Sunday, August 26, 2018

Southern Football Overview



2018 Southern Football Overview: Southern University enters the 2018 football season following a 7-4 2017 season, which was the fifth for the Jaguars' head coach, Dawson Odums. Odums is entering his sixth full season as the team's head coach. In 2012, he was the Jaguars' defensive coordinator, then the interim head coach for the final nine games of the season. He was named the team's head coach in 2013. His record as a head coach at Southern is 43-25.

During the 2017 season, Southern won its first game, then lost three in a row before winning six straight games. The Jaguars closed out the season with a 30-21 loss to Grambling State.

In 2017, the Jaguars scored 301 points, an average of 27.4 points a game.  They allowed their opponents to score 305 points, an average of 27.7 points a game.

For 2018, Southern will be an experienced team. The Jaguars return seven starters on offense and seven starters on defense.

Offensively, the Jaguars feature a multiple pro style. The Jags' basic defense is the 3-4, with multiple formations.

In 2017, Southern accumulated 4,000 yards of offense; 2,230 through the air and 1,770 on the ground.

One of Southern's key losses on offense from 2017 is Austin Howard, who as quarterback ran the Jaguars' offense. Other offensive losses include running back Herb Edwards, two offensive linemen and a tight end. Howard accounted for 1,932 of the 2,230 passing yards. He threw 18 touchdown passes. Edwards had 977 of the 1,770 rushing yards. He ran for five touchdowns.

The most experienced and prolific returning quarterback is sophomore John Lampley (#11), who played in seven games last season. He completed 14 of 26 passes for 115 yards. He ran for 104 yards.

The only other returning quarterback is sophomore Glendon McDaniel (#12). In 2017, he played in four games. He completed 14 of 34 passes for 90 yards. He ran for a negative 13 yards.

Two key newcomers for Southern are quarterbacks Kobie Lane (#7), a redshirt sophomore, and Ladarius Skelton, a sophomore.

Key returners on offense for the Jaguars are a trio of wide receivers: sophomore  Jamar Washington (#6); sophomore Kendall Catalon (#10), of Mansfield, Texas; and Randall Menard (#87), who is in his sixth year. At 5-7 and 5-9, respectively, Washington and Catalon are small, speedy receivers. Menard is 6-3, but only 185 pounds.

In 2017, Washington had 37 receptions for 413 yards and three touchdowns, with a log catch of 63 yards. Catalon had 24 receptions for 336 yards and two touchdowns. He had a long catch of 68 yards. Menard, who only played in four games, had 11 catches for 91 yards.

The Jaguars are welcoming a key transfer this season at the wide receiver position. He is redshirt sophomore Hunter Register (#23) of the University of Minnesota. He is 6-5, 215 pounds.

Redshirt sophomore running back Devon Benn (#9), 5-10, 184 pounds, returns. Last season, he ran for 459 yards and four touchdowns. He added 16 receptions for 143 yards and one touchdown, with a long catch of 33 yards.

Joining Benn in the backfield will be a key newcomer, redshirt junior running back Jordan Davis (#22), 5-10, 204 pounds.

On the offensive line, the Jaguars returns four key players: redshirt junior center Jaylon Brinson (#73), 6-0, 294 pounds; redshirt sophomore lineman Jodeci Harris (#77), 6-7, 315 pounds; junior lineman Jeremiah Abby (#64), 6-4, 310  pounds; and redshirt senior tight end Denis Craig (#82), 6-2, 215 pounds. Last season, Craig had 11 receptions for 165 yards and three touchdowns.

On offense in 2017, the Jaguars fumbled the ball 14 times, losing it five times. They allowed 28 sacks, resulting in 148 lost yards.

Key defensive returnees include: defensive backs Andre Augustine (#17), a senior, redshirt junior Montavius Gaines (#5), and senior Demerio Houston (#14); defensive linemen Ceajae Bryant (#93), a 6-foot, 262-pound redshirt junior, and Simeon Houston (#41), a 6-2, 241-pound senior; and defensive tackle Dakavion Champion (#91), a 6-1, 262-pound 285-pound junior.

In 2017, Southern's defense grabbed 10 interceptions and forced 19 fumbles, recovering 13 of them. The Jaguars had 25 sacks, for 172 lost yards.

The kickers are sophomore Cesar Barajas (#26) and redshirt junior Taylor Merritt (#48), who also handles the punting chores. In 2017, the Jaguars averaged 35 yards per punt. They attempted 14 field goals, converting six of them.

2018 Schedule: For the first time in more than a decade, the Southern football team will play fewer than 11 regular-season games. The Jaguars’ 2018 schedule features 10 games. It is the first time since 2005 Southern will not play an 11-game schedule. Here is the schedule: September 1, at TCU; September 9, at Louisiana Tech; September 15, vs. Langston; September 22, vs. Alabama A&M, (at Ladd Peebles Stadium, Mobile, Alabama); September 29, vs Alcorn State; October 13, at Prairie View A&M; October 20, vs Texas Southern (State Fair Showdown, Dallas); October 27, vs. Jackson State; November 10, vs. Arkansas Pine Bluff; November 24, vs Grambling, (Bayou Classic, New Orleans).

Southern's 2018 Football Guide: here

Southern's 2018 Football Video: here and here

Southern Football 2017 Results: In 2017, the Jaguars had a 7-4 SWAC record, finishing second in the SWAC West Division with a 7-2 record. The Jaguars' 2017 results: vs South Carolina State, won, 14-8; at Southern Miss, lost, 45-0; at the University of San Antonio, lost, 51-17; at Alcorn State, lost, 48-31; vs. Fort Valley State, won, 31-14; vs Alabama A&M, won, 35-14; at Jackson State, won, 35-17; at Arkansas Pine Bluff, won, 47-40; vs. Prairie View, won, 37-31; at Texas Southern, won, 33-7; vs Grambling State, Superdome, New Orleans, lost, 30-21.

Due to NCAA APR violations, the Jaguars were ineligible to participate in the SWAC Championship or the Celebration Bowl.


Southern Football Historical Overview: Southern University, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is home of the Southern Jaguars, the 2003 Black College National Football Champions. The Jaguars are a member of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). The Jaguars started collegiate football in 1916, and played in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference before joining the SWAC in 1934. The Jaguars overall record is 557-341-28.

The SWAC is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama. The conference is made up of historically black colleges and universities in the Southern United States. SWAC teams compete in the NCAA's Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly referred to as Division I-AA.

The SWAC is widely considered the premier HBCU conference and ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of alumni affiliated with professional sports teams, particularly in football. On the gridiron, the conference has been the biggest draw on the FCS level of the NCAA, leading the nation in average home attendance for 37 of the 38 years the FCS has existed.

SWAC teams are split into two divisions, the Western and the Eastern. The Jaguars play in the Western Division. The division's other teams are the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Grambling State, Prairie View A&M, Southern University and A&M College, and Texas Southern University.

Schools in the SWAC's Eastern Division are Alabama A&M, Alabama State, Alcorn State, Jackson State, and Mississippi Valley State.

From 1999 through 2017, the SWAC hosted a championship game between the champion of the Eastern Division and the champion of the Western Division. On June 13, 2017, the SWAC announced that it was ending its football championship game following the 2017 contest and would be sending its regular season champion to the Celebration Bowl from 2018 onward.

The Celebration Bowl is a post-season bowl game that began play in the 2015 season. The game, organized by ESPN Events, pits the champions of the SWAC and the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), which also is a conference of HBCUs. The game serves as the de facto national championship of Black college football and is the only active bowl game to feature teams from the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS). Starting with the December 2017 game, it is played at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The game is a successor to two previous bowl games between the MEAC and SWAC, the Pelican Bowl and the Heritage Bowl.

Head coach of the Jaguars is Dawson Odums. He is entering his sixth full season as the team's head coach. In 2012, he was the Jaguars' defensive coordinator, then the interim head coach for the final nine games of the season. He was named the team's head coach prior to the 2013 season. His record as a head coach at Southern is 43-25.

Every year, the Jaguars play their last regular season game against Grambling in the Bayou Classic in New Orleans. Other notable Southern rivals are Jackson State and Texas Southern.

Southern plays its home games in Ace W. Munford Stadium, in Baton Rouge.

Southern University Football Stadium: Southern University's Ace W. Mumford Stadium, on Southern's campus in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, is a 28,500-seat multi-purpose stadium. It opened in 1928. In addition to hosting the school's football team, it is home to the Southern Laboratory High School Kittens football team and Southern University women's soccer team. The Roscoe Moore Track, located in the stadium, is home to the men's and women's track and field teams. The stadium, which features artificial turf, is named after coach A.W. "Ace" Munford, the most successful coach in Southern University football history. He coached from 1937 until 1961.

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