Coming off of a disappointing season, the Jacksonville State University football team has high hopes and expectations this year.While a 6-5 overall season with a 5-3 mark in the Ohio Valley Conference is not considered by most to be a dismal season, for the Gamecocks it marked the first time that in the last game of the season JSU was not in contention for the league championship since coming into the league.
In his ninth season as head coach, Jack Crowe feels that his Gamecock team is primed to not only win the OVC championship, as it has been picked to do, but to make an impact on the national level as well.
“This university has been about being nationally competitive,” said Crowe. “There is a frustration for the whole conference that we haven’t gotten to a level that we have aspired to. Our expectations are clearly defined in that we’re primed to take that step. It’s a one game at a time proposition.”
Crowe felt that at the end of the year it wasn’t a question of talent that affected the Gamecocks play. “Talent alone is not enough,” Crowe said. “We left last season on a search to redefine ourselves.”
For his part, Crowe is emplacing character to his team, making it a priority. “I think we have a bunch of character but I think we have to find a way of bringing it out,” observed Crowe.
Many have questioned Crowe’s dismissal of last season’s starting quarterback Cedric Johnson for team violations only to bring in LSU transfer and heralded quarterback Ryan Perrilloux, who was dismissed from the LSU football team for violating team rules. Asked if this was a double standard, Crowe replied that “it was a whole different set of circumstances that I had to deal with. The specifics of the two situations are not comparable.”
Crowe went on to state that so far he is very pleased with Perrilloux.
“I think Ryan Perrilloux has a bunch of character,” he said. “We will deal with character on this team first and foremost, and it preceded Ryan Perrilloux, it started when we lost to SEMO (Southeast Missouri).
“Is Ryan Perrilloux’s character going to be any different than anyone else? No. If I thought his character was defined in such a way before he got here that he couldn’t prove to be of the character that we wanted, he wouldn’t be here.”
Crowe’s insistence of having character first and foremost has not been lost on the team.
Maurice Dupree, senior wide receiver said, “Coach is kicking people off the team. He has kicked some of our best players off. He’s not putting up with it. If you can’t be accountable and do what we’re trying to do here then you don’t need to be here. Over the years this has brought the team down so him stepping up and making a point has made a difference.”
While Crowe and his staff have made strides in improving the character of the team, the talent of the team has made great strides as well.
The addition of Perrilloux, MVP of the SEC title game in which Perrilloux stepped in for an injured Matt Flynn and threw for 243 yards in the 21-14 win over Tennessee, has brought national attention to the Gamecocks. Perrilloux’s athleticism, a rifle for an arm with pinpoint accuracy and legs that can get him out of trouble, should take the Gamecocks far in achieving their goals.
The Gamecock roster will have many other new additions this year; Crowe says you will have to check your program often to keep up with the new players. Among them are Tremayne Coger, a running back who played last season at Alabama; Isaiah Smith, a linebacker who transferred from Ole Miss; a corps of transfers to be on the receiving end of Perrilloux’s passes include John Houston Whiddon from Florida International, Jeffrey Cameron from Itawamba Community College and Anthony Jones who was moved from running back to wide receiver.
With the opener against Georgia Tech Thursday, offensive coordinator Ronnie Letson is pleased with where his offense is right now.
“We have some guys who have been in our offense and played and have experience and have done a good job in our two-a-days,” explained Letson. “We need to shore up one or two spots to make sure we have back-ups.
“They have gotten a lot better than last year but they are more mature.
“We have a more mature offensive line and more numbers on our offensive line than we’ve ever had. That will help us; we will be better there. When you get people competing everyday for the same job and there is only five of them but 18 guys then the competition makes everybody better.”
The offensive line is led by senior Al Jefferson who last year started all 11 games and sophomore Curt Porter, who played in nine games last year as a redshirt freshman.
The running game is one aspect that Crowe wants to see improved over last year. The Gamecocks have a bevy of players including Coger, Daniel Jackson, the top returning rusher for JSU with 1,024 career yards, and Brandon George, a redshirt freshman. Letson said the starting running back slots change every day. “Whoever competes and makes the plays becomes our starter.”
The biggest threat the Gamecocks have at receiver is Dupree, who starred at Cherokee County High School in Centre. Dupree was a second-team All-OVC and led the OVC in kick returns and was fourth in the nation with an average of 29.38 yards per kick return and eighth in the nation and top in the OVC with a 13.87 punt return average.
James Wilkerson, who was fifth on the team with 14 catches for 190 yards, and Whiddon, Jones and Cameron are all showing promise at the receiver position.
Letson feels his offense is about ready for the season opener against Georgia Tech.
“Right now we are on track for the opening day,” he said. “We’ve had some mistakes and missed assignments and we have to eliminate these and fine tune things a bit better. One break in the chain and the whole thing breaks down so we have to keep it all together. As long as we move in the same direction and are on the same page we have the potential to be pretty good.”
Defensively the Gamecocks should be just as tight as they have been over the last two years, leading the OVC in total defense.
Defensive coordinator Greg Stewart says there are, “several young guys who are doing a great job.” The biggest concern has been filling the corner position as the loss of Jarvis Smith left a big hole. Stewart is looking for redshirt freshman A.J. Davis and Alexandria product T.J. Heath to help fill in the gap.
The defensive line should get help from Justin Kay, who was moved over from the offensive line to nose guard.
Carnell Clark, whom Stewart describes as “a great player, fast runner, smart and a team leader” will be back at safety as will Kenny Walker whom Stewart also holds in high regard.
“We’re making progress,” said Stewart of his defense, “there has been no practice that we went backwards so we are happy with the progress that we are making. You win games with your defense so it’s important that we don’t let anyone run the ball on us or get the big pass play.”
Perrilloux, who has already experienced a national championship with LSU, feels that the Gamecocks have the potential to do the same thing. He isn’t alone in his feelings. Offensive lineman Al Jefferson has high hopes for the Gamecocks.
“The main problem we’ve had in the past years has been depth,” he said. “This year we have more depth. You want to start out to win the conference but it’s not how you start but how you finish. I believe that if we can stay healthy, keep Perrilloux healthy and our defense healthy we have a shot.”
Senior Anthony Jones, moved to receiver added, “A national championship? Yes, without a doubt. With us staying true and humble to ourselves we can do anything.”
Dupree also expressed his opinions on a championship year.
“Expectations for us are high. Coach is making us work hard to live up to the expectations. It’s a lot of pressure but I think we can handle it.”
The Gamecocks have been picked to finish first in the OVC preseason voting. In what was the closest vote in OVC history, the Gamecocks received 113 votes, Eastern Kentucky 111 and Eastern Illinois 108. All three teams each received six first place votes in what promises to be a very competitive season.
