Box Score
With a seasonfull of injuries to the key players, it was the Southern University Jaguars(7-2 overall, 5-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) freshman and unsung heroesthat helped to put up the highest scoring margin this season in a 50-17 victoryagainst the Texas College Steers (5-4) at A.W. Mumford Stadium.
Gerard Landrywas a huge factor in the Jaguars homecoming win Saturday. The freshman wide receiver scored hisfirst career touchdown as a Jaguar and finished with a career high fourreceptions for 66-yards and two touchdowns. Freshman running back Devin Herbert started the game puttingSouthern in the lead by scoring his first career touchdown with 11:23 left inthe first quarter.
“I’ve beenready to step up and make my first touchdown catch,” Landry said. “I had a chance in the last game but Iwasn’t successful with it. I ran a 5-yard out and I said to myself ‘if I breakthe first tackle I was going to score’, so I broke the first tackle, strainedmy eyes in on the end zone and I got there the best way that I could… This wasthe best night of my college career.”
This was alsoLandry’s first career start as a Jaguar.
“Thoseindividuals had an opportunity to play and anytime they get an opportunity theyhelp me down the road on offense and defense,” said Southern head coach PeteRichardson.
Southernstarted to pull away from the Steers within the last three seconds of thehalf. Texas College trailed 14-17when a 7-yard pass to junior wide receiver Antonio Overstreet from seniorquarterback Thomas Ricks gave the Jaguars a 10-point cushion going intohalftime in front of a crowd of 27,675.
“In the first half we made somemental mistakes especially on offense,” Richardson said. “We told them that it wasn’t what theywere doing on offensive or defense we were just killing ourselves with stupidpenalties and we just didn’t have that consistency.”
Southern had eight penalties calledagainst them for 79-yards, half of that was called in the first half alone,some for false starts and unsportsmanlike conduct for over celebrating. The judges weren’t one-sided with thecalls; in the second quarter the Steers senior wide receiver Donte Spillmanmade an amazing one-handed 38-yard catch from junior quarterback Olan Johnsonfor a touchdown. Then he ran allthe way to the 50-yard line at the Jaguars logo and threw his arms in the airfor celebration, and spiked the ball. A penalty was assessed on the kickoff, overall Texas College suffered aloss of 76-yards on 11 penalties. It may have been a football jinx, but whatever it was it would be theSteers last touchdown for the game.
Overstreet’stouchdown pass was followed by a 1-yard run by Ricks at 11:45 in the thirdquarter to boast Southern up 31-14. Ricks was 25-of-35 for 218-yards passing, one interception and rushedfor two touchdowns and passed for three. He also gained a career high 115-yards rushing on 14 carries and rushedfor over 100-yards in his second consecutive game. Junior running back Steel Adams finished behind Ricks bygaining 71-yards on 10 carries.
Jag’s junior wide receiver KeneenHenderson also aided in the Jaguars win with his first career touchdown catchfor 6-yards from freshman quarterback J.C. Lewis at 7:72 left inregulation.
This season, 12 Jags have scoredtouchdowns, led by Ricks with 27 then junior wide receiver James Vernon(injured leg) with seven touchdowns.
“We’re happy at this time to comeout of the game without any major injuries,” Richardson said. “We need the week off and I think thatif we’re able to do that we should come out strong.”
Thanks to Jackson State’s 42-35upset over Arkansas Pine Bluff the Jaguars are first in the SWAC WesternDivision. The SWAC WesternDivision champion will not be determined by a coin flip. (SWAC schools decided to allow twodivision members not to play this season).
Arkansas-Pine Bluff can’t get achance to capture the lead on the field.
Should the Jaguars, the defendingSWAC Champions and Black College National Champions win the remaining twoconference games against Texas Southern at A.W. Mumford Stadium (Nov. 13) andthe annual Bayou Classic against Grambling State University (Nov. 27), theirticket will be punched for a return trip to the SWAC Championship game inBirmingham, Ala.
After nine weeks of playing footballthe Jaguars has an open date set for this week.
