The Sweet Smell of Redemption

As the alumni brought their tailgating spirits to Southern University with the wafting smell of barbeque and succulent sides alongside the drink of the fruit of the vine, the SU football team gets ready in the locker-room as they starve for a victory during their centennial homecoming. Like wolves in a pack, the Jaguars sought for redemption after their loss against Alcorn State the following week.
The historic Southern University Homecoming football game pitted the Jaguars against long time foes, University of Arkansas Pine-Bluff Golden Lions on the field at the A.W. Mumford Stadium on October 3. The game was the 58th meeting between the two teams, SU leading the series (41-13-3). The Lions maintained a three game win streak from 2010 to 2012. Their matchup in 2011 ended with a UAPB win and a brawl that resulted in the suspension of 41 players, 25 from Pine Bluff and 16 from Southern.
Despite the history between the teams, SU Head Coach Dawson Odums had a positive outlook on the match before the game.
“It’s an opportunity for these guys to get back to winning,” said Odums, “We’re passed that [the brawl], we have a disciplined football team, and young men who understand the kind of character expectations we have for them.”
Pre-game on-field activities included Human Jukebox Head Band Director Nathan Haymer announcing the band’s new partnership with Yamaha, and their first new set of drums in 18 years, a custom line for the Human Jukebox, courtesy of Yamaha. Human Jukebox and Dancing Doll alumni opened the game with a special performance. The special alumni guest was Aeneas Williams, a former SU football player and current NFL Hall of Famer returned to his alma mater to cheer on the Jaguars in play.
SU was on the receiving end of the opening kickoff, and used it to their advantage. On the second play of the game, senior wide receiver Reggie Travis caught a 79-yard pass of his total 156 receiving yards and scored the first touchdown of the game. The touchdown pass came from freshman quarterback Austin Howard, less than a minute into the game, setting the fast-paced tone for the rest of the game. When asked about the last time he scored three touchdowns, Travis responded, “It was the first game of my senior year in high school.”
Travis also commented on his relationship with the quarterback saying, “It was hard to come together at first, with our different starting quarterbacks. But when Shorts was injured, we had to gather ourselves and rally around him (Howard).”
Howard had a total of three touchdown passes and 230 passing yards. However, a fumble by Howard in the SU end zone led to a recovery by UAPB’s Kyle Walker and the first UAPB touchdown of the game. With the Pine Bluff extra point kicked “good,” the teams were tied (7-7).
SU recovered, and the UAPB kickoff was returned by freshman defensive back Danny Johnson, 98 yards for a touchdown, putting SU over Pine Bluff (14-7). Shortly thereafter, a pass from UAPB quarterback Benjamin Anderson to Aaron Lagrone ended in a 61-yard rush to the SU one-yard line. The first attempt by Pine Bluff to score from the one was stopped by the Jags, but the second attempt was successful at tying the two teams at the end of the first quarter (14-14).
The third quarter ended with an unexpected 15-yard pass completion from junior wide receiver Willie Quinn, to Travis, who scored the fifth Jag touchdown of the night. Junior kicker Greg Pittman stretched the SU lead (44-21) with a 27-yard field goal at the top of the fourth quarter. UAPB responded with an interception and touchdown. The Jags rebuilt the momentum and Johnson intercepted a pass and returned 60 yards to the Pine Bluff ten yard line, for a SU first and goal. The final SU touchdown was made by junior running back Jamarcus Jarvis, extending the lead (51-28). The final game score was 51-36, the Jags taking the win.
On October 11, the Jags will face the Bulldogs from Alabama A&M in Huntsville, AL. The Bulldogs try to recover from their loss to upcoming Western Division stars, Grambling State on October 4 (28-38).