Southern University Coach Pete Richardson at expanded A.W. Mumford Stadium.Fired up Jaguars defense
While Southern University’s offense found stiff competition Saturday night against Tennessee State, the Jaguars defense roughed up the visiting Tigers even more. After playing opponents from different levels of college football the first two weeks of the season, Southern found itself on even footing against Tennessee State, and the Jaguars defense made sure their offense had all the chances needed to pull out a 21-17 win. “Tonight, we played a team on our level, and we knew it would be a dogfight,” Southern defensive coordinator Terrence Graves said. “These guys stepped up and made big plays. This is a testament to them and things to come this season.”
Photos: Southern 21, TSU 17
Jaguars get intense victory
Saturday night in A.W. Mumford Stadium, the Southern football team played hard, if not always sound. Yet as the offense huddled with 6:30 remaining, then Jaguars needed to score against a tough Tennessee State defense. Otherwise, the Jaguars’ three-hour struggle was destined to become a loss. So, as they geared up for what would become their fourth-quarter game-winning drive in front of 12,247 fans, quarterback Bryant Lee gave his teammates a simple message: Play with one heartbeat. “It was really intense in there,” tailback Brian Threat said. “A lot of yelling like, ‘Hey, we’ve got to get it. We’ve got to get amped up.’ We all came together, got amped up and executed well.”
House answers call, stars at safety
Free safety Jason House and strong safety Demetric Rogers started for the second straight game Saturday in Southern’s 21-17 victory over Tennessee State, stepping in for regular starters Anthony Wells and Gary Chatman. Wells is recovering from two knee surgeries and a pulled hamstring, which he suffered during the first half of SU’s season-opening loss at Louisiana-Lafayette. On Saturday, he walked the sideline in his game jersey and jeans. Chatman, who sprained his right ankle in the ULL game, dressed out Saturday but did not play.
Too many 3-and-outs
Tennessee State quarterback Calvin McNairl didn’t want to come off the field without a score. Tennessee State’s defense had just denied Bryant Lee enough yardage for a first down on fourth-and-1 inside the red zone and it was time for his Tigers to go to work. At the time, TSU was ahead by three and a touchdown would have made it a two-score game. With 8:20 left to play, the Tigers took over at their 16-yard line. McNairl hoped this drive would be different from five others that ended with three-and-outs. The worst case scenario? The Tennessee State quarterback hoped for a field goal. What he got was two decent gains from Preston Brown. But on third-and-3, the Tigers went backward as Brown was stopped for a 2-yard loss.
Southern uses late rally to defeat TSU
BATON ROUGE, La. — Tennessee State allowed Southern to go on a late fourth-quarter drive that led to a 21-17 Tigers loss on Saturday night. "We just gave up some big plays. Our offense had the chance to get some first downs and run the clock out," Tennessee State Coach James Webster said. "We just didn't get it done." TSU, which scored just two offensive touchdowns in its first two games, managed 255 yards of offense and squandered two scoring chances inside the Southern 20. But the Tigers (1-2) took a 17-14 lead in the fourth quarter.
New TSU starter shows he's a leader
Now that he's the starting quarterback, Calvin McNairl is sending a message in more ways than one to Tennessee State's football team. Not only is the former Henry County star now talking about his ability to lead the Tigers, but he is also proving it on the field. He was the most valuable player in last week's 14-7 Southern Heritage Classic win over Jackson State and has carried himself with more resolve this week as TSU (1-1) prepared to visit Southern (1-1) at 6 tonight. "When Calvin first got here he wouldn't say, 'Boo,''' TSU Coach James Webster said. "But now he's talking. He's telling his offensive teammates where they need to be, what they need to do. The guys have responded and it's made a difference."
TSU's defense gets in groove
Tennessee State Coach James Webster hates to say I told you so, but…Webster did warn of the offensive struggles his team has experienced and told his defensive players to be prepared handle a heavier load. "I said that our defense was going to carry this football team until our offense could jell,'' Webster said. "I fully expected that." While the offense showed improvement in Saturday's 14-7 win over Jackson State, the defense is being counted on heavily as the Tigers (1-1) prepare for Saturday's game at Southern (1-1).
Attendance: 9,300 @ Mumford Stadium, Baton Rouge, LA.
CONTINUE READING, CLICK EACH BLOG TITLE.
No comments:
Post a Comment