After lighting up the scoreboard in relief of starter Noah Bodden, Czavian Teasett is officially being given the chance to start for the first time this season when the Southern Jags go on the road this Saturday to take on Jackson St.
“We’re going to start off with Teasett. He finished the game, so he’s going to start off. He has the opportunity. We’re going to do what we feel is best to win ball games.”
Southern University Head Coach Terrence Graves
This Saturday will be a long awaited moment for many who follow the recruiting trail in Baton Rouge. Teasett had a lot of hype coming out of high school with a number of offers from various other D1 schools, but the Scotlandville product decided to stay home and play for the Jags. Known for his explosive playmaking ability and unique status as a left-handed quarterback, Teasett will get his first chance to start in his young career.
“I liked the way he executed the offense. He’s a gunslinger, he’s an athlete. He’s going to play with a lot of confidence. He’s a redshirt freshman. He’s going to go out there and throw caution to the wind. Is that always good? No, but it’s not always bad either.”
Southern University Head Coach Terrence Graves
That being said, this is not the last time we’ll see Noah Bodden this season either. After being named week 1 starter after fall camp and starting (but not finishing) both of the Jags’ first two games, Bodden will have more chances to contribute to this Jags offense throughout the season.
Noah will absolutely play. By no means is this an indictment of him or any of that. We’re not done with him, because we will need him at some point in the season.”
Southern University Head Coach Terrence Graves
The defense dominated their D-II opponent last week in the game against Savannah St. Coach Graves commented on that dominance and how important that can be for the team moving forward as they begin facing conference opponents.
“There were guys swarming, guys flying to the ball, a lot of guys playing. When that happens you give yourselves a great chance of increasing your chances of winning.
They had one big play, and I told them I was sick to my stomach on that because I’m a defensive guy. But other than that, you look at what they did statistically, regardless of whom you are playing, the stats are astounding on any level.
Southern University Head Coach Terrence Graves
That defense will have to bring it again this week as the Jags take on Jackson St. The Tigers and Head Coach T.C. Taylor have had a solid start the season including a competitive loss against an FBS opponent as well as a blowout victory against a D-II opponent. The offense looked especially dominant in their win last week, putting up 31 points in the first quarter and scoring on their first 7 drives of the game.
“They have some good players. They have a good running back, they have good WRs. TC does a good job with what they are doing offensively. With him being a former quarterback / wide receiver, he’s definitely going to get the guy he needs to do what he wants to do.”
Southern University Head Coach Terrence Graves
That Tigers offense contains a number of moving parts as well, as they saw their own shift in quarterback last week. Sophomore Cam’Ren McCoy made his first collegiate start, and his dual-threat prowess led that offensive explosion, as he logged 100 yards rushing and 4 total touchdowns in the game. That unique skillset could lead to some coaches feeling like they need to reinvent the wheel to stop him, but Coach Graves remains unphased.
“We’re not going to do anything special. We have rules and responsibilities that we have to do. I’m sure our coaching staff will prepare those guys to make sure they pay attention to their keys and what they have to do, and they’ll go out and execute.”
Southern University Head Coach Terrence Graves
The matchup between the Tigers’ explosive offense and the Jags’ dominant defense will be the one to watch going into this important rivalry game. It’s early in the season, but this could become the key “unstoppable force vs immovable object” matchup between any two SWAC teams throughout the season. Coach Graves feels very good about his unit’s chances being led by Defensive Coordinator Henry Miller.
“I’m very confident. Coach Miller always talks about strength in numbers. We do have strength in numbers. I’m satisfied. I’m not totally satisfied, but I’m satisfied enough to feel good about what we’re doing defensively and schematically, and the number of guys that we are playing.”
Southern University Head Coach Terrence Graves
This game would have been exciting for the Jags if it were just a normal conference opponent, but the Jackson St Tigers are much more than that. Southern-Jackson St, a rivalry going back to 1958, is one of the biggest rivalries in the SWAC, and it’s known for more than just the football game on the field. Southern’s “Human Jukebox” and Jackson St’s “Sonic Boom of the South” are two of the most well-respected marching bands in the entire country, and their fierce rivalry gives this game its name – The BoomBox Classic.
“It’s a hard fought football game. It’s usually physical, there’s a lot of action. The atmosphere is electric. It all comes together when you’re talking about that classic.”
Southern University Head Coach Terrence Graves
These two bands being in the same place at the same time gives this rivalry game in particular an unique atmosphere, and the home team a unique home field advantage. This year, the Jags are tasked with traveling up to Jackson, and that poses an extra challenge when it’s such a fierce rivalry.
“When you go up there, those guys will be fired up, they are going to be ready to go, the atmosphere is going to be electric. The thing is, you have to stave off those first 7-10 minutes of the ball game. If you can do that, it kind of levels off. We have to go out and be ready to go from the start.”
Southern University Head Coach Terrence Graves
Check out the full Press Conference Here!
The game is this Saturday at 6:00, but the marching bands will get started long before that. For more updates on this game as well as anything else regarding Southern University football, make sure to stay updated at https://gridironfootballusa.com/
