Friday, November 30, 2012

Thank You Coach Crowe

Shocking news tonight with the dismissal of Coach Crowe.

The Gamecocks did not achieve all of their goals under his tenure, but they accomplished much including: 1) three conference championships and the best record in the OVC the year we were not eligible; 2) several playoff appearances; 3) something like 9 straight winning seasons, all accomplished without scheduling out of conference cupcakes;  3) a shock the world win over Ole Miss that brought JSU more publicity than any event in the history of the institution; and 4) 53 seconds away from a monumental upset over Florida State.  Thank you Coach Crowe.

Indeed, even his harshest critics would have to acknowledge that our "program" is light years ahead of where it was before he took over in 2001.   For instance, thanks to his refusal to accept the status quo, we are no longer losing assistants to high school jobs because of only paying them $22k per year.    There is literally no comparison between the weight training equipment Jacksonville State has now and what they had before he started.  There is now academic support for football players, whereas none existed before.  On that note, if you want to place the APR failure a few years back at his feet, then surely you will recognize that our football team's graduation rate now exceeds that of the general student body and we are now bringing in numerous players that have ACT scores that place them in the academically elite at JSU.  Thank you Coach Crowe.

And, of course, JSU plays in a stadium that establishes the foundation for JSU to have a successful program for decades.  A stadium that routinely draws more fans now than JSU ever has drawn in the history of the program.  Thank you Coach Crowe.

It did not stop there, however. Coach Crowe reached out to successful JSU graduates and made them feel a connection with our program.     As a result of his efforts, large contributions were made that led to direct enhancements in JSU's facilities.  While the donors wrote the checks, Coach Crowe was proactive in his outreach to these folks refusing to accept the status quo.  Thank you Coach Crowe.

But, there is more.  After seeing that some of our young men lacked the life skills necessary to succeed at JSU and beyond, he found a way to bring Jamie Strange to JSU who has been leading the team for several years working on character education.  Of course, some of this came at the expense of practice time, but we made the commitment that some things are more important.   Just this year, Coach Crowe was leading private fundraising efforts to support Jamie in the good work that he does. Thank you Coach Crowe.

Of course, so much of the inside story is not known.  For instance, a  four star defensive lineman from Georgia, Derrick Lott, wanted to transfer to Jax State from Georgia.  Amazingly, he was eligible at Georgia (a pretty good school) and had no problem transferring to Chattanooga,  but at JSU he was going to lose a ton of credits.  Thus, we missed out on a player that would have made a huge difference at our thinnest position this year.  Rather than complain publicly, Coach Crowe worked with the administration to change the rules.  Thus, in the future when the right player comes along- maybe we will get him.  Thank you Coach Crowe.

There is probably no program at JSU that is more loved than the Southerners.  Because of Coach Crowe's efforts, the bond between the football team and the band has never been stronger. Little things like making Ken Bodiford honorary coach at the Spring Game and having the players recognize the band after the game go along way.   This connection will pay dividends for years to come. Thank you Coach Crowe.

To sum it up, Coach Crowe was terminated after having the best record in the league in 2009, JSU hosting a playoff game for the first time ever in 2010, winning the conference in 2011 and going 6-3 in the FCS and undefeated at home in 2012.  If our future coaches have to exceed this to be considered successful, the bar has been raised pretty high at JSU.  Thank you Coach Crowe.




More Nick Mullens Information

This is a big pickup for the Gamecocks. Mullens is a 2 Star Scout player link here and we understand he was named Gatorade Player of the Year in Birmingham.

Nick Mullens Commits to Jacksonville State


Thursday, November 29, 2012

Crowe making plans to do without Blanchard

Crowe making plans to do without Blanchard: Jacksonville State football coach Jack Crowe expects to use as many as three quarterbacks in the Gamecocks’ 2013 season opener — whether it’s a yet-to-be-named opponent Aug. 31 or Jacksonville Univ...

Tuesday, November 27, 2012

Who Is Losing Who?

Now that the season is over, its time to focus on recruiting and next year.  With that in mind, here is a preliminary analysis of which OVC teams were losing the most players (and most impact players) from this past season:

1.  Eastern Kentucky.  Attrition will really hurt the Colonels.  They lose seven starters on offense and five on defense. Among their losses is running back Matt Denham who has eviscerated the Gamecocks.  EKU also loses their starting quarterback, and two tackles (AdamsFord) and a wide receiver (Goard) that are NFL prospects.  On defense, EKU's notable  losses include all Conference DL, Robert Knowles, all conference safety, Brooklyn Fox,  and a linebacker,  Ceniza, that had about 1,000 tackles against JSU.

2.  Tennessee Tech.  Tennessee Tech was supposed to contend for the conference title in 2012.  Unfortunately, they were devastated by injuries.  The good news is that the injuries probably allowed them to build depth for future years. The bad news is that they are probably going to need it. TTU will lose twelve starters in all-- six on each side of the ball. On offense, the most notable loss is all-world transfer Da' Rick Rogers, but Tech will also lose quarterback Tre Lamb and running back Adam Urbano.

3.  UTM.  UTM had a very good team this year beating FCS Memphis in the opening game of the season. Their surprising loss to Tennessee Tech at the end of the year probably kept them out of the playoffs.  UTM will definitely have some rebuilding to do in 2013 as they lose four offensive starters and five defensive starters.    Among the losses are three of the very best players in the conference- quarterback Derrick Carr, wide receiver Quentin Sims and DL Montori Hughes.

4.  Murray State.   The good news is that Murray only loses three defensive starters.  The bad news is that Murray only loses three defensive starters because they could not stop anyone last year.  Aside from that, Murray loses five on offense, most notably their all-star quarterback, Casey Brockman.

5.  EIU.  The surprise team in the OVC will lose six offensive starters, but notably return their two best players, quarterback Jimmy Garroppolo and wide receiver Erik Lora.   Among EIU's losses are Jake Walker, a 2nd team all conference running back, and Kevin Kapellas, an all-OVC center. The Panthers only lose four on defense, but will have to replace their entire starting defensive line.

6.  Jacksonville State.  The Gamecocks will suffer some significant losses on offense with Ivory, Mobley, Rush, Bonner, Ealey and Trey Smith all out of eligibility. There is exceptional depth on the offensive line and at running back, but finding a replacement quarterback (assuming Blanchard does not return) will be job  # 1.  On defense, the Gamecocks lose Dimetrio Tyson, Mike Whittier, Brooks Robinson and Nick Johnson. 

6.  Tennesse State.  The Tigers may be the team to beat next year.  They only lose  2-3 starters, but the losses do include two first team all conference offensive linemen.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Gamecock Chatter

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Coop's Big Play

http://t.co/wEqw94Mi

Alligator Army Breaks Down JSU's First Drive

click here.

McGuire, West headed to JSU

McGuire, West headed to JSU: Early signing day came and went smoothly. With it, two defending state champions decided to continue their careers just down Alabama 21.

Monday, November 19, 2012

GANGNAM STYLE PARODY (강남스타일) - Jax State Gamecock Style


Florida game a glimpse of Jax State's future

Florida game a glimpse of Jax State's future: If Jacksonville State fans paid even the least bit of attention during Saturday’s game, they might have caught a glimpse of the Gamecocks’ future in the Florida team that beat them 23-0.

Sunday, November 18, 2012

EIU is OVC's Sole Representative

EIU will travel to South Dakota for the first round of the playoffs.  UTM lost to Tennessee Tech last weekend which knocked Martin out of the playoffs.

The Florida Game

Behind the Florida State and Ole Miss games, this was probably the best performance ever by the Gamecocks against one of the "big boys."  A few post-game observations:

THE SENIORS:

*Marquez Ivory played a really great game against what may be the best defense in college football.

*Trey Smith made a lot of really nice catches in one of his best games as a Gamecock.

*Kevyn Cooper made ESPN with an effort play that is symbolic of his whole career.

*Dimetrio Tyson was all over the field.  I hope there is a place for him in pro football.



DEFENSE

*One of the best performances in the last 10 years by a JSU defense. Held a powerhouse SEC team to one offensive touchdown.  The Gamecocks must learn to translate that effort to games against OVC opponents.

*Don't know how many tackles he had, but Sean "Real Papa" Watson was all over the field yesterday.  For JSU to do big things next year,Watson must emerge as an impact player.   Watson was heavily recruited by SEC teams before a high school knee injury.

*Pierre Warren gets very little publicity, but makes a ton of plays.  Looking forward to watching the rest of his career.

*It seems that a defense needs to play with a little bit of an edge. I like how Jordan Jackson and Ben Endress don't back down from anyone regardless of circumstances.  This is second hand, but Jackson's unsportsman like was apparently in retaliation for a cheap shot on Endress.

*Nick Johnson made a tackle on the four yard line saving a touchdown.  Didn't seem that big of a deal at the time, two penalties later the Gamecocks blocked a field goal.

*Rob Gray barely missed an interception. Wish he could have gotten it, he grew up a Florida fan.

*The obvious need area on defense is interior defensive line.  The coaching staff needs to find some help for Adam Wright and Caleb Lawrence. One coach told me that they are working on it starting today.

THE OFFENSE

*JSU put some good stuff together in the first half.  

*Field position really hurt JSU. It seemed like the Gamecocks were starting every drive around the 8 yard line.

*Buster Pope's season was an enigma.  After a remarkable start to the season, he rarely played. Every time I thought he was done for the season, he would come in for a snap or two.   The future is really bright at running back for JSU.

*The Florida announcers made an interesting comment about Trey Burton running the wildcat. They said it was hard for him to be effective when the other team knew he was not going to throw.  To a lesser extent, that holds true for Coty Blanchard.  Our plays when he is in the game are fairly predictable. The guy can do anything as he proved last year. That being said, it seemed that Ivory was particularly sharp yesterday which may have led to the coaches' decision to play him more.  The million dollar question- is Coty coming back next year?

 *Ealey announced on twitter yesterday that he was done at JSU, but expressed love for his teammates.  Hopefully, he doesn't give up on a degree, making the NFL and a college degree aren't mutually exclusive.

*Hamish M. had a really good day punting the football.

I love the Gamecocks.  The theme starting today needs to be THIS IS NEXT YEAR.

Friday, November 16, 2012

Green talks JSU hoops with the Exchange Club

Green talks JSU hoops with the Exchange Club: Jacksonville State University men’s basketball coach James Green issued a challenge to the city’s Exchange Club last month: to come out and show their support for the Gamecock basketball team.

Jayce Barber Hilights

click here.

Highlight for JSU vs. FLA 2012


Thursday, November 15, 2012

Dalton Screws Interview


Randall Smith Video (A-Star tweets he has committed to JSU)


Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Another Preview of the Jax State v. Florida Game

Why didn't the game with Peay get this kind of interest? click here.

Bleacher Report Previews the Jax State - Florida Game

click here.http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1407799-jacksonville-state-vs-florida-complete-game-preview

SBR Forum Previews the Game

click here.

Tuesday, November 13, 2012

With Gators, JSU to keep things simple

With Gators, JSU to keep things simple: The Gamecocks haven’t cobbled together a game plan yet, but they go into what coach Jack Crowe agreed is the most demanding play-up game in the program’s history by taking out rather than putting i...

Florida's Starting QB Likely Out

Gators QB Driskel 'doubtful' with ankle injury; Brissett ready

Monday, November 12, 2012

Da'Rick Rogers Turning Pro.

click here.

Jacksonville State University Gamecocks - Gamecocks Get Tough In 61-54 Win Over Eastern Michigan

Jacksonville State University Gamecocks - Gamecocks Get Tough In 61-54 Win Over Eastern Michigan

Crowe may phone a friend (or two) for answers to Florida

Crowe may phone a friend (or two) for answers to Florida: Gamecocks coach Jack Crowe has two “close professional associates” he could tap who just happen to have had a reasonable amount of success against the Gators the past couple weeks – Georgia offensi...

Sunday, November 11, 2012

Austin Peay Post Game Observations

We only do post-game observations after a win. Hopefully, there will be one more this season.

*Undefeated at home in 2012!  Two of JSU's 3 FCS losses were gut wrenching affairs that could have gone either way; however, you can't forget that JSU also won close games against Murray, T. State and UTC.

*A win is a win, but this one was frustrating.  Peay's quarterback looked like Joe Montana.  Credit to him, but he had not looked that good against anybody else this year.

*Peay dominated JSU statistically.

*As Butch Barker said in the telecast, JSU has to learn to put teams away.  Twice during the second half, Peay was driving to get within one score.  After living through the horror of Tenn. Tech in 2010 and EKU in 2011, no lead is safe.   We will know we have arrived when JSU has a game that does not come down to the 4th quarter.

*It seemed that Peay ran about 500 screen passes and quick lateral passes to their wide receivers.  JSU's cornerbacks really struggled to get off the blocks to make the tackle.

*Defensive struggles aside, Dimetrio Tyson had an excellent game. What a great leader and player.  Likewise, Spiderman Smith made a lot of plays as well. If Jack Jackson comes back, it would be exciting to see a linebacking group of Tolson, Jackson, Smith and Endress.

*The Gamecocks are a run first team, but it seemed that they could have thrown for about 300 yards yesterday.  JSU's receivers have been outstanding all year. I can't remember more than about 5-6 drops this season.

*Good job by Griffin Thomas kicking a 40+ yard field goal to put the game out of reach.

*Thinking about next year.   JSU has so much depth at certain positions that it seems that they could really recruit for need next year.  On offense, wide receiver is a big need spot with Coop, Trey Smith and Alan Bonner all graduating.  Likewise, quarterback is a worry.  Ivory graduates and we don't know if Coty will return. Steven Coates is a big, talented player but has really battled injury.

*On defense, the Gamecocks only lose four seniors:   Nick Johnson, Brook Robinson, Keginald Harris and Dimetrio Tyson.  The entire starting secondary returns along with quality reserves, Bynum, Bender and Buxton.  Likewise, Endress, Spiderman, Tolson, Jamaal Johnson, Blake Glaze, JaJuan Lee and Dustin Gayton all return at linebacker.

The immediate recruiting need is defensive linemen.  Help is already on the way with Ked Wolfe and a tranfer from Georgia Southern, but it seems that this would be a position where JSU would look hard at JUCOs and scour the nation for FCS transfers looking for immediate playing time.  JSU just missed this past year on JUCO transfer Lucas Melo and Georgia transfer Derrick Lott. What a difference those guys would have made.

BEAT FLORIDA.






JSU-Austin Peay Post Game Press Conference

Friday, November 9, 2012

Week 11 APSU


A Statistical Look At Where the Gamecocks Stand

This is a neat look at all of the major statistical categories.  click here.  Hopefully, JSU's stats will improve after playing the last place team in the league on Saturday.  At the start of the year, we knew we were going to be good on offense and young on defense.   To paraphrase Dennis Green, we are who we thought we were.  Lots of good young talent returning on the defensive side of the ball next year, plus we are supposed to have Ked Wolfe, Jack Jackson and Omari Jones.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Club Level Ticket Available - Free

If you are in the Atlanta area and would like a free ticket to the club level for Saturday, shoot me an email.  It is really a great experience and the food is fantastic.

EKU's Hood Shows JSU Some Love.

In an article about how much better the OVC is this year, EKU's Hood says that even w/ 3 FCS losses JSU should be worthy of playoff consideration.  click here.

Ty Anderson Hilights

A-Star tweets that JSU has a commit from Ty Anderson of West Forsyth High School. Anderson, a 6-4 220 lb tight end, chose JSU over EKU and the Air Force Academy.  Here is a link to his hilights.  click here.

Omari Jones Interview


Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Gamecock Chatter With Trey Smith


Receiver Smith considering playing basketball at JSU

Receiver Smith considering playing basketball at JSU: Trey Smith came into the Jacksonville State athletics program two years ago as a sure-handed receiver on the football team, but that might not be the only sport he’s destined to play. Imagine him i...

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Will Trey Smith Play Basketball?

Al Muskewitz has tweeted that there is some speculation that JSU senior wide receiver, Trey Smith, will suit up for the basktetball team in 2013.  Josh Barge, a wide receiver from Carrollton, was also an excellent high school basketball player but have not heard anything on him.

Alan Bonner's Quest For the Records

Alan Bonner only has two more games as a Gamecock. While JSU is only playing for pride at this point, Bonner has a chance to put his name all over the JSU record book as a receiver.

Going in to the Peay game, Bonner has 109 career receptions for 1872 yards and 20 tds.  On the season, he has 45 receptions for 745 yards and 8 tds.  Based on a late night review of the media guide, here is an overview of the records Bonner holds and what he needs to do in the final two games to reach certain records by category.

SINGLE GAME

Bonner's 10 catch, 235 yard, 5td performance against UTM was:

#1 -most receptions in a game.

#1- most receiving TDs in a game.

#2- most yards receiving in a game.

SINGLE SEASON

TDs in a Season:
 
*Bonner needs 3 more receiving TDs to pass the great Maurice Dupree for receiving TDs in a season.

Receiving Yards in a Season:

*Bonner has 745 yards.  The current single season record holders are: 1) Ronald  Bonner (no known relation)- 1010 yards; 2) Joey Hamilton- 943 yards; and 3) Mornen - 823 yardes.  With two big games, these records are not out of reach.

Receptions in a Season:
 
*Bonner needs 17 more catches to pass Ronald Bonner  as JSU's single season reception leader.  With 15 more catches he will tie  Donald Young at the #2 spot and with 13 catches he will tie Joey Hamilton at the # 3 spot.

CAREER

Rec. TDs:

*Bonner needs 4 more TDs to pass Joey Hamilton for most receiving touchdowns in a career;

Rec. Yards:
 
*The record is out of reach (Joey Hamilton- 2903), but with just 104 more receiving yards Bonner can pass Derrick Thomas to become 2nd in JSU history for most career receiving yards;

Receptions

*Bonner is already #4 for most career receptions, passing the legendary Butch Barker.  He only needs 17 catches to become #2 on the list for career receptions (Donald Young) and needs 12 to pass Rusty Fuller at #3 on the list.

JSU's loss Saturday had familiar feel

JSU's loss Saturday had familiar feel: The Jacksonville State football team was eliminated from the Ohio Valley Conference title chase Saturday through a 49-47 loss at UT Martin, which no longer is the automatic win it used to be. It wa...

Friday, November 2, 2012

Gamecocks QB Ivory searching for a good game

Gamecocks QB Ivory searching for a good game: As his long and storied career heads into the home stretch, Marques Ivory finds himself searching in the desert of his own high expectations for just one thing — a good game.

WEEK 10 HIGHLIGHTS


Thursday, November 1, 2012

Halloween Havoc w/ Brandt Thomas v. Jimmy Welker


Gamecocks having success limiting OVC’s top QBs

Gamecocks having success limiting OVC’s top QBs: In a season where quarterbacks are king and the Ohio Valley Conference has four aces, Jacksonville State seems to have the defense that’s holding all the cards.