MOBILE, Ala. — In the last seven weeks, the University of South Alabama football team has learned a lot about where it stands in the Sun Belt Conference. Competing in the league for the first time while completing a two-year transition to the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision level, the Jaguars have won once although four games have been decided by eight points or less.
While the won-loss record isn’t where USA head coach Joey Jones would like it to be, it has still been a productive fall as the Jags close in on the completion of just their fourth season of competition.
“One thing I think is that we have become a better football team throughout the season, we’ve probably improved more throughout this time than any time we ever have as evidenced by our team playing with a team like Middle Tennessee, who is probably going to play for the [Sun Belt] championship. It’s 17-12 in the fourth quarter and we had chances to make plays and win the ball game,” he said. “But we are right there; I think that we have found out that we can play with Sun Belt teams now. Do we have to get better and learn how to win games? No doubt about it. But in our first year I’m real pleased with the progress, though I am certainly not happy with the results at this point. We are at a point where we want to be, though we wish we had won a few more games.”
The Jaguars (2-9, 1-6 Sun Belt) will have one more opportunity to earn a conference victory in 2012 when they visit Louisiana-Lafayette (6-4, 4-2 SBC) at 4 p.m. Saturday. The matchup pits a USA defense that ranks second in the league allowing 366.4 yards per outing against an offense that is in the top half of the conference with averages of 33.1 points and 433.3 yards per game.
Last week, the Jags held Middle Tennessee 10 points below their scoring average entering play in a 20-12 loss on Senior Day. On the other hand, the Ragin’ Cajuns posted 582 yards of total offense against the top defense in the Sun Belt, scoring two touchdowns in the final three minutes to defeat Western Kentucky 31-27.
ULL quarterback Terrance Broadway recorded 403 yards of total offense in that contest, rushing for 145 yards on 14 carries while completing 23-of-33 passes for 258 yards. He is connecting on 65.7 percent (161-of-245) of his attempts and has accounted for 19 scores (13 passing, six rushing) while posting 2,526 total yards this fall; Broadway is fifth in the SBC in both total offense and pass efficiency rating.
Alonzo Harris — who is eighth in the conference with 63.4 yards rushing per game — added 104 yards on just 10 attempts against the Hilltoppers, while Harry Peoples caught 13 passes for 144 yards and Darryl Surgent added 57 on six receptions. The former is among the top 10 in the league in both catches and receiving yards per game with team-high totals of 55 receptions and 606 yards, while Surgent is also ranked in the latter category with 548 yards on 32 catches.
“Offensively they have really become much better, they are running their quarterback a lot more,” explained Jones. “Earlier in the year they were careful to run him because they lost their other quarterback, but now they have Broadway in there and he is doing a great job running the football; he is scary when he pulls it down. And they are throwing it well all the time — they were already good at that — so it has given diversity in that they can run it or throw it. They have big offensive linemen who run the zone very well, they have a complete offense that you have to defend all over the field.”
Four USA defenders collected 10 or more stops in last week’s match-up with the Blue Raiders, led by seniors Jake Johnson and B.J. Scott. Johnson paced all players with 15 tackles — the fifth time this fall he has reached double digits in the category — as he surpassed 100 for the season; he leads the Sun Belt with 113 and is also tied for second with 13½ stops behind the line. Scott posted a season-best 11 tackles in the MT game, bringing his total to 66 for the year.
Terrell Brigham and Alex Page were credited with 10 stops apiece against the Blue Raiders, giving the duo 62 and 59 tackles this fall, respectively. The latter has made 10½ tackles for loss — he’s had at least one in 10 straight outings — to rank among the league leaders in the category. Enrique Williams is second on the squad and sixth in the SBC with 92 stops, Clifton Crews has collected 44 tackles and Tyrell Pearson 39 to go along with 10 passes broken up and three interceptions; both those figures pace the Jaguars while standing in the top 10 in the conference.
“We do a great job every week preparing, I really want to compliment our staff and what they do scheme-wise to get ready for games,” Jones stated. “Our players are buying into it, playing hard-nosed football and getting after it. If we don’t give up the big plays in games that we continue to talk about we would be doing great defensively. But I am real pleased with how we are playing defensively overall.
“We are preparing for this team like anyone else, but experience against some of the teams in this league has helped us.”
The Jaguars will be going up against a Ragin’ Cajun defense that allowing 419.2 yards per game, including 266.8 through the air. Ross Metheny, who has posted more than 200 yards of total offense in each of the last six contests, enters play having completed 151-of-277 passes for 1,677 yards and 10 scores; the junior has posted 183 yards with another touchdown on the ground. Jeremé Jones has led USA in receiving yards on five occasions this fall after recording six catches for 53 yards last weekend — those were both team-high totals, as are his 39 receptions, 444 yards and six touchdowns catches on the season. Bryant Lavender has added 36 catches for 306 yards, while both Gabe Loper (11-213) and Corey Besteda (23-351) are averaging better than 15 yards per catch.
Redshirt freshman Terrance Timmons paced the rushing attack last time out with 18 carries for 76 yards, the second time this year he has accomplished the feat. With 210 yards on the ground this season, he stands second on the team in the category.
Justin Anderson, who hails from Foley, Ala., paces ULL with 82 stops — a total that includes seven for loss — while Emeka Onyenekwu has posted a team-leading 8½ tackles behind the line of scrimmage. Rodney Gillis’ four interceptions are tied for second in the league rankings, and he is also second on the squad with 55 tackles.
The game will also feature two of the top placekickers in the SBC. The Ragin’ Cajuns’ Brett Baer leads the conference with 1.60 field goals and 8.50 points per outing — he is also tops in the Sun Belt with a 42.7 punting average — while Michel Chapuseaux is tied for the league lead with 17 field goals and stands seventh in scoring with a team-best 71 points. The latter hit both of his attempts last weekend against the Blue Raiders, the fifth time this year he has converted multiple field goals.
Although the results have not been what Jones and the Jaguars hoped for entering the season, the program is still focused on Saturday’s contest. “For us, it’s another Sun Belt game and another chance for us to get a Sun Belt win, that’s what our kids are looking forward to,” he observed.
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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