2011 South Alabama Jaguars football team
Encyclopedia
The 2011 South Alabama Jaguars football team represented the University of South Alabama
in the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season
. This was the third season in program's history. They were led by head coach Joey Jones and played their home games at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. This was their last season as an FCS independent before joining the Sun Belt Conference
of the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2012. They finished the season 6–4.
of the Gulf South Conference
. The meeting was the first all-time against the Tigers. This was South Alabama's first televised game on local station WJTC
and ESPN3.
South Alabama defeated West Alabama 21-10 on Thursday night in the season opener for both teams, improving to 18-0 since starting its football program in 2009. Before the game, starting running backs Kendall Houston and Demetre Baker, as well as wide receiver Corey Besteda and freshman linebacker Desmond LaVelle, were suspended for the first 2 quarters of the game for violating team rules.
Kendall Houston scored two touchdowns on runs of 2 and 10 yards in the second half for the Jaguars, who broke a 7-7 halftime tie. The Jaguars rushed for 205 yards but quarterback C.J. Bennett threw three interceptions. Gary Johnston led the Tigers with 72 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted twice and sacked twice. Trailing 13-7, West Alabama cut the lead to 13-10 on a 22-yard field goal by Ryne Smith with 10:58 remaining. Houston’s second touchdown with 8:13 left put the game out of reach.
in Raleigh, North Carolina
. South Alabama kept things competitive into the third quarter of its 35-13 loss to North Carolina State before allowing the Wolfpack’s Mike Glennon to throw a career-high four touchdown passes. Demetre Baker had an 8-yard scoring run and Jordan Means kicked two field goals, including a school-record 46-yarder, for the Jaguars. C.J. Bennett finished 17 of 32 for 182 yards with two interceptions and Kendall Houston rushed for 117 yards.
University of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama is a public, doctoral-level university in Mobile, Alabama, USA. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. No other areas of the state were willing to support such a...
in the 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season
2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season
The 2011 NCAA Division I FCS football season, part of college football in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association at the Division I Football Championship Subdivision level, began on September 1, 2011 and will conclude with the National Championship Game of the...
. This was the third season in program's history. They were led by head coach Joey Jones and played their home games at Ladd-Peebles Stadium. This was their last season as an FCS independent before joining the Sun Belt Conference
Sun Belt Conference
The Sun Belt Conference is a college athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Its football teams participate in the Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , the higher of two levels of Division I football competition . The Sun Belt has member institutions...
of the Football Bowl Subdivision in 2012. They finished the season 6–4.
Schedule
West Alabama
The Jaguars opened the 2011 season at home against the West Alabama TigersWest Alabama Tigers
The University of West Alabama currently features 13 sports teams. Men's soccer will become the 14th sport in the fall of 2012. Both the male and female athletic teams are called the West Alabama Tigers. Eleven of the thirteen teams participate in the NCAA's Division II as a member of the Gulf...
of the Gulf South Conference
Gulf South Conference
The Gulf South Conference is a College Athletic Conference which operates in the southeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division II.-History:...
. The meeting was the first all-time against the Tigers. This was South Alabama's first televised game on local station WJTC
WJTC
WJTC is an independent television station in Mobile, Alabama and Pensacola, Florida and is owned by Newport Television, LLC, which also owns WPMI in Mobile. WJTC's transmitter is located in Robertsdale, Alabama.-History:...
and ESPN3.
South Alabama defeated West Alabama 21-10 on Thursday night in the season opener for both teams, improving to 18-0 since starting its football program in 2009. Before the game, starting running backs Kendall Houston and Demetre Baker, as well as wide receiver Corey Besteda and freshman linebacker Desmond LaVelle, were suspended for the first 2 quarters of the game for violating team rules.
Kendall Houston scored two touchdowns on runs of 2 and 10 yards in the second half for the Jaguars, who broke a 7-7 halftime tie. The Jaguars rushed for 205 yards but quarterback C.J. Bennett threw three interceptions. Gary Johnston led the Tigers with 72 yards and a touchdown, but was intercepted twice and sacked twice. Trailing 13-7, West Alabama cut the lead to 13-10 on a 22-yard field goal by Ryne Smith with 10:58 remaining. Houston’s second touchdown with 8:13 left put the game out of reach.
Lamar
C.J. Bennett threw two touchdown passes as South Alabama defeated Lamar 30-8. Lamar was held to three first downs and 64 yards on offense in the first half as South Alabama scored three times in the second quarter for a 20-0 halftime lead. Bennett passed 10 yards to Corey Waldon in the second quarter and 10 yards to Jereme Jones in the third as the Jaguars built a 27-2 lead. Bennett completed 9 of 14 passes for 144 yards. The Jaguars have beaten Lamar by a combined score of 56-8 in their past two meetings.North Carolina State
South suffered its first lost in program history when the Jaguars fell 35-13 to NC State2011 NC State Wolfpack football team
The 2011 NC State Wolfpack football team represents North Carolina State University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wolfpack will be led by fifth year head coach Tom O'Brien and will play their home games at Carter–Finley Stadium. They are members of the Atlantic Division of...
in Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh, North Carolina
Raleigh is the capital and the second largest city in the state of North Carolina as well as the seat of Wake County. Raleigh is known as the "City of Oaks" for its many oak trees. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city's 2010 population was 403,892, over an area of , making Raleigh...
. South Alabama kept things competitive into the third quarter of its 35-13 loss to North Carolina State before allowing the Wolfpack’s Mike Glennon to throw a career-high four touchdown passes. Demetre Baker had an 8-yard scoring run and Jordan Means kicked two field goals, including a school-record 46-yarder, for the Jaguars. C.J. Bennett finished 17 of 32 for 182 yards with two interceptions and Kendall Houston rushed for 117 yards.
Kent State
South Alabama suffered its second loss in the season and second loss in program history, falling short of Kent State 25-33. The Golden Flashes led the Jaguars 26-0 going into halftime. In the second half, after a quick score by Kent State to go up 33-0, South Alabama's offense clicked on and scored 25 unanswered points. The Jaguars had the ball with less then a minute left in the game but came up short. Game ended 33-25. C.J. Bennett ended the game with 281 yards in the air with 1 TD pass and 3 interceptions. Bryant Lavender was Bennett's favorite target, getting 5 receptions for a total of 97 yards. Demetre Baker had 10 rushes for 28 yards and 2 TDs. Kendall Houston ended the game with only 23 yards on 11 rushes.UTSA
Demetre Baker ran for 87 yards and two touchdowns, including the game winner in double overtime, to lift South Alabama to a 30-27 victory over Texas-San Antonio in South's first overtime game. Kendall Houston finished with 72 yards rushing and a touchdown for the Jaguars. C.J. Bennett finished 11 of 17 passing, throwing for one touchdown score.UT-Martin
Georgia State
Henderson State
Mississippi Valley State
Cal Poly
Season Notes
- January 19, 2011 - South Alabama received four transfers from several Football Bowl Subdivision teams. On this day, South saw B.J. Scott (AlabamaAlabama Crimson Tide football|TeamName = Alabama football |Image = Alabama Crimson Tide Logo.svg |ImageSize = 110 |Helmet = Alabama Football.png |ImageSize2 = 150 |CurrentSeason = 2011 Alabama Crimson Tide football team...
), Demetre Baker (GeorgiaGeorgia Bulldogs footballThe Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54...
), and Demond Smith (Western MichiganWestern Michigan Broncos footballThe Western Michigan Broncos football program represents Western Michigan University in the Football Bowl Subdivision of Division I and the Mid-American Conference . Western Michigan has competed in football since 1906, when they played three games in their inaugural season...
) enroll for classes. - January 31, 2011 - Two previously scheduled games, an Oct. 1 game against UC DavisUC Davis AggiesThe UC Davis Aggies compete in NCAA Division I sports in the Big West Conference. For football, the Aggies compete in Division I FCS , and are members of the Great West Conference, granting UC Davis the distinction of being one of only three UC campuses to field a football team...
and an Oct. 29 game against Edward Waters CollegeEdward Waters College-External links:* -- Official web site** at * Florida's Office of Cultural and Historical Programs** **...
, were dropped from the schedule that originally featured 11 games. The Aggies bought out the final game of their 2-year contract with South Alabama, while South Alabama and Edward Waters mutually agreed to end their 2-year contract early. South moved the game against Henderson State up to Oct. 29 and added a Nov. 3 meeting with Mississippi Valley StateMississippi Valley State UniversityMississippi Valley State University is a historically black university located in Itta Bena, Mississippi, in the United States. MVSU is a member school of the Thurgood Marshall Scholarship Fund....
. - May 6, 2011 - Ole MissOle Miss RebelsUniversity of Mississippi sports teams, originally known as the "Mississippi Flood" , were re-named the Rebels in 1936 and compete in the twelve-member Southeastern Conference of the NCAA's Division I. The school's colors are cardinal red and navy blue , purposely chosen to mirror the school...
transfer Raymond Cotton left the South Alabama football program and transferred to Mississippi Gulf Coast Community CollegeMississippi Gulf Coast Community CollegeMississippi Gulf Coast Community College consists of four campuses and four centers: the main campus, located in Perkinston, Mississippi; the Jackson County Campus, in Gautier; the Jefferson Davis Campus, in Gulfport; the Community Campus, a non-traditional campus without walls; the George County...
. Cotton was highly thought of and was rumored to be the favorite to be the starting quarterback for the Jaguars in 2011 but a shoulder injury in 2010 and strong competition at the position saw Cotton drop in the depth chart. - September 1, 2011 - The game between the West Alabama Tigers and South Alabama Jaguars was televised for the first time on local network WJTCWJTCWJTC is an independent television station in Mobile, Alabama and Pensacola, Florida and is owned by Newport Television, LLC, which also owns WPMI in Mobile. WJTC's transmitter is located in Robertsdale, Alabama.-History:...
and online on ESPN3. - September 16, 2011 - South suffered its first loss in its short history, falling to NC StateNC State Wolfpack footballThe NC State Wolfpack football team represents North Carolina State University in NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Wolfpack currently compete in the Atlantic Coast Conference....
. This was South's first game against a Football Bowl Subdivision team. - September 24, 2011 - South suffered its second consecutive loss in program history, falling to Kent StateKent State Golden Flashes footballThe Kent State Golden Flashes football team is a varsity intercollegiate athletic team of Kent State University in Kent, Ohio, USA. The team is a member of the Mid-American Conference East division, which is part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Football Bowl Subdivision...
.