Jaguar Notes:

[bluedog]

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Phillips, secondary learning together

They will all learn together. Names. Technique. How to play as a unit. The whole ball of wax.
Everybody in Southern University's secondary will share in that task. Even new secondary coach Jack Phillips, hired little more than a week ago.

"First, I've got to learn defenses. Then, I'll remember names," Phillips said. "I'm starting to get the hang of who certain guys are."

This, then, is ground zero, these practice fields on, so far, surprisingly gentle August mornings. Technique drills. Then one-on-ones. Then pass skeletons. Then team-on-team, all going against a better, more veteran bunch of Jaguars wide receivers.

The most experienced defensive back SU has is senior strong safety Darwon Hammond, but even Hammond has yet to go through a season as a full starter.

Read the story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/080705/sou_phillips001.shtml)

[bluedog]

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Jaguars' Joseph back for more

Junior Joseph had been through media/picture day here before. Same broiling sun. Looking crisp and clean in his Southern University football jersey. No. 5.
The thing is, though, he didn't expect last year's media day to be the last time he'd put on the full uniform until Sunday.

Joseph, a junior who had transferred from LSU in the spring of 2004, found out days before Southern's '04 season opener he was not academically eligible.

"I thought I was ready to go," Joseph said. "It was a shock to me. I had gone through camp. I didn't think that was going to happen."
Read the story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/080805/sou_joseph001.shtml)

[bluedog]

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Sykes fills need on SU defense

It's hard to look at Joe Sykes and think there's a big brother. Sykes, a defensive end at Southern University, is an impressive 6-foot-4, 275 pounds. But his older brother, Terrance, goes 6-6 and around 300, starring as a left tackle at Louisiana Tech before playing in the NFL.
So big brother -- for size, for experience, for age before beauty -- gets the nod.

When Joe had barely learned to crawl, it was big bother who gave him his name, shortening Tremaine to Joe because it was easier for a toddler to say.

And when Joe needed advice about where to transfer after playing one season at West Virginia, Terrance was the one who helped give him advice as Joe talked to his family about his options.
Read the story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/080905/sou_sykes001.shtml)

[mikebigg]

Blue,

Looks like Pete is loading up with some talent. These transfers have been there for Spring training so they should be acclimated to the system and ready to contribute. Should be a battle royal in Nawlins this year!

[bluedog]

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Southern looking to Barrow to give depth at quarterback

The next pass Southern University senior quarterback Gerard Barrow completes in a college game will be his first.
That's where SU's quarterback depth is right now.

And though the Jaguars got through the last two seasons with one main quarterback going on to Southwestern Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors each year, depth is a huge concern this season.

"You have to really have two to feel like you've got one," offensive coordinator David Oliver said. "Especially after the 2002 season, we've really stressed making sure we've got guys developed and ready to go."

Read the story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/081005/sou_barrow001.shtml)

[bluedog]

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Southern's Collins working hard for dream

Jacoby Collins has a lot of work to do before he ever steps on a college football field again.
But the remaining journey won't be anything compared to the road Collins has traveled just to get this close to his dream.

Collins is about to finish his first week as a member of the Southern University football team, and that in itself is a major victory for the former Opelousas High star.

The 6-foot-6, 349-pound Collins last played a game in 2001 when he was a senior at Opelousas. Since then, academic problems, including a botched attempt at earning his high school graduation equivalency, have prevented him from lacing up his cleats.

Now, 84 pounds heavier than his high school playing weight but down 19 pounds when his return/comeback began, Collins is back.

Or at least on his way.

Read the story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/081105/sou_collins001.shtml)

[bluedog]

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Jaguars cornerback Williams believing patience will pay off

Southern University cornerback Michael Williams used his time well on the practice field, the film room and the weight room even as he redshirted as a freshman last season.
These days, Williams is poised to be the starting left cornerback for this season and then possibly the next three.

"You can see the experience in him," SU coach Pete Richardson said. "He's a different type of player.

"We were fortunate not to have to (rush him) last year."

What Southern got from not pushing Williams into the fray too fast is a far better player.

There's a stronger frame, up 15 to 20 pounds of muscle from a year ago at this time. And there's an air of confidence.

Read the story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/081205/sou_williams001.shtml)

[bluedog]

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Three TEs key to SU offense in '05

Southern University is turning to three engineering majors as key building blocks in its offense this season.
Junior Brian Washington, sophomore Trent Thomas and redshirt freshman Evan Alexander give SU the most depth and versatility at tight end the team has had under offensive coordinator David Oliver.

Himself a former Division II All-American tight end at Northern Colorado and tight ends coach at Tulane, Oliver has expanded the role -- with former guard Dedrick Shelmire becoming a mainstay, mostly unsung hero -- in the previous three seasons.

Read the story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/081305/sou_su001.shtml)

[bobcatfan06]

How about one link to the homepage instead of 5,000 individual links to the same website, different page??

[JMU2004]

its the SWAC style

[bluedog]

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Heat takes toll on SU players at scrimmage

As the temperature soared, with the heat reflecting off the stands and the track in A.W. Mumford Stadium, the number of plays for what was to be an abbreviated scrimmage kept going up as well.
The intensity and the competition rose accordingly as well Saturday.

"The humidity took its toll," SU coach Pete Richardson said. "We went a lot of plays. I wanted a chance to see some of those younger kids get in there and find out who can fight through it."

Earlier in the week, Richardson had said the scrimmage would last 50 to 60 plays. But he estimated, after practice, the Jaguars went 80, although that toll could be higher.

That script of plays got coupled with a series of periods on the practice fields outside the stadium and then special teams work once the Jaguars got inside Mumford Stadium.

Read the story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/081405/sou_heat001.shtml)

[bluedog]

its the SWAC style


Correction, it's bluedogs style. ;)

[bluedog]

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Southern linebacker Brooks stepping into leadership role

The Southern University football team is, in essence, replacing two quarterbacks this season.
There is sophomore quarterback J.C. Lewis, who has been given command of the offense and is trying to replace back-to-back Southwestern Athletic Conference offensive players of the year.

And then there is junior D.J. Brooks, who steps in at eagle linebacker, where two-time All-SWAC selection Tarus Morgan led the team in tackles the last two seasons.

Because he's trying to become the glue for a defense that is entirely retooled, Brooks likely has the bigger challenge.

"I'm constantly putting the pressure on him," new defensive coordinator Terrence Graves said. "The eagle linebacker, in this defense, and the safeties are really the guys who get the pressure from the coaches, because they have to take charge. They have to be the heart and soul of what we do."

While Morgan had 109 tackles last season (the most since Kenya Rounds had 117 in 1994), Brooks, a nonqualifier who did not play or practice in 2003, had four tackles in five games. Used mostly on special teams, Brooks started playing more at linebacker later in the season.

Now, the defense's success or failure may rest on how Brooks responds.

"In the spring, he did an outstanding job of stepping forward, and he's had some good practices," SU head coach Pete Richardson said. "We expect him to step into that linebacker's spot. He's going to call the defenses. He understands it. Now, it's just a matter of him getting comfortable at that spot."

The challenge for Brooks increases when you consider, of the three linebackers and three defensive backs in SU's 4-3 scheme, only senior strong safety Darwon Hammond has started.

Read the story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/081505/sou_brooks001.shtml)

[bluedog]

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Southern backfield strong on versatility

Handicapping the field in the Southern University running back derby is murky stuff.The top returning rusher from last season, power back Steel Adams, has been sidelined by a hamstring injury and had offseason shoulder surgery.
The top returning rusher from last season, power back Steel Adams, has been sidelined by a hamstring injury and had offseason shoulder surgery.

And even if Adams was full go, that doesn't mean he'd be the featured back.

With SU deep and fluid at the position, who knows if any of the six will be the one and only?

"They're all interchangeable," fourth-year offensive coordinator David Oliver said. "Certain personnel groupings, certain down and distance, certain plays, we may have a different running back in there. We certainly wouldn't hesitate to use any of them on a game-to-game situation. But by the same token, if we've got a guy with a hot hand, we're certainly going to stick with him.

"I think we're versatile and creative enough on offense that we can use them all."

Oliver likes having options, and he has his pick among the six: Adams, a senior in his second season after transferring from Southern Miss; junior Jamaal Huff, a former walk-on quarterback who had season-ending knee surgery last season; junior Bobby Rose, a former University of Louisiana at Lafayette signee; sophomores Devin Herbert and Larry Nicholls and true freshman Mario Wiley.

"There's a whole lot of competition at the position," Oliver said. "If we had that kind of competition at every position on offense, we'd be a darn good football team, because those guys raise the level of each other."

That depth is already making a play after a week and a half of preseason practice

Read the story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/081605/sou_backfield001.shtml)

[bluedog]

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Southern's Overstreet to line up at slot WR

When Southern's coaching staff decided to move all-conference wide receiver James Vernon to the outside, that meant somebody had to go inside to the slot.
That meant Antonio Overstreet, who's put together like a truck, and was the natural choice for an inside receiver.

"I'm really more of an inside person," Overstreet said. "I can make some big blocks on linebackers. That's what they have me inside for. And I'm a good playmaker. I'm not scared to compete with the linebackers. He has me in the middle because he knows I can make plays in the middle and I can be tough."

Read the story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/081705/sou_southern001.shtml)

[bluedog]

Schiefelbein: Study hall time for young SU football team

By JOE SCHIEFELBEIN
[email protected]
Advocate sportswriter

Shhhh! Don't disturb the football players.
That Southern University's football team sometimes uses the library for team meetings is appropriate for this group. After all, this preseason camp is as close to a study hall in pads as they come.

What's made this a no-frills camp?

There's a lot of young players. There's a lack of colorful characters, or at least noisemakers. There's the way this camp is stretched out, with 2‰ weeks before school starts, then two more weeks of afternoon practices still to come. And there's the heat.

Senior center Brandon Jones said this camp has been the toughest since he first got here in 2001, when SU had two-a-days every day.

The guy you'd expect might make the most noise is standout wide receiver James Vernon. But instead of jawing with defensive backs in drills, Vernon is often seen talking over the game with his counterparts.
Read the story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/081805/sou_joe001.shtml)

[bluedog]

Geralds reunited with Richardson, Jaguars as coach

In some form or another, Pete Richardson has been part of David Geralds' coaching career almost from the start.
So when a chance arrived to both come home and reunite with Richardson last spring, Geralds couldn't help but feel like the football gods were looking out for him.

"Coach Richardson was the first man I worked for when I got into the business and we've spent a lot of years coaching with each other and against each other," said Geralds, Southern University's first-year defensive line coach. "With him, there's a lot to look up to. He has great knowledge of the game and he's a great person to learn from."

Geralds ought to know. One look at his coaching resume reveals the threads back and forth between him and Richardson.

After Geralds' seven-year professional playing career ended in 1984, he spent several years in private business. Eventually, though, the craving to get back into the game grew too strong.

Read the story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/081805/sou_su001.shtml)

[bluedog]

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Schiefelbein: Jaguars kicker Ackley earns leadership role

Rare is the kicker who is also a football team's leader. But that's how Southern University junior Breck Ackley finds himself these days.
"He's earned the respect of our football team," SU coach Pete Richardson said of Ackley, who is one of the players who will lead the team in a post-practice prayer or breakdown.

"They know he's able to do his job, and now it's just a matter of him elevating, showing that leadership we have to have."

The preseason All-Southwestern Athletic Conference second-team selection said his ascent as an emotional center for the team is much like his rise in the school's career scoring ledger -- just something that's happened over time.

Ackley said he and punter Colby Miller, a senior, realized early on how many veterans had moved on as this season began.

Read the story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/081905/sou_joe001.shtml)

[bluedog]

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Expectations high for SU offensive line

Back in the spring, Southern University offensive line coach Gary Smith was happy to scratch up five guys to even make a line.
These days, with injured veterans back and newcomers on the roster, he's got 14 under his wing.

He couldn't be happier. Or, at times, testier.

"We need to make sure we are always playing and practicing at a high intensity level," said Smith, who barked at his unit in a lengthy post-practice dressing-down session Friday. "We have to make sure every day we walk on that field, we can walk off knowing we got better mentally and physically."

The stakes for his unit are high, and Smith takes every moment he can to make sure his charges know that.

With a new, virtually untested sophomore quarterback to protect, a black college All-American left tackle to replace and, to a large extent, an entire team to carry on all those burly shoulders, the pressure is squarely on this line to produce.

Read the story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/082005/sou_su001.shtml)

[bluedog]

Richardson praises unit's skill players

Southern's defense began Saturday whooping, hollering and singing. But that was before a scrimmage unfolded to show how far that unit has to go.
The school's veteran offense, even with three running backs out and new quarterbacks at the helm, looked crisp, efficient and well-rounded in exposing an all-new defense at A.W. Mumford Stadium.

"Offensively, we were able to move the football," SU head coach Pete Richardson said. "The experience there, especially at the skill positions, is starting to show."

Quarterbacks J.C. Lewis and Gerard Barrow, who have never started a game for Southern, commanded the offense well.

Lewis, a sophomore who is the team's No. 1 quarterback, connected with eight different receivers and finished 16-for-23 for 243 yards and four touchdowns in unofficial statistics. Barrow, a senior who is a former Northwestern State transfer, went 13-for-21 for 102 yards and one touchdown.

"(J.C.) has had a great camp, and you can't overlook the job Gerard Barrow's done in camp," offensive coordinator David Oliver said. "He's played some great football. Both of them are starter quality. It's been an extremely tough decision.

Read the story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/082105/sou_suoffense001.shtml)

[bluedog]

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Injuries taking toll on Southern defensive line

There are the makings of a good defensive line at Southern University, sure enough. But so far, getting all the parts together has proven difficult.
Read the story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/082205/sou_trying001.shtml)

[bluedog]

Schiefelbein:
Maturity has SU's Vernon in high esteem

James Vernon is one of those guys who show you what's good about college football.
There's the elusiveness to the Southern University wide receiver that is so natural and makes him so exciting to watch.

"Things come so easy to him," SU head coach Pete Richardson said. "He's just so above the rest of them, it's unreal."

Then, even better, there's the maturity to the senior that can only come with time. That element -- the part that doesn't come so easily -- has made him into an engaging person and an even better teammate.

The hometown hero has made this leap from boy to man with the ease and quickness in which he slips by defenders. All before our eyes.

"The four years came and went quickly," said Vernon, who just a short time ago was The Advocate's Offensive MVP for Classes 5A-4A-3A in 2001 for Glen Oaks High. "That's life. It means you're getting older, more mature. It's reality time. You have your life obstacles to go through now, so I'm just preparing myself."

Read the story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/082305/sou_joe001.shtml)

[bluedog]

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Advocate staff photo by Mark Saltz
Southern quarterback J.C. Lewis (12) uis 13-for-21 for 57 yards and a touchdown in his career.

Jaguars call on new quarterback


By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN
[email protected]
Advocate sportswriter



Once more, the time has come to introduce a new Southern University quarterback, the school's seemingly annual rite of fall. Meet sophomore J.C. Lewis.
Wouldn't it be nice to have the same guy back next year, too? Especially if you could return a Southwestern Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year just once?

"Will that be a luxury?" fourth-year offensive coordinator David Oliver smiled.

Oliver turned Quincy Richard, in 2003, and Thomas Ricks, last season, into SWAC headliners despite neither of the two having much experience.

Richard threw for a school-record 3,430 yards and 33 touchdowns. Ricks, in one less game and with a new group of wideouts, threw for 2,786 yards and 24 TDs, ran for 694 yards and another nine TDs and even caught a 55-yard touchdown pass.
Read the story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/evergreen/foo_suqb001.shtml)

[bluedog]

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Southern votes four seniors captains for football season

Brandon Jones came to Southern as a walk-on. Rene Gettridge and Lunda Wells began as nonqualifiers. And James Vernon arrived as a touted recruit who was nevertheless logjammed behind veterans.
Now, all four seniors are team captains.

The four were elected by a vote of the team Monday night, with SU coach Pete Richardson announcing the choices after practice Tuesday afternoon.

"Those were some wise choices," Richardson said. "They've been around, been through the process.

"It's their football team, so they have to take charge, show that leadership, and I think they've already exemplified that to this point."

Vernon and Wells are preseason All-Southwestern Athletic Conference first-team selections, while Jones made the second team. All three are from the Baton Rouge area, with Vernon from Glen Oaks, Wells from Baker High and Jones from McKinley.

Read the story (Southern votes four seniors captains for football season)

[bluedog]

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Southern receivers ready to be leaders

The numbers, in terms or experience returning for the next season, show the volcanic progression of the Southern University wide receivers.

2003: 365 yards and five touchdowns, all by James Vernon. That was 10.5 percent of the receiving yardage which came back for last season.

2004: 2,235 yards and 22 TDs, by eight different receivers. That's 76.2 percent of the receiving yardage which returns this season.
When SU coach Pete Richardson talks about a learning curve, this one jumps off the chart.

Read the story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/082705/sou_su001.shtml)

[bluedog]

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Lewis likes role reversal at SU Fan Day

J.C. Lewis never got a chance to finish his bowl of ice cream.
Too many pictures to pose for. Too many autographs to sign -- on posters, on footballs, on mini-footballs, whatever.

"I was busy. I had to use my hands," Lewis said of the bowl, which got put aside when the crowds started gathering around him.

The two previous seasons, the Southern University quarterback had skated through Fan Day without much fanfare.

This time, though, the sophomore is SU's No. 1 quarterback.

"It's definitely a different experience," said Lewis in between signing autographs. "Last year, (Thomas) Ricks went through it and he was all excited. Going through it now, I can see why."

Read the story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/082805/sou_lewis001.shtml)

[bluedog]

Every week a challenge for Southern

The football coachspeak about taking one game at a time may never be more appropriate.
The ripples and the depth of the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina will affect the Southern University football team throughout the season.

"Every week is going to be challenging just to see if we can even have a game," SU coach Pete Richardson said.

The Jaguars' season opener Saturday at McNeese State was canceled Tuesday.

Now, with the school's F.G. Clark Activity Center being used as a shelter for refugees and hotels in Baton Rouge and across the South being used by evacuees, the logistical challenge of trying to stage a football season is being evaluated on a week-by-week basis.

The biggest challenge to the entire season -- staging Bayou Classic XXXII -- is yet to come. The game is scheduled for Nov. 26 in the Superdome in New Orleans.

Read the story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/090105/sou_su001.shtml)

[bluedog]

Jaguars finish 'long week'

There are helicopters, on their way to nearby Metro Airport, whirring over all day.
Linebacker Leo Barthelemy hasn't been at practice. Instead he's been with his family, who evacuated from Port Sulphur, a town which is choked by floodwaters, to Arkansas.

Other teammates have yet to hear from family members who were in storm-affected areas from Louisiana to Mississippi.

There are evacuees in both the F.G. Clark Center and Seymour Gym, which flank the football facilities and hold equipment.

And nine men in lawn chairs -- a far cry from the 17,000-plus that would have been expected at McNeese State's Cowboy Stadium on Saturday night -- watch Southern University's football team go through its paces Saturday morning.

"It's been a long week. A long week," Southern coach Pete Richardson said.

Read the story (http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/090405/sou_jags001.shtml)