MOBILE, Ala. – After opening the 2010 season with a 56-0 win over Pikeville (Ky.) College last Saturday, University of South Alabama football head coach Joey Jones sat down with members of the media Monday to discuss the victory over Pikeville and the Jaguars’ upcoming matchup with Nicholls State on Sept. 18.
A few highlights from Monday’s press conference are below.
On the Pikeville win:
“I felt we played well and played with intensity. We didn’t make a ton of mistakes, but we obviously have a few to correct. I felt good overall, we just have to run the ball a little better on offense – that’s our challenge. We’re throwing the ball better – that’s a positive. Defensively, I thought we did a good job and really bent but didn’t break any. We gave up a few plays here and there, but bottom line is we didn’t give up any big plays. I thought we played really well on special teams. The kickoff team was very good and we had the punt return for a touchdown, so special teams were sound and that will help us.”
On this week’s approach to practice:
“We’ll make some corrections today, and then we’ll move straight into preparations for Nicholls State. We’re going to scrimmage some guys and create some more depth on both sides of the ball this week.”
On Nicholls State:
“They were an option team last year, but they have transitioned into more of a shotgun team – they throw the ball a good bit. I have a lot of respect for coach (Charlie) Stubbs. I learned a lot of my passing game from him when he was at Alabama. He does a great job of calling plays, and he understands how to attack defenses. Last year, their defense was very aggressive. They had some cover guys who covered well on the perimeter, so they will be very well-coached. I think this will be the best coached team we will have played to date, by far, counting last year. They will be very well-coached in every phase of the game, but we’ll have to look at them on film to see how athletic they are.”
On the importance of the Nicholls State game:
“I think this is a great challenge for our players and our football organization. This is really an FCS program that has a lot of tradition. They have as many scholarships as we do and they have a good head coach. It presents a challenge to us, so our kids and coaches are very excited about this because you want to be challenged and play games like this. We’re excited about it.”
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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