MOBILE, Ala. ? University of South Alabama Director of Athletics Joe Gottfried announced Tuesday the school has signed a three-game contract with North Carolina State as well as the school’s first-ever football schedule, one that currently includes a total of seven games all slated to be played in Mobile at Ladd-Peebles Stadium on Saturdays this fall.
There is a possibility the school will add one more road contest that would be announced at a later date.
The deal with N.C. State includes two games in Raleigh and one in Mobile. The Jaguars will visit Carter-Finley Stadium on Sept. 17, 2011, and Sept. 15 the following fall, while the Wolfpack will take on USA in Mobile on Sept. 5, 2015.
NCSU has played in six bowl games this decade after earning an invitation to the Papajohns.com Bowl in December.
N.C. State joins Tennessee and Navy on future Jags’ schedules. USA will visit the Volunteers in Knoxville in 2013, while that same fall the Jaguars and Midshipmen will begin a four-year, home-and-home series in Annapolis. The Jags also expect to play eight Sun Belt Conference opponents in 2012, which could include match-ups with Troy ? the Trojans have participated in three bowl games this decade since moving up from the NCAA Division I-AA (Football Championship Subdivision) to the NCAA Division I-A (Football Bowl Subdivision) level ? and Florida Atlantic, coached by the legendary Howard Schnellenberger, which was invited to the Motor City Bowl where the Owls defeated Central Michigan in December.
“The most important thing about the contracts we’ve signed is that it shows where the program is going and the vision that the administration has,” head coach Joey Jones said. “We know there are steps to get where we want to be, and we’re doing it as fast as any school in the country ever has.”
USA’s 2009 schedule currently includes contests against an NCAA Division III school, two junior colleges and four prep schools. While the Jaguars will have approximately 40-45 scholarship players in the fall, they will need a minimum of three seasons to reach the NCAA I-A/FBS limit of 85 student-athletes on scholarship since the school can offer no more than 30 in one year from 2008-10.
The Jaguars will be an unclassified NCAA program their first two seasons of competition before beginning a two-year transition to the NCAA I-A/FBS level. USA will count as an NCAA I-AA/FCS school on opponents’ schedules in 2011, but will be considered an NCAA I-A/FBS opponent for schools the next fall. In 2013, the Jags will be eligible for a bowl and the Sun Belt Conference championship for the first time in school history.
As the school builds the program’s schedule leading up to its first season as an NCAA I-A/FBS institution in 2013, the aim is for opponents to be on a relatively equal level as it relates to skill level and number of scholarship players in the program.
“I am pleased with the schedule we have put together for the 2009 season,” said Gottfried. “The caliber of schools and the type of athletes we will compete against will be very difficult our first year. The fact that next fall’s opponents all had winning records last season speaks to the quality of competition we will be facing.
“Also, it is exciting knowing we will have North Carolina State of the Atlantic Coast Conference coming to Mobile as part of a three-year contract. In the coming weeks, we will be announcing additional Division I programs added to our future schedules along with Navy and Tennessee.”
The Jags will play their first-ever game against Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy on Sept. 5. The Tigers finished 10-1 last year ? that included victories over junior-varsity and club squads from East Carolina, Marshall and Navy, and the lone loss was against Tennessee’s JV team ? as 32 players from that team would go on to either transfer to or sign with NCAA Division I programs. That figure included eight individuals who committed to Southeastern Conference schools, while six others have or will join members of one of the other five Bowl Championship Series (BCS) conferences. Thirty-three former Hargrave players have reached the National Football League, with five of those selected in the first round of the NFL Draft over the last 10 years.
USA will take on Army Prep on Sept. 26, a school that went 7-3 against a schedule that included three junior-varsity teams and a pair of community colleges, then have a week off before moving up a level in competition to face Georgia Military Junior College Oct. 10. The Bulldogs went 9-2 in the fall, finishing ninth in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s final poll after playing in the inaugural Mississippi Bowl. GMJC had 18 players sign National Letters-of-Intent with Division I schools after the season ended.
The following week the Jaguars will play Louisburg (N.C.) Junior College, which finished 5-4 last season with victories over club teams from Jacksonville and George Mason ? actually, half of the losses were to Georgia Military J.C. After a week off, USA will play host to Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy Oct. 31. More than 30 FUMA players signed scholarships with four-year programs following the season, with four moving on to two-time ACC champion Virginia Tech and four others committing to SEC schools. Over 70 players from the program have gone on to play in the NFL, including Dexter Coakley, Eddie George, Mike Quick and Vinny Testaverde ? who all appeared in multiple Pro Bowls, with George and Testaverde each winning the Heisman Trophy during their collegiate careers ? with a pair of first-round draft selections this decade.
The Jags will begin the final month of the season with a Nov. 7 contest against Milford (N.Y.) Academy, which finished 9-3 in 2008. The Falcons had 20 players offered scholarships to Division I schools following the season, while 15 former players who have attended the school have reached the NFL.
Actually, Steven Pease ? an incoming freshman from Williamstown, N.J. ? played for Milford Academy in the fall.
The inaugural season is set to conclude on Thursday, Nov. 12 at 6 p.m. when USA faces Huntingdon (Ala.) College. The Hawks were 8-2 a year ago, which included finishing 5-1 in the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference ?they were in consideration for an at-large bid to the NCAA Division III playoffs after opening the year with eight consecutive wins. Three of the school’s victories were by shutout, as HC outscored its opponents 417-158 while ranking fifth in the country in scoring offense.
Prior to the finale, all games except one are scheduled to kick-off at 4 p.m. The Georgia Military J.C. contest slated to begin at 11:30 a.m.
“Some of the teams we will be playing this year will have better athletes than a lot of SEC school’s signing classes because they will have kids who were recruited by schools from all the BCS conferences. They’re getting kids from all over the country,” Jones stated. “Hargrave is probably the number one prep school in the country with the number of players they have going to Division I schools. I don’t think people realize the amount of future NFL players who have come out of prep schools.
“Of course, after the game we will be recruiting them as well trying to get them to come to South Alabama.”
Through the end of this month, the cost for USA season tickets is $75 for seats on either sideline or $48 to sit in the end zones. Faculty and staff can purchase sideline season tickets for $60 or end zone seats for $39. Beginning April 1, season tickets on the sideline will cost $85 and in the end zone will be $56, while faculty/staff season tickets will be $70 for sideline seats and $45 to sit in the end zones. Faculty and staff will be permitted to purchase six tickets at the discounted price per account.
A family package that includes four tickets in Section L at Ladd-Peebles Stadium will be available for $240, while recent alumni ? which includes individuals who have graduated from USA in the last three years ? will be able to purchase up to four season tickets for $60 each in Section R, which is on the 35-yard line on the East side of the stadium.
Admission for all USA students is free, with each individual able to purchase a student guest season ticket for $42.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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