GAME DAY INFORMATION |
DATE: September 23, 2023
|
LOCATION: SODEXO Field | Rindge, N.H. |
|
GAME DAY LINKS |
LIVE STATS | LIVE VIDEO |
|
|
|
The first time that Matt Scott sat down with Giye Jenkins (West Orange, N.J./Seton Hall Prep), he was immediately struck by the talented defensive back's thirst for knowledge. That first impression has been proven to be spot on for somebody who is using his smarts in the classroom and is tied for the Division II national lead in interceptions.
Not long after signing day, Jenkins was not just looking for the next stage of his football career, but also wanted to set himself up for life after football.
"It was really the education piece that sealed the deal for me because I was going to do a prep year," said Jenkins, a junior safety for the Chargers.
Jenkins wants to have a role in developing video games once he leaves football in his rear-view mirror.
The same passion that Jenkins puts into the e-sports and gaming world translates into breaking down film of opposing receivers, running backs and quarterbacks.
"He is a really smart player," said Scott, the defensive coordinator of a team that is tied for 26th in Division II in scoring defense. "He really works at it. If you go down the [list] of who watches the most tape in the DB room, it is no doubt him and that is why he plays fast.
"He started to come on strong late last year and falling right into it now as a guy that we are definitely counting on, this is his show. A lot of it just comes back to his work ethic."
The work breaking down film was never more evident than in a season-opening loss to Frostburg State when he diagnosed a pass play and broke on the ball on the way to his first Pick-6 as a college player.
Jenkins has interceptions in each of the first three games and he is tied for the Division II lead with three interceptions.
"It was something I was born with because even going back to playing in Pop Warner, I remember one season playing corner/safety and one season I ended up having seven interceptions in the sixth grade," said Jenkins, a junior from West Orange, N.J. "When the ball is in the air, I always feel like it is mine.
"My edge is being able to know what is going to happen before it happens, that is how I am able to make plays. If I understand what the receiver is trying to do and what the offense is trying to do before they even run [the play], I have already won and that is why watching film has been a big part of my preparation."
He has taken the off-the-field preparation to new heights because as the most experienced safety on the team, he is making the calls for the secondary. Jenkins has spent more time learning about what the linebackers and defensive linemen should be doing as well as being up to speed with the players in his position group.
Jenkins and cornerback Christian Ais (Stoughton, Mass./Stoughton) played in the secondary as true freshmen. Now it is cornerback Jabron Solomon (Lawnside, N.J./Woodbury) who is seeing the field a year out of high school. Jenkins and Ais are helping make that adjustment happen as quickly as possible.
"I tell them to take every practice like it is a game," Jenkins said.
"The big difference from high school to college, you can get caught in the emotions of going to school, and start getting a routine. Make sure you treat every practice like a game and make sure you know the playbook. The reason why Ais and I were able to play right off the bat was that we knew our plays and Coach [Scott] could trust us when we went in."
The trust has continued to grow now that Jenkins is in his third season playing in Scott's defense.
"He is a calming influence out there," Scott said.
Before Scott saw the impact that Jenkins could make on the football field, he came away impressed by Jenkins away from the gridiron.
"He blew us away on the [recruiting] visit, just how he carried himself and what type of person he was," Scott said.
Scott sees in on game days as well. When a pass was completed on Jenkins in the Southern Connecticut State game, when he came to the sidelines he immediately sought out Scott to see what he could have done differently even though it was a case of a perfectly thrown ball resulting in a key completion.
That maturity is invaluable this week. New Haven is coming off back-to-back wins over Northeast-10 rivals Bentley and Southern Connecticut State. It would be easy for the Chargers not to be completely focused on facing Franklin Pierce on Saturday. Jenkins and the other veteran players are making sure that isn't the case.
"This is a different Franklin Pierce team than in previous years,"
Jenkins said. "I am sure they are going to ready to go with something to prove just as anybody is whenever they play New Haven. As a unit, we are not taking Franklin Pierce or anybody that we play lightly."
New Haven's defense has allowed one touchdown in the last two weeks and that came when Southern Connecticut State had a short field to work with. Scott has been thrilled that after allowing five explosive plays in the season opener against Frostburg State, there has only been one such play allowed over the last two weeks.
Franklin Pierce leads the Northeast-10 in total offense and Scott plans to have the Chargers ready for the third night game so far this season.
"This is the first time when we will play them and they will have a winning record," Scott said. "It is their home opener, they definitely believe in the quarterback. He [Adrian Parker] is doing a great job taking what the defense is giving him, running around a little bit, the vertical pass, they are going to take their shots down the field.
"We are going to have to come ready to work. It is a tough place to play. It has all the makings to be a tough game, especially if we don't show up and do what we need to do. We always get everybody's best game and those guys definitely believe they can beat us this year so we are going to have to be ready to rock and roll."
