Southern Jaguars let one slip away

SHREVEPORT, LA — Henry Frazier III wasn’t worried. Saturday night at Independence Stadium, even when his Prairie View football team came up empty on a handful of great chances to score against Southern in the second half, Frazier felt good. His team had momentum. His team was in good shape.

Ultimately, by the end of the Panthers’ 30-16 victory, he was right. “I told (the players), ‘We’ll be OK,’ because our defense was playing so good,” Frazier said. “When your defense is playing that well ... I mean, we stayed on their side of the field the whole second half. So I was OK with it. Normally, I’m conservative, but I took a couple of gambles tonight.”

Panthers defense stiffens

SHREVEPORT — In the first half, the Prairie View A&M defense allowed 218 yards to Southern. The second half was a different story. The Panthers limited the Jaguars to 41 yards in the second half en route to a 30-16 Southwestern Athletic Conference victory in Saturday’s Shreveport Classic at Independence Stadium.

Prairie View defensive coordinator Heishma Northern said the Panthers made a few adjustments at halftime, but it was mostly about playing better. “We just talked to the guys about doing their job,” said Northern, a Baton Rouge native who played football at Southern and played and coached at Glen Oaks High School.

Prairie View breaks through in 4th quarter

SHREVEPORT — Through much of the second half of Saturday’s game at Independence Stadium, when Southern’s offense failed to move the ball and Prairie View kept threatening to take control, the Jaguars’ defense did everything it could to hold the fort. Or, in the words of defensive tackle Jordan Miller, the defense did almost everything.

Eventually, the Panthers broke through. “Our offense delivered. Sixteen points should be enough to win,” Miller said. “We can’t keep giving up so many touchdowns.” Really?

Panthers continue recent dominance over SU

SHREVEPORT — Another year. Another win. Another round of notable achievements for the Prairie View football program. The Panthers defeated Southern 30-14 on Saturday at Independence Stadium, their third consecutive victory over the Jaguars. It had been a while since Prairie View could claim that kind of dominance over Southern.

The Panthers hadn’t won three straight games in this series since 1962-64, when legendary William “Billy” Nicks still coached at Prairie View. Saturday’s game also marked the first time this season that Panthers quarterback K.J. Black — the reigning offensive player of the year in the Southwestern Athletic Conference — threw for more than 300 yards this season.

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ATTENDANCE: 19,979


Final: Prairie View, 30; Southern, 16

HOW THEY SCORED
First quarter
Prairie View – Donald Babers 3 run (Kyle Mathews kick) at 8:11. DRIVE: 10 plays, 83 yards, 4:25. KEY PLAYS: Prairie View converts on a third-and-10 with a throw from quarterback K.J. Black to tailback Devin Brown. Black throws to wideout Shaun Stephens for a 32-yard gain. SU safety Demetric Rogers is flagged for holding on an overthrown pass. Babers runs on the final five plays of the drive. Prairie View 7, Southern 0.

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SU marching band struggles to attend away games

BATON ROUGE, LA (WAFB) - The Southern University's marching band, known as the Human Jukebox, is world-famous for its smooth sounds and high-stepping moves. But budget cuts have limited the band from traveling to away games with the football team.

Southern University was forced to cut the band's entire travel fund of about $120,000 because of state-wide budget cuts. The campus shaved nearly $18 million dollars from its budget this year. The band has been absent from both away games this season, and the Human Jukebox will likely miss even more.

"When you see the Human Jukebox, it's like no other experience someone can experience," said Lawrence Jackson, director. "There will be good music, good marching, and a good show. There's no business like show business."



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Dog days winding down at SU camp

By Louisiana standards, Wednesday was downright comfortable, one of those rare August days where you could stand outside and not have your internal faucet turned on by the heat and humidity. It was a day where the undershirt could stay pretty dry.
The comfort didn’t escape the notice of Southern football coach Stump Mitchell.

“I think God has taken better care of them than I am,” Mitchell said, nodding towards his Southern University football players who were making their way back to the locker room after Wednesday afternoon’s practice. “We’ve had some pretty nice weather. We’ve had a breeze and if I had to, I would not have ordered the breeze. He’s taking care of them and giving them exactly what they need.”

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Louisiana-Lafayette 42, Southern Jaguars 19

Southern University Jaguars Coach Pete Richards begins 17th season on the Bluff with expectations of winning the 2009 SWAC Championship after blowing a 12-7 lead at ULL.

Missed opportunities

Jaguars lead early, but fall to Cajuns...Wherever and whenever this season ends, the Southern football team probably won’t remember the final score of Saturday’s season opener — a 42-19 runaway for Louisiana-Lafayette, a game that started with a bevy of big plays and ended as a snoozer. The Jaguars might remember the record crowd of 41,357 at Cajun Field and how lively it seemed for the first two quarters. They’ll remember other things, too.

As they walked off the field, outmatched against a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent that controlled the line of scrimmage and cashed in on their mistakes, the Jaguars were left to lament the opportunities they missed, the mistakes they made and the potential for a strong season that might still lie ahead. “Our goal is to get to the (Southwestern Athletic Conference) championship game,” 17th-year coach Pete Richardson said. “Now, we’ve just got to get back home and try to get some of our guys back together. “Every time we play up, it’s such a physical type game — and it’s a numbers game.

SU shakes off bumps, bruises

Southern coach Pete Richardson said his No. 1 priority in Saturday’s season opener at Louisiana-Lafayette — aside from winning, of course — was escaping Cajun Field with relatively few injuries. At the end of the Jaguars’ 42-19 loss, they appeared to get lucky. With 8:54 left in the first quarter, freshman cornerback Pierre Warford and senior free safety Anthony Wells collided while trying to make an interception near the Southern 10-yard line. Warford suffered a rib injury and did not return. Jeremy Ivory came off the bench to play corner, while House replaced Wells at free safety. Wells returned to the field later, but junior Jason House played much of the rest of the game.


Stewart keeps SU close

Jaguars leave opportunities on the field... For all of the success that Louisiana-Lafayette had operating against Southern’s defense, the Cajuns were in a tight battle for most of the first half of Saturday’s season-opening game. With wideout Juamorris Stewart threatening all of his single-game best numbers, Southern came away from a 42-19 loss at Cajun Field feeling like it left too many opportunities on the field. “We know, as an offense, we left a lot of points out there,” Stewart said. “We’re just going to have to get in the film room and work it out.”

Game Statistics: SU-ULL

Photo Gallery
Photos: ULL 42, Southern 19

Southern University Dolls Cupid Shuffle, Chicago Classic 2007