MOBILE, Ala. – When facing a team such as Navy — one that leads the country in fewest penalties committed and least penalty yards accumulated — there is one way to ensure a chance at success.
"We have to be a very disciplined ball team this week, and be a team that is not intimidated by what they do," University of South Alabama head coach Joey Jones explained. "We need to go out there and play well."
The Jaguars (6-5) will have that opportunity on Friday at Ladd-Peebles Stadium when they play host to the Midshipmen (5-5) in their regular-season finale. Kickoff is slated for 2 p.m., with the match-up broadcast nationally on ESPN3 and available through the iHeartRadio platform as well.
Prior to the contest, USA will recognize 32 seniors who will be participating in their final home game. "Some of the guys came here in 2010, which was the second year of our program. They came in and helped build this dream of where we are now — our second year in Division I and being bowl eligible and hopefully getting in a bowl [game]," Jones observed. "Our guys have done a great job of leading this football team and getting to that point, our seniors are certainly a huge part of that."
The two penalty categories are not the only ones Navy leads the country in, as it also ranks first with 354.8 rushing yards per game. Not only that, but when the Midshipmen do throw it — they've attempted just 111 passes on the season — they stand second nationally with an average of 17.72 yards per completion.
Keenan Reynolds is averaging nearly 210 yards per outing of total offense, leading the team with 963 yards and 17 scores rushing while throwing for 707 yards and five touchdowns. Seven other individuals have rushed for at least 100 yards this fall — with six of those averaging six-and-a-half yards per attempt or more — led by Noah Copeland with 748 and Chris Swain, who has chipped in with 510. Jamir Tillman has team-high totals with 18 receptions for 338 yards and two scores as well.
"Fundamentally, we're telling our guys to play your assignment and we should be good," explained Jones. "That's what we need to do defensively, and that's one thing our coaching staff has done in trying to put our game plan in — let's not get overwhelmed by what they're doing. Are they good at it? Yeah. Is it a different offense? Yeah, but what we're asking you [the defense] to do is the same thing we ask you to do all the time which is play good technique football."
Terrell Brigham paces the Jags, who are allowing 172.7 yards per game rushing, with a career-best 91 total tackles, and he's also broken up a career-high-tying seven passes. Maleki Harris has added a total of 67 stops — which includes six behind the line of scrimmage — forced a Sun Belt Conference-best four fumbles and recovered a pair as well, with Davin Hawkins chipping in with 65 tackles. Up front, Jesse Kelley has been credited with 45 stops with 6½ of those for loss while Theo Rich ranks among the league leaders with 11 tackles behind the line and seven sacks among his 39 total tackles.
USA is surrendering 24.4 points and 386.9 yards per contest, standing second and third, respectively, in the Sun Belt.
Despite not having the services of leading rusher Jay Jones since mid-October, the Jaguar offense is averaging 177.5 yards per outing on the ground. Kendall Houston leads the squad with 586, Xavier Johnson has gained 383 and Terrance Timmons 258; all three have an average of more than five yards per carry. Last week at South Carolina, the duo of Houston (16-68) and Timmons (17-62) combined to record 130 yards.
Shavarez Smith and Jeremé Jones each caught five balls against the Gamecocks, and will enter play first and second, respectively, on the team in receptions — the former has 44 for 634 yards, ranking eighth in the SBC in yards per game, and the latter has added 29 for 272. Jones became the first individual in program history to collect 150 catches last time out, and both are within 26 yards of recording 1,600 in their careers. Hunter Vaughn has completed 64.3 percent of his pass attempts this fall after going 15-of-23 at USC, while Brandon Bridge leads the team throwing for 1,476 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Aleem Sunanon paces the Jaguars in scoring — he's connected on 13-of-16 field-goal attempts in 2014, including tying a school game record with four last weekend — while Brandon McKee averaged 48.8 yards per punt and had all four kicks end inside the USC-20, raising his season average to 41.0 yards per effort.
Jordan Drake leads the Midshipmen with 72 tackles and Daniel Gonzales has supplied 65 as well as two interceptions that he has run back 105 yards. Quincy Adams (57), Chris Johnson (55) and Kwazel Bertrand (53) are all averaging better than five stops per contest, with Paul Quessenberry and Will Anthony posting 6½ and 5½ tackles for loss, respectively.
Navy — which has recorded just 12 takeaways this fall —is allowing 196 yards per outing rushing and more than 425 overall while giving up nearly 29 points per game.
The Midshipmen earned a 42-14 win over the Jaguars on Nov. 16 last fall, pulling away with a pair of touchdowns in the final eight minutes after stopping USA inside their own five-yard line. Navy gained an opponent-record 351 yards on the ground, and 519 overall, that day, while the Jags were led by Smith's five catches for 65 yards and two scores.
Tickets can be purchased for the contest in person by visiting the Mitchell Center Box Office from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Tuesday and through noon on Wednesday or at the stadium box office beginning at 10 a.m. Friday, over the phone by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872) or on-line at tickets.southalabama.edu. The cost is $25 for sideline seats and $20 for those in either end zone, and all military personnel — active or retired — showing proper I.D. will be able to buy up to four $12 sideline tickets.
Due to "Black Friday" the day after Thanksgiving, shuttle service for the game will run from Lipscomb Field located at 3610 Michael Boulevard just off of Montlimar Drive. The cost is $2.50 per individual for a round-trip ticket, with shuttles running from 10 a.m. until 90 minutes after the conclusion of the contest. A free student shuttle will also be running beginning at 11 a.m. from the dining hall on campus.
The Ladd-Peebles Stadium parking lot will be available for those interested in tailgating at 8 a.m., with gates opening at noon. The Jag Prowl will begin at 11:45 a.m. from the Southeast corner of the stadium as well.
The first 10,000 fans to enter the stadium will receive a free red rally towel.
Discipline is a key component of every branch of the military service, and a foundation of the success Navy's football program has experienced over the years. To have an opportunity to clinch a seventh victory and winning record for the fifth time in six seasons of competition, the South Alabama football team will have to rely on it as well.
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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