Jaguars look to jump-start offense against AAMU

Coming off a blowout loss.
Sputtering offense.
Sounds familiar? It does, whether your team is based in Baton Rouge or Huntsville, Ala.
Southern (1-1, 0-0) opens Southwestern Athletic Conference play Saturday at Alabama A&M (1-2, 0-1). Kickoff is 6 p.m. at Louis Crews Stadium.
Both teams enter this weekend searching for answers after suffering lopsided losses. Southern was idle last weekend after losing 31-7 to Division II Arkansas-Monticello two weeks ago. The Bulldogs dropped a 32-9 decision to Texas Southern, failing to score an offensive touchdown for the first time since a 2007 loss to Grambling State.
The Jags mustered 117 yards of total offense in their last outing while AAMU was held to 179 total offensive yards — 69 of those came in the second half.
Head coach Stump Mitchell said he will not take the Bulldogs lightly. One bright spot for AAMU was running back Tony Green, who finished with 87 yards on 10 carries.
“They want to get the running game going,” he said. “I know they’re going to better themselves in all phases.”
The Jaguars have their own issues in the backfield, with Mitchell announcing Thursday quarterback-turned-running-back Gary Hollimon will return to the quarterback position Saturday. Starting signal-caller Jeremiah McGinty is still nursing what Mitchell called a shoulder strain, and he was not comfortable starting true freshman backup Dray Joseph against a historically sack-happy AAMU defense.
“It’s a long season, and we want McGinty for the majority of the season,” Mitchell said.
Vernon Marshall led the Bulldogs with 12 tackles while Afu Okosun notched 10 stops and forced a fumble. Korey Morrison and Brandon Parson each picked off passes against TSU.
“He (Hollimon) can throw the ball,” Mitchell said. “He knows the offense in terms of pass protection because he is a running back. He has to know everything, as a (former) quarterback, that’s not going to be a big deal to him.”
Hollimon was moved from quarterback to running back last season by former head coach Pete Richardson as a way to get him on the field. Hollimon rushed for 346 yards and six scores while notching 197 receiving yards and two more touchdowns last season.
Hollimon — originally recruited as a quarterback out of Biloxi (Miss.) High — has yet to throw a pass in a game during his five-year career at SU. When asked whether he can still throw, he said throwing is “like riding a bicycle.”
“If I had to go play o-line and block, I’m willing to do that,” Hollimon said.
Hollimon’s move means Sylvester Nzekwe, who earned MVP honors at the MEAC/SWAC Challenge, gets the nod as starting tailback with Brandon Rice getting some carries as well.