MOBILE, Ala. ? Courtney Smith caught six passes for 120 yards and a score Friday to help the University of South Alabama’s offense record 356 yards through the air in the program’s second scrimmage of the spring season at Ladd-Peebles Stadium.
It was a turnaround for the unit from the Jaguars’ first scrimmage a week ago, when the offense managed to gain 86 passing yards.
“We have some playmakers out there, and Courtney had a great day today,” head coach Joey Jones said. “He really stepped up, not just with the touchdown but catching a couple of slant patterns too.”
“Everyone on offense did a great job, without their effort I would not have gotten the ball,” said Smith. “I’m just trying to do what my coaches are asking of me and help make the team better. We had time to go over film since the last scrimmage, so we had a better idea of what was going to happen today.”
Frank Walker and Lim Windham chipped in with three receptions each, with Danzel Harris and Erling Riis catching a pair of passes as well as 13 Jags contributed to the effort.
Matt Saucier would end up 16-of-26 passing for 216 yards and three touchdowns, while Anthony Burgess was 11-of-21 through the air for another 140 yards and a score. The two combined for 47 attempts without an interception.
In fact, the offense did not lose a fumble either after committing three miscues last week.
“The defense was bringing a lot of pressure, we had to throw the ball,” stated Saucier. “Overall, the offense did very well today. We’re way ahead of where we thought we would be at this point in the spring, we’ve learned so many plays over the last three weeks.”
“We’re just trying to get our quarterbacks a little more confidence,” commented Jones. “They’ve gotten better, but there’s still a long way to go throwing the football down the field. We want to give all of them, as well as our wide receivers, a fair chance to evaluate everyone fairly.”
In the first scrimmage, the first- and second-team offense units ran plays eight at a time with the series coming to an end regardless of the down and distance following the final snap. This week’s event was set up closer to a game situation, with each offensive group running a series of plays until the possession was ended by a defensive stop.
“Our guys are working very hard in practice, but a scrimmage always brings a little intensity out of everyone,” Jones observed. “Any time you put the kids in a game situation, they are naturally going to work a little bit harder. They were competitive and getting after each other today, which I love, but we lost our poise at times which can’t happen in a game.”
Early on, it was different story for the two units. The first team picked up 160 yards on its first five drives, which included a 40-yard completion from Saucier to Smith on the first play of the afternoon before the two hooked up again for a 60-yard touchdown pass on the initial snap of its second possession.
The first-team offense would advance inside the defense’s 30-yard line on two of its next three marches as well. Saucier sparked a nine-play, 45-yard scoring march first by scrambling for 18 yards before finding Lamontis Gardner on a slant pattern for eight yards facing 3rd-and-6 from the defense’s 26-yard line. Anthony Mostella ended the possession with a 14-yard touchdown run on 3rd-and-6.
Saucier would later conclude a three-play red zone scoring drive with an 18-yard scoring toss to Ralph Turner in the back left corner of the end zone. He tacked on a 32-yard touchdown pass to Taylor Noon later in the day to cap a march that covered 50 yards in seven plays.
On the other hand, after opening with a 10-play possession that moved the ball 30 yards up the field the second team went three-and-out on two straight drives. Before moving to red zone drills, the group collected 62 yards on 22 snaps.
The second-team unit got on the board when Burgess connected with Donte Rome for a 30-yard scoring pass with the receiver getting free after the defensive back covering him fell on the play. On its next possession, which started at the defense’s 20-yard line, Lawson McGlon tacked on a 29-yard field goal.
The group’s success continued with a third consecutive scoring march, as Burgess used a 44-yard completion to Gardner key a seven-play, 60-yard drive that he wrapped up with a one-yard score on a quarterback sneak.
Justin Dunn recorded a team-best nine stops on defense, while Tim Harvey supplied seven and both Chris Cooke and Richard Courtney added six apiece. Five individuals ? Cori Barnett, Darrow Fisher, Anton Graphenreed, Brett Hancock and Jerron Mitchell ? collected five tackles. Cooke and Sean Greenwood each were credited with 1½ stops behind the line of scrimmage.
After surrendering 230 yards on the ground in the opening scrimmage of the spring, the USA defense gave up just 76 on 50 carries Friday.
“It was a better scrimmage overall for both the offense and defense, we came out and corrected a lot of mistakes,” Dunn said. “Everybody was in the right spot where they needed to be, once everyone does that and you make corrections and plays start getting made.”
“Earlier in the week we were running the ball well, but that dropped off today,” said Jones. “Our backs are a little dinged up ? I’m not making any excuses for them, but they weren’t 100 percent today and we didn’t block as well for them either.”
Marquis Chapel led the ground attack with 27 yards on 10 attempts, Santuan McGee ran for 20 yards and Richard Ross posted 18.
“Overall, I thought the intensity was great,” Jones stated. “We’re still making mistakes that will get you beat, like putting the ball on the ground or jumping offsides defensively. But, I’m real pleased with their effort and they have gotten better.
“We’re challenging the guys to have a great week next week, because there’s a long way to go before that first game next fall.”
The final week of spring practice will begin Monday when the Jags return to the field for a 2:30 p.m. practice.
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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