SWAC: 2015 Southern Jaguars Football Preview

Courtesy SWAC.org

Courtesy: SWAC.org View Photo

2015 Football Preview: Southern

Courtesy Sam Peshek

Fri, August 21, 2015

Returning an abundance of experience on both sides of the ball, the Southern University Jaguars are expected to be in the thick of the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship race for a third consecutive year.

Southern (9-4, 8-1) ranked third in the league in scoring offense (34.2 points per game), fourth in total offense (415.3 yards per game) and rushing offense (193.3 ypg) and sixth in passing offense (222.1 ypg) while advancing to the 2014 SWAC championship game.

Mandated to cancel spring practice as part of Academic Progress Rates sanctions, the Jags will have some catching up to do once camp opens.

Quarterback Austin Howard is back with a year of experience after starting as a true freshman. Fresh out of West St. John High School, Howard completed 168-of-325 passes for 2,334 yards and 17 touchdowns with only eight interceptions.

Junior Lenard Tillery (209 carries, 1,196 yards, 9 touchdowns; 19 receptions, 196 yards) is a proven asset in the backfield.

Five of Howard's top six targets are back, including first-team All-SWAC Willie Quinn (62 receptions, 892 yards, 5 TDs), who is joined in the senior-laden receiving corps by Justin Morgan (22-392-4) and Mike Jones (16-305-2). Also back is senior tight end Montrell Jones (16-168-1).

Southern must revamp up front following the departure of first-team All-SWAC standouts Zach Brown and DeWayne Houston from a unit which allowed just eight sacks. The return of Anthony Mosley, who started for SU's 2013 SWAC championship team before sitting out the entire 2014 season as an academic casualty, should speed up the rebuilding process.

Defensively, the Jaguars ranked seventh across the board in the SWAC in scoring defense (32.7 ppg), total defense (423.5 ypg), rushing defense (173.5 ypg) and passing defense (250 ypg).

Four of the top five tacklers return in senior linebacker Demetrius Carter (101 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 3 sacks), senior defensive back Dionte McDuffy (61 tackles, 5 TFL, 2 interceptions), junior LB Roshund Turner (54 tackles, 2.5 TFL) and sophomore DB Bryan Anderson (54 tackles, 4 TFL, 2 INTs). Among the others to keep an eye on are junior DB Blake Monroe (49 tackles) and senior tackle Gabe Echols (41 tackles, 7.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks).

Southern's special teams were among the best in the league, ranking first in punt return yardage (18.7), second in kickoff return yardage (23.6) and third in punting (36.7). Additionally, fourth-year coach Dawson Odums' Jaguars were the SWAC's least-penalized team (55.7 ypg).

Doubling as a dynamic return specialist, Quinn returned 25 kickoffs for a 25.8-yard average and 13 punts for a stellar 22.2-yard norm, including a pair of touchdowns.

Junior punter Paul Randall Soden punted 63 times for a 40.7-yard average and senior kicker Greg Pittman was 11-of-17 on field goals.

SOUTHERN SCHEDULE

DATE OPPONENT TIME

Sept. 5 at Louisiana Tech 6:00

Sept. 10 at Mississippi Valley* 6:00

Sept. 19 Jackson State 6:00

Sept. 26 at Georgia TBA

Oct. 10 at Alabama State* 6:00

Oct. 17 Prairie View A&M* 4:00

Oct. 24 Texas Southern* (at Houston) TBA

Nov. 7 at Arkansas-Pine Bluff* 2:30

Nov. 14 Alabama A&M* 4:00

(Bayou Classic at New Orleans)

Nov. 28 Grambling* TBA

Bold Games: Home
* Conference games

Video

SWAC: 15 Women Suspended After Southern vs Texas Southern Fight

Video footage of fight during SWAC Women's game.

The SWAC Women's basketball tournament in Houston started out all wrong this past Saturday. In the Texas Southern vs Southern game a bench-clearing brawl led to a double forfeit and 15 suspensions.

by Rodney Fisher

41st Annual Bayou Classic Preview: Grambling State Tigers (8-2) vs Southern Jaguars (8-3)

GSU Tigers (8-2) take on SU Jaguars (8-3) in the 41st Bayou Classic. Photo credit:SWAC

When Grambling State University and Southern University kick-off for the 41st time for the historic Bayou Classic, the winner will advance to the SWAC championship. An old rivalry has new meaning...
+Rodney Fisher

40th Annual Bayou Classic: Southern Over Grambling 40-17, Heading to SWAC Championship

Southern Jaguars, winners of the 40th Annual Bayou Classic
Photo credit Rodney Fisher 

by +Rodney Fisher 

Since 1974, Southern University and Grambling State University have met in the proud city of New Orleans on Thanksgiving weekend to play the SWAC's version of a bowl game. The Bayou Classic remains the only nationally televised HBCU event, making it the biggest recruitment tool for both storied programs.

Southern Holds on to Beat Grambling at Bayou

Courtesy SWAC.org

Sat, November 24, 2012

NEW ORLEANS (AP) -- Dray Joseph threw for five touchdowns as Southern University overcame an early deficit and held on late to defeat Grambling State 38-33 on Saturday in the Bayou Classic.

Grambling trailed 38-20 early in the fourth quarter but cut into Southern's lead with two touchdowns. The Tigers reached Southern's 41-yard line, but Grambling quarterback Frank Rivers was sacked and fumbled to end the game.

The game marked the end of disappointing seasons for both teams.

Southern (4-7, 3-6 Southwestern Athletic Conference) fired coach Stump Mitchell two games into the season and expects to replace interim coach Dawson Odoms. Grambling (1-10, 0-9), the defending league champion, ended the season with one victory for the first time since 1941 -- the school's inaugural year under legendary coach Eddie Robinson.

Grambling took a 14-0 lead, converting a pair of fumbles by Southern into touchdown passes by D.J. Williams.

Joseph finished with 287 yards passing.