By JOSEPH SCHIEFELBEIN, Advocate sportswriter
The defending champion of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, with the league’s most explosive offense and a two-game winning streak over Southern, is coming to town for a 5:30 p.m. homecoming matchup on Saturday in A.W. Mumford Stadium.
That’s just the way Southern strong safety Glenn Bell wants it. For a team to prove itself as worthy, that team first has to beat the best.
“I’m a football player,” Bell said. “If I strap up and put on my helmet and shoulder pads, I hope you run up to me, because that’s why I play the sport. If not, I’ll go play tennis or something.”
The undefeated, 25th-ranked Jaguars (5-0, 3-0 SWAC) have put themselves in a position to contend for the conference title after two straight losing seasons.
“It’s going to be an exciting game. They’re riding high. We’re riding high,” Southern coach Pete Richardson said. “The matchups in October are going to determine who’s going to get to that championship game.”
A&M (4-1, 2-1) is impressive.
“Man, Alabama A&M has a great offense,” Bell said. “They have a senior quarterback, with senior leadership. They have some young guys who are stepping up and making plays for them. They have a real explosive offense. It’s going to be a real challenge for us to go up against them. It’s going to be a good game.
“Watching film on them, you can tell those guys take pride in blocking. The running back runs real hard. The quarterback plays with passion. And you can tell his receivers look up to him; the offense feeds off him. They have a well-run offense.”
The defending champion of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, with the league’s most explosive offense and a two-game winning streak over Southern, is coming to town for a 5:30 p.m. homecoming matchup on Saturday in A.W. Mumford Stadium.
That’s just the way Southern strong safety Glenn Bell wants it. For a team to prove itself as worthy, that team first has to beat the best.
“I’m a football player,” Bell said. “If I strap up and put on my helmet and shoulder pads, I hope you run up to me, because that’s why I play the sport. If not, I’ll go play tennis or something.”
The undefeated, 25th-ranked Jaguars (5-0, 3-0 SWAC) have put themselves in a position to contend for the conference title after two straight losing seasons.
“It’s going to be an exciting game. They’re riding high. We’re riding high,” Southern coach Pete Richardson said. “The matchups in October are going to determine who’s going to get to that championship game.”
A&M (4-1, 2-1) is impressive.
“Man, Alabama A&M has a great offense,” Bell said. “They have a senior quarterback, with senior leadership. They have some young guys who are stepping up and making plays for them. They have a real explosive offense. It’s going to be a real challenge for us to go up against them. It’s going to be a good game.
“Watching film on them, you can tell those guys take pride in blocking. The running back runs real hard. The quarterback plays with passion. And you can tell his receivers look up to him; the offense feeds off him. They have a well-run offense.”
Southern went winless in three October games last season and is 1-6 in the month in the last two seasons. Last season, the Jaguars gave up fourth-quarter leads at Alabama A&M and Jackson State and seemed to come unraveled in a 26-10 loss at Alcorn State.Now, Southern is in the midst of a run of five home games in six Saturdays. After A&M on Saturday, the Jaguars have two more October games, both at home, before getting their first open weekend.
Jackson State (2-2, 2-0) visits Oct. 13 and Alcorn State (0-4, 0-3) on Oct. 20. Though winless, Alcorn has won four of the last five meetings with Southern, including the last three games in Mumford Stadium.
“I can’t worry about the other two games,” Richardson said. “I just have to worry about our game this week with Alabama A&M.
“It’s a huge game for us.”
The last two seasons provide two lessons of teams that got off to fast starts but faded.
n Alabama State, the 2004 champion, started the 2005 season on a 6-1 tear and future Minnesota Vikings quarterback Tarvaris Jackson at the helm. But the Hornets, despite being strong preseason favorites, suffered a late loss to Alabama A&M in the Magic City Classic (a win would have put them in the SWAC Championship Game). That was the start of a four-game skid as A&M won the Eastern Division.
n And Jackson State started 5-1 but went 1-4 down the stretch last season.
Saturday, Southern, which last reached the SWAC title game in 2003 and ’04 will have to contend with suddenly soaring expectations, its first national ranking since December ’04, a talented A&M team and all the hoopla that goes with homecoming.
“You always have to be concerned about distractions,” Richardson said. “They have to get focused and understand our part in this.”
Said linebacker Gary Chapman, “We’re not worrying about all the activities going on.”
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