Date: 8/17
Time: 3:30 p.m.-5:20 p.m. (CDT)
Place: James A. and Frances H. Yance Football Practice Facility
Practice attire: Full pads
Offensive Player of the Day: Collier Smith, Jr., TE, Birmingham, Ala.
-Offensive coordinator Bryant Vincent on Smith: "Collier seems to get miles better each day. He is a bring-your-hardhat type of guy, he's tough and rugged, and he's very intelligent. He continues to get the job done and improve daily, we're really proud of him."
Defensive Player of the Day: Malcolm Buggs, Jr., S, Opelika, Ala.
-Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack on Buggs: "Malcolm made some great plays today in the passing game, he had one interception and a couple of pass break-ups. He is a guy who does everything right and is playing at such a high level right now. It's such a reward to watch someone earn the fruits of their labor."
Play of the Day: On the first play during the third team period with the offense beginning with the ball on its own 33 yard line, Malcolm Buggs made an excellent read and jumped in the passing lane to pick off a Cole Garvin pass intended for Jahmmir Taylor. Buggs' interception at the offense's 43 yard line would've been returned for a touchdown.
Team period highlights: After a shortened practice on Wednesday, the Jaguar ran four team periods on Thursday. During the first team segment, South ran 16 plays working on third-and-three situations. The second team period of the afternoon featured run and play-action passes. During the third team period, the offense began 1-and-10 at their own 33 yard line and ran 16 plays during the 15-minute segment, before closing the day with a two-minute offense drill trailing by three.
Miscellaneous Notes
-South also had two special teams segments working on kickoffs and punting.
-On the third play of the first set of plays during the RPO drill, Dallas Davis connected with Jamarius Way along the left sideline for a 73-yard touchdown strike.
-The Jag defense also had three pass break ups during the segment with Devin Rockette, Marice Fluellen and Jalen Thompson each recording a deflection.
-Gus Nave and Bobby Flott recorded back-to-back pass break ups on the final two plays of the second team drill.
-South's quarterbacks combined to hit 14 of their 20 pass attempts with Garvin completing 6-of-10 during the segment, while Evan Orth was 8-of-10.
-Buggs recorded two tackles and a pass break up during the 7-on-7 skill period, while A.J. DeShazor and Taj Stewart also had two tackles each. Neiko Robinson also had a pass break up during the drill.
-The Jag defense held the advantage during the two-minute-drill recording stops on both offensive series.
Head coach Joey Jones
-On the effort and intensity of practice with the heat: "It was good. You know it's hot when one of your quarterbacks give out because of it; Dallas [Davis] kind of got a little over-heated. It was a hot day out here, especially the first two-thirds of practice. We didn't have anyone else unable to make it, so our guys seem to be in good condition. We have to continue to get in better condition because it's going to be hot on Saturdays. We have to be ready to play."
-On the offense having a better practice today: "The offensive line got a little bit better today; they were coming off [the line] a little lower. They have to continue to take steps forward every day. If we get strong there, we are going to be a pretty good team. I like the way our team is practicing right now. They have a lot of great energy out there and that's going to pay off."
-On the experience the young corners are getting: "Both Gus [Nave] and Devin Rockette are going to be very good football players for us; it's just a matter of when. They are doing some really good things right now. They both have a great skill set and once they get into the flow of college football they will be fine. Talent-wise, they are what we thought they would be and they've got a lot of ability."
Up next: South Alabama is scheduled to practice on campus on Friday from 3:15-5:30 p.m.
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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