MOBILE, Ala. – Normally the start of a new season generates excitement for fans of collegiate football across the country, but there's more fanfare than usual surrounding the University of South Alabama program's 2013 debut.

For the first time ever, the Jaguars will be eligible to compete for the Sun Belt Conference title and a berth in a postseason bowl game.  Not only has that energized the Jag fan base, but it has affected the student-athletes, coaches and staff members of the program throughout preseason drills.

"Our kids are excited about the possibilities of going to a bowl game and winning a conference championship, and we haven't had that in the last four years," stated USA head coach Joey Jones, who is 25-15 entering his fifth season guiding the team.  "Dangling that carrot out there certainly makes a difference in the motivation of our players."

The Jaguars will play host to Southern Utah Thursday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium in the opener for both schools, with kickoff slated for 6:30 p.m. and the match-up set to broadcast nationally on ESPN3.  It is the fifth time in as many seasons that USA will open the campaign at home, and the second in the last three years that the season will begin on a Thursday night.

Tickets for as low as $10 are available for the contest, which is the first meeting between the two schools.  They may be purchased on-line at www.tickets.southalabama.edu — single-game tickets can be printed for free with no additional service charge on the web — and are also available at the Mitchell Center Ticket Office on campus from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday and from 10 a.m.-noon on the day of the game.

The stadium parking lot — which requires a season pass for entry — will open at noon for those interested in tailgating, with gates opening at 4:30 p.m.  The Jaguar Prowl, the team's traditional entrance to the facility is slated to start at 4:10 p.m.

Shuttle services will be provided from the South parking lot at the Bel Air Mall to the stadium beginning at 2:30 p.m. and running until 90 minutes after the contest has ended; the cost is $2.50 for a round-trip ticket.

Jag fans are encouraged to wear red with the team debuting new red jerseys, and the first 10,000 individuals through the gates will receive a free red Jaguar rally towel.

USA returns 16 starters from a year ago, with half of those members of a defensive unit that ranked second in the Sun Belt in yards allowed per outing.  Enrique Williams is the leading returning tackler after ranking second on the squad and among the top 10 in the league with 105 total stops, and Alex Page is back as well to help anchor the defensive line a year after posting 64 tackles including 11½ behind the line of scrimmage with six sacks; the latter is on the Rotary Lombardi Award Watch list entering his final season of collegiate eligibility.

Terrell Brigham had a career-best 71 tackles last fall, breaking up five passes and recovering a pair of fumbles, while Clifton Crews posted 49 stops and Darrius Morrow added 43.  In all, 10 of the top 13 tacklers from the Jag defense are back this season.

On the offensive side of the ball, the top five receivers return for the Jaguars, all upperclassmen with multiple years of experience.  Jeremé Jones paced the quintet with a school season-record 45 catches in 2012 — posting 513 yards and seven scores in the process — while Bryant Lavender collected a career-best 41 for 378 yards.  Corey Besteda supplied 28 receptions, T.J. Glover added 27 and Wes Saxton, a preseason all-conference selection, caught 26 balls as well.

Once again, Ross Metheny will be delivering the ball after being named the starting quarterback following the program's second scrimmage of fall camp.  A year ago, the then-junior completed 189-of-345 attempts for 2,148 yards and 12 touchdowns, setting program season records for completions, yards and touchdowns passing.  He will be joined in the offensive backfield by a pair of junior-college transfers in Jay Jones and Cris Dinham, with Kendall Houston, Terrance Timmons and Julien Valentin expected to contribute to the rushing attack as well.

Last fall, the Jags faced a full Sun Belt schedule, ending the year 2-11 overall and 1-7 in league action.  Despite finishing with a losing record for the first time in program history, it was an experience that Jones expects to benefit USA this year.  "Going through last season prepared us for this season; there's no doubt about that. There are certain experiences in life that you just have to go through to be great at anything," he explained.  "We went through a season last year where we decided to play Division I football while being a FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) team. It really helped us in the long run."

The Thunderbirds are a FCS program, ending last fall with a 5-6 mark while going 4-4 in Big Sky Conference action.  SUU brings back 38 letterwinners including 13 starters from that squad, but has been selected to finish ninth out of 13 schools in the BSC in '13 in preseason polls conducted among both the conference's head coaches and media.

The Thunderbirds will bring an inexperienced backfield to Mobile, with junior-college transfer Aaron Cantu slated to start at quarterback and the quartet of Raysean Martin, Pete Williams, Christian Taele and Toa Afatasi — all freshmen — expected to carry the ground game.  They do return three starters at wide receiver including preseason all-league pick Fatu Moala, who caught 65 passes for 810 yards and nine touchdowns last season.

"Offensively, Southern Utah has a quarterback out of junior college. He's a very talented quarterback who can throw the ball," Jones observed.  "They have two talented freshmen running backs, and an experienced offensive line.  They have four seniors across the front, and they have experience at wide receiver.  I expect them to be very good offensively."

On defense, Zak Browning ranked eighth at the FCS level with 11.5 tackles per outing while recording a total of 116 stops in his first year on the collegiate level, while Miles Killebrew had 69 more and is one of four starters in the secondary back for SUU.  James Cowser is the top returning lineman for the Thunderbirds, having posted 64 tackles — including 13½ for loss with 7½ sacks — last season.

"Defensively is where they really shine in my opinion. They just get after you," commented Jones.  "They play really good technique, and they are strong and physical guys who aren't going to give you anything.  They're very well-coached, and they do things the right way."

Both squads feature threats in the return game, as Glover ranked in the top five in the SBC in both punt and kick returns last fall while Josh Smith averaged 22 yards per kick return for the Thunderbirds; the latter ran one back for a score.  SUU brings back its placekicker — Colton Cook is a first-team preseason All-American after hitting 19-of-22 field-goal attempts in 2012 — and the Jaguars return punter Scott Garber, who had an average of 39.6 yards per effort a year ago.

With more on the line than just turning around its 2012 record, it's conceivable there is not a program more excited to be back in action than South Alabama.

For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/USAJaguarSports. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

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