POWER TRIP: Jaguars outlast Panthers, closing in on West Title

Southern University’s football team (7-0) in conference play traveled to Prairie View, Texas to take on the Panthers of Prairie View A&M University (6-2) on Saturday, November 12th.
The Jaguars outlasted PVAMU and racked up their 7th straight SWAC win after the 44-34 victory this past weekend.
Southern dominated the game on both the offensive and defensive end of the field.
Senior Receiver Willie Quinn continued his fade of breaking records as he broke Southern University’s all time receiving record against PVAMU. He entered the game with 2,984 receiving yards, just 73 shy of surpassing the previous record holder, Michael Hayes.
Quinn had 100 yards before the score board signaled for half time. The Miami native became the second player in Southern’s history to top 3,000 career receiving yards in the first quarter, after he beat his man for a 35-yard gain in the middle of the field.
“I had a 5-yard in route, and Austin saw I had enough room. Once I caught it, I flipped my hips the other way, and the defender was going the whole opposite way. I just saw grass, and I ran,” stated Quinn.
Lenard Tillery rushed for 245 yards on 29 carries.
Junior quarterback Austin Howard threw four touchdown passes. Howard, threw a 9-yard touchdown pass to Junior Herbert Edwards which allowed the Jags to take a 37-20 lead early in the third quarter.
Defensively, Junior Linebacker Aaron Tiller rallied for the Jaguars.
“Something happened before I got on the bus, so I had to go out there, clear my heart and take my anger out on the field. I always say, my pain is through my play, and I guess I showed that today, “explained Tiller. “It was time to turn up,”
That’s exactly what he did. Tiller handed out four sacs late in the second half, one of which included a forced fumble by the Panthers that resulted in a touchdown for Tiller. In addition to four sacs, Tiler finished the game with 13 tackles.
Junior Defensive back, Danny Johnson, accounted for one of the two interceptions the Jaguars forced. He now has a total of seven interceptions for the 2016 season.
Prairie View A&M University had a slight surge of energy in the second half. The Panthers scored when quarterback Trey Greens 25 yard connected to Darius Floyd.
They also had an opening drive of 77 yards for a touchdown to start the half where they scored three touchdowns.
Raleigh Johnson ended the game with 13 stops for Prairie View. The Panthers now have a record of 6-2 in the SWAC and are no longer contesting for the Western Division title.
On the other hand, the Southern Jaguars have an undefeated record in the SWAC (7-0) and are now tied with Grambling State University to contest for the Western Division title.
“We’ve got some special guys. We’ve been through a lot together, and I love them for it, because they stayed the course and they’re reaping the rewards from it,” explained Head Coach Dawson Odoms.
The Jaguars will face Mississippi Valley State on Saturday, November 19, 2016 for their last home game of the season.