GAC PREVIEW ARKANSAS-MONTICELLO

Boll Weevils hoping changes allow for better finish in 2016

UAM Coach Hud Jackson
UAM Coach Hud Jackson

Starting strong hasn't been the problem the last two seasons for Arkansas-Monticello. Finishing strong has.

The Boll Weevils lost 18 games during that stretch, but seven were by seven points or less. UAM also stood toe to toe in the first half last fall with Great American Conference heavyweights Henderson State and Harding before wilting in the final 30 minutes en route to a 1-10 season.

Arkansas-Monticello

MASCOT Boll Weevils

COACH Hud Jackson (14-40 in sixth season at Arkansas-Monticello and overall)

LAST SEASON 1-10 overall, 1-10 in the Great American Conference

OFFENSIVE PLAYER TO WATCH WR Jalen Tolliver

DEFENSIVE PLAYER TO WATCH LB Stacey Warren

COMMENTS UAM is seeking its first winning season since 2008. … Sophomore quarterback Cole Sears is the son of Hoxie football Coach Tom Sears, a former quarterback at Arkansas State. Cole Sears played for his father at Hoxie and is a 4.0 student, UAM Coach Hud Jackson said. … Jackson said record-setting place-kicker Jamie McGee (academics) is no longer with the program. McGee kicked 31 field goals the past three seasons, including a school-record 17 as a freshman in 2013. Jackson said true freshman Josh Marini of Austin (Texas) Bowie High School will replace McGee this fall. … Junior defensive lineman Hakim Gray, 6-3, 303 pounds, is scheduled to play this fall after recently transferring from Louisiana Tech, Jackson said.

SCHEDULE

All times Central

DATE;OPPONENT;TIME

Sept. 1;at NW Oklahoma*;7 p.m.

Sept. 10;SW Oklahoma*;6 p.m.

Sept. 17;at Arkansas Tech*;6 p.m.

Sept. 24;Harding*;6 p.m.

Oct. 1;Oklahoma Baptist*;3 p.m.

Oct. 8;at Southern Nazarene*;1 p.m.

Oct. 15;at Henderson State*;2 p.m.

Oct. 22;Ouachita Baptist*;3 p.m.

Oct. 29;E. Central (Okla.)*;3 p.m.

Nov. 5;at SE Oklahoma St.*;2 p.m.

Nov. 12;Southern Arkansas*;3 p.m.

*Great American Conference game

It's a script, Coach Hud Jackson said, that he's grown tired of reading.

"The last two years have been very, very frustrating," said Jackson, beginning his sixth season at UAM. "You're talking about the possibility of two winning seasons -- if we just finish. I think that's everybody in America's motto, when it comes to football, is to finish. We just haven't done that."

To address the problem, Jackson retooled his roster and defensive staff in the offseason.

UAM announced 58 signees in February, including a school-record 41 high school players.

Jackson tapped Mitchell Pate to coordinate the defense and Dominique Bowman to coach defensive backs after the Boll Weevils allowed 424.4 total yards and 37 points per game last fall, figures that ranked eighth and 11th, respectively, in the 12-team GAC.

Pate was previously defensive coordinator at Mississippi high school powerhouse Olive Branch. Bowman had been defensive coordinator at Memphis Cordova High School.

Jackson said Pate arrived in January and installed a new scheme during the spring. UAM has switched from a four-man front to a three-man front, a move that Jackson said better fits personnel.

"It's an aggressive style of defense," Jackson said. "I think it's one that allows your players to run a little bit. I think that we've got the team speed that will be utilized in this scheme."

Among the defensive returnees are senior linemen Romairal Allen and Demorris Bedford, senior linebacker Stacey Warren and senior safety Lloyd Robinson.

Jackson said Allen, 5-11, 250 pounds, had offseason shoulder surgery after recording 13 tackles last fall.

"We've got some key guys that have really turned the page, on becoming more productive," Jackson said.

Offensively, junior tailback Jeremy Jackson was honorable mention All-GAC last fall after rushing 79 times for 413 yards and 3 touchdowns, catching 21 passes for 199 yards and 1 touchdown and returning 30 kickoffs for 603 yards.

Jackson, 5-8, 200, had a "great" fall camp and has developed into a more physical runner, the coach said. Junior wide receiver Jalen Tolliver was second-team All-GAC last fall after catching 39 passes for 781 yards and 7 touchdowns.

Hunter Leppert (3,030 passing yards last season) exhausted his eligibility after becoming the second UAM quarterback to throw for more than 3,000 yards in a season last fall.

But Hud Jackson said he's "excited" about the upside of this year's starter, sophomore Cole Sears, a more accomplished runner who completed 24 of 41 passes for 292 yards and 1 touchdown last season.

"He's 6-3 and a very athletic kid," Jackson said. "If he's being productive, then obviously our offense is clicking. He got to play a lot as a true freshman, and I think that was good for him."

Now, Jackson said, it's about finishing.

UAM opens Thursday in Alva, Okla., at Northwestern Oklahoma State. The Boll Weevils were beaten 52-31 in last year's meeting after leading 17-0 early in the second quarter.

"I've always believed in our players, and I believe in our coaches," Jackson said. "I think that we have a chance to do some good things. Hopefully, our guys will learn what we've been preaching since we've been here, and that is to just finish."

UP NEXT Harding

Sports on 08/27/2016

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