South Alabama football has only been around since 2010. Their first two years were against small schools and they ended up going 17-0 over those two seasons! 2011 saw them schedule more teams from the FCS and FBS, as well as some smaller schools. They finished 6-4 including four wins over FCS teams. 2012 saw a complete schedule against FBS schools (one FCS team was also on the schedule) and it was a tough year for the Jaguars. They finished 2-11 with wins over Nicholls State and Florida Atlantic in their only season in the Western Athletic Conference. Let's see how Joey Jones and the Jaguars did in 2013 as they entered the Sun Belt Conference.
2013 South Alabama Jaguars Season
15 starters returned in 2013 from the previous year's team. After a poor season in 2012 against WAC opponents, the Jaguars found themselves faring much better in the Sun Belt in 2013. The season started with a shock loss to FCS Southern Utah, 22-21. They nearly blew a 31-7 lead against Tulane, but hung on for the win. They came back against Western Kentucky to win 31-24 before losing by that same scoreline the next game at Tennessee. The Jaguars gave up another late score against Troy to fall by a single point and then easily defeated Kent State to get to 3-3. They lost their next two games by 2 points against Texas State and 1 point against Arkansas State, respectively. They were soundly defeated by Navy and sat at 3-6. South Alabama did not leave any doubt in their final three games winning each game by at least 21 points. They finished 6-6 but were not invited to a bowl game. The entire 2013 schedule is below.
Offense
The 2013 team averaged 29.4 points and 426 yards per game, which was easily their best output against a full schedule of FCS and FBS teams. This year will see 9 starters return from a year ago. Ross Metheny led the way at quarterback in his second season as the starter. Taking over for him this year will be Brandon Bridge. He transferred from Alcorn State to the Jaguars after the 2012 season. In mop up duty, Bridge finished with 398 yards (43.9%), 1 touchdown, and 2 interceptions. He also added 170 yards and 1 touchdown rushing. It will be very tough for South Alabama to average the 253 yards passing per game they did last year without an experienced quarterback.
Three of the top four rushers return this year. Jay Jones led the team in rushing with 737 yards and 5 touchdowns after starting all 12 games in 2013. Cris Dinham (234 yards and 2 touchdowns) and Kendall Houston (209 yards and 6 touchdowns) return as well. Added to this group is redshirt freshman Xavier Johnson, who had a strong spring game. This group could be leaned on early in the season as Bridge might struggle.
As a new quarterback, one could not ask for a better situation to come into than this year. The top four receivers all return from a season ago and that will greatly benefit Brandon Bridge. The top receiver was Shavarez Smith with 50 catches, 940 yards, and 6 touchdowns, which earned him second team Sun Belt honors. Tight end Wes Saxton also had 50 catches, but finished with 635 yards and no touchdowns. He earned first team Sun Belt honors last year. Jereme Jones finished with 457 yards and 3 touchdowns. Alabama transfer Danny Woodson was eligible immediately last year and provided 26 catches, 439 yards, and 4 touchdowns. Another Alabama transfer, Marvin Shinn, figures to put in a large amount of playing time as well. This is a great group of receivers to throw to.
The offensive line is an outstanding unit heading into the 2014 season. Right tackle Chris May led the way last year and finished on the first team Sun Belt. At the left tackle spot will be second team Sun Belt honoree Ucambre Williams. Drew Dearman also returns after starting 12 games last season. Melvin Meggs (13 starts in 2012, out for 2013 season) will battle with Shaun Artz (12 starts in 2013) to start at right guard. In the two deep on the line is former Alabama walk-on Darius McKeller. This unit will do wonderfully in this season.
Defense
In 2013, 8 starters returned and gave up an average of 25.2 points and 384 yards per game. This year, 6 starters return and only one of them is on the defensive line. Jesse Kelley will anchor the line after recording 34 tackles, 2 sacks, and 4.5 tackles-for-loss a year ago. Former North Carolina State player Theo Rich is expected to take one of the defensive end spots after recording 15 tackles and 2 tackles-for-loss in 2013. At defensive tackle, Jerome McClain is expected to start. He had a decent year in 2013 playing as a backup with 34 tackles and 3 sacks. There is a defensive end/linebacker hybrid position called the JACK, which will be filled by junior college transfer Jimmie Gipson. This group will probably give up more than 164 yards per game like they did last year as a result of the inexperience.
It is a mixed bag at the two linebacker spots. Strong side linebacker will be Maleki Harris, who recorded 63 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 6 tackles-for-loss, 7 pass breakups, and 1 interception last year. Demarius Rancifer played in 11 games at Kentucky during the 2012 season. He will have a shot at playing time as will Desmond LaVelle, who is in his second stint here at South Alabama. LaVelle recorded 25 tackles in 2011, went to a junior college in 2012, and returned in 2013 to record 27 tackles. This unit is not as good as last year, which does not help the front four.
The strength of the defense will come in the back five. Four starters return including three of the top 5 tacklers from 2013. Qudarius Ford finished with 76 tackles, 6 pass breakups, and 2 interceptions at cornerback last season. On the other side is Montell Garner, who recorded 60 tackles, 3 tackles-for-loss, 5 pass breakups, and 3 interceptions. Those two should do well to help the safeties out. At costless safety is Terrell Brigham. In 2012, he made 12 starts at strong safety recording 71 tackles, 5 pass breakups, and 2 interceptions. In 2013, he shifted over to costless safety where he finished with 65 tackles. Antonio Carter will start at nickelback while Roman Buchanan could see a large amount of playing time after starting 3 games in 2013 with 35 tackles and 1 interception. This unit will do well in 2014, but may be under pressure with an inexperienced front seven.
Special Teams
Aleem Sunanon came in as a redshirt freshman and struggled at the beginning of 2013. He was only 6 for 11 when head coach Joey Jones decided to see what other kickers could offer. Sunanon responded by hitting his last 12 field goals to finish 18 for 23 with along of 46 yards. He does not have the strongest leg, but he should have another solid year in 2014. At punter will be Corliss Waitman, a true freshman. Waitman will have the order of replacing Scott Garber, who averaged 40.7 yards per punt with a net of 35.5 yards. TJ Glover returns as well to return kicks. This unit should have a season similar to last year.
2014 Season Outlook
Joey Jones has taken South Alabama far in only five seasons. He led the Jaguars to a bowl eligibility in 2013, but they were not invited by any bowl. Still, it was a good season overall. 5 of their 6 losses were by 7 points or less, including four that were decided by 2 points or less. Those type of close losses usually turn into wins in the future, which just happens to be a good omen for 2014. However, the schedule is tougher than in 2013. The entire 2014 schedule is below. In addition, they have quite a bit of inexperience on defense and at quarterback. Those could pose serious problems as they get into the heart of the conference schedule.
The season is book-ended by two sets of non-conference games. The game at Kent State is winnable for South Alabama and they welcome their first ever "Power 5" team in Mississippi State. They get a wonderful run of games after that against Georgia Southern, Idaho, Appalachian State, and Georgia State. South Alabama could conceivably be 5-1 heading into the game against Troy. The four remaining conference games should be considered coin-tosses and even a split of those four would see South Alabama at 7-3. The game against South Carolina is a tune-up for the Gamecocks the week before their instate rivalry classic against Clemson. The triple-option attack that Navy sports has not been kind to South Alabama. Navy beat the Jaguars 42-14 in 2013 while Cal-Poly defeated South Alabama 41-10 in 2011. It definitely looks like South Alabama can get close to bowl eligibility, if not get well past it, but if the offense sputters badly and the defense does not come together, they may fall just short of getting to 6 wins.