South Alabama just became an FBS football program in 2012. The Jaguars went 2-11 that year. South Alabama was a dominant FCS program, but the transition to FBS started rocky, as one would expect. It hasn\u2019t taken long though. <\/p>\n
The Jaguars went 6-6 last year, and looked like the second or third best team in the league at the end of last year.<\/p>\n
\nSouth Alabama<\/h3>\n
Sun Belt Conference 2014-2015 College Football Preview- South Alabama Jaguars<\/strong>
\nHead Coach: Joey Jones<\/strong>
\n2013 Record: 6-6<\/strong>
\nSouth Alabama Gambling Odds to win the Sun Belt: +450<\/strong>
\nSeason Gambling Win Total Odds: <\/strong>7.5
\n [dfads params=’groups=63740&limit=1&return_javascript=0′]<\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\nSouth Alabama has much higher expectations this season. Joey Jones has proven himself to be an excellent coach, and he knows this team has an opportunity in the Sun Belt Conference. Last year, the Jaguars went out of conference and beat a good Tulane team on the road.<\/p>\n
\nCLICK to GRAB OUR BEST Expert Sports & Football Picks for 2014 GAMBLING!<\/strong><\/a><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n
They also played to a 31-24 loss at Tennessee. Let\u2019s take a look at this year\u2019s squad.<\/p>\n
Team Strengths:<\/h3>\n
South Alabama has a great group of wide receivers. I can say without any doubt that this is the best group of receivers in the Sun Belt. Alabama transfer Marvin Shinn should be a star in this league.<\/p>\n
He dominated on the scout team last year. Shavarez Smith and Wes Saxton both caught 50 passes each last year, so the Jaguars were good last year and they should be even better at this position in 2014.<\/p>\n
The Jaguars offensive front was good last season, and they\u2019ll be even better this year. Both offensive tackles from this line were first-team All Sun Belt last year.<\/p>\n
They are both back for this season. Having great offensive tackles is a huge plus. There is a lot of size and depth in this unit.<\/p>\n
The strength of the defense is the secondary. South Alabama will be able to throw a lot of different guys into the safety spots, and they have two solid cover corners.
\n[soliloquy id=”82219″]
\nThis is an experienced group with plenty of athleticism.<\/p>\nTeam Weaknesses:<\/h3>\n
The Jaguars are really going to miss Ross Metheny at the quarterback spot. Metheny did a great job last year of both running it and throwing it effectively. No one on this roster will be able to put up the kind of numbers that Metheny did.<\/p>\n
There are a lot of possibilities here, but I don\u2019t think any of them are going to be a great answer.<\/p>\n
The defensive front seven is a real concern for South Alabama. They lost some of their best run stuffers, and they allowed 4.3 yards per carry a year ago. I expect that number to go up this year.<\/p>\n
Enrique Williams was the leader of this defense both from a tackling standpoint and from a motivational standpoint. Without him, the linebackers will take a big step backward.<\/p>\n
2014-2015 South Alabama Jaguars Prediction: 7-6<\/h3>\n
South Alabama will be a little better than a year ago, but there are some key question marks surrounding this 2014 Jaguars team. The quarterback spot should be an issue, and that\u2019s a tough one to overlook.<\/p>\n
In addition, if you can\u2019t stop the run, it\u2019s going to be hard to be beat a team like Louisiana Lafayette or even some of their non-conference foes. A slight improvement, but nothing major.<\/p>\n
2014 Jaguars\u00a0Schedule<\/h3>\n
\n
- 9\/6\/14 2:00 PM ET @KENT<\/li>\n
- 9\/13\/14 2:00 PM ET MSST<\/li>\n
- 9\/20\/14 TBD GASO<\/li>\n
- 9\/27\/14 TBD @IDHO<\/li>\n
- 10\/4\/14 TBD @APP<\/li>\n
- 10\/18\/14 TBD GSU<\/li>\n
- 10\/24\/14 TBD TROY<\/li>\n
- 11\/1\/14 TBD @ULL<\/li>\n
- 11\/8\/14 TBD @ARST<\/li>\n
- 11\/15\/14 TBD TXST<\/li>\n
- 11\/22\/14 TBD @SOCAR<\/li>\n
- 11\/28\/14 TBD NAVY<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n