Jackson Notes


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MACHIAVELLI

MACHIAVELLI

Chairman/C.E.O.
Once-proud Tigers find motivation in low expectations

JOEDY McCREARY

Associated Press


JACKSON, Miss. - Once-proud Jackson State has reached a new low: for the first time, the Tigers were picked to finish last in the Southwestern Athletic Conference East.

If that public disrespect fires up the Tigers, coach James Bell is OK with it.

"All of them talk about it," Bell said. "They feel very motivated by that, and that's what they're going to be doing. We feel real comfortable with that."

In recent years, there's been little reason for comfort on the Jackson State campus. The once-dominant program, which has won 15 SWAC titles and produced NFL great Walter Payton, is in the midst of a free-fall. The Tigers are looking for their first winning season since 2002.

Bell said Jackson State could exceed those expectations because the Tigers are in their third year of learning his intricate offensive and defensive schemes. Nine starters on each side of the ball return from last year.

"Personnel dictates a lot of things, and we've recruited those (key) guys," Bell said. "You've got to give yourself time to recruit the type of kids for your philosophy. We feel like we've got those type of kids."

The Tigers started slow last season, losing five of six to open the season before rebounding for a 4-7 record and a fourth-place finish in the East, ahead of only Mississippi Valley State. The Tigers lost three games by a combined 11 points.

It was markedly better than the 2-10 finish in Bell's first season in 2003.

The key to Jackson State's offense this season probably will be running back David Kennebrew, who rushed for 610 yards and seven touchdowns last season and will be counted upon as a pass-receiving threat out of the backfield as the Tigers attempt to mix it up offensively.

Last year, Jackson State rushed more than 60 percent of the time and was near the bottom of the league in pass attempts - an anomaly in the wide-open SWAC, where the passing game is emphasized.

Sun Herald
 



We are still slightly in rebuilding mode but everyone is gonna take notice this year. The foundation is laid..everything is in place and not even Mike can get on here and say anything bad about JSU....
 
Tigerpride said:
We are still slightly in rebuilding mode but everyone is gonna take notice this year. The foundation is laid..everything is in place and not even Mike can get on here and say anything bad about JSU....
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<--seriously Tp, what are you sippin on :emlaugh: ..,
 
Tigerpride said:
We are still slightly in rebuilding mode but everyone is gonna take notice this year. The foundation is laid..everything is in place and not even Mike can get on here and say anything bad about JSU....
Click to expand...

You mean from what Bell tore down? Just curious about the basis of the comment. We were well over .500 before his arrival. :confused:
 
I can't believe this discussion. Jackson State fired Hughes because of team discipline and the lack of SCG appearances in the last 3 years of his tenure and we are discussing Bell who has JSU near the bottom in offense and defense. Now I think JSU will start the season in pretty good shape depending on who plays at QB, but October will be a test. If JSU can't predict a championship this season-get ready to move Bell out and hire a new coaching staff by Dec1.
 
REALLY, do you even think Bell will have JSU in the SCG? Why waste time then, and just fire him now? I'll tell you why, because Bell ain't going nowhere.
 
sportscaster said:
I can't believe this discussion. Jackson State fired Hughes because of team discipline and the lack of SCG appearances in the last 3 years of his tenure and we are discussing Bell who has JSU near the bottom in offense and defense. Now I think JSU will start the season in pretty good shape depending on who plays at QB, but October will be a test. If JSU can't predict a championship this season-get ready to move Bell out and hire a new coaching staff by Dec1.
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Bell and Hughes coached under totally different circumstances. When you are a true program like JSU, we can survive times like this. Before Bell, we had gone 6 years without a championship...that is not JSU football. We need to put a system in place where we can dominate like we used to. Bell is the answer but he has challenges. Do you all realize that JSU had a lineage of head coaches that spanned 40 years that did things the same way?? It was time to move beyond that.
 
Tigerpride said:
Bell and Hughes coached under totally different circumstances. When you are a true program like JSU, we can survive times like this. Before Bell, we had gone 6 years without a championship...that is not JSU football. We need to put a system in place where we can dominate like we used to. Bell is the answer but he has challenges. Do you all realize that JSU had a lineage of head coaches that spanned 40 years that did things the same way?? It was time to move beyond that.
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HUH! JSU coaches have not done things the same way in a 40-year span. In the 1970s and 1980s, under Coaches Bob Hill and W.C. Gordon, JSU was a running team with great backs like Walter Payton, Perry Harrington, Carl Blue, Lewis Tillman. When Carson took over we had John Shannon as offensive coordinator. Shannon had an entirely new system. We became a passing team with QB's Mark Washington, Pratt and Robert Kent. Hughes carried that over but we lost the special teams coaching because Hughes didn't care about special teams. That led to his downfall. Despite those differences JSU finshed no worse than 7-3 or 7-4 FOUR times from 1971 until Bell took over.
I say all this to simply say "BELL SUCK AS A HEAD COACH" Bell only challenge is overcoming his pathetic coaching skills. If you ask me, Carson had the greater challenge. Changing JSU from a traditional running team to a passing team and he did it successfully. JSU was once like the SEC's Florida or Tennessee in the SWAC. Now we have been reduced to being Vandy. That wouldn't fly at Florida or Tennessee. Why should it fly at JSU.
 
Tigerpride said:
We are still slightly in rebuilding mode but everyone is gonna take notice this year. The foundation is laid..everything is in place and not even Mike can get on here and say anything bad about JSU....
Click to expand...

TP will be making his first trip to Jackson this year tommorrow.
 
Mr. Tiger said:
HUH! JSU coaches have not done things the same way in a 40-year span. In the 1970s and 1980s, under Coaches Bob Hill and W.C. Gordon, JSU was a running team with great backs like Walter Payton, Perry Harrington, Carl Blue, Lewis Tillman. When Carson took over we had John Shannon as offensive coordinator. Shannon had an entirely new system. We became a passing team with QB's Mark Washington, Pratt and Robert Kent. Hughes carried that over but we lost the special teams coaching because Hughes didn't care about special teams. That led to his downfall. Despite those differences JSU finshed no worse than 7-3 or 7-4 FOUR times from 1971 until Bell took over.
I say all this to simply say "BELL SUCK AS A HEAD COACH" Bell only challenge is overcoming his pathetic coaching skills. If you ask me, Carson had the greater challenge. Changing JSU from a traditional running team to a passing team and he did it successfully. JSU was once like the SEC's Florida or Tennessee in the SWAC. Now we have been reduced to being Vandy. That wouldn't fly at Florida or Tennessee. Why should it fly at JSU.
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Actually, at most, your comments are only about 10% correct but for the most part, you also probably made an assumption that I was saying that I did not agree with the fact that JSU had been running the program the same for 40 years...at least. That is the truth. Sure, we had slight and gradual changes in philosophy but never have we had a complete overhaul of all three phases of the game. Shannon came in and changed a system to one that lasted almost 10 years. However, 2/3 of the staff and philosophy was the same. Moreover, that was still not the problem. We did not fail because of philosophy. We failed because Hughes could not recruit and knew nothing about football. Hughes inherited one of the most talented teams in JSU history. Bell inherited what could possibly have been the worst.
 



Tigerpride said:
Actually, at most, your comments are only about 10% correct but for the most part, you also probably made an assumption that I was saying that I did not agree with the fact that JSU had been running the program the same for 40 years...at least. That is the truth. Sure, we had slight and gradual changes in philosophy but never have we had a complete overhaul of all three phases of the game. Shannon came in and changed a system to one that lasted almost 10 years. However, 2/3 of the staff and philosophy was the same. Moreover, that was still not the problem. We did not fail because of philosophy. We failed because Hughes could not recruit and knew nothing about football. Hughes inherited one of the most talented teams in JSU history. Bell inherited what could possibly have been the worst.
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A few comments:

1. How did Hughes ever get hired if he 'knew nothing about football'????

2. If Bell is a better recruiter, name some of the freshmen and/or sophomores that made an impact (in the SWAC, not just a starter at JSU) the last 2 seasons.
 
UAPB '97 said:
A few comments:

1. How did Hughes ever get hired if he 'knew nothing about football'????

2. If Bell is a better recruiter, name some of the freshmen and/or sophomores that made an impact (in the SWAC, not just a starter at JSU) the last 2 seasons.
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I'm curious to hear the responses to these questions.
 
You won't hear any, because according to TP, Hughes' sorry as hell players are still starters while Bell's recruits warm the bench. Sounds crazy, right? Welcome to the world of TP.
 
UAPB '97 said:
A few comments:

1. How did Hughes ever get hired if he 'knew nothing about football'????
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John Shannon, the Offensive Coordinator during that span was the genius behind the offensive production and all the awards/recognition that J-State received during that era. He was supposed to be the front-runner for the Head Coach position because he deserved it. It was his offensive philosophy and system that garnered national recognition. Instead, J-state chose not to promote him as head coach, and the interim president during the time, Betty Fletcher chose Hughes. Bad mistake... :shame: Anybody who was an avid fan during that time and followed the program will tell you how bad a mistake it was. :redhot:

UAPB '97 said:
2. If Bell is a better recruiter, name some of the freshmen and/or sophomores that made an impact (in the SWAC, not just a starter at JSU) the last 2 seasons.
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I can only name a few off the top of my head. But this year, is the 1st year that majority of Bell's recruits will hit the field. Most of them are redshirt freshman and sophomores. If you follow the Clarionledger :snicker: :lol: you'll see in the depth charts listed that most of the players are Bell's. Let's see how they pan out after the season, and then we can continue this conversation. :teleport:

RB David Kennebrew
RB Orlandus Rogers
FB Pop Hales
CB/Safety Tomarcio Levy
LB Maurice Hardnett
 
JSU secondary riding high, but Valley poses threat


Tigers lead SWAC in pass defense, however, statistics skewed by foes' ability to run


Nearly every good secondary has a nickname.

Jackson State is no exception, where cornerbacks Cletis Gordon and Tomarcio Levy and safeties Vincent Dancy and Anthony Dillon have dubbed themselves Thrill Ent.

"We're too real," Levy explains.
Through three games, Levy and Co. have lived up to that billing and then some.

JSU leads the SWAC in pass defense, allowing a meager 67.7 yards per game. The Tigers also lead the league in pass efficiency defense, giving up only two touchdown passes while intercepting four passes.

And that's with virtually no pass rush to speak of. JSU has just one sack, fewer than any team in the SWAC.

Are those numbers, which put JSU's pass defense among the best in Division I-AA statistically speaking, too real to be true?

An answer could come as early as Saturday night when the Tigers' secondary faces its first true test of the season in Mississippi Valley State and quarterback Aries Nelson. Kickoff at Rice-Totten Stadium in Itta Bena is set for 5 p.m.

CL
 
JSU has an open date before they play Bama State. That tells you how far the JSU program has fallen. A team that once had respect for only GSU, SU and Tenn.St., now has to respect the SWAC champions of 2004 and five straight loses to "Bama State". :cry:
 
Tigerpride said:
Bell and Hughes coached under totally different circumstances. When you are a true program like JSU, we can survive times like this. Before Bell, we had gone 6 years without a championship...that is not JSU football. We need to put a system in place where we can dominate like we used to. Bell is the answer but he has challenges. Do you all realize that JSU had a lineage of head coaches that spanned 40 years that did things the same way?? It was time to move beyond that.
Click to expand...


Um..why don't you tell that to Notre Dame, Houston, UCLA, Nebraska or Penn State...
 
HORNETSWARM said:
JSU has an open date before they play Bama State. That tells you how far the JSU program has fallen. A team that once had respect for only GSU, SU and Tenn.St., now has to respect the SWAC champions of 2004 and five straight loses to "Bama State". :cry:
Click to expand...


:lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
:xeye: :xeye: :xeye: :xeye: :xeye: :xeye: :xeye: :xeye: :xeye: :xeye: :xeye: :xeye: :xeye: :xeye: :xeye:

:lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

2 championships in your existance ..................... has to respect?!? Enjoy your 5 big wins.

:goof: :goof: :goof: :goof: :goof: :goof: :goof: :goof: :goof: :goof: :goof: :goof: :goof: :goof: :goof: :goof:
 
HORNETSWARM said:
JSU has an open date before they play Bama State. That tells you how far the JSU program has fallen. A team that once had respect for only GSU, SU and Tenn.St., now has to respect the SWAC champions of 2004 and five straight loses to "Bama State". :cry:
Click to expand...
Dude, we still dont respect you all. Go ahead and finish posting the weather report on Rita.
 
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