Hey everyone I wanted to let you know that Jack Hopkins, formerly of bobcat report has a new show on the as-yet-revealed podcast network.
So think of this show as a sister podcast on which you will hear lots of college football goodness.
LINK
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Showing posts with label South Alabama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label South Alabama. Show all posts
Monday, September 3, 2012
Saturday, September 1, 2012
First Half Update: 20-14 Runners!
It was a slow start to say the least. It looked like U of South Alabama had the Runners on their heels with the up-tempo no-huddle. The UTSA offense didn't look like it was ready for Season 2 either. The Jags went up 7-0 after getting a nice catch on a streak route over Starling. Then, before UTSA could recover, they quickly got the score on a run up the middle.
It looked like the Jags were going to get their second touchdown until Tristan Wade picked off a Bennett pass in the back of the endzone. That sparked the offense and led to the 58-yard pass-and-catch from Soza to Kam Jones.
On the ensuing kick-off Tristan Wade made another big play by forcing the fumble. UTSA then drove and scored on a Soza pass to Hicks.
After trading punts, the Jags snuck in a TD right before the end of the half.
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It looked like the Jags were going to get their second touchdown until Tristan Wade picked off a Bennett pass in the back of the endzone. That sparked the offense and led to the 58-yard pass-and-catch from Soza to Kam Jones.
On the ensuing kick-off Tristan Wade made another big play by forcing the fumble. UTSA then drove and scored on a Soza pass to Hicks.
After trading punts, the Jags snuck in a TD right before the end of the half.
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Labels:
2012,
first half,
season opener,
South Alabama,
USA
Sunday, August 26, 2012
Isaac and South Alabama
Both teams have an open date on Oct. 6 and the game could be rescheduled then, but that is considered the final possibility by South Alabama officials. Making such a move would forced the Jaguars to play all 13 of their games in 13 consecutive weeks, meaning they would not have an open date during the longest season in the program's history.
//Al.com//
I have a feeling -- this is just me talking here -- that the game will be moved to Monday. It puts the most time in between the storm hitting and the game without having to stick the Jags with a tough schedule. This is of course assuming that the storm won't cause catastrophic damage.
The game really is the least concerning thing to many who live in the area and will have to deal with some major issues in the coming week. Hope everything comes out okay.
We'll still attempt to have the watching party whenever the game is held. Follow the twitters and the forums for more, people.
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Labels:
2012,
pre season,
South Alabama
Monday, March 19, 2012
Remembering Chris Johnson
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Picture via Eric Christian Smith (SA Express News) |
I'd be lying if I said I didn't see it coming. While Chris has endless talent, he has always struggled to maintain a clean rap sheet and academic eligibility. Just as major programs started to move in and attempt to steal Johnson from Coker following a monster senior year for the East Central running back (1,587 yards and 16 touchdowns in just nine games), he was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia and dismissed from the team.The Hornets went on to fail to score against Brandeis in the following week, leading to an early playoff exit for his squad.
Suitors backed off, and Johnson was essentially stuck with UTSA. Despite the young star's fall from grace, Coach Coker stuck with the explosive tailback, even after Johnson initially failed to qualify at UTSA. During his Miami days, Coker was often criticized for his overabundance of faith in his players. Never one to shy from giving a second chance, Coker watched many of his former Hurricanes fail to clean up their act, leaving a stain on the program.
Maybe that's what happened with Chris. I don't want to let speculation run wild, but I know Johnson was close to a couple of other athletes that left the team this year. A negative influence? It's tough to say without being in the locker room (and I hate when writers do this) but it's certain that his suspension at the end of the past season set a poor example for his peers.
Chris was a kid that I really wanted to see succeed-- how great of a story would that have been? Big time recruit takes chance on small-time hometown program, falls from grace, coach sticks with him, works hard in community college to gain eligibility, works his way in to the starting 11 and leads his hometown team to victory.
Unfortunately for every storybook ending in college football, there are a dozen more kids that slip through the cracks and suffer ill fates, or simply fail to realize an iota of their potential. Johnson was hands-down the most overpowering high school athlete I ever had the pleasure of seeing in person. With a stout frame and shifty, explosive footwork, Johnson regularly made 5A competition look like JV defenders.
At his best, Johnson was a threat to score every single time he touched the ball. He could do it by plowing over a middle linebacker on a dive or by twirling around cornerbacks and safeties on the outside. Johnson really was the complete package physically and athletically, but time and time again we are reminded that it takes mental preparedness and ethical make-up to play Division I football.
I hope that Chris elects to stay in school and finish his degree, whether it be at UTSA or elsewhere. As he said last winter, "God showed me that as quick as He can give me the world, He can take it away. I think I needed to see that before I took the next step. I really have learned from my mistakes".
Tidbits:
Picture via Thao Nguyen (Dallas News) |
The Charlie Reeve hire is official, per goutsa.com. Charlie's sons are named Bear and Ryder, y'all.
As all of our astute readers are aware, the Roadrunners will meet South Alabama in their first game of the 2012 season. The two teams were equally matched in 2011, sparring their way through two overtimes.
One of my favorite college football writers, Bill Connelly of Football Outsiders and SB Nation, chose South Alabama as his first team to preview for the 2012 season.
The Jaguars have actually seen a lot of change this offseason, as they will be moving to a spread offense following the firing of former offensive coordinator Greg Gregory. Picking up the flag is Robert Matthews, a guy that I'm quite frankly scared of. He's young (34), innovative, and served under Mike Gundy at Oklahoma State and Larry Fedora at Southern Miss, two fantastic offenses. Matthews is going to depend heavily on incumbent quarterback C.J. Bennett as the Jaguars aim to develop their passing game in the spread formation. I wasn't quite impressed with Bennett last season, but he was playing as a true freshman. He certainly has a high ceiling, so if Matthews can coach him up then we could be facing a gunslinger in Mobile on August 30th.
Most intriguing to me is that South Alabama seems to be abandoning their power game, led by stud running backs Demetre Baker and Kendall Houston. Considering the Jaguar offensive line will return only two starters from last year, perhaps it is a smart move.
The key for the Roadrunner defense will be to apply pressure on the inexperienced offensive line and entice Bennett to throw up some ducks as he did frequently in the Alamodome last year.
Be sure to follow the link to Connelly's preview above. It is quite extensive. Actually, check out Football Outsiders for more of Connelly's work. Don't be shocked when you realize you just spent two hours reading articles though.
Labels:
charlie reeve,
Chris Johnson,
kemon wright,
recruiting,
South Alabama
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Episode 9: Stephen Garcia Is Wasted
via sportingcitadel.com |
In this week's episode, News, Wac Roundup, TCU mention, USA recap, UC-Davis preview and other fun stuff.
Enjoy!
Labels:
podcast,
South Alabama,
UC-Davis
Sunday, October 9, 2011
"The Block"
As @RowdyTalk mentioned on Twitter as I was drafting this post, this play will be known as such until something even worse happens to usurp its namesake. While our program is still taking its baby steps, we have already developed a bitter moment of infamy. After a very strong showing against a solid South Alabama opponent, the Roadrunner marched down the field as regulation time dwindled, setting up a chip-shot of a field goal with mere seconds left on the clock. As South Alabama attempted to ice Sean Ianno, my blood pressure mounted to near-death levels. Damn Chachos' nachos, man. Even though the kick was practically a PAT, I think everyone in the Dome had a small sense of dread in their hearts as Jesse Medrano snapped the ball to Seth Grubb. The Jaguars' defensive line put a very strong push on UTSA's offensive line, freeing up Clifton Crews and Gabe Loper to take a couple of steps up on the line and leap to, well...
From the stands, it seemed that the blocking was to blame for the block. And it was. But closer inspection will reveal that Sean Ianno had a huge part in allowing this season-defining kick to be blocked. Notice the way the ball bounces back behind the line of scrimmage after it is blocked. The ball goes directly south, indicating that Crews' and Loper's hand(s?) were completely above the football. This post would have a completely different tone had South Alabama barely graced the ball, sending it off course. Instead, the trajectory of the block shows us that Ianno's kick was inexcusably low-- destined to be blocked.
It would be foolish to pin all of the blame on Ianno. This was without a doubt a complete failure of the entire field goal unit. First off, notice how quickly South Alabama comes off the snap. It's tough to have an honest shot at containing the surge when you're getting beat off the ball. With the clock stopped, UTSA should have employed multiple phantom hikes or a silent count in order to prevent USA blowing them off the line. Instead, you can hear Grubb verbalize the snap count after he looks back at Ianno. This is just making it too easy for South Alabama.
Secondly, UTSA's offensive line got stood the eff up. Watch the video a couple of times while keying on the blue helmets. Draw a line on your monitor from where the helmets start and where they end. While blocking on a field goal attempt, you want your line to stay as low as possible in order to force the defensive line to keep their hands down. Rather, the UTSA offensive line attempted to block USA while standing up. Combined with USA's ferocious acceleration off the line, the offensive line really stood no chance. They were blown back off the ball, allowing USA's secondary to come in closer to the hold, lowering their necessary height to be able to get a hand on the ball. That's simple geometry.
Finally, Ianno has to put more loft under this kick. It really shouldn't even be a question on such a short kick where kicking power is at a minimum demand. Would the kick still had been blocked if Ianno had elevated it two feet higher? I can't tell you, but I can tell you that it would have been a hell of a lot harder on the Jaguars.
From the stands, it seemed that the blocking was to blame for the block. And it was. But closer inspection will reveal that Sean Ianno had a huge part in allowing this season-defining kick to be blocked. Notice the way the ball bounces back behind the line of scrimmage after it is blocked. The ball goes directly south, indicating that Crews' and Loper's hand(s?) were completely above the football. This post would have a completely different tone had South Alabama barely graced the ball, sending it off course. Instead, the trajectory of the block shows us that Ianno's kick was inexcusably low-- destined to be blocked.
It would be foolish to pin all of the blame on Ianno. This was without a doubt a complete failure of the entire field goal unit. First off, notice how quickly South Alabama comes off the snap. It's tough to have an honest shot at containing the surge when you're getting beat off the ball. With the clock stopped, UTSA should have employed multiple phantom hikes or a silent count in order to prevent USA blowing them off the line. Instead, you can hear Grubb verbalize the snap count after he looks back at Ianno. This is just making it too easy for South Alabama.
Secondly, UTSA's offensive line got stood the eff up. Watch the video a couple of times while keying on the blue helmets. Draw a line on your monitor from where the helmets start and where they end. While blocking on a field goal attempt, you want your line to stay as low as possible in order to force the defensive line to keep their hands down. Rather, the UTSA offensive line attempted to block USA while standing up. Combined with USA's ferocious acceleration off the line, the offensive line really stood no chance. They were blown back off the ball, allowing USA's secondary to come in closer to the hold, lowering their necessary height to be able to get a hand on the ball. That's simple geometry.
Finally, Ianno has to put more loft under this kick. It really shouldn't even be a question on such a short kick where kicking power is at a minimum demand. Would the kick still had been blocked if Ianno had elevated it two feet higher? I can't tell you, but I can tell you that it would have been a hell of a lot harder on the Jaguars.
Labels:
Pythagorean theorem,
sean ianno,
seth grubb,
South Alabama,
The block
Rambling Review: South Alabama 30 UTSA 27
Well.
That was a gut punch if there ever was one. Yet another welcome to the Big Show. I was ready to be content with the game. It was ugly and tough. The offense returned to the option with great success-- that may be overstating it. Soza and company didn’t put up Georgia Tech numbers but they did control the ball and manufacture long drives.
Three drives were at 12, 13, and 19 plays. There was only one three and out. One drive had the makings of a long one until Soza missed handled the snap and put is back at the three. Soza fumbled on first and ten from the one, the ball lazily drifting towards the sideline where Okatcha scooped it up to save us from disaster. At this point, I would have been content to go with a couple of dives and a punt. Instead, Bush called a dive and quarterback draw on 3rd and 7 from the 4 yard line. Or was it? I really couldn’t tell. Eric either did an amazing job of selling the pass or he found a lane when he saw no one was open. Either way that was exactly what we hoped Soza would be just two plays after we were screaming at him for being what we hoped he wouldn’t be.
And so it went. Three plays forward and a fumble to take us back. Section 143 (and others, according to tweets) had their energy sucked from them after the earlier 13 play, 70 yard-drive that ended with another Soza fumble at the 4 yard line.
Two drives can sum up the game. Twice we got into scoring position in the second half and twice didn’t get a point: the Soza fumble at the four and the blocked game winner at the last second.
The defense played amazingly well until the last quarter and overtime. USA found some success on powers and off tackle runs that eventually won them the game. Their last four runs went for 12, 12, 1(TD) and 25 (TD). Their 4th quarter drives were stopped because of sacks and incompletions. They were getting 4.15 yards a pop in the fourth and 7.18 in 4th plus OT.
For the first three quarters we were able to get into the backfield (Lekenwic Haynes had one hell of a stop in the first quarter) and cause CJ Bennett to throw terrible passes one of which was intercepted. You know, typical stuff from the Hard Hat Defense.
Speaking of Lekenwic, he had some good plays in the run game but nearly was beat over the top. Thankfully CJ Bennet is a freshman and couldn’t hit #8 Brian Lavender on a streak.
Kam in the Wild Runner is deadly. Unfortunately he had one ill-advised throw that could have been picked off. Instead it resulted in a pass interference call. Still ....
We need to do a better job running between the tackles. The speed option had some nice results but we need something up the middle to keep them honest. Glasco (@glascoII) took some responsibility but I don’t know if it was an individual problem. We may not have the attitude to do it. South Alabama obviously was devoted to it and it paid off in the second half. We did hit on the overtime pass to Kam Jones. That worked beautifully and was a direct answer to the Jaguars’ aggressiveness in defending the option.
Our pass defense was bailed out by facing a poor quarterback again. Eric Brown looked solid but was beat on a couple of plays, Darrien Starling had a big hit that got the stadium hyped but later got beat bad on an out route. I’m okay with allowing a catch but not being within four yards of the guy? Sheesh.
Random:
Erik Brown looks shifty and solid in pass defense.
Morgan had a nice catch on third and six. He ran a seam route against the zone and made a nice grab to keep the drive alive.
That was a gut punch if there ever was one. Yet another welcome to the Big Show. I was ready to be content with the game. It was ugly and tough. The offense returned to the option with great success-- that may be overstating it. Soza and company didn’t put up Georgia Tech numbers but they did control the ball and manufacture long drives.
Three drives were at 12, 13, and 19 plays. There was only one three and out. One drive had the makings of a long one until Soza missed handled the snap and put is back at the three. Soza fumbled on first and ten from the one, the ball lazily drifting towards the sideline where Okatcha scooped it up to save us from disaster. At this point, I would have been content to go with a couple of dives and a punt. Instead, Bush called a dive and quarterback draw on 3rd and 7 from the 4 yard line. Or was it? I really couldn’t tell. Eric either did an amazing job of selling the pass or he found a lane when he saw no one was open. Either way that was exactly what we hoped Soza would be just two plays after we were screaming at him for being what we hoped he wouldn’t be.
And so it went. Three plays forward and a fumble to take us back. Section 143 (and others, according to tweets) had their energy sucked from them after the earlier 13 play, 70 yard-drive that ended with another Soza fumble at the 4 yard line.
Two drives can sum up the game. Twice we got into scoring position in the second half and twice didn’t get a point: the Soza fumble at the four and the blocked game winner at the last second.
The defense played amazingly well until the last quarter and overtime. USA found some success on powers and off tackle runs that eventually won them the game. Their last four runs went for 12, 12, 1(TD) and 25 (TD). Their 4th quarter drives were stopped because of sacks and incompletions. They were getting 4.15 yards a pop in the fourth and 7.18 in 4th plus OT.
For the first three quarters we were able to get into the backfield (Lekenwic Haynes had one hell of a stop in the first quarter) and cause CJ Bennett to throw terrible passes one of which was intercepted. You know, typical stuff from the Hard Hat Defense.
Speaking of Lekenwic, he had some good plays in the run game but nearly was beat over the top. Thankfully CJ Bennet is a freshman and couldn’t hit #8 Brian Lavender on a streak.
Kam in the Wild Runner is deadly. Unfortunately he had one ill-advised throw that could have been picked off. Instead it resulted in a pass interference call. Still ....
We need to do a better job running between the tackles. The speed option had some nice results but we need something up the middle to keep them honest. Glasco (@glascoII) took some responsibility but I don’t know if it was an individual problem. We may not have the attitude to do it. South Alabama obviously was devoted to it and it paid off in the second half. We did hit on the overtime pass to Kam Jones. That worked beautifully and was a direct answer to the Jaguars’ aggressiveness in defending the option.
Our pass defense was bailed out by facing a poor quarterback again. Eric Brown looked solid but was beat on a couple of plays, Darrien Starling had a big hit that got the stadium hyped but later got beat bad on an out route. I’m okay with allowing a catch but not being within four yards of the guy? Sheesh.
Random:
Erik Brown looks shifty and solid in pass defense.
Morgan had a nice catch on third and six. He ran a seam route against the zone and made a nice grab to keep the drive alive.
Labels:
Game Recap,
South Alabama
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Morning Reading: South Alabama Gameday
Techa Tech people infiltrate the Aggie's midnight yell.
1. Red River Rivalry
Biggest game today is the Red River Rivalry. Brush up on it so you sound knowledgeable amongst your friends.
2. contribute@cokerchronicles.com
I'm sure some of you have wondered how you can get in on this whole writing thing without firing up a blogger account or shelling out some cash on the wordpress.com site. I have your answer: contribute something here. Email me and I'll give you the details, yo.
3.twiiter.com/elconvo
The revolution will be twittered. The site is not yet up but we have some good stuff in the queue for the start of basketball. For now, follow the twitter handle. Let me know if you would like to contribute to this site also. Email me and I'll give you the details.
4. Lekenwic Haynes Profile
He played special teams at Mississippi so everyone is thinking he will be able to do the same. Unfortunately, that is all. Mauricio Sanchez has the starting spot and tossed in twelve or so tackles last week. Even if the guy behind you look more like a player than you do, it is all about performance. Right now Lekenwic is still trying to catch up on something like seven weeks of football on the fly. Don't be surprised if doesn't crack the starting lineup until the last week of the season.
5. Depth Chartin'
Labels:
Football,
gameday,
South Alabama
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Episode 8: Mid Season Review
In this week's episode, we review the Sam Houston trip Jared took, take stock of the team at mid-season, and preview U of South Alabama.
We recorded part two Wednesday night and it is now up.
Enjoy!
Part 1 Download
Part 2 Download
Labels:
Football,
Game Preview,
Game Recap,
podcast,
Sam Houston State,
South Alabama,
UTSA
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
South Alabama Jaguars Preview
After falling just a few plays short of upsetting a strong Sam Houston State team (now ranked at #11), UTSA will host their first ever home game against a D1 opponent. Following a bye week last week, the South Alabama Jaguars will travel to San Antonio carrying a 2-2 record, with wins against West Alabama and Lamar and losses to FBS opponents North Carolina State and Kent State. While both teams sit in the dark of the proverbial FBS cellar (neither team have defeated an FBS opponent yet this year) USA should be heavily commended for playing both of these schools very tightly. South Alabama traded turnovers with NC St. until the end of the third quarter when the Wolfpack began to separate from the pack (ha-ha-ha). Kent State jumped out to a 33 point lead against the Jaguars whom would rally to bring the final score to 33-25 after a couple of squandered opportunities for South Alabama to send the game into overtime.
For those unfamiliar, South Alabama is a future FBS start up program. The team formed in 2009, but did not gain NCAA recognition as a varsity football program until 2010. This means that the team was able to play together for a year without losing a year of eligibility. USA will join the Sunbelt in a provisional role as a scheduling partner next year, then gain bowl eligibility in 2013. South Alabama has drawn a lot of attention since its inception by racking up a 17-0 record in the program’s first two years. While the bulk of these wins came against military academies and sub D1 programs, USA enjoyed notable wins against Southland Conference member Nicholls State, fellow D1 start-ups Lamar and Georgia State, and a thriller against UC Davis that was decided by a shanked field goal as the clock expired. The Jaguars were able to extend their winning streak in 2011 with home wins against West Alabama and Lamar before beginning their killer slate of two back to back FBS games.
Forewarning: USA is still undefeated against FCS opponents.
Brief aside: they totally jacked our “Still Undefeated” shirt.
As a rule of thumb, South Alabama is a team that plays with a lot of confidence and swagger. Whether this holds up during the program’s first ever losing streak remains to be seen. They hit hard, fight for every yard, and are well coached. Much akin to UTSA’s squad, the South Alabama roster is loaded with talent and flaws-- Guys that are great players but lacking in one facet, whether it is sheer speed, girth, height, or academics.
Starting in the trenches, the Jaguars' athleticsm among their big men impressed me. While their offensive line weighs in at a sub-280 lb. average, they compensate with footwork and assistance from their neighboring blockers. The Jaguars love to pull blockers on tosses and off tackle runs so Smith and Neill will need to be sure that they maintain their inner half on the line of scrimmage and clamp down on releasing blockers. USA’s offensive line does a great job of clearing out holes for their backs to jump through, providing ample space for their two feature backs to work their magic. If UTSA is able to seal up these patches up front as they did against Sam Houston State then South Alabama will be forced to drastically alter their run-first game plan. USA shifted into a five receiver set at times during their game against NC St., I would look for them to duplicate this on Saturday against UTSA's big and nasty defensive front four. Despite USA’s three senior starters on the offensive line(and three Texans), I feel confident that UTSA’s defensive line will be able to crash in and make some noise when South Alabama attempts to pass after watching North Carolina St. bull rush their way into USA’s QB C.J. Bennett’s face at will .
Cause for optimism: USA is averaging two sacks allowed per game, with 1.5 sacks per game of their own. UTSA is allowing 1.8 on average and getting to the quarterback 2.8 times per game.
On the defensive side of the line South Alabama features a lot of speed and shiftiness. The guy that caught my eye was Romelle Jones, a 6’2, 275 lb. sophomore nose tackle. Jones has great feet and does an absolutely terrific job of using his hands to generate separation from offensive lineman, thereby putting himself in good position to roam the back field. Romelle (3.5 TFL, 2 sacks) may be the best pure pass rusher UTSA has faced thus far into the season. He’s also a “leisure studies” major. Ahhh, the elusive major where porn counts as research! Flanking Jones in USA’s 3-4 base set are defensive ends Motavious Williams and Alex Page. Page and William are both undersized, coming in at 6’1, 235 lbs. and 6’2, 265 lbs., respectively. Andy Dalgleish and Randon Carnathan also see significant playing time on the line. While South Alabam’s line is small, they can cause some serious damage if you don’t latch on to them and keep your feet moving, as evidenced by their six sacks and 10 quarterback hurries on the season.
USA’s defense won’t just stay in a 3-4 look. In the couple of hours of film I watched on them, I noticed a traditional 4-3, a 4-2 nickel package, and a 4-1 dime set. Leading tackler is middle linebacker and Virginia Tech transfer Jake Johnson. Johnson is a high motor, lateral linebacker that manages to track down running backs twice as fast as himself. All roads lead through #42 if UTSA wants to get anything going on offense.
One flaw that stuck out to me while watching South Alabama’s game against North Carolina State was USA’s inability to cover the flats on wheel routes and screens; interestingly enough, this is an area that UTSA has struggled to exploit, as you probably realized after watching Tevin Williams drop two wide-open screen passes or CheRod Simpson forgetting to turn around and look for the ball after releasing for a pass against Sam Houston State.
Offensively, there’s no doubting that the Jaguars want to run the ball as much as possible, using a mixture of sweeps and tosses on the outside and a power game between the tackles. They’ll pull the ball back and throw up a play action pass from time to time, gaining an average of 189 yards through the air.
Caveat: starting quarterback C.J. Bennet (RS Freshman) has eight interceptions on the year in contrast to only three touchdowns.
A bit of a far cry from what we’re watching Robert Griffin III do up at Baylor this year, to say the least. In fact, I can’t help but feel the quarterback position is an area of major concern for the Jaguars. Bennet goes on tears where he’ll fire off multiple pin-point passes, then systematically throw up a lame duck into coverage. If UTSA stuffs up the run and Bennet continues his two picks-per-game trend then the Roadrunners will be set up for a win.
Where South Alabama is going to rake their points in is on the back of tailback Kendall Houston. Houston is a stud back that tends to require a hard lick or multiple defenders to bring him down. While Houston is not crazy fast and isn’t going to generate his own touchdown runs, he does a fantastic job of following blocks after they have developed, displaying a sense of maturity much higher than what one would expect from a redshirt freshman. If you give Houston a decent gap at the line of scrimmage then you’re practically guaranteed a minimum of five yards.
Splitting carries with Kendall is Demetre Baker, another redshirt freshman that transferred from Georgia this spring. Baker is another great running back that is a bit more of a slasher than Houston. Baker has good closing speed and a long stride that makes him tough to arm tackle.
All in all, South Alabama is eerily similar to UTSA-- A scrappy, young team with plenty of room to grow into a good FBS team in a few years. Taking UTSA's struggling offense into account, this game is as close to a toss-up as could be in my book, but I’ll give the Roadrunners the edge thanks to home field advantage. Final score: 24-21 UTSA.
Oddities: Earon Holmes has been nominated UTSA's starting wide receiver after his return to the team from shoulder injury last week.
Labels:
Football,
Sam Houston State,
South Alabama,
USA
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