Rams ‘not typical’ says Richardson

Pete Richardson, head coach of the Southern University football team, said the Jaguars are emotionally high off their win against Prairie View A&M last week, but they are not underestimating their next opponent, Albany State University (3-1 overall, 3-1 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference).
Southern (1-1 overall, 1-1 Southwestern Athletic Conference) shut out Prairie View last week 38-0.
Albany State, a member of the SIAC, is coming to The Bluff for the first time. The game will be televised nationally on CSTV. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
“Most people don’t realize what type of team Albany State is,” Richardson said. “They’re not your typical Division II team.”
Last week, the Rams defeated Lane University 52-31 for their third win of the season. Their only loss came to Valdosta State, the team that defeated them in last season’s playoffs.
Albany State is ranked first in the SIAC in rushing offense with 875 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 218.8 yards per game. A big part of that can be contributed to the running combination of senior Antwan Andrews (466 yards, 4 touchdowns) and junior Antonio Atkins (258, 1 TD).
Another great part of the offense is senior quarterback Hosea Harris. Harris was 10-15 for 131 yards and 3 touchdowns against Lane.
Southern, on the other hand, may have a nice passing game with sophomore quarterback J.C. Lewis, but the running game is still flagging.
“If we are going to be effective, we have to improve our rushing,” Richardson said.
Southern is ranked last in the conference with just 78 total rushing yards for the season. Such a discrepancy forces the ball to be thrown and Richardson said he is not concerned about the offense relying on the Lewis’ arm too much.
Nothing will be changed dramatically offensively or defensively, Richardson said. However, the Southern defense — questioned before the season began — is now the foundation for a team that leads the conference in scoring defense with 31 points.
“I feel like we will do great,” said linebacker David Brooks. “We have a couple of people who are injured, a couple of people that’s out. But hopefully, they will be back for the game.”