MOBILE, Ala. – University of South Alabama head football coach Joey Jones was named the College Sports Madness NCAA Football Championship Subdivision Independent Coach of the Year Wednesday, highlighting multiple honors earned from the organization.
Kendall Houston was selected the FCS Independent Freshman of the Year as well, while six other Jaguars were named first-team all-Independent.
Jones has guided the Jags to a 23-4 (85.2%) mark since the program’s inception including six wins during the 2011 campaign, with four of those by double digits. Entering the second round of the NCAA FCS playoffs, the Jaguars rank among the top 30 nationally in pass, total and scoring defense, while offensively USA averaged better than 24 points and 325 yards per outing in the fall.
Houston led the Jag rushing attack for the second year in a row, collecting 558 yards and eight touchdowns on 121 carries; the redshirt freshman from Mobile also was second on the squad in total offense, and third in both scoring and all-purpose yards. He rushed for a season-best 117 yards in the program’s first-ever contest against an NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision opponent at North Carolina State, also leading the team on the ground on three other occasions, while scoring multiple touchdowns in victories over West Alabama, Tennessee-Martin and Mississippi Valley State.
The Jaguars had three defensive players honored as first-team all-Independent selections — defensive back Charles Harris, linebacker Jake Johnson and defensive lineman Romelle Jones.
Johnson led the squad with 83 total stops while Harris finished with 81 tackles, as the duo are both among the top 100 in the country in the category; both had three outings with 10-plus stops. The former — who was credited with a career-high 17 tackles at NCAA FBS Kent State, a school game record — also stood second on the squad with 6½ stops behind the line of scrimmage and two sacks, while the latter shared the team lead with three forced fumbles.
Jones posted a team-best seven tackles for loss among his 23 total stops, which included two sacks as well. He had a season-high four stops at KSU, and was credited with three stops against Georgia State, MVSU and Cal Poly in the last month of the season.
A pair of seniors — Jon Griffin and Kevin Helms — were recognized by the organization on the offensive side of the ball. Griffin, a lineman, earned the highest grade up front for the Jaguars three times highlighted by an 89-percent mark following USA’s 35-3 victory over MVSU; he finished second with 56 pancake blocks, recording a season-best nine in a win at Texas-San Antonio. Helms’ 14 receptions were the most among the team’s tight ends, with the total also matching the number of catches he recorded in the previous two years combined. He finished with a career-best 216 yards as well as with multiple receptions in half of USA’s 10 contests.
Jordan Means was selected the all-Independent placekicker after pacing the Jags with 62 points. The senior converted 13-of-15 field goals, making all nine tries inside of 40 yards, and he was successful on a school-record seven straight attempts from Sept. 17-Oct. 22.
The Jaguars completed the first of a two-year transition to the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision with a 6-4 mark this fall.
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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