Saturday evening will see Southern take on Texas Southern in a SWAC showdown. Recent outcomes for these teams have differed. SU is without a loss in their last two games, while TXSO is hoping to rebound from a 21-31 loss to Florida A&M. Texas Southern should enter this one with confidence, as they came away with a 24-0 victory when these teams last met in 2022.
Southern (4-3 Overall, 3-1 in SWAC)
The Jags’ defense has shown it can be a relative strength at times this season. They are allowing an average of 285 yards per game, with opposing offenses averaging 199 passing yards and 86 yards rushing. Offenses struggle to run the ball efficiently against this defensive front. They’re holding opponents to an average of 2.5 yards per carry.
Quarterback Harold Blood will continue to have his eyes on the end zone for Southern. Blood arrives having passed for at least one touchdown in the last seven games.
Southern’s offensive play selection split thus far this year has been 46% pass, 54% run.
Southern went 7-5 in 2022. They are 2-2 at home so far this year, averaging 24.5 points per game in those games. Southern has lost two straight matchups against Texas Southern since Oct 9, 2021.
Texas Southern (3-5 Overall, 1-3 in SWAC)
So far this season, the Tigers’ offense has shown they can outperform their defense. They are accumulating an average 379 yards of total offense per game, with 182 yards coming through the air and 197 via the ground. Their backs and receivers have been particularly impressive, averaging 5.7 yards per rushing attempt so far this season.
The Tigers’ record sits at 2-1 for their last three games, scoring over 20 points in each of those matchups. They are 1-3 on the road so far this year, averaging 16.8 points per game in those games. Texas Southern is 1-3 in FCS HBCU games, averaging 28.0 points per game in those games.
Tailback LaDarius Owens will be leading Texas Southern in this one. Owens has collected 844 rush yards this season, scoring six touchdowns on the ground.
Texas Southern’s offense places a significant focus on the ground game. On the season they have a 56-44 rush-pass play selection split.