Stopping TSU's run key for Southern

Baton Rouge, Louisiana - As well as Southern University's defense has played this season — Stump Mitchell, the boss himself, has conceded that the defense has given SU a chance to win almost every game — the Jaguars do have a weakness. They're suspect against the run.

Mitchell knows it. Defensive coordinator O'Neill Gilbert knows it. They've lived through it. And Southern fans have watched it, sometimes with frustration. When the Jaguars are forced to slow down a robust ground game, the results aren't often pretty.

Tennessee State gained 342 rushing yards. Prairie View gained 161 rushing yards. Mississippi Valley State: 230. Arkansas-Pine Bluff: 298. You get the idea. With that in mind, SU's next Southern (3-5, 3-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference) faces Texas Southern (3-5, 1-5) at 6 p.m. Saturday at Delmar Stadium in Houston — and if the home team can establish its potent rushing attack early, the Jaguars' bus ride home to Baton Rouge won't be much fun.

READ MORE