Defenders of the Gold and Blue: A Canon Event

Tensions were high as the Jags entered week 3, following the past two losses, but they seem to be picking up momentum. However, there is still a tremendous amount of work to be done by the Jags. The Southern Jaguars have a game plan to take it game by game and go “1-0” each week, so let’s see if they can do that.
Jags hit the field with confidence and energy. After seven plays and a 68-yard drive, graduate student quarterback Harold Blood and former Alabama A&M graduate student running back Gary Quarles had a 17-yard connection only 11 minutes into the game, scoring their first touchdown of the night with Joshua Griffin converting the extra point. Southern would have the lead 7-0
. Both teams struggled offensively in the second quarter. Southern’s junior kicker Joshua Griffin hit a 40-yard field goal, while the Bulldogs kicker hit a 39-yard field goal, bringing the score to 10-3.
Going into this game, the Bulldogs were without their starting quarterback. However, for the Jaguar defense, the goal was still the same. “We pride ourselves in turnovers,” said Head Coach Eric Dooley. As the guys took the field, they were placed with a challenge to get turnovers, and they did just that. Southern’s senior middle linebacker Jalen Campbell said the focus during half-time was to accomplish that turnover goal, “we can’t just depend on offense to score for us; we have to get a turnover.” As they entered the second half of the game, the Dog Day defense came and showed Alabama A&M who the real dogs were.
Alabama fumbled its second possession of the third quarter, giving the Jags a green light to take full advantage of the opportunity, and they did just that. Southern’s graduate student defensive tackle Davin Cotton recovered the fumble, making way for the Jags to score. Quarles again brought it home from the 9-yard line for a whopping 17-3 lead. With only 32 seconds left in the quarter, the dogs seemed to put the pieces together and score their first touchdown of the night, slightly closing the gap, and making the score 17-10.
Still, after the turnovers, the Bulldogs had a chance to redeem themselves and tie the game. Alabama A&M redshirt junior quarterback Quincy Casey dropped the ball at the 22-yard line, and the Jags were ready as sophomore defensive tackle Ckelby Givens and graduate student defensive tackle Tahj Brown worked together to secure the recovery. After the turnover, the Jags had an easy opportunity to score. Southern now had the game on lock after Joshua Griffin scored a 23-yard field goal, making the game 20-10.
The game may have been personal for Quarles, being that he is a transfer from A&M, but that does not mean this is the end of his run. We are excited for what is to come for him and the team. In addition, this is only the beginning for the Jags. There is nowhere to go but up from here. Going into their bye week, the team plans to focus on all areas of improvement and locking in with each other. The Jags went into this game with a lot riding on their backs. Nevertheless, they defended the gold and blue, securing a win at home in their gold jerseys. The final score was 20-10. The Jags will be seen again on September 30th, on the road, at Arkansas Pine-Bluff as they face the Golden Lions at 4 PM.