Date: 8/17
Time: 9-10:30 a.m. (CDT)
Place: Jaguar Training Center
Practice attire: Helmets and shorts, no pads

Featured Offensive Player of the Day: Jalen Wayne, Jr., WR, Mobile, Ala.
-Offensive coordinator Major Applewhite on Wayne: "Jalen has a great skillset and is extremely athletic, he has all the attributes you're looking for.  I'm pleased with what he has done thus far.  He has really come along this summer and in fall camp, we're looking for him to be a huge part of what we do offensively.  He is a physical mismatch because he is a bigger guy with a good combination of size and speed.  We're going to find ways to get him the football."

Featured Defensive Player of the Day: Brock Higdon, R-Fr., DL, Pelham, Ala.
-Defensive coordinator Corey Batoon on Higdon: "Brock has been able to continue is development from the spring.  He always had a really good knack for pass rushing looking at last year's tape, and that was one of his strengths in the spring.  But he has put on 15 pounds and has been able to keep that on, which has helped him be much more physical in the run game.  I think he is starting to understand how to use his body, at 6-foot-7 sometimes playing with the best pad level in the run game is tough, but he has made huge strides in his lower body development in the weight room which has allowed him to play with better bend and power.  That's something I am looking forward to seeing Brock continue to develop."

Play of the Day: In the final team period of the morning, Allen Dailey Jr. was able to get one foot inbounds just past the marker to help the Jaguar offense convert on fourth down and keep a two-minute drill drive alive.

Team period highlights: In the day's three team periods South worked on perimeter plays, a mix of down-and-distance calls, and the two-minute drill.

Miscellaneous Notes
-Jake Bentley and Jalen Tolbert connected on three different occasions for touchdowns in 7-on-7 passing drills and the final team period of the workout.
-Despite not grabbing his first reception until the second team period of the morning, Tolbert paced the Jags with eight catches on the day.
-Dailey Jr. and Wayne also caught four balls apiece, with the former hauling in an 18-yard scoring pass from Desmond Trotter during skeleton passing drills.
-Shawn Steele II intercepted a pass near the end of the opening team period of the morning, with Davyn Flenord and Atanza Vongor picking off passes in the red zone during the squad's 7-on-7 period.
-Tré Young was credited with a team-best three passes broken up the second half of practice.
-Higdon posted a sack in each of the last two team periods, while Jamie Sheriff and Carlos Johnson Jr. contributed tackles for loss in the second team period.
-Bentley was 25-of-34 passing in the practice as Jaguar quarterbacks completed nearly 67 percent of their attempts throughout the morning.
-Four different placekickers — Diego Guajardo, Barret Pickering, Frankie Onate and Noah Karwacki — combined to make 7-of-8 tries from 23 and 32 yards out during the team's field goal period.
-The Jags also had special teams periods concentrating on punt and kickoff return schemes.
-All practices are closed to the general public.

Head coach Kane Wommack
-On today's practice: "Today was really good.  We were out here in helmets and went through a lot of situational football — last plays of the game, two-minute scenarios, red zone and third downs.  I think our guys are starting to understand the game better each day.  That's what's critical to me, teaching the players the game of football and how to understand the different situations because ultimately, they're the 11 players that have to walk out on the field and execute.  Coaches can understand situations, but we have to teach it to our players so that they understand how to execute."
-On how he feels his team is holding up a week-and-a-half into fall camp: "From a physical standpoint, they're in a really good position.  Obviously, you have nicks and bruises like everyone else going through fall camp, but our guys seem to have their legs under them and they bring energy out to practice every day.  We talk about this all the time.  Some days you're going to feel great and other days you're not going to feel great.  Either way, you just have to work."
-On the element of classes starting today: "We had some fun with it in our team meeting today.  This was the first day of classes so we all took our first day of school picture together as families often do.  Since they're in college, there's more that they have to own in terms of their day-to-day operation from a school standpoint.  They are here first and foremost to get a degree and an education that will set them up for the rest of their lives.  Now, they have to prioritize their time between what they have to get done academically and what they have to get done athletically.  I feel that is an awesome tool to use to teach these guys how to navigate life."

Up next: USA practices again Wednesday beginning at 9 a.m.
 
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com, and follow the Jaguars at www.twitter.com/WeAreSouth_JAGS. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).

Join the South Circle, the unrestricted giving option of the University of South Alabama Athletics.  Contributions to South Circle directly support all 17 sports in addition to various support programming. For more information on how you can join visit: http://jaguarathleticfund.com/give

—USA—