Southern finalizes Thursday night football game

Coach Pete Richardson and the SU Jaguars will have lighter out-of- conference schedule in '09 facing Division II Central State (OH), Tennessee State and UL-L. The Jags are currently seeking a D-II or FCS D-I opponent for an Oct. 17 home date.

Jaguars to face Prairie View on Oct. 22

As expected, Thursday night football is coming to Southern. SU Athletic Director Greg LaFleur and coach Pete Richardson confirmed Tuesday that the Jaguars’ home game against Prairie View will happen on a Thursday — at 7 p.m. Oct. 22 in A.W. Mumford Stadium before a national television audience on ESPNU. SU’s move to Thursday night is a result of the television deal between the Southwestern Athletic Conference and the ESPN family of networks.The SWAC had three Thursday night ESPNU games in 2008: Arkansas-Pine Bluff at Alcorn State on Sept. 18; Mississippi Valley State at Alabama State on Sept. 25; and Grambling at Texas Southern on Nov. 20.

Southern hosted Florida A&M on Oct. 18 on ESPNU. This, however, will be SU’s first Thursday night home game. “You never like to play on a Thursday night, especially with our fan base,” Richardson said. “But it was our turn to play, and we’ll play. It’ll be a little bit of a different experience, playing on a short week. You just hope you don’t come out with too many injuries the game before that.” Of course, at this point, Richardson doesn’t yet know whom he’ll play the week before the Prairie View game. SWAC teams will play seven conference games next season, leaving schools to fill out their schedules with four nonconfrence opponents (teams within the Football Championship Subdivision will play 11 games in 2009).

CONTINUE READING, CLICK BLOG TITLE.