Southern holds off Alcorn 14-10 on “Senior Day”

Defense came up big for Southern in its 14-10 victory over Southwestern Athletic Conference rival Alcorn State, Saturday in A.W. Mumford Stadium.
Southern (6-2, 4-2 SWAC) almost gave away the game on a fourth and seven play at the SU 18 when defensive back Mike Williams was flagged for pass interference as Alcorn quarterback Christopher Walker threw the ball up for Nate Hughes. The penalty gave Alcorn first down at the SU two yard-line.
“They almost got me toward the end,” said Williams. “The ball was tipped but the referee said I had my hand on him, preventing him from catching the ball.”
Following the penalty Southern’s Donald Steele stopped Vernardu Cooper in the backfield for a one yard loss and on the following play, Vincent Lands dropped Cooper for a three yard loss.
On third and goal Walker tried forcing the ball in to Emmanuel Arceneaux but the ball fell incomplete. After an Alcorn timeout, Walker’s pass to Arceneaux fell incomplete on fourth and goal as senior free safety Jarmaul George tipped the ball away and the Braves turned it over for the final time.
“On the final play we just played lanes,” said George. “Everybody had one assignment, stay in your lane. I saw the quarterback reading to the three receiver on the slant and that made me just break on it at the last second, because I knew we had pressure coming from the defensive line.”
“I got my right hand in there,” George said. “I almost had it. I tried to get it, but I made the play on fourth down. Before the final play we huddled during the timeout and I told the defense we can’t lose like this. I told them to focus, bear down and apply pressure, and that’s what we did.”
Southern trailed Alcorn 10-7 going into the fourth quarter, but a 13 play, 59 yard drive led by redshirt sophomore Warren Matthews putting the Jaguars ahead 14-10 as he handed off to Alvin Fosselman for the one yard touchdown with 5:04 remaining.
“For the past couple games we’ve been starting off slow,” said Matthews. “We just wanted to set the tone so we didn’t have to come from behind and allow Alcorn to get into a good comfort level.”
“We just tried to jump on them early so we could go through the game relaxed,” Matthews said.
Relaxed was exactly how Matthews carried himself as he guided the Jaguars on the decisive 13-play drive which featured him connecting with senior wide receiver RoShon Jacobs for a 14-yard gain on third and 10, running for nine yards on the ensuing third and 10-play which set up Darren Coates four-yard run on fourth and one and complete and 11-yard pass to Juamorris Stewart on third and six.
“We met on the sideline before the drive and said we just have to get it done,” Matthews said. “When we came on the field I made the right reads and coach called the right calls for us and we came together as a unit to get it done.”
“Jacobs came through on a third and six and Coates on a fourth down run,” Matthews said. “Those were just big plays that kept the momentum going. As a result we were able to bring it down field and score.”
Alcorn tied the game at seven with 4:48 remaining in the third when Tony Hobson completed a 26 yard pass to Arceneaux.
Southern led at halftime behind a strong performance from senior running back Darren Coates, who led the Jaguars in both rushing and receiving with 11 carries for 52 yards and four receptions for 43 yards and one touchdown.
Matthews and C.J. Byrd split time in the games second quarter with Matthews going 7-of-14 for 53 yards and one touchdown and Byrd going 1-of-1 for 23 yards.
Senior defensive end Vincent Lands led the defense with six tackles (two assisted), one sack and 2.5 tackles for loss.
Plus, both teams looked sluggish as both teams combined for only 268 yards total offense and Alcorn was penalized 10 times for negative 51 yards as quarterbacks Christopher Walker and Tony Hobson spelled each other. Southern’s only score came when Matthews hooked up with Coates for a 24-yard pass with 13:43 remaining in the quarter. The touchdown capped a six play, 58 yard drive spanning 1:48.
“Overall it was a total team effort,” said head coach Pete Richardson. “We always know it’s going to be a dog fight with them, the last two or three years it’s been the same way. We played some young people, gave them an opportunity to play. They made some mistakes but they played hard.”
The first quarter was no better with Alcorn being penalized five times for minus 26 yards. In fact, the Braves only totaled seven yards of total offense on 14 plays while Southern gained 105 yards on 26 plays, but failed to score on two red zone attempts.
Next week Southern will get some much needed rest as they Jaguars get their first off week of the season.
Up Next:
Southern will travel to Houston to face Texas Southern University on November 3rd at Reliant Stadium. Kickoff is set for 12 p.m.
Senior Salute
Southern honored 17 seniors before the game Saturday as they celebrated “Senior Day”.
The list includes Kendall Aguillard (DB), Jerry Bates (DB), Nicholas Benjamin (WR/H), Charles Booker (WR), Darren Coates (RB), Jarmaul George (DB), Chad Harris (RB), Mark Henderson (WR), RoShon Jacobs (WR), Vincent Lands (DE), Gerard Landry (WR), Rueben Oliver (OL), Efe Osawemenze (DB), Demarcus Stewart (OL), Glenn Bell (DB), Trentin Thomas (OL) and Albert Turner (WR/KR).
Of the 17 honored Lands, Bell and Henderson each have a chance at returning next season.
Streak Snapped
Senior wide receiver Gerard Landry had his reception and touchdown streak snapped Saturday, as he was held out with an ankle injury. Landry had caught a pass in 33 consecutive games and a touchdown in all seven games this season before spraining his ankle last week in the fourth quarter against Jackson State. The streak dates all the way back to September 17, 2004 against Prairie View A&M. Landry was a freshman then.
120th for Richardson
It took him three attempts but Richardson won his 120th game at Southern with the defeat of Alcorn State Saturday. He trails only A.W. Mumford, who totaled 176 wins during his time at Southern.