MOBILE, Ala. – After sitting out the program’s first spring scrimmage due to illness, Jake Johnson returned Thursday and posted a team-high seven stops to lead the University of South Alabama defense in its second scrimmage in six days at the fields on campus.
Deonté McDuffy and Maleki Harris returned interceptions for touchdowns for the unit as well, while Charles Watson picked off another pass; on the ground, the Jaguar defense surrendered just over two yards per attempt, allowing 142 yards on 69 carries. Jesse Kelley posted six stops, and the trio of Terrell Brigham, Cordivido Grice and Davin Hawkins contributed five apiece.
Kelley was credited with 3½ tackles for loss, while Johnson and Ceasare Johnson made two stops behind the line of scrimmage and Pat Moore collected 1½.
Six Jag quarterbacks combined to complete 18-of-27 pass attempts for 180 yards, as the USA offense finished with 322 yards on the day. C.J. Bennett paced the group, going 7-of-10 for 81 yards, while both Myles Gibbon (3-of-3) and Logan Rogers (4-of-4) completed each of their attempts to combine for an additional 56 yards.
Corey Waldon led a trio of receivers with three catches with 44 yards, with Akeem Appleton adding 34 and Bryant Lavender 14. Demetre Baker paced the rushing attack with 32 yards, Terrance Timmons collected 30 on six attempts and J.J. Keels chipped in with 25.
Michel Chapuseaux converted on a pair of field goals as well, connecting from 45 and 37 yards out in the first half of the event.
“It was very similar to the last scrimmage. When you look at the ones on offense and the ones on defense, they both look pretty good; they went back and forth a good bit,” USA head coach Joey Jones Jones observed. “Offensively when you start getting down to the twos and threes, they didn’t move the ball very well. We just have to find more players. Once you get to the point where you’ve got two groups of guys who can move it you’re in good shape, but right now depth is an issue offensively — especially at the lineman position.”
The first points of the day came on the third series, when — with the second-team offense coming out from its two-yard line — McDuffy intercepted a deflected pass and ran it back 12 yards for a score. Watson’s interception came in the second half, and was followed two plays later by a pick from Harris, who returned it 54 yards for another touchdown.
Bennett led the initial scoring drive for the offense on its fifth possession, and the third for the first-team. After finding Timmons in the flat for a pickup of seven yards, the running back gained six yards on a rush for a first down. Baker moved the chains again with consecutive five-yard runs, and set up a third-and-one with a nine-yard carry as well that Timmons converted. Chapuseaux’s 45-yard field goal completed the 11-play, 47-yard march.
The next time Bennett and the first-team were on the field, the result was a touchdown. Facing third-and-eight from its own 42-yard line, the quarterback found Corey Besteda down the left sideline for a 30-yard completion — the longest play for the offense on the day — and two plays later completed a 20-yard pass to Waldon to move the unit to the two-yard line. Baker would cross the goal line from three yards out on third-and-goal.
Rogers tacked on a three-yard touchdown run later in the scrimmage, while Trey Fetner helped guide the second-team offense to two touchdowns on red-zone drives to end the day; first he found Waldon open on a post route for a 20-yard scoring pass, then he ran a draw and reached the end zone from eight yards out.
“Discipline was one of the things we have focused on this spring,” said Jones of a performance that included just one penalty on both sides of the ball, a false start late in the day. “They ran a couple of sprints after practice for a turnover or two. We preach that if we stay away from mistakes, we have a chance to win ball games.
“But they have to learn to practice like that every day, and I think they are getting it a little bit. Concentration on that in the offseason will pay dividends this fall.”
The scrimmage was the Jaguars’ final practice before spring break. USA will be back on the field with a 6:30 a.m. workout on Tuesday, March 20.
“We’ve progressed. I’m proud of the players, they have really worked hard,” Jones stated. “The biggest thing is that they are watching film on their own, they are meeting on their own; that’s when you know you’ve got a team. We’re doing all those things right, so it is just a matter of sharpening things up on the field — we can always get better on the field, there is nobody who plays at a 100-percent level all the time. The challenge is to keep getting just a little bit better as we progress.
“It’s a perfect time for a break,” he added. “We’re a little banged up right now and they were a little tired this morning, but they came out ready to go. My challenge to them is to make sure that we don’t waste any time when we get back, we have to work those last three days and get something out of 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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