bluedog
"Leader of Kings"
Jones becoming center of attention
By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN
Advocate sportswriter
Southern's offense took 61 snaps in Saturday's season-opening 29-0 win over Mississippi Valley State.
Center Brandon Jones provided all 61 of those snaps.
That's impressive because Jones -- a walk-on, 6-foot, 270-pound sophomore from McKinley High -- had never played in a collegiate game before.
That's impressive because Jones spent much of last season with a booted cast over a broken foot.
That's impressive because the position, in Southern's offense, demands reading the defense and making the blocking calls to set the other linemen. Then, with the shotgun formation employed much of the time, the center has to make sure, on the long snap, that the ball doesn't skid along the field or fly over the quarterback.
"He handled it like a seasoned vet," quarterback Quincy Richard said. "It's hard to come into a key spot in the offense, start and be in command. He had a big responsibility and he handled it."
Richard has learned the hard way about the importance of his protection. In last season's opener, he got crunched by a Tulane defender. The resulting ankle sprain hampered him all season.
Saturday, combining his increased knowledge of the offense with the matured stability of the line, Richard got sacked only once. And for that, he said he'll take the blame for not getting the pass away fast enough.
At that stage early in the third quarter, Richard might have been getting too comfortable with all the time he was getting in the pocket. Said Richard, "They gave me as much time as I needed."
Still, Jones wasn't happy about having his quarterback touched.
"Quincy said it might have been his fault," Jones said, "but on the field, when it happened, I told the line we can't give up another one. One was too many already."
As it turned out, on the next play, a third-and-15, Richard and Vernon Jones hooked up for a 69-yard touchdown on a screen pass that burned a Valley blitz, the Delta Devils' last of the game.
"I thought pass protection was outstanding," offensive line coach Gary Smith said.
Keeping Richard out of harm's way is a must. Not only is he 5-0 in games he starts and finishes, but he's running the offense like a machine these days.
Keying that protection is Jones.
"I thought he played well," head coach Pete Richardson said. "He made the offensive calls to get us in the right position to play.
"(The line) did a good job preparing. It was just like we were in practice, no surprises."
Though Jones is the youngest of the linemen on the two-deep chart, he's been around for a while. He redshirted in 2001 (after debuting with a solid camp) but then suffered a broken fibula during preseason camp last season.
"He took it as a personal challenge after he got injured," Richard said. "He's only going to get better."
Last season, he concentrated on the checks and calls crucial to playing center. Taking "mental reps" as coaches say.
"That was the thing I've had to work on since I've been here," Jones said. "I feel I've gotten better at calling the defense out, making the calls, knowing what all the linemen are doing. I feel pretty confident in the game."
With last year's starting center, Jermaine Jackson, falling in the depth chart, Jones made the mental reps pay off, grabbing a place on the first team with his work in preseason camp.
During last month's camp, Jones didn't miss a practice or a check.
"I don't remember him making any bad calls in camp," Smith said. "He stepped it up. It's a testament to his maturity."
Against Valley, Smith interchanged the other positions and could have done so with Jones as well. But, "I didn't want to rotate him because I felt he needed some work there," Smith said. "The more he sees it, the better he gets."
Jones said he played well, but he mentioned a few correctable mistakes.
"I was a bit nervous, but once I got in the game and started playing, that just went away," Jones said of his first collegiate game and start. "It felt just like practice. That's how I looked at it going into the game."
Said Smith, "I hope he continues to build on (Jones' performance against Valley). He's quick. He's agile. I really believe the more he plays, the better he's going to get."
Click here to return to story:
http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/090303/sou_jones001.shtml
Ackley kick-starts Jaguars
By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN
Advocate sportswriter
Southern's Breck Ackley willed his second collegiate field-goal try -- a 37-yarder -- through the uprights. He got just enough to muscle in the veering, low kick.
Ackley's performance, with field goals of 20 and 37 yards and three PATs, in Southern's 29-0 win over Mississippi Valley State on Saturday in Jackson, Miss., cemented coach Pete Richardson's decision to use the true freshman on kickoffs and place-kicks.
The Southwestern Athletic Conference named Ackley its Newcomer of the Week on Sunday.
"Even though they weren't the best couple ones, they got through," Richardson said. "That built his confidence up as the game went on."
More than Ackley, Southern's special teams had two players earn weekly SWAC honors. Ezra Landry won the Specialist of the Week award for his 83-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that started the game.
Counting the two Ackley field goals, Landry's return and a safety, Southern's special teams provided 15 points -- more than half the 29-point total.
"When you play on the road, you have to control the tempo," Richardson said. "The special teams, we have to be able to be successful at that aspect.
"In our conference, the special teams is a way to control the games."
The Jaguars' special-teams performance played out in sharp contrast to Valley's disastrous performance.
The Delta Devils botched two snaps on punts, with one of those leading to the safety, and one on a field goal, with the kicker getting smothered. Plus, Kevin Mack burst through the line to snuff out a 30-yard field-goal try in the final two minutes.
Southern junior Colby Miller, the only scholarship kicker (of two) on the team, handled all the kicking chores last season. Saturday, Miller handled punts only and had one of his best days, averaging 37.3 yards on three punts -- better than his 34.3 average last season.
Richardson's special teams had been a trademark while the school won four SWAC titles in the 1990s, but those units had waned in the last three, mediocre seasons.
Field-goal kicking, in particular, had suffered.
While Justin Mattingly was All-SWAC after making 15 of 20 field-goal tries in 1999, the last of three-straight conference crowns, Mattingly went 6-for-12 in 2000. Francisco Villagrana, the only kicker on the team at the time, was 5-for-12 (though his overtime kick did provide a win at Florida A&M). And Miller was 7-for-14 last season.
Two signed recruits never came to campus, and Mattingly even opted against a fall return one season. That hurt the depth at the position.
With a choice, Richardson chose Ackley, a Class 5A All-State honorable mention at LaGrange High in Lake Charles.
"He gets the ball up quicker and higher," Richardson said. "His leg is definitely stronger."
As proof, Ackley sent one kickoff into the end zone for a touchback.
"It was a rare occurrence when we can kick it for a touchback. That's a plus, because when you can do that, you're not worried about the big returns.
"Now, your coverage has an opportunity to get downfield."
What's more, with shaky field-goal kicking the last few seasons, many times Southern opted to go for it on fourth down, instead of trying the kick.
"When you look at our record last year, a lot of that was because of deficiencies on special teams," Richardson said. "We missed close field goals, and it changed the way we did things offensively.
"Anytime you're bogged down offensively but feel pretty secure about at least getting three, that changes the whole way you approach the game once you get down there." kicker (of two) on the team, handled all the kicking chores last season. Saturday, Miller handled punts only and had one of his best days, averaging 37.3 yards on three punts -- better than his 34.3 average last season.
Richardson's special teams had been a trademark while the school won four SWAC titles in the 1990s, but those units had waned in the last three, mediocre seasons.
Field-goal kicking, in particular, had suffered.
While Justin Mattingly was All-SWAC after making 15 of 20 field-goal tries in 1999, the last of three-straight conference crowns, Mattingly went 6-for-12 in 2000. Francisco Villagrana, the only kicker on the team at the time, was 5-for-12 (though his overtime kick did provide a win at Florida A&M). And Miller was 7-for-14 last season.
Two signed recruits never came to campus, and Mattingly even opted against a fall return one season. That hurt the depth at the position.
With a choice, Richardson chose Ackley, a Class 5A All-State honorable mention at LaGrange High in Lake Charles.
"He gets the ball up quicker and higher," Richardson said. "His leg is definitely stronger."
As proof, Ackley sent one kickoff into the end zone for a touchback.
"It was a rare occurrence when we can kick it for a touchback. That's a plus, because when you can do that, you're not worried about the big returns.
"Now, your coverage has an opportunity to get downfield."
What's more, with shaky field-goal kicking the last few seasons, many times Southern opted to go for it on fourth down, instead of trying the kick.
"When you look at our record last year, a lot of that was because of deficiencies on special teams," Richardson said. "We missed close field goals, and it changed the way we did things offensively.
"Anytime you're bogged down offensively but feel pretty secure about at least getting three, that changes the whole way you approach the game once you get down there."
Click here to return to story:
http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/090203/sou_joecol001.shtml
Southern's little guy shines in a big way
By JOE SCHIEFELBEIN
Advocate Sports writer
JACKSON, Miss. -- The smallest guy on the field may end up having the biggest impact on Southern's season.
Ezra Landry, all of 5-foot-4, began the Jaguars' season with an 83-yard kickoff return for a touchdown as Southern pummeled Mississippi Valley State 29-0 Saturday at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
By rights, Landry, the All-Southwestern Athletic Conference kick returner, shouldn't even have touched the football. There was a wall of defenders closing in, and the ball was tumbling just feet from going out of bounds, which would have given the Jaguars the ball at their 35-yard line instead of, if Landry had gotten swarmed, a spot inside their 20.
As offensive coordinator David Oliver said, that was one of those times where coaches scream out, "No, no, no -- oh, yeah, yeah, yeah."
That score, plus two fumble recoveries leading to a touchdown and a field goal, had Southern ahead 17-0 10 minutes into the game. At that point, Valley's offense had all of three snaps.
Landry had been dreaming about and working toward that type of impact play for the two-plus season now. If things go well, the impact may last more than the 60 minutes Saturday night.
Southern is 1-0 for the first time since 1999, and the Jaguars stand an excellent chance of moving to 2-0 for the first time since that season, with Prairie View (0-1) up next at 6 p.m. Saturday at Independence Stadium in Shreveport.
How big is a win in the opener? In the first 10 seasons under Pete Richardson, the difference between winning and losing that first one is steep. After winning the opener, the Jaguars are 50-10, with four 11-win seasons. After losing the opener, the Jaguars are 35-23.
When asked about his dash, Landry talked about all the work in the spring and summer. The workouts with New Orleans-area speed coach Tom Shaw. The afternoons on the track team with Southern coach Johnny Thomas.
When asked about his commanding start, quarterback Quincy Richard talked about all the work. The evenings -- after the voluntary conditioning -- spent throwing with his wideouts. The hours in Oliver's office, watching play after play projected onto the wall and studying hot routes and blitz protections.
There's no accident the players' first thoughts flowed naturally to the workouts and practices and team meetings. That's all they've known since the season ended in December.
And that's why the opener, especially against a team so fired up to play as Valley, is so crucial. A victory reinforces all that work, makes it all worthwhile.
With Saturday's dominant win, Southern didn't follow a great finish to the previous season with a sledgehammer, double-digit loss to start the next one, like has happened the past three seasons.
This time, all the momentum from Southern's 5-1 finish to last season has a chance to carry over to this season.
Nothing beats a taste of success, positive reinforcement. Baseball coach Roger Cador constantly preaches the merits of giving young players a chance to be successful early in their careers. While second baseman Rickie Weeks likely could have still turned out to be the second pick in June's draft, hitting four homers in his first four collegiate games almost instantly convinced him he could play at the collegiate level.
To that end, how about true freshman Jarmaul George, starting at free safety, pouncing on a fumble in his first collegiate play? Time will tell.
Certainly, there's a lot of work to be done. There's a long season left to be played. There will be better, tougher foes. The defense didn't get a stiff challenge from Valley and looked shaky in run defense at times. The offense needs to finish drives better, settling for two field goals and having two interceptions snuff out deep drives. And Richard can still put together a complete game, after forcing some throws as the game went on.
But that work seems just a little bit easier, the season seems just that much more enjoyable after opening with a "W."
THE GOOD: Southern's defense is still the team's biggest question mark. Of the secondary and linebacking corps, four top players (George, cornerback Erin Damond and linebackers Tarus Morgan and Don Expose) had never donned a Jaguars uniform before.
Still, the Jaguars defense recovered two fumbles on Valley's first two drives, and with end Kevin Mack, a transfer from Oregon, smothering a late field-goal try, the Jaguars got their first shutout since October 2001. Other highlights: Senior tackle Jonathan St. Cyr had the first two sacks of his career. Morgan led with seven tackles. And Damond had six.
THE BAD: Southern assistant sports information director Chris Jones handed out the school's first media guide since 1999 in a bittersweet moment before the game. The guide looks sharp, but Saturday was Jones' last at the post. He's moving on to help students with the yearbook.
Jones has been a dependable, first-class asset for sports information director Kevin Manns and the university and will be missed.
The loss of Jones leaves Manns even more short-handed than ever. Manns could probably use two full-time assistants plus someone to handle the school's athletics web page. However, Manns is now being tasked with the Internet duties.
While the big three -- football, basketball and baseball don't hurt for media coverage -- track and field, cross country, volleyball, bowling, softball, golf, tennis and, perhaps after a honeymoon this season for its first-year status, soccer suffer. Manns -- and those other sports -- could use a lot more help.
Click here to return to story:
http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/090103/sou_joecol001.shtml