Our View

The University of South Alabama football team enjoyed great success during its inaugural season, and The Vanguard Editorial Board would like to congratulate everyone involved with the program.

We admittedly had our doubts before the season began, and – for now, at least – it appears we were wrong. There is no denying that USA football’s first season was an overwhelming success.

The Jags won all seven games, outscoring their opponents 321 to 41 – winning by an average margin of 40 points. They held two of their opponents scoreless and twice racked up a whopping 64 points. They scored 44 touchdowns and allowed only six.

You don’t have to be a football fanatic to see that USA dominated on the field. Critics might say the Jags were facing inferior competition, but that is just a testament to how far this team has come in a short time. They defeated everyone that was put in front of them; that cannot be discounted.

And the on-field success is not the only positive to cite. More than 126,000 people went down to Ladd-Peebles Stadium to watch the Jags play – an average of more than 18,000 per game.

Those numbers are impressive for a fledgling college football program, but even more respectable when considering USA games had to frequently contend with inclement weather and University of Alabama games in the same time slot.

Football has had a considerable effect on school spirit, as well.

The USA Bookstore has reported increased sales of JagWear, the official apparel of USA athletics. JagWear has also been popping up in more and more stores all over town; it was nearly impossible to find USA gear before football began.

South Alabama sweatshirts, T-shirts, flags, etc., are increasingly visible all around campus and the Mobile area. Before football season, apparel supporting other schools such as Alabama, Auburn, and LSU dominated the USA campus.

Those have by no means been eliminated, but support for USA is at an all-time high.

Exposure in the media has also increased considerably. The Press-Register and Lagniappe gave USA football plenty of print coverage, while the local television stations paid close attention, as well.

People are excited about the University of South Alabama, people are talking about USA, and people are finally supporting a Mobile sports team – all because of USA football.

The first season was a best-case scenario: We have a good team, the fans are behind it, and the media has taken notice. The future looks bright.

Hopefully, USA football can continue to build momentum as it will play another season next year as an unclassified program, then spend two years as a Division I-AA/FCS team, before becoming a full-fledged Division I-A/FBS program in 2013.

Unless rumored conference shake-ups happen, USA will then be a member of the Sun Belt Conference and be eligible for the conference championship and a bowl game.

Everything seems to be in place for the continued success of USA football, which would bring numerous benefits to other areas of the University.

We still have some of the concerns we expressed at the beginning of the semester – lack of an on-campus stadium, competition from established programs like Alabama and Auburn, and a poor economic climate – but USA football has far exceeded our expectations, and we give credit where credit is due. Congratulations, USA football!