MOBILE, Ala. – There were a couple of noticeable differences when the University of South Alabama football team hit the practice fields on campus Thursday for the first of two workouts.
For one, the Jaguars were in shells during the morning session after wearing full pads the two previous occasions they practiced twice on the same day. The other was the fact that the two hours on the field did not include a team segment in which the offense faced the defense working on situational drills.
Instead, after a 10-minute break, the Jags spent just over half an hour working offensively and defensively against scout teams prior to special teams drills to close out the morning workout.
USA head coach Joey Jones saw a difference in how the squad performed on the day prior to breaking preseason camp. “I thought it was average, and not the way we want to practice in order to be a great football team. You practice average, you play average,” he observed. “It was hot, and we can make every excuse in the world, but that’s the way it was.
“It wasn’t a terrible practice, but the bottom line is they can pick it up more than that. I think they might have thought it was an off day because we have a scrimmage tomorrow. I probably didn’t do a very good job of getting them ready.”
Prior to the scrimmage Friday — which will take place on campus beginning at 9 a.m. — the Jaguars will return to the field this afternoon at 4:30 p.m. for a 75-minute session.
For Jones, the scrimmage will be more about how the Jags perform than the actual results of plays.
“What I want to see is great sideline organization, I want to make sure it’s like a game on the sidelines,” he stated, “and out on the field I want to see us executing. They have to know their assignments and their alignments, they have to have great technique. Football is all about execution, most teams beat themselves. If we can concentrate on our deal individually, then we will be great as a football team.”
With the regular season approaching — by the end of the scrimmage, less than two weeks remain before the Jaguars face West Alabama Sept. 1 — projected starters will see more action than they did in the opening scrimmage of fall camp, with Jones estimating that the first-team units will be on the field for approximately half the snaps. He also noted that the defense would be allowed to hit some but tackling would not be included in the scrimmage, and that the event would focus on specific situations and all aspects of special teams play.
After the conclusion of the scrimmage, the Jags will be off the practice field until Monday morning.
“We’ll evaluate players over the weekend and decide who we will go into the first game with,” Jones explained. “I think it’s good to get the kids away from us more so than physically rested. They’ve been around us pretty much 10 hours a day for the last 11, 12 days, so I think they need to get away from us and clear their heads a little bit.”
Monday’s practice will be held on the first day that fall semester classes start on campus as well.
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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