MOBILE, Ala. - After posting a 17-point victory in the program's debut Sept. 5, the University of South Alabama football team will return to action Saturday when it takes on Army Prep.
The contest will kick off at 4 p.m. at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. The layoff will be the Jags' longest as part of their seven-game schedule this fall.
"This almost seems like our first game again because we've had two off weeks and there's that kind of anticipation. We practiced four or five weeks for the first game, and now we're practicing three weeks for the second ballgame," USA head coach Joey Jones stated. "The anticipation is there, and I know our kids have really worked hard the last two weeks."
In their 30-13 win over Hargrave (Va.) Military Academy, the Jaguars collected 429 yards of total offense. Brandon Ross ran for 139 yards and two touchdowns to pace a ground attack that amassed 265 yards while averaging almost five yards per attempt, while Courtney Smith added five receptions for another 104 yards. Smith scored the first points in the program's history when he caught a 60-yard touchdown pass from Myles Gibbon with nine seconds remaining in the opening quarter.
Ross and Gibbon would added rushing scores as the Jags built a 20-0 advantage in the first 33 minutes. Gibbon ended the contest with a team-leading 149 yards of total offense, completing 7-of-13 passes for 126 yards.
Justin Dunn led the defense, which surrendered just 112 yards in the first half, with eight total stops including three-and-a-half for loss - he also forced a first-quarter fumble that Alex Phifer recovered on the HMA 36-yard line. Zach Brownell and Charlie Higgenbotham both chipped in with seven tackles each, with the former collecting the first of four turnovers forced by the unit when he ended the Tigers' opening possession with a interception.
Anton Graphenreed and Jerron Mitchell also picked off passes, while USA limited Hargrave to just 3-of-13 (23.1%) on third-down conversions.
Michel Chapuseaux connected on his only field-goal attempt from 25 yards, while Scott Garber's lone punt in the game covered 47 yards and was downed at the HMA-11. Erling Riis added a 39-yard punt return in the second quarter that led to the first of Ross' two scores, which put the Jags up 13-0 with 12 minutes to go in the opening half.
The Black Knights are 1-2 entering play after falling to Nassau (N.Y.) Community College, 13-8, Friday. After opening the season with a 21-14 loss to Army's junior varsity team, they came back to defeat Hudson Valley (N.Y.) C.C., 46-44.
Army Prep, whose roster includes linebacker Colby Miller from Phenix City and long snapper Randall Seegers from Chelsea, feature a triple-option offense and use a 3-5-3 formation on defense.
"Army Prep is a very disciplined program," said Jones. "Their offense is very hard to defend from a mental standpoint, you've got to be in the right places at the right times - we've been working on that for the last week or so. Defensively, they run a flex front, and it's a little bit of a different front. Most people run a 4-3 or a 3-4, but they run a different front that we're having to work on a little bit.
"They've got some good players, and we recruited some of the players on their team. I look for it to be a great ballgame this Saturday."
"It's all about being disciplined. Army's coaching staff has done a great job with preparing their kids, making everything fundamentally sound," added Mitchell, a sophomore defensive back. "Coach [Bill] Clark and his staff have done a great job with laying out the option figuring out ways to stop it."
"Army runs a different look," junior offensive lineman Chris Brunson commented. "Their players are smaller but quicker, while Hargrave was bigger but more physical. But, we can still duplicate what we did against Hargrave."
Tailgating will begin at 8 a.m. at Ladd-Peebles Stadium, while gates will open at 2 p.m. Tickets for the contest can be purchased until Friday at 5 p.m. by contacting the USA Athletic Ticket Office at (251) 461-1USA (1872), by visiting the Mitchell Center ticket office on campus or on the web via www.usagameday.com, and they will be available on site Saturday beginning at 10 a.m.
Shuttles will be running from the Bell Air Mall in the south parking lot behind Target and JC Penney to the stadium beginning at noon. Continuous service will be provided until 90 minutes after the completion of the game, with the cost $2.50 for a round trip. There will also be buses running from campus to Ladd-Peebles Stadium at 11 a.m., noon, 1 p.m. and 2 p.m. - it will be free for students and $5 round trip for all other individuals.
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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