PINE BLUFF, ARK .- One could say that on last Saturday in Pine Bluff, Ark., Golden Lions Stadium possessed an atmosphere somewhat comparable to the jungle. Like in the jungle, the weather was very hot and humid; like in the jungle, there were battles for gained territory (better known as first downs and the end zone); and like in the jungle, there were big cats.
The Southern University Jaguars (1-2 overall, 1-0 Southwest Athletic Conference) faced off with the University of Arkansas Pine-Bluff Golden Lions (1-1 overall, 0-2 SWAC) and got their first win of the season by narrowly pulling away with a 14-13 win.
With 1:22 left in the game, Golden Lions kicker Aaron Wall missed a 31-yard field goal attempt, a kick that would have put the Golden Lions atop the Jaguars and left them winless.
The Jags were the first to score with 4:33 left in the first quarter, giving them a 7-0 lead on UAPB. The 15-yard pass from SU quarterback Qunicy Richard to wide receiver Al’Trevion Joubert marked the first time this season that the Jags have scored in the first quarter.
“Now we know what type of players we will be facing now that we played our first SWAC game,” said Joubert. “Every time we go to Arkansas, the game is like that.”
Joubert had four catches for 40 yards with one touchdown.
Richard had 18 completions out of 34 attempts, along with three interceptions.
In the second half, the second Jaguars’ scoring drive was made possible by capitalizing on an interference penalty called on UAPB. It was fourth down with two yards to go, when Richard threw an incomplete pass to wide-out Michael Hayes.
Once the penalty was called, the Jaguars got a second chance to score. Runningback Kenneth Peoples then got another first down rushing 12 yards and on the second play of the drive, he rushed for 13 more yards for the score, ending the first quarter 14-0.
In the second quarter, the Golden Lions’ came back with a touchdown from quarterback Antoni Lovelady to wide receiver Korea McKay. On the play, it seemed as if SU cornerback Lenny Williams had let too much room get in between himself and Mckay, allowing him to make the score.
“…Actually, I was making up for a deficiency,” said Williams. “I just happened to be the closest person to him, so people just assumed that he was my man. But, he wasn’t. I was just covering for someone.”
Williams finished the game with one interception and five combined tackles.
At the end of the second quarter, the record crowd of 12,326 witnessed the Golden Lions trailing the Jags 14-7.
It only took seven plays and a little over two minutes in the opening of the second half for the Golden Lions to score again. Rusher Billy Moody, carried the ball from the SU 15-yard line for a touchdown to bring his Golden Lions within one point of the Jags. That is where Wall’s point-after attempt was blocked and they failed to tie the game.
The fourth quarter was plagued by penalties on both teams including a substitution infraction penalty on SU that allowed Pine Bluff to advance to the SU 15-yard line.
Three plays later, the Golden Lions had a chance to beat the Jaguars with a field goal attempt, but failed, giving the Jags their first win of the season.
Although it was a mark in the “win column”, the Jags were not especially pleased with their performance.
“In a way, our offense got stuck in the mud,” said defensive lineman Chris Cooper. Cooper finished the game with a total of 13 tackles. “We didn’t play as good as we should have as a team…We just need to minimize our mistakes and win the games.”
