MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama football program is halfway there.  Not only in relation to the spring practice schedule — the Jaguars went through the seventh of 15 workouts Thursday morning at the fields on campus — but with the process of installing its new offensive attack.

“Right now I would say we are probably halfway done,” Matthews explained regarding to how far along the unit is.  “We are really focusing on the fundamentals, which was an emphasis that [head] coach [Joey] Jones wanted to address in the spring.  What we’ve been working on is the tempo, the base protections and base runs, and trying to make sure that we get guys into the right spot.

“The nice thing about going early like we do is that we’ll have a lot of time after we finish from the end of March until Aug. 1 for guys to work on their own,” he continued, “and really study and understand what we are trying to get out of them so that when fall camp gets here they’ll be a lot further ahead.”

Has making the change from a power-run based offense to the spread been easy for Matthews and the rest of the offensive coaching staff?  According to the first-year coordinator, that depends.  “From drill to drill that answer differs, but I will say this — I think the kids are fully in, they are really trying to do what we are asking them to do, and they have been displaying a great attitude,” he responded.  “That’s a reflection of what has gone on here before.  They have embraced the change, and are working to get better every day, so I am happy with the progress.

“We have a long way to go, we are not a finished product by any means and we make mistakes every day, but you just work to try and correct those and push forward.”

With the focus the first half of spring practice on the basics, the goal moving forward prior to the final workout of the month — which will take place on Sunday, March 25, a day after the Red & White Game — is to concentrate on specific situations that arise each game.

“We did a little bit of it today.  As you get further along teaching the base offense, it’s going through situational practices,” commented Matthews.  “Today we got some red zone situations in and got to work on the two-minute drill.  Understandinging how to play the game is just as important as knowing what to do in certain plays; I think as we move further along we can get some more situational work in — short yardage and goal line, red zone, two-minute and four-minute situations.

“You feel like you’re getting batter at your fundamentals, now you want to make sure that you can handle these situations that come up in games.  The teams that are prepared the best are the ones that usually end up executing, and we want to make sure that we are giving our kids a chance.”

After a nearly 20-minute period Thursday that saw the offense run third-and-medium distance plays, the first-and second-team units each had one possession against the defense in the red zone; the latter would score a touchdown on a pass from Trey Fetner to Greg Hollinger, who was crossing the back of the end zone.

C.J. Bennett then guided the first-team offense down the field in a two-minute drill that had the group trailing by two with just over a minute remaining and one timeout left.  A completion to Jeremé Jones followed by a long Demetre Baker run would set up Michel Chapuseaux for a long field-goal attempt, which he converted as time ran out.

While the adjustment to a new coordinator and new system this spring has not provided an advantage to any particular individual in Matthews’ estimation, that doesn’t mean that he hasn’t noticed a standout performance through the first two weeks of drills.

“I don’t know if anyone is having an easier time picking it [the system] up or not, but there are certainly guys who have started to stand out this spring,” he observed.  “Bryant Lavender is having a really nice spring, I don’t know if coach has mentioned him or not, but from a wide receiver standpoint I think he has done a great job.  He’s just a guy that has embraced a leadership role, he’s working hard and learning to play several different wide receiver positions.

“I hope the rest of the guys follow his lead.”

After a day off, the Jags return to the field Saturday with the first of three scrimmages during the spring campaign.  It will take place at the practice fields on campus beginning at 2:45 p.m., and is open to the public.

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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