Is SU-ASU becoming the new SWAC rivalry football game

The Southwestern Athletic Conference best meet once again. The vital rivalry between Southern University (1-1, 1-1) and Alabama State (3- 1, 3- 0) is no longer just a game. The teams will have their fifth meeting in three seasons when they face off in the Gulf Coast Classic at 5 p.m. Saturday in Mobile, Ala.
“We know what to expect from each side of the ball,” said football head coach Pete Richardson. “They’re not going to change. We’re not going to change. It depends on who’s going to make the fewest mistakes and who’s going to make plays.”
Alabama State and Southern have battled it out twice in the past seasons for the title. ASU won the SWAC Championship Game 40-35 last year and Southern won the regular-season match up 42-41. In 2004, Southern had the ultimate success winning both the regular-season game and the SWAC title game.
“They know what we are about. We know what they’re about,” Alabama State coach Charlie Coe said.
One concern of Richardson is putting an inexperience team back on the road again. Southern has recruited new players that have not been giving the opportunity to play on this maturity level. The recent events of hurricanes forced the Jaguars to cancel two non-conference games, McNeese State and Albany State. The Jaguars lost their first conference game to Mississippi Valley State 28-31 and have only one win against Prairie View 38-0. Although some young players have played in the previous games, Richardson states that there is still a need of playing experience.
“If you have an experienced team, they have played them (Alabama State) two or three times, but for an inexperienced team it will be new to them,” Richardson said. “As far as getting them in this type of situation, it’s a playing type of experience and you have to get use to it.
“When you are playing freshmen by the time you get to game five, most of them will have played a great deal and developed that confidence and that’s what seemed to happen with Alabama State’s team.”
The two schools have two of the promising quarterbacks in the conference. Each athlete has the ability to move the ball on the field. Tarvaris Jackson has been named the conference’s offensive player of the week twice in the last three weeks. In his third season at ASU, Jackson (68-for-111 for 1,128 yards, 10 touchdowns and two interceptions) has been superior.
“Tarvaris is a big reason why we are where we are today,” Coe said. “We’ve been very blessed, very fortunate to have him.”
Meanwhile, Southern has its third starting quarterback in as many seasons. J.C. Lewis (43-for-67 for 594 yards, four TD’s and one interception) follows SWAC offensive players of the year Quincy Richard (2003) and Thomas Ricks (2004).
“They have a lot of weapons from running backs to receivers, so offensively we will have to play almost mistake free and bring our ‘A-game’ to the game,” Lewis said.
The Jaguars are looking for the same respect and the same success from the SWAC.
This competition with Alabama State is one that the Jaguars will definitely go into aiming for a win.
“It’s a must win for us as far as reaching our goals to get to the championship,” Richardson said. “We have to be able to control Alabama State, they have a fine football team, but we are a fine football team also, the only thing you can talk about it is being inexperienced but you should still be able to win football games.”
As for the Champinoship title, the Jaguars have one thing to say. “We are looking to win games to put ourselves in position to win the championship,” said co-captain Rene Gettridge. “When we get back to the championship, get the ring and the title as champions; that’s the revenge.”