The 6-foot-5, 310-pound sophomore said he just needed to grow up. Coach Brian Kelly said the coaches knew Jones' potential, but he needed a more consistent effort.

"It was a matter of him maturing and paying attention to detail. Once he's started to buy into that and understand how important it is, I think he started to blossom into the type of player he can be," Kelly said.

Jones didn't play last season as a freshman, but spent the year learning the "stud" position, which is sort of a cross between a defensive tackle and a defensive end. Then this season he began working on the other end of the line as a backup to Stephon Tuitt.

He wasn't doing his work — on the field and the classroom — and he was moved to the scout team when the Irish were preparing to play Southern California, Kelly said. That allowed Kelly, who spends a good bit of his time with the first team offense, to see how Jones reacted.

"We wanted to see that fire every single play, and I liked what he did in the couple of weeks that he was down with us," he said.

The main reason Jones got a chance to show what he could do was injuries. Louis Nix III went down with a knee injury and Kona Schwenke with a high ankle sprain. Several other defensive players were also hobbled by injuries.

Jones was about the only option the Irish had against BYU on Nov. 23. He responded by making seven tackles, doubling his season total to 14, and also blocked a field goal attempt. He followed that with another good showing against Stanford, finishing with four tackles. The Irish (8-4) are counting on him to play well against Rutgers (6-6) on Saturday.

"I think Jarron is slowly getting to that point where he can compete at a high level. He still physically has to get stronger. His volume has got to continue to grow," Kelly said. "I feel pretty confident he can go in there and do some good things for us in '14."

When coaches told Jones he was moving inside to nose guard, he didn't like the idea. He saw the physical pounding that Nix took each game, being double- and triple-teamed. But the more he played the position, the more he liked it.

"It's actually a lot of fun. It's just more for me to use my hands instead of working around such an open field," he said.

The Irish already know they will be without Nix, who signed with an agent. Some are projecting Tuitt as a first-round NFL draft pick. Tuitt has said he will make his mind up about whether to enter the NFL draft after the Pinstripe Bowl. Kelly said he has asked for evaluations from the NFL for where Tuitt, tight end Troy Niklas and running back George Atkinson III would likely be drafted.

Jones said the Irish players can't be worried about whether Tuitt will join Nix in the draft.

"Our coaches always tell us, 'There's no indispensable man.' Losing them is not going to create a big hole in the defense. We have the coaches to train us the right way to get us to the level to replace those guys. It's a team effort," he said."


GAMECOCKS LOSE WR BYRD


South Carolina receiver Damiere Byrd will miss the Capital One Bowl on Jan. 1 against Wisconsin after injuring his knee in practice this week, the university announced.

Byrd will have arthroscopic surgery.

Byrd is second on the Gamecocks with 33 receptions and 575 yards receiving. He also has four touchdowns.

The junior speedster — he also runs sprints for the South Carolina indoor men’s track team — has been a playmaker for the Gamecocks. Last season he caught just 14 passes, but averaged 26.1 yards per reception with three scores.


DUKE TOP RUSHER SUSPENDED


Duke has suspended rushing leader Jela Duncan from school for an undisclosed violation of its academic policy.

School officials said in a statement Saturday that the sophomore is not eligible to return until the Spring 2015 semester.

He will not play for the 22nd-ranked Blue Devils in the Chick-fil-A Bowl against No. 20 Texas A&M.

Duncan rushed for 562 yards and three touchdowns this season and caught 13 passes for 123 yards and a score.

The Blue Devils (10-3) have gone four-deep at running back this season and will rely on junior Josh Snead, sophomore Shaq Powell and senior Juwan Thompson to make up for Duncan.

Duke plays the Aggies (8-4) on Dec. 31 in Atlanta.

Contributors: Ken Bradley, The Associated Press