The Southern Jaguars defeated Prairie View A&M 31-24 in OT today in a game that had to be seen to be believed.
The Jags got a much needed and unbelievably satisfying win, but it took a journey to get there. Things looked bleak for a long time throughout the game. The first half looked to be more of the same from the previous week against Jackson St. It was a nightmare – after a first drive that looked promising, the offense was inert the rest of the half, totaling only 36 yards in that span. Despite Zae Teasett being out, we had yet another game where two different quarterbacks got a chance to play. Noah Bodden got benched right at the end of the half for the last drive for Jalen Woods.
The first half was more of a return to form for the defense, but the Panthers were still able to put up 14 points because the Jags kept shooting themselves in the foot with costly penalties. This was an ugly game for both teams in terms of penalties (The Jags had 12 for 110 yards, the Panthers had 11 for 105), but the timing and momentum lost from the penalties for the Jags on defense felt backbreaking. The Jags were down 14-3 at halftime, risking going down a dark path to begin what could be a long season for Southern University football.
Then the 2nd half began, and everything changed.
The entire team (with Noah Bodden back in at quarterback) played with a level of energy that was not seen in any of the last 6 quarters. The offensive line turned into a group of bulldozers, the passing attack was on fire, and Kendric Rhymes was bouncing off of would-be tacklers. The rushing attack clicked in this half for the first time all season, finishing the game with 191 yards and averaging 5.5 yards per carry. The defense wasn’t dominant, but they made fewer mistakes in the 2nd half and slowed down the Panthers offense enough to succeed.
Unfortunately, the comeback was coming pretty slowly. Despite the battle in the trenches clearly flipping in the 2nd half and the Jags being able to move the ball much more consistently, the score wasn’t representing that fact. The Jags’ first drive of the half ended in a missed field goal, a deflating result for such a promising drive. After a stop, Southern did get into the endzone to cut the lead to 14-10, but the momentum of the score was short lived. Just two plays later, Prairie View quarterback Cameron Peters found Coby Cavil wide open down the sideline for a soul crushing 72 yard touchdown, putting the lead right back at 11 points.
There was a lot of talk about the Panthers’ star receiver Shemar Savage going into the game, but he was remarkably contained throughout this game; he only had 2 catches for 18 yards. However, all the focus on Savage gave the rest of the Panthers opportunities, and Coby Cavil took advantage of a defensive miscommunication to get wide open for the big play.
Southern was right back to where it started at the beginning of the half, but Bodden and this Jags offense would not be deterred. Near the end of the half, Bodden found Chandler Whitfield over the middle, who took care of the rest on his way to a lightning strike 41 yard touchdown. The 2pt try was no good, meaning the Jags still trailed 21-16.
After this, the two teams traded punts before the Panthers found themselves with a chance to extend the lead. Prairie View kicker Guillermo Garcia Rodriguez tried a 50 yard field goal to extend the lead to 8, but he missed. After a turnover on downs from the Jags, the Panthers got the ball with the lead again. Garcia Rodriguez got another chance from a similar distance – 48 yards this time – and converted it, making the score 24-16 with 5 minutes to go in the game.
This was the Jags’ final chance. They needed a touchdown and 2 point conversion just to tie the game up and send things to overtime. Bodden had already been through a lot in such a young season, but now he had the chance to lead his offense and be a hero for Southern University. He did not disappoint. The drive itself was mostly off the legs of fellow hero CJ Russell, who rattled off a number of chunk plays to give the Jags a scoring opportunity. He capped off the 8 play, 75 yard touchdown drive on his legs with a 4 yard run.
The touchdown drive was all CJ Russell, but when the Jags had one chance to tie the game with a 2 point conversion, the ball was placed squarely in Noah Bodden’s hands. What took place next can only be described as one of the most magical plays I have ever seen. Noah Bodden takes the snap from the gun and is immediately ambushed by the Panthers pass rush, only able to complete the throw while he’s being dragged to the ground and is practically flat on his back. Instead of being sacked or the ball being launched somewhere random, Bodden somehow manages to throw an absolutely perfect pass right into the hands of Quay Davis, who catches it standing just inside the endzone for a successful 2 point conversion, tying the game in a way that is nothing short of miraculous.
The play doesn’t even look real. Between the near sack, the unusual motion of the ball in the air (it’s not a pretty pass), the instantaneous success ending the play the second Davis catches it in the endzone, and the wide camera angle, the play looks visually broken. It doesn’t resemble a football play, but instead a beautiful piece of art that you don’t understand until you fully take it in. The play is over before you realize what happened. The unfathomable reality of what actually took place doesn’t set in until the replay reveals the truth.
After all of that, we’re still far from done. That herculean effort from Bodden, Russell, Davis, and the entire Jags offense didn’t put anything away; all it did was keep the Jags in the game, tying it 24 all with 2:32 remaining in the game. The battle between the Panthers offense and the Jags defense is tense, with the Panthers gradually getting just barely into field goal territory. Prairie View Head Coach Bubba McDowell said that he felt comfortable with his kicker hitting a field goal from at most 52 yards. Where does kicker Guillermo Garcia Rodriguez have to line up to hit a walk off game winner for his Panthers? Exactly 52 yards. What could have been a storybook ending for Garcia Rodriguez was snatched away as the Jags instead clung on to their chance to win the game with an incredible blocked field goal as time expired, sending the game to overtime.
After a game that had some crazy ups and downs, the Jags looked to leave no doubt in the result. It took the Jags one play to score, an incredibly impressive run by Kendric Rhymes to put Southern up 31-24.
The Panthers made a great effort to tie things up on their end of the OT period, coming within inches of scoring a touchdown and getting 1st and goal on the 1 yard line. However, the Jags defense came up with a huge goal line stand, forcing the Panthers backwards on 3 consecutive plays before wrapping things up in style.
The Jags are now 1-0 in conference and move to 2-2 overall after this thrilling victory. They have a bye next week before returning home to host Nicholls on October 5th at 6:00 PM. For more about the Jags or any other football in the area, make sure to stick around at https://gridironfootballusa.com/
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