Reports: Inside the numbers “Southern Stumbles: Jackson State Triumphs at Home!”

JACKSON, MS – The Jaguars struggled to find their rhythm early and couldn’t recover, allowing Jackson State to secure a 33-15 victory in front of 32,027 fans at Veteran Memorial Stadium.

“It’s really disappointing; I thought we had addressed the slow starts,” said Terrence Graves. “Clearly, I didn’t prepare us well enough.”

Quarterback Noah Bodden had a standout performance, throwing for a career-high 352 yards on 17 of 29 attempts, including a 16-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Minor Jr. However, the Jaguars’ rushing attack faltered, mustering only 50 yards on the ground.

The Jaguars’ quarterbacks connected with nine different receivers, led by Tyler Kirkwood, Darren Morris, and Chandler Whitfield.

The defense spent a lot of time on the field due to the offensive struggles but had notable moments, highlighted by safety Horacio Johnson, who recorded 14 tackles and two pass breakups. Junior All-American Ckelby Givens, Darrius Harry, and Derrick Williams contributed seven tackles each. Williams also had a tackle for a two-yard loss, while Givens added two quarterback hurries.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• The Jaguars’ defense has now limited three consecutive opponents to under 200 passing yards.
• Senior safety Horacio Johnson achieved a career-high with 14 tackles, nine of which were solo efforts.

NUMBERS TO NOTE

• Southern earned 18 first downs, while Jackson State had 19.
• The Jaguars accumulated 387 passing yards compared to Jackson State’s 198.
• The Tigers outperformed in rushing, netting 207 yards to Southern’s 50.
• Southern finished the night with 387 receiving yards versus 198 for Jackson State.
• The Jaguars incurred 45 yards in penalties, while Jackson State had 30.

NEXT UP Southern will return to the field on Saturday, September 21st, heading west on I-10 to take on the Prairie View Panthers as they kick off conference play. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. on ESPN+.