Huskers vs Jaguars: An Early look at South Alabama

It seems that every season the Huskers always have a team on the schedule that is less attractive than others, one that usually guarantees a victory for the Big RED. Now sometimes there is a scare in there and the opponent is tougher than we imagined or perhaps the Huskers were not as good as we had hoped. This is the second part of Husker Corner’s series, taking a post-spring look at Nebraska’s 2015 opponents. On the schedule for September 12th is the South Alabama Jaguars.

Dec 20, 2014; Montgomery, AL, USA; South Alabama Jaguars head coach Joey Jones prior to the game against the game against the Bowling Green Falcons at Cramton Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Marvin Gentry-USA TODAY Sports

Like our first opponent on the 2015 schedule, BYU, this will be the first ever meeting between South Alabama and the Huskers. South Alabama is led by head coach Joey Jones. Jones is the only head coach South Alabama has had since they started their football program for the 2008 season. Jones’ overall record at South Alabama is 37-28. The 2014 season showed promise for a much improved team and after going 6-6 in the regular season, earning their first ever bowl appearance.

This was the fastest that a new football subdivision team has reached post season play. The Jags were awarded for their efforts by attending the inaugural Raycom Camellia Bowl. The Jags took the lead over Bowling Green with 1:20 left to play, but the bowl game did not turn out like they had hoped; with 1:04 left to play, Bowling Green threw a 78-yard touchdown pass sealing the loss for the Jags in their first ever bowl game.

Nov 22, 2014; Columbia, SC, USA; South Alabama Jaguars head coach Joey Jones directs his team against the South Carolina Gamecocks in the second half at Williams-Brice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

South Alabama lost many key players to graduation after the 2014 season, but quarterback Cody Clements is returning and is poised to be the starter for the Jags. Clements threw for 2,227 yards last season but did not participate in their spring game due to his recovery from surgery. This gave way for the back-ups to get some much needed playing time which will be helpful if Clements is injured during the season.

The running back for the Jags graduated and the backup with the most playing time and yardage is then red-shirt freshman, Xavier Johnson. He rushed the ball 81 times for 438 yards and 1 TD. The Jags also lost their leading receiver leaving only one other receiver with at least 20 catches. Danny Woodson II caught 30 passes for 382 yards and 4 TD’s.

On the defensive side of the ball, the D-line is the most concerning with only 1 returning starter in Jimmy Gipson III. Gipson only started the last 4 games of the season but played in all of them. He posted 28 tackles with 6.5 of those as losses, which also included 3 quarterback sacks.

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With the lack of experience at the key positions on the team, it appears the Huskers will have no problem defeating the Jaguars. More than likely, Mike Riley and the Huskers will not be looking past this team and will prepare sufficiently, but for the fans we can probably count this as a victory. Or can we? Remember the old proverb, “you should never count your chickens before they are hatched.” Mike Riley could be on the next plane out of town should the Huskers lose this one. I think I will be counting the chickens now, as the Huskers will win this game, easy! Go Big Red!