Date: 8/4
Time: 9 a.m.-11 a.m. (CDT)
Place: James A. and Frances H. Yance Football Practice Facility
Practice attire: Full pads
Offensive Player of the Day: Andrew Reinkemeyer, Jr., TE, Overland Park, Kan.
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Offensive coordinator Bryant Vincent on Reinkemeyer: "Andrew is coming off an Achilles injury last year, so he wasn't in great shape. But he has had a great spring and summer, and he continues to impress daily out here through these first five practices. Andrew can block well, he has great hands and he's very savvy, so we're very excited about his progress."
Defensive Player of the Day: Tyree Turner, So., DL, Stockbridge, Ga.
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Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack on Turner: "Tyree has grown since I've been here, I've watched him mature both on and off the field which has been really fun to watch. He is so talented and now he is honing in his abilities to where can use his full skill set, and when he does that he's a pretty dominant football player. That's what we're seeing right now on film."
Play of the Day: With the defense standing out most of the day, the unit had two highlights on one play. On the first play of the first series during the third-and-long team play, the defensive front used a strong surge to force a coverage sack. Jag quarterback Cole Garvin still attempted to make a play and Malcolm Buggs made an excellent break on the ball for an interception.
Team period highlights: The Jags also had a 16-play third-and-short team period before closing out the day with another 10-minute, 16-play segment working on third-and-long situations.
Miscellaneous Notes
-South Alabama had two 10-minute special teams segments working on kickoff returns.
-The Jag offense won the day during the third-and-short team segment, converting nine of the 16 snaps for first downs.
-During the 28-play drill working on run and play-action pass calls, Cole Garvin was 4-of-6 passing.
-David Gardner had the longest reception during the period, catching a pass over the middle for a gain of nearly 20 yards.
-The defense also came up with three pass break ups during the 15-minute segment as DJ Daniels, Devin Rockette and Kalen Dunklin recorded one each.
-Defense controlled the final team period of the two-hour practice winning 12 of the 16 snaps, while recording five coverage sacks and a pass break up.
-The unit began the period by holding the offense on seven of the first eight plays.
Head coach Joey Jones
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On the first day in pads: "Two things that stood out to me from today's practice where that we are bringing a lot of great energy to practice and we have more depth than we've ever had; it's truly a competition at each position. I would say that 95 percent of the jobs out there are up for grabs. That's encouraging to me because you see that you have depth. Our players are working their tails off and if the guys keep doing the things they're doing, we're going to be good."
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On the depth of the defensive line: The defensive line is a night and day difference from what it was last year from the standpoint of depth. We are three-deep across the defensive line right now. I stand back there behind the offensive watching and it seems like there is an avalanche coming every time [our quarterbacks] drop back there to throw the ball. Our defensive line is just playing so well right now. We have some good players out there."
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On the play of the receiving core: "We lost all of our [starters] at receiver and tight end due to graduation, but we have some talent right now at those positions. Jamarius Way has really stood out. He's 6-3 and 210-pound, he can run and make great catches; he's really done a great job for us [in camp]. A lot of our other receivers are really starting to show themselves right now as well. For the first time, we really seem to have some length out there which is certainly a big help for us."
Jamarius Way
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On the opportunity to get out there and make an impact on offense: "I'm really thankful for the opportunity I've gotten. When I got here, I was at the bottom of the depth chart, but I've been able to work my way up towards the top. I've been able to make a lot of big plays so far in camp. I'm able to go up and attack the ball in the air and come down with it."
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On where his mentality of working his way up the depth chart came from: "It's just a mindset that you have to have; you don't want to be average. One of my previous coaches once told me that he wasn't ever going to allow me to be average, so I'm going to do what I have to do to be the best. If I want to be the best, I've got to work for it."
Tyree Turner
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On being in pads for the first time: "It felt pretty good to be out there in pads. We've been working in shells, so making the transition [to full pads] really wasn't that hard for us."
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On the hunger of the defensive unit: "Going into this past spring and fall camp, we have just wanted to get better. That work started in the spring and we've been able to carry it over to fall camp and we just want to keep it going into the season."
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On the importance of the play of the defensive line: "On both defense and offense, success starts up front. If you win up front and force your opponent to have to throw the ball, the game is yours."
Up next: South Alabama will hold its first scrimmage of fall camp at Ladd-Peebles Stadium Saturday morning from 9-11 a.m. Saturday's scrimmage is closed to both the general public and the media.
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).
Join the Jaguar Athletic Fund (JAF) Priority Fund, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics. Contributions to the Priority Fund directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/sports/2013/3/13/Gridiron%20Club.aspx?id=22
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