MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama football team wrapped up its spring practice schedule Saturday morning with its Annual Red & Blue Spring Game held at Hancock Whitney Stadium. 

The nearly two-hour session included not only normal game play, but also quarterback and wide receiver drills, along with a punt session where both offensive and defensive linemen attempted to catch kicks. The spring game ended with the defense having the upper hand in a "Red Zone Lockdown" segment where the unit won 19-9. Senior-to-be safety Keith Gallmon Jr. was also awarded the program's prestigious "No. 5" jersey for the season opener against Nicholls on Sept. 3 at Hancock Whitney Stadium. 

Below are highlights from post-game media availability.

South Alabama Head Coach Kane Wommack
- On the game: "It was good weather, it was good fun. You want to get better, but you also want to put a show on [for the fans] a little bit. We had some fun competitions out here with our quarterbacks. We pelted one of our student managers in the the head during the quarterback competition, and that got the fans going. 
"We had a couple of guys that got dinged up early, so offensively we were down at the end there. We wanted to make sure we kept it as clean as possible. [The injuries] limited some of the things I feel [offensive coordinator] Major [Applewhite] was going to do today. We wanted to do some things with Desmond [Trotter] and Carter [Bradley], but when you're that limited, you really just want to get out of the game as healthy as you can at that point. That's part of it. 
"We got some great things done this spring. I think we realized where we have strengths, and some of the things that we've got to make sure that we address before we walk into that first game in September. We've got time to do those things. We'll also have some scholarship numbers to address those needs as well. I feel we're in a really good place right now. I told both the players and coaches that 'Spring doesn't finish with the final game. You build your team off the things you did well and off the things you've got to improve on'. It's going to be a critical next couple of weeks here for us." 

- On his thoughts on the offense not getting in the end zone with his defensive background: "I believe it was [Indiana head coach] Tom Allen that told me that 'You're going to furious and excited at the same time on every play during a scrimmage' and that's usually about the case [as the head coach]. You're upset with somebody, and you're really happy about the other guy, but that's the job at 30,000 feet. You have to evaluate who's making those plays and are they a person who will contribute for us on game day, and then are we doing things the way we want them to be done. Is it a schematic issue, is it personnel drive? The good thing for us is we have a lot of bodies that can come in and operate our system, so I feel from a coaching standpoint and an install standpoint, we're in a really good place." 
 
- On if a position group caught his eye during the spring: "You have to tip your hat and give kudos to our offensive linemen, especially the guys who have been able to stay out there. There were a lot of guys that were banged up every single day and they just refused to come out of practice, because they knew they would be hanging their teammates out to dry if they did. That was really impressive.
"Our linebacker corps has taken a tremendous step forward. I think 'Q' [Quentin] Wilfawn is a huge piece of that. Trey Kiser has improved greatly, and then you add a piece to the puzzle like James Miller, who was with me at Indiana, and that group has taken their game to another level. It's the hardest position on our defense in what we ask them to do, so of course in year two, you're going to see a tremendous amount of improvement from that group." 

Quarterback Desmond Trotter
- On the offense's performance in today's game: "I feel like we executed better and were able to take care of the ball throughout the game. We had that one fumble on the run, but other than that we took care of the ball. We have some guys who are banged up, so when you have some of your starters out its kind of hard to get explosive plays, but I think we were able to still execute throughout the scrimmage." 

- On what he will work on between now and fall camp: "For myself, its timing. Just working on my layups, the ones that are wide open, I can't miss those. Then just getting reps and reps in with different routes with the receivers and the guys coming in so I can create that connection going into the fall." 

- On getting reps with the ones: "It meant a lot because last year I came into a new offense and I was having a hard time learning it, but this spring I was able to just go out there and be comfortable back there, which was good. I just want to go out and execute and play the game." 

Defensive lineman Gi'Narious Johnson
- On what the defense did today: "We just went over the three things we talked about: ball, fast and physical. That's the three things that we focused on. We just came out, decided to do our thing and have fun and that's what got us the victory today."

- On if there is something special for winning: "I'm not sure if there is or not, but if so, I can't wait for it. They didn't tell us about anything, but we have bragging rights for winning today."

- On the progress the team made from the start of spring to now: "At the start of spring, they told us that we have to learn how to finish and be more physical. Those two items were our main focuses for the spring. We are playing fast, physical and running to the ball. It's great and I feel like we are going to be a much more dominant team this year compared to last year."

Safety Keith Gallmon Jr.
- On getting honored with the jersey for the entire offseason: "It's a blessing and an honor to wear this jersey and to be able to represent South Alabama. I know it has put a lot of pressure on me to be a better leader throughout the summer and throughout the fall to get this team prepared to win games."

- On what the team accomplished this spring: "I feel like we made a big jump from year one to year two. Everybody is flying around. Our communication is next level for us on the back end. I feel like everybody has been able to react quicker and make plays faster. It definitely showed up today."

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—