The Jaguars join the Sun Belt conference this year in what will be their first season in FBS play. The program has enjoyed success since entering the FCS in 2009, posting a 23-4 record over that span. Expectations are too high this year, however, as they lost their only two games against FBS opponents last season (NC State and Kent State). Be sure to follow the odds and get expert picks on the Jaguars this season with Football Free Picks.
Former All-SEC Alabama wide receiver Joey Jones is the head coach of the Jaguars. He has done a solid job in preparing the program as they get ready for the season. It will likely take a few years before they can play for a bowl game though. South Alabama has 15 starters returning, but they could be at the bottom of the barrel in the Sun Belt. With that being said, they should be able to hold their own against the weaker teams in the conference.
Offense
Sophomore quarterback C.J. Bennett will continue to be the starting quarterback. In 10 starts against FCS opponents, he threw for just 1,650 yards with 7 touchdowns to 17 interceptions. Bennett figures to struggle against even better competition now that the team will play full-time in the FBS in 2012.
South Alabama should have no issues at running back with a pair of talented sophomores returning to the backfield. Kendall Houston and Demetre Bakers combined last season for 1,049 yards and 17 touchdowns and the duo should be effective again this year.
The Jaguars are quite thin at wide receiver, which is why they will likely rely heavily on the running game. They do bring back their top two threats from last year in Bryant Lavender and Corey Waldon, but neither player was that impressive last season.
The offensive line is really the huge question mark for this offense as they have just two starters coming back from last year. They do add highly touted Alabama transfer Darius McKellar to start at left guard, but they will be very inexperienced at the two tackle spots. With the team facing even tougher competition, this unit will struggle to produce at the level needed to win games.
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Defense
South Alabama regressed a bit on defense last year, allowing 21.7 points per game after allowing just 13.0 point per game in 2010. That number could get even worse this season as the Jags will be playing against more talented offenses.
The Jaguars really struggled stopping the run last year, which is to be expected as they played against better teams for the most part. They allowed opposing offenses an average of 141 yards/game after giving up only 81 yards/game in 2010. The only positive thing you can spin from last year’s defensive debacle was that they were able to hold their own against NC State and Kent State, limiting them to 104 yards and 93 yards respectively.
South Alabama has a lot of experience returning at linebacker. Senior middle linebacker Jake Johnson is the player to keep an eye on as he led the team with 83 tackles last year. They also get back starting strong-side linebacker Clifton Crews and weak-side linebacker Enrique Williams.
South Alabama will feature one of the top safeties in the entire conference in B.J. Scott. Also coming back is strong safety Charles Harris, whose return could form quite a combo in the defensive backfield. Junior college transfer Darrius Morrow is a solid player who will step in and start right away.
Sun Belt Prediction – 10th Place
Until proven otherwise, this team still belongs in the basement in their first season in the Sun Belt. The offensive and defensive lines are major concerns heading into the season, which is a good indicator that a team is going to end up on the wrong side of the scoreboard.
Jack Jones is a handicapper and writer for Betfirms.com. You can visit there now to read even more about South Alabama’s upcoming season.