Southern University's Marching Band Heads to Morocco and Algeria

Southern University Marching Band's drumline will soon be on its way to captivate audiences in the North African countries of Morocco and Algeria. Fourteen members of the famous "Human Jukebox" band will be performing in theaters, a children's center, sporting events, a morning television show and conducting workshops for young drummers, while touring cities in the two countries.

"It seems so unreal. I mean really unreal. It probably won't hit me that we're actually going to Africa until we take off," said Stanley Reed, a junior biology major and bass drummer from Thibodaux.

The Jaguar band's trip comes at the invitation of the U.S. State Department through....

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Videographer: Wayla2010

Atlanta Classic drops Tennessee State University from 2011 schedule; FAMU to face Southern Jaguars

A.D. Teresa L. Philips

Low attendance by Tigers fans cited as reason

Tennessee State Athletics Director Teresa Phillips said the Tigers will not play in the Atlanta Football Classic next season for the first time since 1994, and she hopes to replace the September game with a Football Bowl Subdivision or a "prominent" Football Championship Subdivision opponent.

TSU, an FCS team, has played Florida A&M in the past nine Atlanta Football Classics at the Georgia Dome and was involved in 17 of the 19 games since 1989.

Phillips said she became aware several weeks ago that officials from the Atlanta Football Classic were negotiating with Southern University as an opponent for Florida A&M to replace TSU. She received official word last week that the Tigers would not be invited back.

TSU Tigers Will Not Play In Atlanta Classic in 2011

Tennessee State University Athletic Director Teresa Phillips has released the tentative 2011 football schedule without the Atlanta Classic against perennial opponent, Florida A&M University.

"The Atlanta Classic is sponsored by the 100 Black Men of Atlanta and they decided to bring in another opponent to face Florida A&M," said Phillips. “We are in active negotiations to schedule an FBS or prominent FCS team to replace that game this year.” She concluded saying, “We expect to complete our schedule by the end of the month.”

The Tigers and Rattlers have played each other for twenty-eight consecutive years with FAMU holding a 26-25-1 edge in the all-time series. TSU beat FAMU 29-18 last year in Atlanta in front of a crowd of 54,202.

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Best (or worst) of Southern University season

Since elementary school, we’ve all known that, like snowflakes and fingerprints, no two words in the English language are identical. With that in mind, it’s important to remember that “memorable” does not always mean “enjoyable.”

Take, for example, the 2010 football season at Southern University. For fans and alumni, it was rarely enjoyable. But it was, indeed, memorable.

It started with the hiring of a bold new head coach in Stump Mitchell, who vowed to instill discipline in the SU program and, of course, win. A lot. The Jaguars, he said, had enough talent on hand to go 12-0. Instead, they won two times in 11 games, clinching their first nine-loss season in school history.

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Ned, longtime Southern assistant trainer, dies at 53

Terrence Graves was hard at work Friday night in Itta Bena, Miss., when his cell phone practically fell off the table, ringing with calls and text messages from old friends from Southern University. Graves, the former Southern defensive coordinator, knew that was bad news.

His worst fear about a longtime friend was true: Assistant trainer John Ned, a fixture at Southern University for the better part of four decades, died late Friday night from cancer at 53, leaving behind friends and family who were saddened by the loss and stunned by how quickly his life ended.

“He and I became like family, so it’s kind of rough right now,” said Graves, now coaching at Mississippi Valley State. “I want to remember Ned like he was — healthy and happy.”

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Doug Williams hoping for more visibility for Grambling-Southern Bayou Classic

After quarterbacking Grambling State against Southern University in the inaugural State Farm Bayou Classic 36 years ago and coaching the Tigers from 1998-2002, Doug Williams is enjoying the spectator's view of the annual game between African-American universities. It's visibility he hopes maintains its relevance beyond Saturday's contest at the Louisiana Superdome.

"I'm always going to be involved around the game," the former NFL quarterback and Super Bowl XXII MVP said. "It's been affected by the economy, but it's still viable. I mean, you can't take away black college rivalries like Jackson State-Alcorn, Alabama State-Tuskegee and Grambling-Southern."

Grambling RB Frank Warren earns praise on and off the field

Grambling senior running back Frank Warren sat among the crowd during Monday’s Bayou Classic news conference on the floor of the Superdome, donning an old-school letterman’s sweater. Nothing flashy. And one by one, someone from either Grambling or Southern took the podium and showered him with compliments in anticipation of Saturday’s State Farm Bayou Classic.

First, it was Grambling Athletic Director Lin Dawson.

“Not only do I respect him as the leading rusher in the history of Grambling, but also as a man of character,” Dawson said. “And I will tell you after the Bayou Classic is over, years from now, people will be hearing about this young man. He is a man of integrity and a young man of character.”

Bayou Classic keys to victory

Grambling State and Southern have to focus on playing for pride, and make it the driving point. Texas Southern swiped the Tigers’ chances of playing in next week’s SWAC championship game a couple of weeks ago. Yet, Tigers Coach Rod Broadway continues to talk up this game to his team. The Jaguars have endured one of their worst seasons in school history. They’re riding a five-game losing streak and have lost eight of the past nine games. A win today for first-year coach Stump Mitchell could make up for this season’s struggles.

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Bayou Classic: Southern athletic director gets flak as new coach Stump Mitchell struggles

BATON ROUGE, LA — Greg LaFleur chuckles a little bit, almost as if he knew the questions were coming. Does he regret hiring Stump Mitchell as coach? Did he pull the trigger too soon on Pete Richardson, who won 105 games, a national championship and five SWAC championships in 17 seasons at Southern?

Southern’s athletic director has sat through a difficult season, watching the crown jewel of his department — football — and the good friend he hired as coach struggle to a 2-8 record and a last-place finish in the SWAC Western Division.

To players, coaches Classic still a big deal

Yes, of course it’s still a big game. It is, after all, still Southern and Grambling.

At 1 p.m. Saturday in the Superdome, the two archrivals meet for the 37th Bayou Classic — and while attendance has lagged over the past few years, and even though both teams are out of the running for the Southwestern Athletic Conference football title, none of that will probably mean much to the coaching staffs and players at kickoff time.


Videographer: Realwidit5 (GSU Homecoming Half-Time Show 2010)

Southern defense ready for Grambling challenge

Southern defensive tackle Jordan Miller peered across the ground floor of the Superdome late Monday morning, sneaking a peek at the main attraction for this year’s Bayou Classic.

There he was, neatly attired in a black sweater, with a mustard-gold “G” on his chest: Mr. Frank Warren, the leading rusher in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, a running back whom Prairie View coach Henry Frazier III once referred to as a “stud, plain and simple.”

Bayou Classic win could ease SU pain

NEW ORLEANS — By the time Stump Mitchell strolled into the Superdome, just before 10 o’clock on a beautiful Monday morning in this city of second chances, the New Orleans Saints logos had already vanished from the playing field.

A team of workers and their paint-removing chemicals had taken care of that, and with five days to go until the biggest game in black college football, the crew had started to transform this giant building into a place fit for the Bayou Classic, which, as always, gets under way at 1 p.m. Saturday, with a national television audience looking in.


Videographer: Wayla2010 (Southern University Marching Human Jukebox, 11/8/2010)

SOUTHERN NOTES: McGinty to start at QB

NEW ORLEANS — During last season’s Bayou Classic, then-freshman quarterback Jeremiah McGinty walked up and down the Southern sideline, watching fifth-year senior Bryant Lee run for his life against a dominant Grambling pass rush.

McGinty assumed that the next time the Jaguars played in the Superdome, he’d be the one in charge, trying to lead the Jaguars toward better results. Evidently, at the end of an up-and-down season, he’ll get that chance after all.

A year of adversity

RUSTON — Grambling's championship hopes were on life support after the team's 41-34 overtime loss to Texas Southern on Nov. 11, and any remaining hope was dashed when Texas Southern beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 20-13 on Saturday to clinch the SWAC's Western Division.

So there will be no championship for Grambling (8-2 overall, 7-1 SWAC) in 2010. But by no means does that mean the Tigers' season is over.

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Bayou Classic coaches Broadway, Mitchell ready for showdown

The 37th annual State Farm Bayou Classic football game featuring Grambling State University and Southern University will take place at the Louisiana Superdome with kickoff scheduled for 1 p.m. Saturday in New Orleans. The game will be televised nationally by NBC.

The Bayou Classic series is tied at 18-18 and the overall Southern-Grambling series is led by Southern, 29-28. Grambling has a 8-2 overall record and a 7-1 record in the SWAC Western Division under 4th year Head Coach Rod Broadway. Southern is 2-8 and has...

House, Southern reflect on lost 2010

A simple, narrow tunnel stretches between the playing field at A.W. Mumford Stadium and Southern’s locker room inside the field house. On one side is the equipment room, where players receive their practice gear every afternoon. On the other side is a set of three meeting rooms, separated by folding walls. At the north end, near the locker room, is a set of long, wooden benches.

Players who need medical treatment often sit there, waiting for treatment. This season, free safety Jason House has seen more of those benches than he ever cared to. A preseason All-American who led the nation with 10 interceptions last year, House has missed the last seven games with...

Championship wealth spread throughout SWAC

You want parity? For years — no, decades — the Southwestern Athletic Conference was the wrong place to look for it. Not all teams were created equal, and by Thanksgiving weekend, that was plainly obvious.

Now, however, when it comes to parity, the SWAC is your one-stop shop. Consider this: Over a 27-year stretch from 1977-2003, one of three teams — Jackson State, Southern or Grambling — won or shared the SWAC title 24 times.

No titles at stake in Bayou Classic

There was a time when the winner of the Bayou Classic would play in the SWAC Championship Game. Not this year. Grambling (8-2, 7-1) could have gone to the SWAC title game, but the Tigers lost their last game to Texas Southern and TSU defeated Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Saturday to wrap up the Western Division title.

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Baptiste signing off after 35 years on Southern radio call

On this beautiful autumn afternoon, three hours before kickoff, Henry Baptiste will ride the elevator to the third floor of the press box at A.W. Mumford Stadium, walk to the Southern University radio broadcasters booth, put down his briefcase and get to work. It’s been this way, every Saturday during the fall, for 36 years now.

He’ll meet with his colleagues: play-by-play man Clarence Buggs, sideline reporter Eric Randall and longtime engineer Arnold Crump. Together, they will sit down and map out the broadcast of today’s game between Southern and Alabama State, the Jaguars’ last home game in a season that’s been brutally disappointing to date.

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Alabama State defense stymies Southern

Southern quarterback Jeremiah McGinty learned a tough lesson during Saturday night’s 21-19 loss to Alabama State: What you see isn’t always what you get.

McGinty, who entered the Southwestern Athletic Conference game in the second quarter in hopes of sparking Southern’s offense, threw two interceptions — mistakes that free safety Kejuan Riley said his defense baited McGinty into attempting.

“I think he underestimated us,” said Riley, whose defense held McGinty and Dray Joseph to a combined 13 of 41 passing for 128 yards.

Penalty costs Southern in loss to Alabama State

At long last, toward the end of a long, ugly, disappointing season, they seemed ready to deliver in crunch time. Instead, like so many times before, the Southern Jaguars were done in by a piece of yellow fabric.

Saturday night, in the closing moments of their 21-19 loss against Alabama State, some 8,482 fans watched the Jaguars struggling offense put together a strong fourth-quarter scoring drive when they absolutely needed one. They scored with 16 seconds left. They came within a two-point conversion of tying the game.

McGinty nearly brings SU back in fourth quarter

There were improvements on the field this week despite the fact that Southern University seemed to do just enough to stay out of the win column for the fifth consecutive week. Penalties and special teams play haunted the Jaguars, who still got a standout defensive effort before falling to Alabama State 21-19 Saturday night at A.W. Mumford Stadium.

The offense, which struggled a week ago in a loss to Texas Southern, sputtered for a half, but produced two long fourth-quarter scoring drives. Starting quarterback Dray Joseph was lifted in the third quarter as Southern coach Stump Mitchell decided to shake up his lineup.

Southern takes eighth loss for first time since 1981

It’s been a long time since Southern had a record like this. And the Jaguars haven’t had a record like this very often. Saturday night at A.W. Mumford Stadium, Alabama State handed SU its eighth loss this season with a 21-19 victory.

It is the first time Southern has lost eight games in one season since 1981, when the Jaguars went 3-8 in Otis Washington’s first year as coach. Washington went 8-3 the next season and finished 35-30-1 in six years as Southern’s coach.

Southern-Alabama State: How they scored

First quarter
SOUTHERN: LaQuinton Evans 9 pass from Dray Joseph (Josh Duran kick) at 10:09. DRIVE: 3 plays, 36 yards, 1:15. KEY PLAYS: A long punt return by Richard Wilson allows Southern to start at the ASU 36-yard line. Joseph hits wideout Corderious Gregory on a 27-yard gain down the seam. Evans scores on a simple slant pattern. Southern 7, Alabama State 0.

Late penalty costs Southern in 21-19 loss to Alabama State

BATON ROUGE -- Considering that Southern entered Saturday night's game against Alabama State last in the SWAC in penalties, it shouldn't be a surprise that penalties cost the Jaguars a win against the Hornets.

Southern (2-8, 1-7 SWAC) scored a touchdown with 16 seconds left, putting itself a two-point conversion from tying the score at 21. But fullback Brian McCain was called for a personal foul, pushing the Jaguars back 15 yards for their conversion try.

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ATTENDANCE: 8482



Videographer: Wayla2010

Texas Southern hands Southern worst loss since 1999

When Southern’s football team came out the locker room after halftime Saturday night at A.W. Mumford Stadium, the goal was to close a 13-point gap against a brutally physical Texas Southern football team. The Jaguars believed they could do it. They had faith.

“The coaches told us to keep fighting. We weren’t out of the ballgame,” safety Anthony Wells said. “They told us to keep mistakes to a minimum and play hard.”

Southern needed a spark, a turnover, a big special-teams play. Something. Anything. Nothing good happened. By the end of the third quarter of a thoroughly convincing 54-7 blowout, the pep in Jaguars’ step was long gone and so were most of the 8,329 fans who bothered to show up.

Jaguars offense stymied

Call it intuition, call it foreboding. Whatever it was, the smallest crowd of the season was on hand to watch the most lopsided home loss for Southern University in recent seasons, a 54-7 defeat at the hands of Texas Southern.

Texas Southern brought in the second-ranked defense in the Football Championship Subdivision, and the Tigers acquitted themselves nicely. Southern’s offensive statistics all came in below the meager averages already allowed by Texas Southern.

SOUTHERN NOTEBOOK: Lopsided loss makes history

This was not the way Southern intended to make history. In dominating the Jaguars 54-7 on Saturday night in A.W. Mumford Stadium, Texas Southern earned its most lopsided win in the history of the TSU-SU football series, which dates to 1946. Before Saturday, the Tigers’ largest margin of victory was 37 points, achieved in a 37-0 win in 1972.

Southern offense manages just 134 yards

Think Southern’s 54-7 loss to Texas Southern on Saturday night was bad? Linebacker Shomari Clemons said it should have been worse. “We could have held them to zero points, we could have held them to a goose egg,” said Clemons, the LSU transfer who scored the first of Texas Southern’s two defensive touchdowns — outscoring Southern’s offense. His defensive teammates agreed.

TSU/SU: How they scored

First quarter
TEXAS SOUTHERN: Shomari Clemons 3 fumble return (Robert Hersh kick) at 14:08. KEY PLAYS: On Southern’s third play from scrimmage, defensive lineman Jonathan Hollins, a Redemptorist graduate, sacks quarterback Dray Joseph, forcing a fumble in the process. Clemons, a former LSU player, scoops up the fumble and walks into the end zone. Texas Southern 7, Southern 0.

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ATTENDANCE: 8,329

Videographer: Bookman, 11/7/10

Southern relies on six vets to rebound

For Southern men’s basketball coach Rob Spivery, the best news from an otherwise terrible 2009-10 season came more than a month after the Jaguars played their last game. That’s when Rivals.com named Spivery its Southwestern Athletic Conference coach of the decade. The website was serious.

To be sure, Spivery had earned the honor, having won three conference titles since 2001: two at Alabama State and another in 2005-06, his first season at SU. Since then however, the SU program has crumbled, managing 13 wins in the past two years. The Jaguars finished 5-25 overall last spring — the worst record in school history — and they finished ninth in the league standings, missing the SWAC tournament for the first time.

Southern coach urges patience

First-year Southern head football coach Stump Mitchell said he's not surprised by his team's struggles this season, but he urged patience with better days ahead. "This (2-6 overall, 1-5 SWAC record) was coming," Mitchell said on Monday. "The last two years we finished 6-5 and 6-5. We had some problems with guys that we're still paying for.

"It was my option as a coach and they're not on this football team. We're talking about guys who are academically ineligible, guys who would have been starters. I was hoping they would do what needed to be done...

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Eliminating turnovers key to ASU Braves' success

LORMAN, MS — If the Alcorn State Braves are going to end a four-game losing streak, they are going to have to kick the bugaboo that has haunted them the entire season — turnovers. The Braves have turned the ball over a total of eight times in their last three games, all conference losses which dropped their record to 2-3 in the SWAC.

And Alcorn head coach Earnest Collins knows eliminating the mistakes will be a big key as his team hosts Southern University (2-5, 1-4 SWAC) at 2 p.m. Saturday. “We have got to cut down on our turnovers if we want to beat our old nemesis,” Collins said. “We’ve turned the ball over way too much.”

JSU, Alabama State, Alcorn all chasing East championship

What a messy East. The Southwestern Athletic Conference Eastern Division is more jumbled than its counterpart in the Southeastern Conference. OK, maybe not quite that bad. But with about a month left in the season, three Eastern teams have a legitimate shot at winning the division and going to Birmingham for the conference title game.

The East became so muddled last week when Jackson State missed a chance to grab a two-game lead in the division. Couple that with Alcorn State's third straight conference loss last week and the East has turned into one unpredictable mess, where Alcorn (3-4, 2-3), Jackson State (5-2, 3-2) and, now, Alabama State (4-3, 3-3) have a legit shot to take the crown.



SU’s struggles, improvement no surprise to Alcorn’s Collins

Earnest Collins said he wasn’t surprised to see Southern struggle early on this season. But he also said the Jaguars are getting better each week in their first year under Stump Mitchell, and he’s not surprised at that, either.

“With Southern, you knew they were going to have to get it on track,” said Collins, who, as the second-year coach at Alcorn State, knows about every pothole and speed bump a new football program is sure to hit.

Canadians playing well for Alcorn State

True freshman Brandon Bridge has already earned a nickname fitting of a young passer full of talent and promise, a subtle reference to a former Alcorn State legend: Air Canada. Problem is, Bridge’s defensive countryman has yet to earn such a permanent moniker. Some folks call inside linebacker Herve’ Tonye-Tonye by his last name, while others prefer “The Canadian Barbarian.”

“They call him a bunch of different stuff, but he doesn’t have one nickname like Brandon,” said his older brother, Raymond, who is also his roommate.

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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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Prairie View, Southern set for Classic week

Prairie View head football coach Henry Frazier sees his team's "home" game with Southern at Independence Stadium on Saturday as a good thing.

"That (playing at a neutral site) is pretty much how it is with us," Frazier said. "We only play three games at our stadium. We'll play at Reliant Stadium, at the Cotton Bowl, at the Independence Bowl, and all of those are our home games.

 "It's a good thing and a good problem to have. We have definitely outgrown our little high school stadium that we have. So that's a good thing. We're kind of used to it."

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SU showing signs of improvement

JACKSON, Miss. — It happened just after 9:20 p.m. Saturday night in Veterans Memorial Stadium, very late in the fourth quarter, while Southern’s sloppy, mistake-filled game against Jackson State turned into a bona fide thriller — easily one of the most exciting finishes in the long, proud history of the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

It happened just after the Jaguars scored with 15 seconds left, presumably clinching their first signature win of the Stump Mitchell era. It happened while thousands of SU fans overflowed with joy and exhilaration, thinking— no, knowing — their team had pulled off the ultimate Houdini, in a hostile setting no less.

Mitchell bemoans bad play calls

Just minutes after his team lost 49-45 to Jackson State on Saturday in the last minute — quite literally the last minute, which included three touchdowns and three lead changes in a back-and-forth explosion of big plays — Southern coach Stump Mitchell, who calls the offensive plays, said this one was on him.

Even though the Jaguars had season highs in points (45), passing yards (293) touchdown passes (three), and committed no turnovers for the first time all year, Mitchell said his offense should have done even more.

Southern aims to cut down on penalities

Southern University head football coach Stump Mitchell doesn't need a stat sheet to tell him one area his team needs to improve. Still, the numbers jump off the page. Southern was penalized 16 times for 195 yards during the Jaguars' 49-45 loss at Jackson State on Saturday. Southern's 63 penalties are the most in the SWAC. The Jaguars' 119.8 yards in penalties per game also top the SWAC.

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JSU Tigers' Richardson scores with 2 seconds left to cap frenetic finish

Rico Richardson said it was a simple "go route."

With 9 seconds left in the game and Jackson State trailing Southern University by four points, the Tigers receiver raced straight down the field for what he hoped was a game-winning touchdown. Seven seconds later, Richardson fell head first across the goal line to cap one of the wildest finishes college football has ever seen and give JSU a history-making victory over its rival from Louisiana.

"This is destiny," linebacker Todd Wilcher said afterward. Said JSU coach Rick Comegy: "Unbelievable." Richardson's 28-yard touchdown catch from quarterback Casey Therriault with 2 seconds left lifted Jackson State over Southern 49-45, and capped a frantic fourth quarter that won't be forgotten around these parts for a long, long time.

Out-of-breath QB Therriault leads wild win

Jackson State quarterback Casey Therriault nicely asked a reporter for a moment immediately following his team's wild win Saturday night. He was granted it. "You'll have to give me a few seconds," he said, "my heart is pounding." Rightly so.

Therriault didn't have his best game Saturday in Jackson State's 49-45 win over Southern University. He threw an interception - he only had two all season - and forced plenty of balls into blanketed coverage. But in the end, the transfer from a Michigan junior college helped the Tigers get a fourth win in five years over Southern.

Photo Gallery: JSU - Southern

JSU outlasts Southern

JACKSON, Miss. — When all the madness finally ended, when there were no more wild plays, no more magic tricks left to pull, most of Southern’s football players stood on the visitors’ sideline at Veterans Memorial Stadium.

Actually, most of them rested on one knee. The game clock flashed three zeroes, but they didn’t move. In complete and utter disbelief, they stared straight ahead, slackjawed, exhausted and emotionally spent. The final score — Jackson State 49, Southern 45 — was like the final frantic minutes of Saturday night’s game itself: Amazing, stunning and completely unbelievable. But absolutely true.

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Attendance: 42,053

Wells, Southern Jaguars relish role as underdog against Jackson State Tigers

Jackson State University head football coach Rick Comegy

His knee was at full strength again, but his hamstring still burned. It felt tight, and he couldn’t run like he wanted. Anthony Wells’ body kept betraying him. How was he supposed to make an impact like this?

He was missing from spring practice at Southern, and he missed summer workouts, too. There was, of course, a new coaching staff in town. As first impressions go, this one wasn’t much to brag about. This was not how Wells had envisioned his grand return.

QB makes most of his chance at Jackson State

Less than three years before Casey Therriault became Jackson State’s starting quarterback, he spent a night of his winter break hanging out with former Wyoming Park High football teammates in Grand Rapids, Mich.

On the way to their car, they were approached by a man who was inebriated. He traded insults with one of the guys. When Therriault laughed at something his friend said, the man turned his attention to him, striking Therriault, who, in turn, threw one punch and walked away.

Jackson State vs. Southern

When: Today, 6 p.m.
Where: Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Television: None
Radio: JSU Network (WHLA-95.5 FM, Jackson)
Records
Jackson State: 4-1, 2-1 SWAC
Southern: 2-3, 1-2
History: Last meeting: Jackson State 22, Southern 14, 2009
All-time series: Southern leads 28-26-0

Touchdown issue getting to Richardson

Casey Therriault knows what comes with being the quarterback of a pass-happy, high-scoring offense like the one Jackson State runs. "Everybody wants to score," the Tigers star said.Add receiver Rico Richardson to the very top of that gradually shortening list.

Through five games, Richardson, a 6-foot-1, 185-pound sophomore from Natchez, has gained 256 yards - fourth on the team - on 15 catches and averages 17 yards a catch - tied for second on the team. He's among the six JSU receivers who have caught 15 passes or more this season.

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JSU Tigers aiming to feast on Southern Jags

For offensive coordinator Earnest Wilson and quarterback Casey Therriault, it can't get much better than this. Owner of the best passing offense in the Football Championship Subdivision, Jackson State (4-1, 2-1 SWAC) hosts a Southern team that struggles in defending the pass.

The Jaguars (2-3, 1-2) have a young secondary that has just four interceptions through five games this season - that's next to last in the conference. "We like to throw a little bit," coach Rick Comegy said when asked about Southern's struggling pass D.

Game site puts Jags AD in pickle

Greg LaFleur is in a tight spot. On one hand, the Southern University athletic director has to please the school's rabid fan base. On the other, he has to raise money for the university. When LaFleur moved Southern's home football game last year against Jackson State to 60,000-seat Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, it did two things:

It doubled the amount of money the school would have made had the game been played at the school's 24,000-seat A.W. Mumford Stadium in Baton Rouge. And it ticked off many Jaguar fans.

Worth repeating: Stump Mitchell

His team stopped a three-game losing streak last week, dumping Mississippi Valley State to move to 2-3. Now comes the really fun part for Stump Mitchell & Co: stopping Jackson State. The Jaguars and Tigers tee it up at 6 p.m. Saturday in Veterans Memorial Stadium.

"It’s definitely good to be back here after a win. It’s been a tough three weeks for Southernites. It’s been a tough three weeks for the players and coaches as well. We’ve been preparing to get a victory...

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Shreveport Classic: Prairie View A&M Panthers vs. Southern University Jaguars - Oct. 23rd.

Prairie View A&M University Department of Athletics has entered into a two-year agreement with the City of Shreveport and State Fair of Louisiana to bring to the city one football game each during the 2010 and 2011 seasons at Independence Stadium.

Prairie View's first contest in Shreveport will take place on October 23rd, 2010 versus Southern University and A&M College (Baton Rouge). The gridiron matchup will be a reunion of sorts as both teams met in Independence Stadium during the 2003 campaign.

For more information and tickets, visit: http://www.shreveportclassic.com/

Southern Jaguars hold on to win

Was this really about to happen? In the fourth quarter of Saturday night’s game between Southern and Mississippi Valley State, before they pulled away for a 38-20 victory in front of a nervous but happy homecoming crowd of 19,762 inside A.W. Mumford Stadium, the Jaguars had bungled a chance at collecting their first blowout win of the Stump Mitchell era.

Worse yet, the winless Delta Devils had scored back-to-back touchdowns; their sideline was full of life, and they were primed to get the ball back with plenty of time to take their first lead of the season. Was this really about to happen? This was Mississippi Valley. This was winless Mississippi Valley.

SU defense holds up

The fourth quarter of Saturday’s game between Southern University and Mississippi Valley State proved to be gut-check time for a Jaguars defensive unit that has struggled at times this season. This time, the defense was up to the task shutting out the Delta Devils in the final quarter while Southern tacked on two insurance scores to salt away a 38-20 win at Mumford Stadium.

Southern’s William Griswold kicked a 37-yard field goal to extend the Jaguars’ lead to 24-7 midway through the third quarter, but Valley scored twice to cut the margin to 24-20 entering the fourth. From there, the Southern defense made sure its offense would have plenty of breathing room.

Special teams play remains inconsistent

Five games into this first season under Stump Mitchell, Southern is still waiting for a clean, sound performance on special teams. The new coach has certainly noticed.

Saturday night, during the Jaguars’ 38-20 victory over Mississippi Valley State, the Delta Devils’ first touchdown came on another special-teams gaffe, when SU kicker William Griswold tried a 43-yard field goal and drove it low, into the line of scrimmage. Markkus Davis returned it for a 62-yard touchdown. Instead of leading 10-0, the Jaguars found themselves in a 7-7 tie.

Attendance: 19,762

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