It’s the game Southern University fans look forward to every year…homecoming. Today the Jaguars took on the Bulldogs of Alabama A&M for a tough match up. The campus was flooded with people from all over looking to have a good time and experience true Southern hospitality. There was an abundance of tailgating groups with their own music and food and people were able to flow through for one to the other all while representing their school spirit. The Human Jukebox did not disappoint either as they played an amazing set of songs as well as putting on an unforgettable performance filled with dances, tricks, and formation. The Jaguars did manage to snatch the victory from the #2 team in SWAC East tonight with a win of 35 to 31.
The Jaguars began working quickly and just a minute and thirty seconds into the game they put numbers on the board. It is no surprise at this point, but Ladarius Skelton (#8) showed off his running game all night long. He started with a 20 yard run for a first down and then another run for 28 yards, which resulted in the first touchdown of the night, followed by a successful field goal by Martell Fontenot (#36). The Bulldogs utilized wide receiver Abdul-Fatai Ibrahim (#85) as quickly as possible with a big pass to start their possession and gave the ball to Jordan Bentley (#1) as well but did not find much success. They also had a play under review that determined that their attempted fourth down had failed which took some of the momentum from their offense in the moment. The next Jaguar possession Skelton looked to connect with Hunter Register (#4) and successfully retrieved a first down but shortly after went for a pass that was incomplete to Register. This pass was in the end zone and touched the hands of Register but was just a little too far for him to completely grasp. Skelton ran twice and was stopped by Desmond Fletcher (#40) which lead to a turnover on the 1-yard line for the Jaguars. Another blow to the Jaguars offense on the next possession was a quarterback sack by Breon Austin (#92) that caused a loss of 16 yards. Southern’s defense came back strong with an impeccable tackle by Chase Foster (#23) who quickly reminded the Bulldogs whose house they were in. The Jaguars’ defense showed no mercy as they hit hard and quick on every single play. OJ Tucker (#25) actually hit an A&M player so hard the referees could not tell if it was targeting or not based on the crowd reaction, how long he stayed down, etc. They first attempted to call it targeting and asked for Tucker to be ejected but under further review reversed their targeting call and allowed Tucker to remain in the game. The Bulldogs did not have a productive possession but there was another nice tackle Jordan Williams (#40) on the Jaguars. Skelton was unfortunately sacked again by Marcus Cushine (#57) and then we saw Glendon McDaniel (#12) make his debut in the game. He did make a little run but was stopped by Armoni Holloway (#20) at the 43-yard line. Then, McDaniel seemed to just throw the ball, without much thought, practically to Adrian Portlock (#30) which resulted in an interception. The next possession was dominated by Jordan Bentley (#1) of Alabama who began to rack up some rushing yards but was stopped on his attempts by Montavious Gaines (#5), Benjamin Harris (#18), and Caleb Carter (#47). OJ Tucker (#25) was noticed again as he made another big tackle against the Bulldogs offense but Ibrahim (#85) caught a pass from Aqueel Glass (#4) to make the score 7-7. Skelton was put back at quarterback and there was a run by Washington (#6) and then a connection to Register (#4) for a first down at the 25-yard line. There was another sack on Skelton but that did not stop him was a pass to Bedford (#14) and then quick run for Benn (#2) resulted in another Jaguar touchdown. At this point Skelton had 147 yards with 16 carries and one touchdown which he would continue to build on in the next half. Alabama A&M fumbled the ball twice but recovered the ball both times on their next possession which ended the half.
Zabrian Moore (#8) started off the half with a 22-yard catch from Glass (#4) to even out the score (14-14). As time passed the Jaguars were able to find one another as Register (#4) caught a throw from Skelton (#8) for a 31-yard touchdown for the Jaguars. Despite little time remaining in the third quarter the Bulldogs did not stop giving their full effort. A 60-yard pass was caught by Ibrahim (#85) from Glass (#4) with 2:36 left on the clock making the score 21-21. The Bulldogs and Jaguars continued to keep up with one another throughout this whole game with a variety of mistakes made on both sides which became critical as the clock dwindled down. Skelton ran the ball on the next possession with some yards gained by Washington (#6) and Bedford (#14) and placed the Jaguars at the 6-yard line. Once again, Ladarius Skelton made his way to the end zone with a good field goal by Fontenot. At this point Ladarius had 2 rushing touchdowns, one passing touchdown, and well over 300 yards combined. The one name heard quite a bit on the defense of the Jaguars was Calvin Lunkins (#1) as he was able to stop Bentley (#1). The Bulldogs were able to rely on Zabrain Moore (#8) with two complete passes and one of those ended up being a touchdown. This gave Glass (#4) his fourth touchdown and 311 yards meaning Alabama was able to level the momentum throughout the game despite Southern’s tough defense and great offense. Cesar Barajas (#30) received a bad snap and was put in a tough spot but still managed to punt the ball to the 50-yard line with Bulldogs charging from every direction and applying pressure. Ibrahim had another big run that would have been a touchdown but it was called back as Shonye Reams (#75) had been called out for a facemask. This make the Bulldogs go for a 44-yard field goal attempt that was successful and made the score 31-28. The Jaguars started to look a little messy and confused for a second but Skelton reeled it back in with a run to the 35-yard line followed by a first down with a minute and 30 seconds left in the game. Another pass was dropped in the end zone that was intended for Jermias Houston (#88) and then a false start pushed the Jaguars back another 5 yards. Register was able to catch a pass that landed him a first down on the 4-yard line with 30 seconds left on the clock. Register was able to finish this possession off with a touchdown for the Jaguars and a lead of 35-31. The Bulldogs next possession only consisted of 28 seconds but they found their way down field quickly but the game ended in a quarterback sack by the Jaguars defense.
This homecoming game could not have ended any better for the Jaguars as they fought hard and finished on such a high. They could not help but feel the support as there were 20,344 fans in attendance and very little maroon visible in the stands. Southern University’s football team played hard and left it on the field and there is no question why they lead SWAC West at this point. Be sure to look out for our upcoming game preview as the Jaguars face VA Lynchburg!
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