JACKSON, Mississippi -- But for Jackson State coach Tony Hughes, this weekend will be a bit of a homecoming.Hughes played defensive back at Southern Miss in 1977 and 1978 and earned his undergrad there. He met his wife Marion there. He came back and worked as an assistant there during the Larry Fedora regime, which propelled him to his run in the SEC as an ace recruiter.
Hughes said Monday he'll have to put those emotions aside and treat Saturday's game like a business trip.
His return to M.M. Roberts Stadium comes at a crucial time. The Tigers finished 3-8 in each of his first two seasons and 2018 is a contract year under a brand new athletic director.
The cards are stacked against JSU, as they are for any FCS team punching above its weight class against an FBS opponent. But the Tigers aren't starting the season with a flight to UNLV or a seven hour bus ride to face an elite TCU team. This is a quick trip down Hwy. 49.
It'll be a hostile environment, but the Tigers ought to be used to ignoring the noise by now. They've been picked to finish third in the SWAC's East, a division they expect to compete for this year, and there were no Tigers on the league's preseason all-conference teams.
CONTINUE READING
No comments:
Post a Comment