Southern University Head Coach Terrence Graves found his first win as official head coach of the Jags today as Southern defeated the Savannah St Tigers 42-10, off the back of a suffocating performance from the defense. This was an all around victory for the Jags in the Pete Richardson Classic, but there are still some questions to be answered.
Despite the lopsided final score, things began a bit shaky for Southern. After a slow start for both offenses, The Jags kicked off the scoring with a long field goal drive late in the first quarter to go up 3-0. Two plays later, however, Savannah St quarterback Jadon Adams broke a long outside run and scored an 81 yard touchdown, giving the Tigers the 7-3 lead.
What did the Tigers do on offense after that 81 yard run? Nothing. The Jags were flying all over the field, tallying an unbelievable 10 TFLs through out the game, recorded by 8 different players. The 81 yard run was the only first down the Jags allowed the entire game. They forced 9 3-and-outs, allowed -20 yards of total offense, limited further scoring to just a single field goal off of a short field throughout the rest of the game.
How did they get that short field? Unfortunately, one of the biggest concerns from Southern’s season opening loss to McNeese reared its ugly head again when Jags Kicker Joshua Griffin saw one of his kicks blocked and returned deep into Jag territory for the second time in two weeks. The block gave the Tigers the ball on Southern’s own 20 yard line, the only time the Tigers would be in the redzone all game. Of course, they would only gain 4 yards on that drive and kick a field goal, the only other points of the game for Savannah St.
The Jags’ offense also found success today, albeit not from their starting quarterback. After another slow start, Noah Bodden was replaced under center with Czavian Teasett. This time, however, Teasett provided the necessary spark to lift Southern to a strong offensive performance. He threw for 316 yards and 3 touchdowns in relief, which allowed the Jags to separate on the scoreboard. This impressive throw and catch to Darren Morris put in the dagger to make the game 35-10 halfway through the 4th quarter.
This combination of a strong offense and untouchable defense led to a blowout victory for the Jags with a final score of 42-10. Next week, they travel to Jackson, Mississippi to play Jackson St at 6:00 on Saturday, September 14th. For more coverage of the Southern Jags, stick around at https://gridironfootballusa.com/
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