Every year, over 200,000 visitors come to New Orleans for the Bayou Classic weekend after Thanksgiving. Southern already secured its spot in the SWAC Championship Game against Jackson State. However, the Bayou Classic is always for bragging rights. The historical game had its 51st Annual matchup between the Southern Jaguars and the Grambling State Tigers.
Southern again had a different quarterback, leading the charge for this year’s Bayou Classic, which was redshirt freshman Jalen Woods. However, the running was the focal point for the Jaguars, having 209 rushing yards. Redshirt senior running back CJ Russell would be the first player to get the Jags going with a 1-yard rushing touchdown, allowing the Jags to take an early lead 7-0 in the 1st quarter. Senior running back Kobe Dillon wouldn’t take long to add his contributions, breaking a 74-yard run in the second quarter to set the Jags up in scoring territory. Senior kicker Joshua Griffin would make a 26-yard field goal to give the Jags a 10-0 lead in the 2nd quarter. As for special teams, they did have a breakdown in coverage, allowing the Tigers to score off a kickoff return for a touchdown, narrowing the score to 10-7 in Southern’s favor.
In the second half, the passing game and the “Dog Day Defense” for Southern would gain life. Woods would find senior wide receiver Chandler Whitfield, who made a one-handed catch for a 41-yard passing touchdown, extending Southern’s lead 17-7. The defense did give up a touchdown to the Tigers, making the game 14-17 in the 4th quarter. However, senior running back Kendric Rhymes put the Tigers’ efforts to bed, scoring a 45-yard rushing touchdown, making a final score of 24-14.
The Dog Day Defense only surrendered 1 touchdown, forced 4 sacks, and had one interception from redshirt freshman Herman Brister III. Buck Buchanon Finalist and Junior defensive end Ckelby Givens, finished with 2 sacks. Whitfield did bring in some extra hardware, winning the Bayou Classic MVP award as he finished with 5 receptions for 146 receiving yards and 1 touchdown. Woods passed for 188 yards on 9 for 17 passing for 1 touchdown and interception. Rhymes had 111 rushing yards on 12 attempts with 1 touchdown. Dillon had 88 rushing yards on 12 attempts.
A win meant that the Jaguars won their third consecutive Bayou Classic, 6 of the last 7 matchups, and Head Coach Terrance Graves is undefeated as a head coach in the Classic. Graves did express his confidence and praised the resilience of his team. “Those guys, like we tell them, you got to trust it, you got to trust it and believe in what we are doing, and if we do that, good things happen.”
Rhymes expressed the team is happy about the win, but focusing on Jackson will be the team’s focus going forward. “It feels great, but we not going to get too high on it. We still know the job’s ain’t finished, so we taking it one game at a time. We are going to celebrate this weekend, and we are on to Jackson State.”
Whitfield explained the connection between him and Jalen Woods. “This all started in the summer. I know, in the beginning of the season, it was kind of rocky…we still believed in each other, you know, in that room, and that one day it was going to turn over, and I think now it’s starting to turn over.”
Southern will face Jackson State on December 7th, 2024, at 1 PM at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson, Mississippi, on ESPN2.
