Arkansas new home for Arkansas State transfer Jerry Jacobs
By John TaylorJan 13, 2020, 5:55 AM EST
In filling out his first roster as the Arkansas Razorbacks football head coach, Sam Pittman didn't even have to go out of the state for his latest addition.
On his personal Twitter account late last week, Jerry Jacobs announced that he would be transferring from Arkansas State. Not only that, but the defensive back revealed that he's moving on to the Arkansas Razorbacks football program.
"It was a tough decision to leave the place that I have called home the past two years," Jacobs wrote. "Making this decision has not been easy, but I know this is the best decision for my college career."
For with God
nothing will be
-Luke 1:37 pic.twitter.com/LiarpuFIxl
— Jerry Jacobs (@_luhjerry) January 10, 2020
Jacobs, a three-star 2018 signee after beginning his collegiate career at a Kansas junior college in 2017, will be eligible to play immediately in 2020. Not only that, but he'll have another season of eligibility he can use in 2021 as well.
Jacobs's first season at Arkansas, he earned second-team All-Sun Belt Conference honors. A torn ACL in the fourth game of 2019, a loss to Georgia, prematurely ended his season.
As noted by WholeHogSports.com, Jacobs was coached at the junior-college level by Rion Rhoades, who is now the Razorbacks' linebackers coach. Rhoades was one of the hires that completed Pittman's first UA staff.
Arkansas State survives late charge from FIU to capture Camellia Bowl win
By Bryan FischerDec 21, 2019, 9:40 PM EST
Head coaches across college football make it a refrain to treat every game the same. No highs, no lows, just one constant stretch of focus and preparation from the moment one game ends to the kickoff of the next.
Blake Anderson probably preached that bit all the time this season at Arkansas State but 2019 has been anything but standard for the Red Wolves after their head coach's wife, Wendy, passed away earlier this year. While the team has been playing in her honor just about every game, their final time on the field together probably felt a little more emotional than the others as ASU closed out the year on a high note by beating Florida International 34-26 in a thrilling Camellia Bowl..
Layne Hatcher led the way most of the night for the Red Wolves in one of the best performances of the young bowl season. The freshman quarterback threw for 393 yards and four touchdowns (one INT) while leading the team in rushing at halftime and eventually winding up with 37 on the ground. Top target Omar Bayless was on the other end of most of those passes, winding up with 180 yards and one of those scores — numbers that could have been even better had he not had a few drops on a rainy night in Montgomery.
That combo helped Arkansas State lead the game throughout but FIU did make things interesting down the stretch in the second half. QB James Morgan threw for 312 yards and a touchdown but also tossed a pair of killer interceptions in the fourth quarter to hamper his own efforts. Napoleon Maxwell chipped in with 66 yards and a touchdown on the ground but it wasn't enough as scoring drives stalled out in the red zone and Jose Borregales was called on to knock in four field goals. The, uh, confident kicker missed a 29 yard chip shot with five minutes to go however, which felt like it was a complete momentum killer for the Panthers after clawing back to make things close late.
Still, it just wasn't going to be their night either way. Arkansas State was playing for a bit more than just a Camellia Bowl trophy and they got it on Saturday night as one win looked and felt like it meant a lot more to those on the Red Wolves sidelines than any other.
Tags: Omar Bayless
Arkansas State jumps out to halftime lead in the Camellia Bowl over FIU
Butch Davis has been around the game football for a long time so chances are high that his message to his defensive staff in the locker room will be a simple one: stop Layne Hatcher.
The Arkansas State quarterback was a third down conversion machine to help Arkansas State take a 20-13 halftime lead over Davis' FIU squad as the first Saturday of the postseason winds to a close in the Camellia Bowl.
Hatcher was already up to 164 yards and two touchdowns passing, leading the team in rushing for good measure as well with 49 yards. Top target Omar Bayless was heavily involved with his signal-caller as one would expect, hauling in four passes for 78 yards and a score while leaving two other big gains on the table with a pair of drops that were quite disappointing even if the conditions were rainy and a little chilly.
Still, things didn't get completely out of hand thanks to the Panthers offense doing enough to keep pace. QB James Morgan didn't find the end zone through the air but did throw for 141 yards and helped FIU go 4/9 on third down.
Things did get a little chippy with a few skirmishes beyond the whistle as things wore on which could only add to the intrigue of the second half. The Camellia Bowl has staged some classics in the past and both of these sides are hoping to play their part in creating another one when the second half rolls around in Montgomery.
Your trusty and semi-daily college football bowl preview that today takes a quick-hit look at the Dec. 21 bowl menu, which on opening weekend features six games. Included in that is a battle of 10-win teams and, most notably, the Chris Petersen Bowl.
WHO: Central Michigan (8-5) vs. San Diego State (9-3)
WHAT: The 14th New Mexico Bowl
WHERE: Dreamstyle Stadium, Albuquerque, New Mexico
THE SKINNY: Talk about going from worst to (nearly) first. Last season, Central Michigan went a school-worst 1-11. This season, under first-year head coach Jim McElwain, CMU won the MAC West title and came within six points of winning in the conference championship game. … With a win, San Diego State will reach 10 (or more) for the fourth time in five seasons. The Aztecs have already won seven or more games each of the past 10 seasons. … Here's a statistic to note: The Chippewas are undefeated (8-0) when they rush for at least 140 yards this season. … Here's another statistic, this one to chew on: The Aztecs are currently second nationally in run defense, giving up 72.3 yards per game. … Of the 54 touchdowns CMU scored on offense, 35 came on the ground. The Aztecs' seven rushing touchdowns allowed are the fourth-fewest in the country. … Do you sense a key-to-the-game vibe I've got going on here? … If not, how about this one: San Diego State hasn't given up more than 23 points in any game this season, while CMU is 0-5 when they score fewer than that number in 2019. … This game will mark the first-ever meeting between the two football programs.
THE LINE: Central Michigan, +3½
THE PREDICTION: San Diego State 23, Central Michigan 15
WHO: Liberty (7-5) vs. Georgia Southern (7-5)
WHAT: The 5th FBC Mortgage Cure Bowl
WHERE: Exploria Stadium, Orlando, Florida
WHEN: 2:30 p.m. ET on CBS Sports Network
THE SKINNY: Cure Bowl fact: All four previous games have been decided by 10 or more points. … In just its second season at the FBS level, Liberty has qualified for its first bowl berth. So pleased with the program's progress, university administrators have already handed first-year head coach Hugh Freeze a contract extension. … While not quite the neophyte as their opponent, Georgia Southern will be playing in just its third bowl game. In fairness, they have only played at the FBS level for six seasons. … The Flames and Eagles have one common opponent this season: FCS Maine. GSU beat them 26-18, while Liberty won their matchup 59-44. … Another similarity? Both teams went 2-2 in the last four games of the regular season. … To say that GSU is run-heavy is a bit of an understatement. The Eagles' 261.5 yards rushing per game is eighth nationally and second in the Sun Belt. To further highlight how ground-dependent they are, leading passer Shai Werts has rushed for nearly as many yards (683) as he has thrown for (704). … GSU's run-pass ratio this season is 621-136. … For those curious, the Flames' give up 192.7 yards per game on the ground, which is 100th in the country. … One final note: Liberty's starting quarterback goes by the nickname "Buckshot" — and Stephen Calvert's thrown 26 touchdowns vs. just five interceptions — so I know who I'm going with.
THE LINE: Liberty, +4
THE PREDICTION: Liberty 34, Georgia Southern 21
WHO: SMU (10-2) vs. Florida Atlantic (10-3)
WHAT: The 6th Cheribundi Boca Raton Bowl
WHERE: FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, Florida
WHEN: 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC
THE LINE: FAU, +3
For the remainder of an extended preview, click HERE.
WHO: Florida International (6-6) vs. Arkansas State (7-5)
WHAT: The 6th Camellia Bowl
WHERE: Cramton Bowl, Montgomery, Alabama
THE SKINNY: A win in the second-to-last game of the regular season clinched bowl eligibility for Butch Davis and Florida International for the third time in his three seasons at the Conference USA school. The fact that it came at the expense of Davis' old school, Miami, was simply icing on the cake and still makes me ROTFLMAO every single time I think about it. … Blake Anderson's wife lost her brave fight with cancer in mid-August and, after being away for a couple of weeks, the head coach rejoined the team in Week 2. Over the last nine games of the year, the Red Wolves went 6-3. … One of the best matchups of the early bowl season could be Omar Bayless vs. the FIU secondary. The Arkansas State All-American has caught 84 passes (tied for ninth nationally) for 1,473 yards (second) and 16 touchdowns (second). He's also averaging 17.5 yards per reception. Conversely, FIU is sixth in the country in allowing 178.5 yards passing per game. The Panthers give up just 6.45 yards per attempt as well. … If you're a gambling man/woman, and I'll bet you are, keep this tidbit in the back of your mind as you open your wallet: The first five Camellia Bowls have been decided by a combined 17 points. Average score, rounded down? 31-27.
THE LINE: FIU, +2½
THE PREDICTION: Arkansas State 24, FIU 23
WHO: Boise State (12-1) vs. Washington (7-5)
WHAT: The 28th Mitsubishi Motors Las Vegas Bowl
WHERE: Sam Boyd Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada
THE LINE: Boise State, +3½
WHO: Appalachian State (7-5) vs. UAB (6-6)
WHAT: The 19th R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl
WHERE: Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
THE LINE: UAB, +16½
Arkansas new home for Arkansas State transfer Jerry Jacobs January 13, 2020 5:55 am Arkansas State survives late charge from FIU to capture Camellia Bowl win December 21, 2019 9:40 pm Arkansas State jumps out to halftime lead in the Camellia Bowl over FIU December 21, 2019 7:25 pm College Football Bowl Preview: Your Dec. 21 Viewer's Guide December 21, 2019 10:40 am College football bowl games: Matchups, TV times and dates for 2019-20 schedule December 8, 2019 5:11 pm Report says Arkansas State's Blake Anderson emerging as 'strong' candidate at Missouri December 5, 2019 5:26 pm Biletnikoff Award whittles hunt for nation's top receiver down to 12 November 18, 2019 11:10 am LSU's Joe Brady, Ohio State's Jeff Hafley among nominees for Boyles Award as CFB's top assistant coach November 13, 2019 2:40 pm Arkansas State's Nathan Page charged with domestic battery on woman who is pregnant/expecting October 31, 2019 3:21 pm Arkansas State dismisses CB Demari Medley October 23, 2019 5:25 am Thumb surgery to sideline Arkansas State starting QB Logan Bonner for season September 26, 2019 11:22 am Washington paying reported Pac-12 record $1.75 million for home game against Arkansas State September 19, 2019 3:25 pm Georgia honors Arkansas State head coach's late wife with 'Pink Out' September 14, 2019 12:24 pm For Arkansas State game, Georgia fans organize 'Wear Pink' campaign to honor late wife of Blake Anderson September 11, 2019 2:34 pm Games against Arkansas State, SJSU and WKU complete Ohio State's schedule through 2023 August 22, 2019 1:35 pm Wendy Anderson, wife of Arkansas State head coach Blake Anderson, succumbs to breast cancer August 20, 2019 7:57 am Arkansas State head coach Blake Anderson takes leave of absence as wife fights cancer August 19, 2019 6:58 pm Ross Bowers one of seven transferring from Cal December 20, 2018 3:21 pm App State, Arkansas State sweep Sun Belt individual honors November 30, 2018 6:22 am Mountain West suspends official for inappropriate conduct October 1, 2018 2:28 pm