SU freshman Mosley has Georgia on his mind
Southern defensive lineman Anthony Mosley works through a drill during preseason practice.
Offensive tackle getting early start for Jaguars
Southern coach Stump Mitchell simply calls him “Georgia.”
Mitchell’s nickname for right tackle Anthony Mosley — the only freshman starter on offense or defense — is appropriate because of their shared home state, but it goes a little deeper.
If not for his origins, Mosley might not be starting.
“Cairo, Ga.,. There’s not much to do there,” Mitchell said. “They play football, they lift weights, they hunt, they fish, and they lift weights and get ready for football. So by far, at this point in time, Anthony Mosley brings us more power.
“He brings us the ability to run the football, because he’s going to hit you in the mouth.”
It’s that Cairo-bred strength that landed Mosley a somewhat unlikely role.
When he arrived at Southern, Mosley was a long way from starting at right tackle in Saturday’s season opener at New Mexico.
For one, he was on defense, where he was pretty far down the depth chart at defensive end. Second, the Jaguars were set at right tackle with junior Taylon Jones, and they were developing redshirt freshman Eric Janeau as his backup.
But when Jones suffered a concussion, Southern was facing a depth crisis. It moved Mosley over to offense with less than two weeks until Saturday’s contest at New Mexico.
From there, Mosley’s strength made short work of a last-minute position battle with the more technically sound Janeau.
He said it took him about three days to learn the plays, and he already had the rest down pat. An all-state selection on the offensive line at Cairo High last season, Mosley is right where he wants to be.
“Coach told me the only way I’d get a scholarship is to play defensive end for him,” Mosley said. “I tried to talk to him about offensive line, but now he sees that he should have started me on the offensive line from Day 1.
“He loves me, and everybody else loves me there, so I think I’ll make a big impact on the team as a true freshman.”
Now, as Mosley said, “It’s time to eat.”
Mitchell said he still isn’t sure when Jones will be able to return, meaning Mosley could become a mainstay.
His position is the vulnerable one on an offensive line that came into the season with experience and chemistry as two of its biggest strengths, and he’ll be the likely target of opponents’ game plans.
But the 6-foot-1, 260-pounder won’t be worried about that. He agrees with Mitchell’s description of life in Cairo — pronounced “kay-row” — and he’s focused on playing the same brand of football he was raised to play.
“Everything is power,” Mosley said. “We get our hands and feet and we go forward, all day, every day.”
Storm update
Because of Hurricane Isaac, Southern has suspended all team meetings and practices until further notice. The Jaguars did not practice Wednesday, but according to an SU release, Friday’s travel plans have not been affected.
Lobos QB suspended
BACKUP QUARTERBACK SUSPENDED: In Albuquerque, N.M., New Mexico junior quarterback David Vega has been suspended from the team indefinitely.
The suspension was announced Tuesday by Lobos coach Bob Davie, who said Vega was arrested early Sunday by Albuquerque police.
Details of the arrest weren’t immediately available.
Davie said that until he’s satisfied that he has all the facts, he won’t make a decision on Vega’s return to the program.
Vega is the second Lobos player suspended in two days.
On Monday, Davie announced that sophomore defensive back Devonta Tabannah has been suspended and won’t play Saturday against Southern.
Davie said the suspension was for violating team rules, but he wouldn’t elaborate.
However, police told KRQE-TV that Tabannah was arrested Sunday in downtown Albuquerque on suspicion of drunken driving.
Vega, a junior and a walk-on, had been contending for the No. 2 quarterback spot when he was suspended earlier this month.
The Associated Press
contributed to this report.