Southern Football Notes pt2: 2007


Southern Notebook for August 19, 2007

Jaguars? kicking game still has question marks

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN
Advocate sportswriter
Published: Aug 19, 2007 - Page: 9C

Less than two weeks from Southern?s season opener, SU coach Pete Richardson is still looking to find a comfort level when he has to choose between trying for a field goal or going for a first down.

True freshman Josh Duran, a Class 4A All-State selection after making 7 of 10 field-goal tries and 26 of 27 PATs at Eunice High last season, has yet to find a groove.

Meanwhile, sophomore Willie Joseph, a Southern Lab alum who has been stronger and more consistent on field goals in practice, did not dress Saturday because of a hamstring problem.

Southern is replacing its all-time scoring leader, Breck Ackley, who started every game and finished with 271 points.

Ackley was 8 of 13 on field goals and 32 of 35 on PATs last season.

?The concern is the inconsistency,? Richardson said.

At issue could be getting the timing down as the new kickers get used to working with holders Nick Benjamin, a wide receiver who has held the job lately, and Gary Hollimon, a redshirt freshman quarterback.

Richardson said one kicker likes the ball held a certain way and the other kicker takes his ball a different way.

?Part of it is developing confidence,? Richardson said. ?We?re having some conflicts with the holder. We have to get that straightened out. The only way we?re going to do it is more work and under live conditions.?

SU has gone so far as to film the kickers ? and the entire sequence of holders getting the ball from snapper Demarcus Turner ? to analyze the situation.

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All the whining and excuse-making pete's doing, I'm almost sure he'll get it straightened out before the famu game. su usually has a decent kicking game.:lecture:
 
All the whining and excuse-making pete's doing, I'm almost sure he'll get it straightened out before the famu game. su usually has a decent kicking game.:lecture:

I couldn't agree more. He will, but don't sleep on us. :gift::gift::gift::gift::gift:
 



Southern QB Lee ready to lead in third year
su+foot+lee+081907.jpg

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN
Advocate sportswriter
Published: Aug 19, 2007 - Page: 9C

Waiting isn?t such a big deal with Bryant Lee. Maybe that?s because he?s had good people ahead of him.

He soaked up all he could from former Tulane quarterback Nick Cannon and former LSU free safety LaRon Landry, his cousin, while they quarterbacked Hahnville High before he took his turn and went 27-1 and won the 2003 Class 5A title as a starter.

Then he learned what he could at Southern, redshirting in 2005 and backing up J.C. Lewis last season.

?They always say patience is a virtue,? Lee said.
http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/southern/featured/9241726.html?showAll=y&c=y
 
Southern QB Lee ready to lead in third year
su+foot+lee+081907.jpg

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN
Advocate sportswriter
Published: Aug 19, 2007 - Page: 9C

Waiting isn?t such a big deal with Bryant Lee. Maybe that?s because he?s had good people ahead of him.

He soaked up all he could from former Tulane quarterback Nick Cannon and former LSU free safety LaRon Landry, his cousin, while they quarterbacked Hahnville High before he took his turn and went 27-1 and won the 2003 Class 5A title as a starter.

Then he learned what he could at Southern, redshirting in 2005 and backing up J.C. Lewis last season.

?They always say patience is a virtue,? Lee said.
http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/southern/featured/9241726.html?showAll=y&c=y

Good read on Lee. Didn't know he was related to the Landry brothers who are now both in the NFL. I knew they all went to Hahnville.
 
Southern QB Lee ready to lead in third year
su+foot+lee+081907.jpg

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN
Advocate sportswriter
Published: Aug 19, 2007 - Page: 9C

Waiting isn?t such a big deal with Bryant Lee. Maybe that?s because he?s had good people ahead of him.

He soaked up all he could from former Tulane quarterback Nick Cannon and former LSU free safety LaRon Landry, his cousin, while they quarterbacked Hahnville High before he took his turn and went 27-1 and won the 2003 Class 5A title as a starter.

Then he learned what he could at Southern, redshirting in 2005 and backing up J.C. Lewis last season.

?They always say patience is a virtue,? Lee said.
http://www.2theadvocate.com/sports/southern/featured/9241726.html?showAll=y&c=y

I didn't see that article. INTERESTING THOUGH.
 
All the whining and excuse-making pete's doing, I'm almost sure he'll get it straightened out before the famu game. su usually has a decent kicking game.:lecture:

Yeah the kicking will be something to watch this year. Pete went through this in 2003 when Ackley was a Freshman. Ackley had some shaky moments his Fr year. The good thing was we didn't need FGs to win that year with Richard and company putting up record number points. Ackley ended up an 1-AA All American and all time SU scorer. Probably the best kicker we had since Serrano and Leach. I expect some struggles at times with the kicking just because these are new guys stepping in and kicking for the first time in college. At least we have 2 kickers this year and not just one like last season. That makes me feel alot better. Duran just needs to settle in. He should be fine as the season goes on.
 
Yeah the kicking will be something to watch this year. Pete went through this in 2003 when Ackley was a Freshman. Ackley had some shaky moments his Fr year. The good thing was we didn't need FGs to win that year with Richard and company putting up record number points. Ackley ended up an 1-AA All American and all time SU scorer. Probably the best kicker we had since Serrano and Leach. I expect some struggles at times with the kicking just because these are new guys stepping in and kicking for the first time in college. At least we have 2 kickers this year and not just one like last season. That makes me feel alot better. Duran just needs to settle in. He should be fine as the season goes on.

Yeah, I saw him in the All-Star game and he was good. Willie will be fine as well.
 
Southern making plans for opener

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN
Advocate sportswriter
Published: Aug 20, 2007 - Page: 1C

Southern has followed a spring practice session that worked around spring break and seemed to last forever with a preseason camp that keeps going and going and going.

There is still one more practice week of preseason camp ? with two weeks of prep before the Jaguars, 5-6 last season, take on Florida A&M, 7-4 last season, at 2 p.m. Sept. 1 in Birmingham, Ala.

Southern started preseason camp Aug. 2.

?We have to start focusing in on Florida A&M as far as making some evaluations on what we do well on both sides of the ball and start scripting what we?re doing,? said SU coach Pete Richardson, who said installation of schemes is complete.

?It?s a slow process. A lot of them now are fighting fatigue. We?ll have to really hone on the conditioning aspect from here on in, because we only have one practice (per day).?

Southern has firmed its rotation at quarterback, with Bryant Lee, who started the final two games of last season, working at No. 1 and fellow sophomore Warren Matthews at No. 2. Also, the top three linebacker spots are junior Johnathan Malveaux (okie) and sophomores Gary Chapman (drop) and sophomore Allan Baugh (eagle), and cornerback Efe Osawemwenze has held off a challenge from former Florida State transfer Joe Manning at cornerback.

The offensive line is still a work in progress.

Sophomore tackle Allen Buckner (heat) has missed much of camp and hasn?t practiced in more than a week, while redshirt freshman guard Joshua Keelen was pulled last week because of concerns about his academic eligibility. Junior tackle Ruben Oliver, who arrived late because of a summer internship, started practicing Thursday. And on the left side, senior tight end Trent
Thomas has moved to tackle, with junior tackle Rafael Louis kicking inside to guard.

Plus, true freshman Brian Bridges, working at left guard behind Louis, might not be able to practice today unless the school gets word from the NCAA Clearinghouse.

?We want to improve tempo. That means more conditioning, especially up front,? offensive coordinator Mark Orlando said.

The defensive line, which like the linebacking corps has no seniors, is making progress.

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Southern line still a work in progress

By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN
Advocate sportswriter
Published: Aug 21, 2007

The mixing and matching along the Southern offensive line continued Monday.

Junior defensive tackle Frank Harry put on a blue shirt ? denoting an offensive player ? and worked as a guard.

?We moved him over just to get a feel of it,? Richardson said. ?(Today), he may come back on defense. Just enough. He?s one of the ones we?re planning on moving back and forth if it gets down to that, at least to have an idea of what he can do.?

What?s significant is Harry is coming from a unit ? the defensive line ? that doesn?t have much depth either.

As for that defensive line, Harry and true freshman Calvin Cunningham are the only true backup tackles, without moving sophomore Wesley King inside from end. And Monday, Harry was over with the offense, while Cunningham, out with a shoulder injury, didn?t dress.

?It?s going to be a slow process,? Richardson said of Cunningham. ?Hopefully, he won?t have to get operated on.?

Meanwhile, SU finished Monday?s practice with nine offensive linemen, including Harry.

With Harry on offense and Cunningham out, the defensive line has just eight players on the roster.

Both units have been hurt by attrition since the spring.

Who was out along the offensive line Monday?

* Redshirt freshman guard Joshua Keelen may not be eligible and continues to be held out.
* Sophomore center Ramon Chinyoung did not practice as he completed some ?paperwork,? Richardson said. That left sophomore Daniel Stephens, who did not play last season, working as the No. 1 center, with senior Demarcus Stewart sliding over from guard.
* Senior left tackle Trent Thomas, being converted from tight end this camp, had class and could not practice Monday.
* And sophomore tackle Allen Buckner continues to not even come to practice as he deals with heat issues. Monday, Richardson raised the possibility Buckner may not be back this season.

?He?s going to be out,? Richardson said. ?It?s a situation we have to deal with. I?ll know in the next few days.?

At least true freshman guard Brian Bridges, who has yet to be OK?d by the NCAA Clearinghouse, continued to practice. As it was, he wasn?t expected to go Monday, and he could be pulled soon, pending the paperwork.

WR Roberts should be fine
Junior wide receiver Del Roberts suffered the only injury from Saturday?s 71-play scrimmage, but the injury is just a bruise, Richardson said.

Roberts ran a few routes Monday and showed no ill effects.

?He probably could have went, but we?ll hold him out for the next two or three days,? Richardson said. ?They may have his pads on (today). It wasn?t as severe as it looked. He?s running about three-quarters.?

Roberts was second on the team in catches (28) and yards (260) and had one touchdown last season. He also returned 10 punts for 70 yards.

Two other veteran receivers also did not practice Monday.

Senior WR Gerard Landry will have oral surgery today, while senior WR A.J. Turner (pull) remains out.

?We want to give those (Turner and Roberts) off the next couple days and bring them back slow, get them back to full tilt and get the timing down with the quarterbacks,? Richardson said.

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Pete needs to keep Frank at Defense. He better try and go find about 2 or 3 transfers. lol
 
I don't know why Pete is throwing that smoke screen out like he is. Must be trying to fool FAM or something.

Our third game of the year is circled in red on a calendar. :emlaugh: :saw: Can't wait for us to be 2-0 going into the Southern game. :tup:
 
I don't know why Pete is throwing that smoke screen out like he is. Must be trying to fool FAM or something.

Our third game of the year is circled in red on a calendar. :emlaugh: :saw: Can't wait for us to be 2-0 going into the Southern game. :tup:

Aint no smoke screen P. We depleted, I thought you knew. We'll be lucky to survive the first 2 games before the mighty PV storms the bluff.:read:
 
I know Jab BR is gone get mad but I have to say it. What made the 70's,80's and 90's teams so great is they had strong OL and DL and depth. That's how Gram returned in the late nighties and that's how Pete co ruled the 90's. with JSU. AAMU and BAMMA South more recently.

Southern used to rotate guys in and out on the lines and wear people down.

With thin Lines on both the OL and DL you will wear down in the second half which will allow teams to come back on you. That was not so just a few years ago. No smack just the truth.

Ask Valley and PV. Depth will hurt you this season.
 
Aint no smoke screen P. We depleted, I thought you knew. We'll be lucky to survive the first 2 games before the mighty PV storms the bluff.:read:

Nah. Y'all ain't that damned depleted. Pete's doing what coach USED to do. Throw a smoke screen out there and play dead. :dead: lol We know what's <b>really</b> going on JR. We're getting our 411 STRAIGHT from the horses mouth that attends practice(s). :swink:

I swear the SWAC doesn't know what we're about to unleash. :smh: Here's a quick 'excerpt' lol from our "beat writer." :rolleyes: I think he's very objective and he's never seen PV before. :read:

Friday's practice also afforded me my first look at Prairie View's kickers and punters.


When I last checked the depth chart, freshmen Kyle Matthews and Brady Faggard were legging it out for the placekicking and punting duties. However, another candidate entered the picture Friday.


Freshman Pedro Ventura, <font color=red>a Westfield product,</font> showcased a strong leg on kickoffs and punts. <font color=red>He also connected on a 47-yard field goal at the end of practice</font> that elicited a thunderous round of applause from his teammates.


I later learned that the 6-0, 175-pound Ventura had won the punting job, and was battling Faggard for the placekicking job.


"Pedro's good," Frazier said. "To me, it seems like he's kicking the ball off the deepest; he's hitting them to the one-yard line, the three-yard line and to the endzone. Everything is inside the 5 (yard-line) with Pedro's kickoffs."


Not to be completely outdone, <font color=red>Faggard made a 42-yard field goal with plenty of distance during practice. He currently has a slight edge on Ventura in the placekicking competition.</font>


"(Faggard) has been the most consistent (kicker) to me, as far as field goals," Frazier said. "Right now, (the battle) is between Brady and Pedro. Kyle is sort of taking a step back a little bit."


Faggard doesn't have much room for error. If Ventura keeps performing at his current rate, he'll end up handling punts, kickoffs and field goals.


"It's like Brady has no conscious; he's confident," Frazier said. "I'm going to always play the best guys, and if he does both (kicking and punting) better than everyone else, then I'll let him do both. However, if we had to play this weekend, Pedro would be the punter and kick-off guy, and Brady would be the placekicker."

If you know anything about texas HS football, which is quite superior when compared to the rest :swink:, you'd know that all 3 young men came from very powerful programs. :read: We're not playing this fall.
 
I know Jab BR is gone get mad but I have to say it. What made the 70's,80's and 90's teams so great is they had strong OL and DL and depth. That's how Gram returned in the late nighties and that's how Pete co ruled the 90's. with JSU. AAMU and BAMMA South more recently.

Southern used to rotate guys in and out on the lines and wear people down.

With thin Lines on both the OL and DL you will wear down in the second half which will allow teams to come back on you. That was not so just a few years ago. No smack just the truth.

Ask Valley and PV. Depth will hurt you this season.

This is true. :tup: We're 2.5 deep in the OL and DL and very interchangeable from what I saw. :read:
 



I know Jab BR is gone get mad but I have to say it. What made the 70's,80's and 90's teams so great is they had strong OL and DL and depth. That's how Gram returned in the late nighties and that's how Pete co ruled the 90's. with JSU. AAMU and BAMMA South more recently.

Southern used to rotate guys in and out on the lines and wear people down.

With thin Lines on both the OL and DL you will wear down in the second half which will allow teams to come back on you. That was not so just a few years ago. No smack just the truth.

Ask Valley and PV. Depth will hurt you this season.


Well from reading most coaches statements across the SWAC, alot of folks are thin in the trenches. Even FAMU who we play. I don't know what happened to recruiting the big uglies and keeping them eligible. Pete's OL and DL back in the day used to be some of our best students. I can remember many of them being recognized for their academic achievement. Yep, we did rotate lines in and out we ran the ball first and then passed. We started having OL trouble in the 2000s when we got pass happy. Even in 03 and 04 we had some line issues not as much as recently but some none the less. Richard and Ricks were just so damn athletic and both would release the ball so quick. Hell Ricks ran for 800 yards in 04 and threw for 2500 in route to MVP status. But no one mentioned how the OL was not the same. The DL has not been dominate since 99 time frame. OL and DL is why we lose to other 1-AA teams. The SWAC has great skill players but we lack in the trenches. Folks laughed at us for losing to SD State by a touchdown. The one thing I noticed about that game is that we never put any pressure on that QB. He had all day. SD OL was superior to most in the SWAC that year. They get those big OL from the Midwest that can play. Folks don't realize alot the other 1-AA programs and some D-II programs are the big boys in their small states and get quality guys in the trenches. Then you have coaching, which is another topic.

When the SWAC ran the ball more, we had tremendous OL and DL play.
 
Well from reading most coaches statements across the SWAC, alot of folks are thin in the trenches. Even FAMU who we play. I don't know what happened to recruiting the big uglies and keeping them eligible. Pete's OL and DL back in the day used to be some of our best students. I can remember many of them being recognized for their academic achievement. Yep, we did rotate lines in and out we ran the ball first and then passed. We started having OL trouble in the 2000s when we got pass happy. Even in 03 and 04 we had some line issues not as much as recently but some none the less. Richard and Ricks were just so damn athletic and both would release the ball so quick. Hell Ricks ran for 800 yards in 04 and threw for 2500 in route to MVP status. But no one mentioned how the OL was not the same. The DL has not been dominate since 99 time frame. OL and DL is why we lose to other 1-AA teams. The SWAC has great skill players but we lack in the trenches. Folks laughed at us for losing to SD State by a touchdown. The one thing I noticed about that game is that we never put any pressure on that QB. He had all day. SD OL was superior to most in the SWAC that year. They get those big OL from the Midwest that can play. Folks don't realize alot the other 1-AA programs and some D-II programs are the big boys in their small states and get quality guys in the trenches. Then you have coaching, which is another topic.

When the SWAC ran the ball more, we had tremendous OL and DL play.

Go ahead and say it JR they get those corn fed pink toes who live to block.
I think our speed on the Ends will hurt Delta state and be the difference on the Defensive side of the ball. One thing we do have this year is depth on the lines. Now how fundamentally sound are they?
 
... I don't know what happened to recruiting the big uglies and keeping them eligible. ... When the SWAC ran the ball more, we had tremendous OL and DL play.

Maybe all the big guys rather be in the studio trying to get put in their homies Gangsta rap videos or something.(lol). Seriously though, we were a much better conference when our emphasis was on how well we "played in the ditches" (Thanks Marino Casem). Football is blocking and tackling! Teams that do that well normally win most of their games. But we've gone away from that.

I knew an offensive lineman that played on our 11-1 team during Spears 2nd year. I asked him why didn't we run more, that it would improve our hitting. He said that they rarely hit in practice...most of the time was spent going over passing plays so that Bruce and the receivers could get their timing down. That philosophy hurts a football team... I used to tell people that the Miami Dolpins would never be good defensively as long as Dan Marino was the qb... having a pass oriented offense seems (in my opinion) to transform you to a finesse team.
 
Maybe all the big guys rather be in the studio trying to get put in their homies Gangsta rap videos or something.(lol). Seriously though, we were a much better conference when our emphasis was on how well we "played in the ditches" (Thanks Marino Casem). Football is blocking and tackling! Teams that do that well normally win most of their games. But we've gone away from that.

I knew an offensive lineman that played on our 11-1 team during Spears 2nd year. I asked him why didn't we run more, that it would improve our hitting. He said that they rarely hit in practice...most of the time was spent going over passing plays so that Bruce and the receivers could get their timing down. That philosophy hurts a football team... I used to tell people that the Miami Dolpins would never be good defensively as long as Dan Marino was the qb... having a pass oriented offense seems (in my opinion) to transform you to a finesse team.

That last statement is a mouthful. That's my main concern about JSU's squad. I hope we won't become a pass-happy squad. It's fun to watch, but it can wear the defense down.
Incorporating our tightends will help us become more physical and help control the flow of the game to OUR liking, not throwing bombs every other play.

But you're right mb, most great passing teams usually don't have a hard-hitting defense. That's why it's vitally important to have balance in both the running and passing game. This helps compliment the defense.
 
I know Jab BR is gone get mad but I have to say it. What made the 70's,80's and 90's teams so great is they had strong OL and DL and depth. That's how Gram returned in the late nighties and that's how Pete co ruled the 90's. with JSU. AAMU and BAMMA South more recently.

Southern used to rotate guys in and out on the lines and wear people down.

With thin Lines on both the OL and DL you will wear down in the second half which will allow teams to come back on you. That was not so just a few years ago. No smack just the truth.

Ask Valley and PV. Depth will hurt you this season.
Uh it's Jag-BR to you and I could careless what you have to say about us because you always saying something about us so it's nothing new.
 
Uh it's Jag-BR to you and I could careless what you have to say about us because you always saying something about us so it's nothing new.

Hey Jag Br I left your thread alone for 4 days and came in and commented about the SWAC as a whole. I say something about all the teams. You are trying to play a guy two ways in D1 football. That will work at receiver and cornerbacks, shoot even punt returnes, but on the OL/DL it will hurt.

That's all. Like I said if you don't want us to post keep it in the private form. You post it for us to read or all to read. :D
 
Beans, I really feel for any JSU fan that starts that chant in Mumford. If they got their arse kicked then you would say we were wrong. I never disrespect anywhere we go to play. We win, I leave. JSU fans act like SU fans have done something to them in Jackson. Outside of normal isht talking and bringing a large crowd. Why is it imperative that you say Go Home? Hell the worse I have seen SU on the road is at FAMU when them fools ran on to the field. LOL. But hey if yall feel brave enough to chant that isht. Go right ahead. JR will say a prayer that some old lady don't whoop you like one almost did GR.:swink:
 
Hey JR we owe you for saying it during the bell years.:lmao::lmao:

I summize that we will beat you from sheer talent and depth this year. The only way you win is you pull some of those 90's tactics out the closet.:devil2:
 
JR will say a prayer that some old lady don't whoop you like one almost did GR.:swink:

Hey, I dont mind getting whooped on by some old lady. Just as long as she dont go outside and cut my brake lines afterwards. I mean, it would be a sad day after my team drags you all up and down the field, for me to get into a fight and have my brake lines cut by the same assailant.
 
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