Tristan Holliday
Courtesy: gojagsports.com
“The reality is what it is”, Coach Graves acknowledged during the pregame to the reporters. It was a message that summed up Southern’s loss to Bethune Cookman 45-14 on Saturday night. The long simmering tug of war against Bethune-Cookman has been fermenting since 1981 and the Jaguars have been in the lead ever since. In fact, the last time these two teams met in 2024, Southern had triumphed in an unforgettable five-overtime game.
The key takeaways for Southern was to minimize mental errors and maintain stable plays. In showering conditions this conference revealed two things: Southern’s second string proved they could make big plays, even scoring a touchdown in the downpour and secondly, the team needed to stop moving before the ball was snapped— a crucial error to correct.
Southern’s defense dominated the first quarter, stifling Bethune-Cookman’s run game and thwarting their attempts to advance down the field. With nine minutes left, the Wildcats were stopped inches from the goal line, and Southern took possession. Despite a false start that pushed them back five yards, the Jaguars found the end zone on a 71-yard touchdown pass from Cam’Ron McCoy to Darren Morris at the 9:38 mark, taking a 7-0 lead. Bethune-Cookman quickly responded with a touchdown of their own with just two minutes left, leaving the score tied 7-7 at the end of the quarter.
The pressure mounted in the second quarter as the crowd of yellow and white shirts swayed in the stands while the band’s rhythm grew louder. Bethune-Cookman capitalized on the momentum, extending their lead to 21-7. Another false start further disrupted Southern’s offense, and they couldn’t create the necessary pressure to turn the tide. Later, clock ticking into the third quarter, running back Trey Holly led a promising drive from the 25-yard line, but it stalled near midfield after a failed third-down pass, forcing Kenny Pham to punt. Despite the score reaching a lopsided 38-7 in favor of Bethune-Cookman. “Got to be able to Execute, capitalize when given an opportunity” says Coach Graves.
As the third quarter wound down, Southern made a quarterback change, inserting Ashton Strother in place of Cam’Ron McCoy. Strother’s fresh presence provided a spark, and he led the offense on an 80-yard drive that culminated in a touchdown pass to Malachi Jackson. This score was the Jaguars’ only touchdown after their initial success in the first quarter. Despite Strother’s late-quarter effort, the team couldn’t overcome the deficit, ultimately falling to Bethune-Cookman 45-14.
Using their bye week to address their early-season struggles, the Southern Jaguars have been working to correct the false starts and mental errors that have plagued them. Though the team has been underperforming with a 1-5 record, this challenging period can build momentum for resilience. Coach Graves commented, “We definitely did not expect to be where we are record-wise, but the team still has time to make changes and refocus on moving forward.”