MOBILE, Ala. – The University of South Alabama football team faces yet another first Saturday when Lamar visits Ladd-Peebles Stadium, but head coach Joey Jones has prepared the Jaguars for that scenario.
USA, which is coming off a season-opening 20-10 win over West Alabama, faces a rematch with a previous opponent for the first time when the Cardinals come to Mobile — kickoff is slated for 4 p.m. The Jags picked up the initial road win in school history with a 26-0 defeat of Lamar in Beaumont, Texas, on Oct. 16 last fall.
“Our kids realize that Lamar will be a much-improved football team,” Jones commented. “From year one to year two, we became a much better football team and likewise with them. I think they have had our game circled, and our kids realize that as well.”
In last season’s meeting, USA outgained the Cardinals 376-160, but settled for four Lawson McGlon field goals after converting 1-of-14 third downs. Josh Chestang got the Jags on the board less than five minutes into the contest with an 11-yard fumble return for a touchdown, with the other score coming via a one-yard pass from Brennan Sim to Ellis Hill.
Kendall Houston — who collected 78 yards and two scores in the second half last week — made his first career start against the Cards, rushing for 166 yards on 21 carries. C.J. Bennett completed 13-of-16 pass attempts for 109 yards, with Courtney Smith the team’s leading receiver in the contest with seven receptions for 59 yards.
Defensively, the Jaguars recovered four fumbles while limiting Andre Bevil to a 15-of-35 performance passing. LU was held to just 56 yards on 27 rushing attempts, and punted eight times after going 2-of-13 on third-down conversions. Charlie Higgenbotham paced the unit with six stops, also forcing the fumble that led to the Jags’ initial score, while Ken Barefield was credited with four solo tackles.
“They played us really well last year,” observed Jones. “I thought we had a good day offensively, but we didn’t score much. We need to be able to punch the ball in the end zone more [this year], and our kids are fully aware of that.”
Enrique Williams and Alabama transfer B.J. Scott led the Jaguar defense against UWA with 11 and 10 tackles, respectively, marking the first time in 18 games that two individuals have recorded a double-figure total in the category in the same contest. Jake Johnson and Charles Harris — making his USA debut — were credited with nine stops apiece, while Barefield had seven including a sack for a loss of 12 yards; he and Harris also recorded the unit’s two takeaways with interceptions.
USA surrendered just 268 yards to the Tigers, including only 101 through the air on 10-of-22 passing.
Jacody Coleman made seven stops for the Cardinals as they opened the 2011 campaign with a 58-0 victory over Texas College, with Jesse Dickson and Darby Jackson adding five each including 2½ behind the line of scrimmage. LU, which allowed 382 yards per contest last fall — its first season on the field since 1989 — surrendered just 64 in the opener.
Though the Cards averaged just 60 yards per contest running a year ago, DePauldrick Garrett led the offense last week with 20 rushes for 105 yards and four scores. The unit would finish with 209 yards on the ground and 320 overall.
“They are a much-improved ball team,” Jones said. “They brought in some really good players on their offensive line, and shored up some things. They’re trying to run the football more, you can tell they have really spent some time on their running game. They will be a much more balanced team offensively.
“And defensively they are more athletic, especially inside. They have some defensive tackles who are very good football players”
In addition to Houston’s performance, Hill added 40 yards on seven carries while making his first career start, Demetre Baker — who transferred to the program from Georgia in the spring — had 39 yards on six attempts and Bennett chipped in with 31 yards rushing as part of his 182 yards of total offense. Bryant Lavender and Corey Waldon caught three passes apiece to pace the Jags, with the former recording a game-high 55 yards, and Jeremé Jones added two receptions for 27 yards.
The parking lot of Ladd-Peebles Stadium will open at 8 a.m., with gates set to open at 2 p.m. The Jaguar Prowl — which starts when the team gets to the stadium — is slated to begin at 1:40 p.m. All fans will receive free red shakers upon entering the stadium, and with the Jaguars scheduled to wear all red uniforms are encouraged to wear red as well; they can also line the Jaguar Prowl route along the south side of the stadium at 4 p.m.
The cost is $2.50 per person for a round-trip shuttle ticket, which will depart the Bel Air Mall parking lot south of Target and J.C. Penney beginning at noon — it provides continuous loop service to and from the stadium until 90 minutes after the contest ends.
Saturday will be the first time in three years that USA will honor its Athletic Hall of Fame inductees in conjunction with a football game. Coleen Kenney (women’s track and field/cross country, 1992-94), Jennifer Krupa (women’s golf, 1995-98), Gareth Maybin (men’s golf, 2002-04) and Ryan Mulhern (baseball, 2001-03) are set to be inducted in a morning ceremony on campus, and will honored on the field at halftime.
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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