Backups shine as Lee benched

For the first time all season, Southwestern Athletic Conference preseason offensive player of the year Bryant Lee was benched for the entire second half during last Saturday’s game against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
In his absence, backups Warren Matthews and C.J. Byrd came on to guide the SU offense to 25 second-half points and rally the Jaguars to a 31-24 double-overtime win over the Golden Lions.
Matthews threw for a score and ran for another, while Byrd ran for the game winning score.
“I feel like (head) coach Rich (Pete Richardson) and (offensive coordinator) coach (Mark) Orlando feel like we can play in any situation,” Byrd said. “No matter who it is, they are going to put us in. We all bring our different talents to the table, but we all run the offense fluently.”
Lee currently leads the SWAC with 2,351 yards and 19 touchdowns.
“I thought Lee was just sporadic, he wouldn’t settle down,” Richardson said. “He missed a couple key reads in the first half and guys were wide open.
“He (Matthews) played an outstanding game and Byrd played well for us,” Richardson said. “Lee was inconsistent so we decided to make a change, it worked.”