SWAC Attack:Southern dominates West Division foe in Eric Dooley’s return to Prairie View

This highly anticipated SWAC West matchup featuring the Southern University Jaguars and Prairie View Panthers was not just all about the players it was more so to showcase the coaches and how the teams are adjusting. Southern’s new head coach Eric Dooley previously coached the Prairie View for the past 4 years, and even made an appearance to the SWAC Championship last season. When taking this position at Southern, not only did he bring his coaching staff from PV, but also a star and essential player, Jason Dumas, to add to Southern’s already great defensive line. This was personal for the Panthers. Between social media posts, pregame extracurricular activities, and trash-talking, it was clear that this was more than just a game, but a battle.
Coming into the first quarter, the ball started in Southern hands but quickly changed possession because of an illegal formation, which led to the Panthers kicking a good field goal. Of course, that did not stop Southern from coming back. Within the first six minutes of the quarter, Southern was able to regain the ball’s possession and quarterback Besean McCray was able to rush left for a gain of 10 yards to complete the first touchdown of the game with a successful field goal by Joshua Griffin. Later in the quarter, Southern’s offense started a little rocky as they let the Panthers score a touchdown. The Jaguars ended the first quarter with a total of 111 yards, 32 coming from rushing and 79 coming from passing.
Kicker Joshua Griffin started the second quarter off strong for Southern, as his field goal from 40 yards was good and put 3 more points on the board for the team, tying the game 10-10. At this point, the game was considered a “shootout” and both offenses had been unstoppable since the game began. The defense came with aggression as Trey Laing pulled a “WWE move” as ESPN called it, to stop the Panthers and bring them back 1 yard. Jaguars reacted quickly with a big play as Jordan Monroe stopped the quarterback from going further. Upon review, Monroe was then penalized for targeting. Continuing in the quarter, the Jaguar’s offense continued to have some mishaps such as a false start which brought them back 5 yards, and a holding penalty which enforced half the distance from the goal. The Panthers were able to use another field goal to bring the end of the first half to 13-10.
The little mistakes in the first half seemed to build momentum for the Jaguars as they stepped into the second half with winning on their mind even more than before. Because offense ruled the first quarter, and defense was shutting things down in both teams, the second half was more about adjusting. McCray’s first play coming into the third quarter was a complete 22 yards to Chandler Whitfield which advanced them to the 1st down. He then threw another completed pass for 27 yards to wide receiver Cornelius Dyson. Because you never know what McCray will decide to do, rather rush, or pass, he rushed up the middle for a 6-yard gain himself and then went to complete a 23-yard pass to August Pitre III for a first down and touchdown in only the first 2 minutes. At this point, the crowd was going wild as they saw the Jaguars’ desire to win was even more intense than before. Jaguar’s defense came with even more momentum as they did not let the Panthers complete any offensive passes, forcing the Panthers to punt 48 yards to Chandler Whitfield who returned 10 of those yards. This is when the game began. Neither the Jags nor the Panthers were allowing the other to make plays, continuously forcing the teams to either punt or simply just by tackling them. The tension was very obvious at this point between the players as they continued to try to knock the other off. By the end of the third quarter, the Jaguars had managed to score one more touchdown leading the game 24-13, with a total of 168 total yards. The Panthers gained no points in the quarter.
The final and the tensest quarter of the game began, and the Jaguars continued to not give the Panthers any room to do anything. In the first minute, McCray completed a 35-yard pass to Cassius Allen and brought them to 1st down which made it easier for McCray to fake a running back, and while they blocked the Panthers, he then rushes up the middle for an 8-yard gain, scoring yet another personal touchdown in the game. The Panthers were not too happy about the way this game was going and it was apparent. One panther was penalized in the quarter for unsportsmanlike conduct, forcing the ball possession over to Southern. After adjusting running backs in the quarter, running back Karl Ligon was able to gain 20 yards in 4 plays before McCray went with a big play and rushed to gain 49 yards to get to 1st down. After the first-down play, McCray rushed yet another 11 yards to hit 1st down and then went to throw to Karl Ligon who scored a touchdown. The score was now 38-13 and the atmosphere was going wild. Mixed emotions were evident as fans of Eric Dooley didn’t know if they should be happy for him or upset because the Panthers were losing. The rivalry was deeper than just the teams. A huge play by Jordan Carter set the fire, even more, when he intercepted a tipped pass that was intended for a Panther and returned 56 yards to gain the Jaguars another touchdown with only 6 minutes left in the game. At this point, Jaguar and Panther Nation knew that this game was all Southern. The Jaguars did not allow the Panthers to score any more touchdowns or field goals as the final score ended as 45-13 with the Jaguars taking home the big win!
All in all, the second half was a complete change from 1st half for Southern and, the confidence the Panthers had during halftime went out the window coming into the second half of the game. The Panthers could not keep up with the intensity the Jags were putting on the field. Sure, the offense was very up-tempo in the first half, but Southern execution was perfect in the second half as they found holes in the zone to help them complete their plays. Between the great atmosphere, the rocking crowd, and Dooleys play calling, this anticipated, and the tension-filled game was well worth the sold-out stadium. “We knew this was a game everyone wanted to see, not just because of where the teams were, but because I had so many years there.” Coach Eric Dooley said when speaking with tears in his eyes. Besean McCray’s electrified running and passing earned him Player of the Game with his 275 total yards, two passing touchdowns, and one rushing touchdown. “He understood the system and he came out and played well. The best thing is when a guy can correct himself.” Dooley spoke on Beseans half. This big rivalry win brought the Southern SWAC record for the season to 2-1 so far.
This victory for Southern set them up for a very important game next week against Alcorn State being held right in the heart of Mumford Stadium. If the Jags can defeat the Braves, Southern will be on track to win the SWAC West title. You can catch this game airing on ESPN Plus kicking off at 6:00 pm on October 15th.