right now.”

All eyes at Ladd-Peebles Stadium Saturday will be on South Alabama’s 15 seniors, however, as they take the field at home for the last time in their careers.

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).

—USA—