Southern University & PVAM Game Day Preview

This week the Southern Jaguars are back in action going head to head with the Prairie View A&M Panthers. Both team are currently 2-3 overall but the Panthers have faced off in three conference games while the Jaguars have only played one so far. This is a big match up for each team as they are loaded with talent, speed, and determination. Southern is looking for the fans and Human Jukebox to contribute to the pressure that will be put on Prairie View as the enter Jaguar territory. Coach Odums spoke of the intimidation Southern’s crowd used to cause as opponent rode into campus with shouting, throwing things, and even rocking buses! He wants to bring the rowdy, passionate crowd back this game to start chipping away at the other team’s confidence the moment they arrive. Odums even talked about having Southern’s distinguished band playing loud and playing proud to keep the stadium filled with noise that lifts his team while not letting the Panthers catch a break. The Jaguars are coming off a bi-week which allowed them to rest, practice hard, and understand their opponent’s strengths and weaknesses which is a big advantage and should make for a very excited game this coming Saturday.

The Jaguars have a great record of winning 13 of the 14 previous home games and Coach Odums is 5-2 against the Panthers. He has acknowledged the PV offense skills and their defense as “optimistic” with the ability to capitalize on their opponent’s mistakes. He says the Jags have had plenty of energy in their practices and have utilized their bi-week to recover and get back into game week mode. When asked about controlling his team’s emotions for a match he says they go in to every game humble, prepared, and hoping to play a great game. They don’t give into any pettiness but rather operate like a business and prepare for every team the same way. The Jaguars have performed well thus far and are looking to continue to grow and be successful, especially in conference games. The Jaguars will need to try to limit the passing ability of the Panthers as they tend to average higher than them per game whereas the rushing yards are nearly identical. The rest the offensive line got will be much needed for Southern as Prairie View has sacked three times more than they have allowed. The Jaguars have the advantage of a large number of experienced, aggressive defensive players that will be able to display their abilities against a skilled PV team. If the Jaguars come out strong in the first quarter it will help them as the Panthers don’t typically start scoring until the second quarter in most of their games this season. Each of these teams has strengths and weaknesses the other will be challenged with or be able to take advantage of. The Southern Jaguars have the obvious advantage of playing at home so we can only hope they perform just as well as they did last home game! Be sure to show support to your home team this Saturday as they continue to fight for the SWAC West title!