Ad Disclosure
Southern not intimidated by playing the Dawgs Between the Hedges
By John Hollis
Published:
Southern University football coach Dawson Odums is trying his best to convince his team that playing at SEC powerhouse Georgia this Saturday is just another game.
“You’ve got to line up and play,” he said during Monday’s Southwestern Athletic Conference coaches teleconference, according to The Advocate. “They’re no different from you, they just play for a bigger school with more resources, but they can’t play more than 11 players at a time. You’ve got to go in there with the right mindset to play your very best to give yourself a chance.”
It sounds good, but it’s still going to be a tough sell to actually convince his players that they can beat the seventh-ranked Bulldogs in their own backyard. Georgia, which is fresh off a 52-20 thumping of South Carolina that pushed its record to 3-0, rates as a heavy favorite and figures to easily be the most talented and most physical team the Jaguars have faced this season and perhaps ever.
“Hopefully,” Odums said, “we’ll come back with the same number of guys that we take up there.”
The only thing Southern is guaranteed to bring back is the big paycheck it receives for coming to Athens.
But the Jaguars (2-1) are off to a fast start, having won their first two SWAC games against Jackson State and Mississippi Valley State by scoring 50 points in each.
Quarterback Austin Howard was honored as the SWAC Offensive Player of the Week after passing for a career-high 395 yards in Saturday’s 50-31 win over Jackson State this past Saturday.
The sophomore completed 21 of 32 passes, including a 43-yard scoring strike to senior receiver Willie Quinn. Howard also ran for touchdowns from 4 and 10 yards out.
Southern’s lone loss was a season-opening 62-15 setback at the hands of Louisiana Tech on Sept. 5.
John Hollis is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers Georgia and Florida.
