A LOTTA DEFENSE

HOUSTON – With the offense in a miserable state of being, the defense knew going into Saturday’s game that they would be responsible for bringing home a victory.
After failing to score one of ten possessions, defensive back Jason Griffin’s endzone recovery of TSU’s punt blocked by Lionel Joseph mid-way into the first quarter was Southern’s first and only score of the evening.
The Jaguars narrowly defeated the Tigers 7-6 in Houston’s Reliant Astrodome.
“Thank God, that was the one we needed,” Griffin said.
Special teams also made a great difference. That blocked punt led by Joseph was the play of the game.
“Special teams made the difference tonight,” Joseph said. “I looked at the ball, and the next thing I know I was coming clean. I reached out and grabbed it.”
TSU’s opening drive began with a five-yard loss by quarterback Hank Edwards forced by Michael Landry, followed by a sack by Robert Chapman, then a four-yard run. With the ball on the 11-yard line, TSU set up for what went on to be an unsuccessful punt.
The Jaguar defense, who served as the critical force behind the win, held TSU to only 183 yards of offense and two field goals, for the loss.
But, poor offense on the parts of both teams produced a very low scoring game. Neither teams were able to start a running game and they both featured backup quarterbacks.
“Graves told us the offense wasn’t going on all cylinders. We’ve got some guys out,” said Southern linebacker Robert Chapman, who had 11 tackles, seven of those for losses. “From the defensive line to the secondary, we dominated the game for 60 minutes.”
In the first half Southern got into scoring position six times, on nine possessions. Also included in those nine possessions was an unsuccessful field goal attempt by Francisco Villagrana from the 39-yard line and a botched snap recovered by TSU at the 45.
TSU then brought the score to 7-3, with a field goal by Vincent Patrick.
Saturday’s game went down to the wire, as TSU prepared for a field goal at the SU 22, the kick veered to the right of the goal post, as the game came to an end, Southern 7 Texas Southern 6.
“The kids answered the bell all game long,” Southern co-defensive coordinator Cliff Lewis said. “They showed a lot of heart, a lot of character.”