What’s in store for Jaguar Athletics: Football and Volleyball

As the athletic season is officially underway, the Southern Jaguars collegiate teams are beginning to showcase what they have assimilated during their off-seasons. Between spring practices, summer workouts, and fall camps, each team came into this year with a winning mentality, but so far, their athletic exhibition has said differently. Following a football and volleyball loss and a very scarce win for the soccer team, Jaguar Nation fans are hoping they not only pick up the slack in upcoming games but are even offering opinions online about what the teams can do differently to help their winning streaks.
Overtime with AD Roman Banks took place for the second time this season on September 6th. This episode featured Head Football Coach Eric Dooley, once again, and Head Volleyball Coach Vanessa Jacobs. To everyone’s surprise, freshly inducted Black College Football Hall of Famer Pete Richardson was in the building. For the ones who don’t know, Richardson is a former NFL defensive back and most commonly known around Southern University as the head football coach for the Jaguars for 17 seasons from 1993 through 2009. During his tenure, the Jags won six SWAC Championships, with three consecutive titles from 1997 to 1999. In the words of AD Banks, “I don’t think that people really understand what he was able to do for Southern University and what he represents for Southern University,” Banks says during Overtime. “He’s one of the greatest coaches to live.”
In 2018, Athletic Director Roman Banks named the home opener the “Pete Richardson Classic.” The upcoming game against Jackson State has a unique name of its own, the “Boombox Classic,” and there hasn’t been another name for the rivalry game ever since. The upcoming football game is important to Coach Dooley because of the name and his affiliation with Southern, but also because current head coach Eric Dooley was one of Richardson’s assistant coaches during his time at Southern.
Following a disappointing but very close game in the football season opener against Alabama A&M, where the Jaguars lost 10-14, this game against Jackson State looks to be a redemption game for the Jags. “I thought it was more of a disappointing loss,” Dooley says. “For us to go out and not play 60 minutes of football was very, very disappointing.” Coach Dooley pinpointed the mistakes and took accountability for the previous game. He is looking forward to writing his wrongs as a coach. “I put that on my shoulders. We got to be able to play 60 minutes of football, and that’s the one thing that the Jaguar Nation can be assured that’s going to take place.”
Last season, the Jags were 5-0 at home, and with this being the home opener, Dooley expects the team to “be a little bit more explosive. In all 3 aspects of the game.” Although Southern made it to the SWAC Championship last season and played Jackson State, they unfortunately succumbed. Now that a new season started, Dooley says, “We’re capable. We understand, we know what the nation wants, we know what our coaching staff wants and we know what our players been working for.” If you check the stats, Southern University has not won a game against Jackson State since 2021, during the Spring 2020 season during Covid. With 24 Tigers transferring this past year, and Coach Deion Sanders not being head coach anymore, will this change the outcome? Will Southern have a chance of breaking that losing streak against them? Jaguar Nation will find out on September 9th at 6 P.M.