Jags get organized for AAMU

The Southern University football team (1-2, 1-2 SWAC) will host Alabama A&M University (3-2, 1-2 SWAC) in its 2005 homecoming game at A.W. Mumford Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. The Jaguars lead this series 5-2 and the last time these two programs met the Jaguars defeated the Bulldogs 33-24 at their homecoming in Normal, Ala.
The Jaguars fell to Alabama State 45-35 last week in one of its toughest matches of the season. Head coach Pete Richardson expressed that he was proud of his team’s performance, which “they played hard for 60 minutes.” Even though they lost, Richardson said he saw the maturity level grow in certain players on the offensive line.
“That was a big game for us,” he said. “It’s been the first time in a long time we been in this position as far as really depending on a great deal of things to happen and having the opportunity to reach our goals, winning the championship.”
Inconsistent play was a huge weakness in the Jags’ road losses at Alabama State and Mississippi Valley State (31-28), with both of those teams using veteran quarterbacks to control the game.
“Were still inconsistent because of experience at certain spots,” Richardson said. “And sometimes it shows when individuals reverting back to things they had done once learning the system.”
Alabama A&M is not having such a good season either. The Bulldogs were defeated by Texas Southern 17-7 at the Louis Crews Stadium last week. Alabama A&M’s running back Nic Luke had 13 carries for 92 yards and one touchdown. Reserve quarterback Harold Dorman had six carries for 48 yards while quarterback Kelcy Luke had 16 rushes for 38 yards. Kelcy Luke went 12-of-28 passes for 129 yards. Corey Harden and Johnny Baldwin led the Bulldogs with nine total stops each; Malasta Hill added eight.
A loss by Southern or Alabama A&M will be a hurtful to each program. They will be eliminated from their respective divisional race as preseason favorites. Alabama State (4-1, 4-0) is leading the Eastern Division and Grambling (2-1, 2-0) leading the Western Division both having impressive starts. Southern is tied with Texas Southern and Arkansas Pine-Bluff, each 1-2 in the Eastern Division of the conference.
“It’s important to get a win in, because right now we are 1-2 in the SWAC and we need to win out to have a chance to go to the championship game,” said Jags’ co-captain and offensive lineman Brandon Jones. “Playing a team like Alabama A&M, you have to prepare, watch a lot of film cause they have a pretty decent defensive scheme.”
Southern sophomore quarterback J.C. Lewis, in his first year as a starter, is 70-for-113 for 896 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception. He has shown the ability to spread the ball around, hitting 10 different receivers against Alabama State on last Saturday. Lewis completed 27- 46 passes for 302 yards and five touchdowns, while rushing for 41.
The Jaguars, who have the top scoring offense in the conference, are averaging 330.7 pass yards per game, while the Bulldogs lead the league in total defense (256.0 yards per game).
The Bulldogs’ Kevin Lockhart leads the conference in sacks with five while Michael Williams is the conference leader averaging 11.3 tackles per game.
“I’m excited for this football team, because we have some young inexperience players and they are excited about playing,” Richardson said. “I think that makes a plus going to practice because those individuals are eager to learn and they want to play.”
For Southern, running back Larry Nicholls had a team-high 64 rushing yards on 11 carries. James Vernon caught eight passes for 57 yards and two touchdowns. Defensively, Michael Williams led all players with 10 tackles (eight solo). Joe Sykes, Maurice Runnels and Joemaine Spears each had nine stops. Runnels, who started the last two games after finally becoming eligible, broke his kneecap in last week’s game. This injury may have caused his season to end. Nichols suffered a strained knee in that game also.