Odums says SU will not be intimidated by Houston

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana  --  Speaking at the weekly Baton Rouge Press Club luncheon Monday afternoon, Dawson Odums said he knew most of the media in the room wouldn’t pick him to start his run as Southern University’s permanent head football coach with a win.

The Jaguars open 2013 against the University of Houston on Aug. 30 in Reliant Stadium, a game that will net Southern’s athletic department a $350,000 payout.

But Odums, who inherited the Southern job full time after going 4-5 as the interim coach last season, said the talk around the Southern football facility this summer hasn’t been about collecting a check.

He said the Jaguars will play hard against an opponent transitioning from Conference USA to the new American Athletic Conference. He said they won’t be intimidated.

“If they put their pants on one leg at a time, we’ve got a chance,” Odums said he has told his players. He then added, “If you see anybody who jumps in there (with both legs) at the same time, call timeout. We’re getting on the bus and coming on back home.”

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