Jaguars eager to gain consistency, homecoming victory

Following a 0-3 road record in the month of October, the Jaguars of Southern University are eager to return home to A.W. Mumford Stadium and deliver a win on homecoming.
Southern (3-5, 2-4 Southwestern Athletic Conference) dropped two of their three road games while leading in the fourth quarter by seven points at Alabama A&M, and 14 points at Jackson State.
Despite their five losses the Jaguars still have a shot at winning the SWAC’s Western Division and playing in the SWAC Championship game.
With four SWAC losses, the Jaguars currently sit in a third place tie with Texas Southern (2-4 SWAC). Both the Jaguars and Tigers are two games behind Arkansas-Pine Bluff and one behind Grambling State.
“This week will be a big challenge for us, being that it’s homecoming and we need to get back in the win column,” said Head Coach Pete Richardson. “Homecoming is always a distracting week, but hopefully we can get the team focused by taking them off campus Friday night to obtain a mindset.”
This week the Jaguars will be hosting a confident Texas Southern (3-5, 3-4 SWAC) team that is fresh off a 33-28 win over Grambling State.
The defeat was TSU’s first win over Grambling since 1999. In the win TSU’s running back Raymond Gilmore rushed for 34 -yards and two touchdowns, while quarterback Tino Edgecombe went 19 of 28 passing, for 267 yards and two touchdowns. Edgecombe also carried the ball three times for 33- yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Tigers’ strong safety Stacey Thomas totaled 10 tackles (six solo), two interceptions and a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown. TSU also has the conference’s leading sack man in outside linebacker, Vincent Davis with seven.
“Texas Southern will be coming into this week’s game on a high because they played extremely well and defeated Grambling,” Richardson said. “Breaking down the tape, I noticed that TSU got off to a fast start because Edgecombe played well, but they flattened out toward the end.”
With both teams currently 3-5, the question is who will be first to win a fourth game?
Along with matching records, the Jaguars and Tigers also share the inability to take care of the football.
Southern has 23 turnovers (7 fumbles, 16 interceptions) and a minus four-turnover margin. Texas Southern has 29 turnovers (15 fumbles, 14 INT’s) and a minus eight-turnover margin. Despite offensive struggles, the Jaguar defense has done its job forcing 19 turnovers, ranking them fourth in the SWAC.
“In this upcoming game we have to guard against turnovers,” said Richardson. “If we protect the football offensively and don’t yield big plays on special teams, we will be fine.”
The Jaguars need to win all three of their remaining games to avoid a second straight losing season. The Jaguars will host the Tigers of Texas Southern at A.W. Mumford Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 4. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m.
Injuries:
Despite their inability to hold on to the football, one of the main reasons for the Jaguars inconsistent play has been injury. Several starters on both sides of the ball have missed games due to injury.
“Our off week last week helped us out a great deal, because of mounting injuries,” Richardson said.
Amongst the injured for the last two games has been linebacker Keidrick Bailey. Bailey has been sidelined due to a high ankle sprain and is listed as doubtful for Saturday’s game against Texas Southern. Despite his injury, Bailey is currently SU’s sixth leading tackler with 44.
Accompanying Bailey on the injured list has been offensive tackle Lance Gerard (ankle) and defensive tackle Ricky Nevers (ankle).
Things to look for:
With David Oliver out as the Jaguars offensive coordinator, Mark Orlando will be looked upon to finish out the season as interim offensive coordinator. Orlando spent 10 seasons as an offensive coordinator at Southern University before leaving for Texas Southern for the 2002 and 2003 seasons, where he also served as offensive coordinator.