Jaguars backup quarterbacks shine in 38-20 win over Bama State

BATON ROUGE, La. – If there was any doubt of the Southern University Jaguars dropping a third consecutive game, it was quickly erased on Saturday night.
In their first conference game of the season, the Jags took on the Hornets of Alabama State and played error free football for the first time in two weeks in the 38-20 beating.
ASU despite sporting Jay Peck, the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s Offensive player of the week, who had 31 carries for 196 yards and two touchdowns in a win over Alcorn State, the previous week and SWAC Newcomer of the Week in Leland Jones, they were not enough. The Jags (3-2, 2-1 SWAC) won the game by taking advantage of an ASU team that was in search of a clear-cut number one at the quarterback position, the same as SU.
SU starting quarterback Joseph Lewis, was sidelined due to reportedly heat exhaustion related symptoms, so Southern turned to sophomore C.J. Byrd and red shirt freshman Bryant Lee. The two rotated drives during the game to lead the Jags to a much need conference opener in A.W. Mumford Stadium. “Coming into the game we knew we had to use both quarterbacks,” Southern coach Pete Richardson said. The combination of Byrd and Lee worked nicely as the Jags had their highest rushing output of the season with 175 yards. Byrd went 6-for-8, threw for a 60 yards and Lee, 2-for-4, for 36 yards.
Byrd collected 28 rushing yards, ran for a touchdown and Lee, with 66 rushing yards, ran and passed for scores. Lee threw for his first career touchdown to tight end Brian Washington, a 28-yarder, for a 31-7 lead with 11:29 to play. Junior running back Kendall Addison also contributed in a big way, rushing for 66 yards and a touchdown, tieing Lee for the Jaguars team high. “It was important for us to come back strong and rebound from our two losses tonight,” said Lee.
On their way to victory, the Jags converted four turnovers into 21 points and didn’t turn the ball over. Defensively, senior linebacker D.J. Brooks had a big night with career high 15 tackles, to go along with two tackles for loss and one sack. Senior Keidrick Bailey had 12 tackles while Jarmaul George picked off his third pass of the season in the first quarter.
Cornerback Michael Williams, had a career-high two interceptions, returning one 82 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Williams’ 82-yard interception return for a touchdown gave SU a 38-13 lead with 2:30 remaining. “I’ve been in a slump lately,” said Williams. “Tonight I had to come out and prove myself to let everyone know that I’m capable of playing ball the way I’ve always played.” The victory was key both to stop the losing streak and to provide momentum as the Jags journey on a three-game SWAC road trip, which will take them to Alabama A&M, Jackson State, and Alcorn State.
“After the two losses we had to regroup,” Williams said. “This was a conference game, so we had to come back and put it all together as a team. Tonight we came out and played Southern Jaguar football.” Plagued by four turnovers, Southern made ASU look like the team with problems, even though they entered the game on a two-game winning streak. Although SWAC Player of the Week, Jay Peck had 104 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries to lead Alabama State, turnovers haunted his team all night. “We played with a lot more enthusiasm,” Richardson said. “They understood this is a conference game and we can’t afford to lose any more games.”
Next week the Jags will travel to Huntsville, Ala., to play against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs. The game will be the second of seven straight conference games for the Jags, and the first of three consecutive away games. Kickoff is set for 6:30 p.m.