Southern seeks to start streak

 
Coming off a 28-21 win against Southwestern Athletic Conference rival Jackson State, Southern seeks to win two games in a row.
This feat hasn’t been achieved in the last two years of the program.
The Jaguars (1-2) travel to Atlanta to face Florida A&M (2-2) in the Atlanta Classic, the game will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Network Cox Cable Channel 105/1105HD AT&T U-Verse Channel 640/1640HD.
Kickoff is at 2:30 p.m. Central Daylight Time, which is 3:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time.
The two schools are in the final year of their two-year deal with the Atlanta classic.
Proceeds from the classic benefit both universities, disadvantaged youth in the Atlanta area, and tuition assistance programs founded by 100 Black Men of Atlanta.
In last year’s meeting Southern lost a 16-point lead allowing FAMU to score 21 unanswered points in the second half and to come away with the victory.
“(Florida A&M head) Coach (Joe) Taylor’s football team is usually discipline and very physical, and it’s a Florida Team so you know they going to have some speed,” SU interim head coach Dawson Odums said.
FAMU quarterback Damien Fleming a freshman then came in and played well in the second half to help lift the Rattlers.
This year, Fleming is entering the game as the reigning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference offensive player of the week for his performance against Delaware State last week.
“We faced him (Fleming) last year and he came in and really threw the ball well, he’s a tremendous talent they list him as a duel threat he throws the ball well and runs good so it will be a tough challenge,” Dawson Odums said.
Odums and the football staff hope an emotional victory against Jackson State can motivate the players going into Saturday’s game against the Rattlers but also hope that they don’t allow the Rattlers to score 21 unanswered again.
Last week in Jackson, the Jags allowed the Tigers to score 21 points in the fourth almost giving up the win.
“We really need to understand the importance of finishing, we got to really finish drives and tackles,” Odums said.
Taylor said despite the coaching change, it actually energized the Jaguars squad.
“For them to have gone out 0-2 and in just a week really energized these and have them playing with a sense of urgency a lot more purpose we are going to have our hands full,” Taylor said in an FAMU athletics website interview.
The Jaguars will have to compete against themselves, last week SU committed 14 penalties for 136 yards, Southern is third in the SWAC in penalty yardage averaging nearly 11 for 85 yards a game.
“Attention to detail. I really think that we can. I really think that our guys have to just focus on the playing one play at a time, and really just take their time and understand that it’s a 60 minute football game and that you can’t relax for one second,” Odums said.