Luke Johnson: Southern fans should take advantage of their last chance to see a stellar senior class at home

PRAIRIE VIEW, Texas — Southern coach Dawson Odums was in a rare mood Saturday following his team’s big win at Prairie View.

Maybe it was the timing. Odums usually allows himself a long time after the game before speaking to the media. The players usually go first while Odums showers, giving himself some time to wash himself clean of the postgame emotion.

Usually, Odums is composed during these sessions. He’s never too high or too low — always somewhere in the middle.

Saturday was different. He went first, and he was not in the middle. This was not a bad thing.

Odums spoke passionately. He raised his voice to be heard over the blare of the Human Jukebox playing its feel-good music nearby. He answered every question about a specific player by referring to the group and its special nature. He had a message to convey, and it’s worth listening to.

“It’s fun,” he said. “It’s fun to watch these guys. It’s fun to watch them go; it’s fun to be around them. I love them, now. We’ve been through a lot. We’ve had our tough days, but every day they’ve put in the work. I’m grateful to be the head coach.”



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