2020 Southern Jaguars football team

American college football season

2020 Southern Jaguars football

Conference	Southwestern Athletic Conference
Division	West Division
Ranking
FCS Coaches	No. 19
Record	5–1 (4–1 SWAC)
Head coach	Dawson Odums (8th season)
Home stadium	Ace W. Mumford Stadium
Seasons← 2019 2021 →

2020 Southwestern Athletic Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
East Division
No. 24 Alabama A&M x$	3	–	0	5	–	0
Alabama State	3	–	2	3	–	3
Jackson State	3	–	2	4	–	3
Mississippi Valley State	1	–	3	1	–	3
West Division
Arkansas–Pine Bluff x	4	–	0	4	–	1
Southern	4	–	1	5	–	1
Prairie View A&M*	2	–	1	2	–	1
Texas Southern	1	–	2	1	–	2
Grambling State	0	–	4	0	–	4
Championship: Alabama A&M 40, Arkansas–Pine Bluff 33
$ – Conference champion x – Division champion/co-champions Note: The SWAC played a spring conference-only schedule (February–May 2021) due to COVID-19 pandemic. Alcorn State opted out of the spring season; all of their scheduled games were counted as forfeit wins for their opponents. * – Ineligible for FCS postseason play due to NCAA sanctions. Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2020 Southern Jaguars football team represented Southern University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Jaguars were led by eighth-year head coach Dawson Odums and played their home games at Ace W. Mumford Stadium in Baton Rouge, Louisiana as members of the West Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC).

On July 20, 2020, the Southwestern Athletic Conference announced that it would not play fall sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which included the football program. The conference is formalizing plans to conduct a competitive schedule for football during the 2021 spring semester.

Preseason

Recruiting class

Reference:

College recruiting information (2020)
Name	Hometown	High school / college	Height	Weight	40	Commit date
Antonio Smith Offensive Tackle	Ocala, FL	Van Guard HS	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	305 lb (138 kg)	-	Feb 5, 2020
Antonio Smith Offensive Tackle	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Andre Jones Defensive End	Ocala, FL	Van Guard HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	197 lb (89 kg)	-	Feb 5, 2020
Andre Jones Defensive End	Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Luke Rose Free Safety	Citra, FL	North Marion HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	-	Feb 5, 2020
Luke Rose Free Safety	Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Ethan Howard Tight End	Cecilia, LA	Cecilia HS	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	-	Feb 5, 2020
Ethan Howard Tight End	Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Carline Davis Free Safety	Marrero, LA	Higgins HS	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	-	Feb 5, 2020
Carline Davis Free Safety	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Tikey Reese Defensive Tackle	Monroe, LA	Neville HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	270 lb (120 kg)	-	Feb 5, 2020
Tikey Reese Defensive Tackle	Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Marquis Martin Defensive End	New Orleans, LA	John Curtis HS	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	240 lb (110 kg)	-	Feb 5, 2020
Marquis Martin Defensive End	Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Tyquez Hampton Wide Receiver	El Paso, TX	Chapin HS El Dorado HS Utah Coffeyville CC	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)	208 lb (94 kg)	-	Dec 19, 2019
Tyquez Hampton Wide Receiver	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN:
Amauchechukwu Nnaji–Collins Defensive End	Destrehan, LA	Miami ASA	6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	-	Dec 19, 2019
Amauchechukwu Nnaji–Collins Defensive End	Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Shamar Zaragoza Wide Receiver	Miami, FL	Miami Central HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	-	Dec 19, 2019
Shamar Zaragoza Wide Receiver	Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Derrick Williams Linebacker	Miami, FL	Miami Central HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	-	Dec 19, 2019
Derrick Williams Linebacker	Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Letrelle Johnson Nose Tackle	Hattiesburg, MS	Hattiesburg HS Southwest Mississippi CC	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)	290 lb (130 kg)	-	Dec 19, 2019
Letrelle Johnson Nose Tackle	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Dakota Masters Long Snapper	Seminary, MS	Seminary HS Jones CC	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)	196 lb (89 kg)	-	Dec 19, 2019
Dakota Masters Long Snapper	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Ronell Burbank Defensive Tackle	New Orleans, LA	Edna Karr HS McNeese State Mississippi Gulf Coast CC	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	-	Dec 19, 2019
Ronell Burbank Defensive Tackle	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: N/A
Rahem Shorter Linebacker	Pattison, MS	Port Gibson HS Jones CC	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	196 lb (89 kg)	-	Dec 19, 2019
Rahem Shorter Linebacker	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A
Jadyn Landrum Linebacker	Grand Prairie, TX	Bowie HS	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)	220 lb (100 kg)	-	Dec 19, 2019
Jadyn Landrum Linebacker	Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A

Preseason polls

The SWAC will release their polls in July 2020.

West Division
Predicted finish	Team	Votes
1
2
3
4
5

East Division
Predicted finish	Team	Votes
1
2
3
4
5

Preseason all–SWAC teams

Offense

Defense

Schedule

The 2020 schedule originally consisted of 5 home, 3 away, and 3 neutral site games in the regular season. The Tigers will travel to SWAC foes Alabama A&M, Alabama State, and Prairie View A&M. The Tigers will play host to SWAC foes Jackson State, Alcorn State, and Arkansas–Pine Bluff. The Tigers will play two neutral site conference games—the Dallas State Fair Showdown against Texas Southern at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, TX and the Bayou Classic against Grambling State at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, LA.

Due to the SWAC's postponement of the 2020 football season to spring 2021, games against Florida A&M, Florida Memorial, Morehouse, and Tennessee State were canceled.

Southern's revised schedule, released by the conference on August 17, will feature six games; 2 home, 3 away, and 1 at a neutral site.

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
February 26	6:00 p.m.	at Alabama State	New ASU Stadium Montgomery, AL	ESPN3	W 24–21	5,654
March 6	1:30 p.m.	Arkansas–Pine Bluff	A. W. Mumford Stadium Baton Rouge, LA	ESPN3	L 30–33	0
March 20	7:30 p.m.	at Texas Southern	BBVA Stadium Houston, TX	AT&TSN	W 51–23	0
March 27		Alcorn State	A. W. Mumford Stadium Baton Rouge, LA		W 2–0 (forfeit)
April 3	4:00 p.m.	at Jackson State	Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium Jackson, MS (Boombox Classic)	ESPN	W 34–14	22,000
April 17	1:30 p.m.	vs. Grambling State	Independence Stadium Shreveport, LA (Bayou Classic)	NBCSN	W 49–7	11,312
Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Schedule Source:

Game summaries

At Alabama State

Southern at Alabama State

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Jaguars	7	0	7	10	24
Hornets	0	7	14	0	21

Date: February 26, 2021
Location: New ASU Stadium
Montgomery, AL
Game start: 6:04 p.m. CST
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 26 minutes
Game attendance: 5,654
Game weather: 74 °F (23 °C) • Weather: Mostly Cloudy • Wind: N 8 MPH
Referee: Gary Leeper
Television network: ESPN3

Scoring summary

1	11:17	SOU	Chase Foster 14-yard interception returned (Cesar Barajas kick) (3 plays, 0 yards, 1:26)	SOU 7–0

2	01:08	ALST	Jeremiah Hixon 32-yard pass from Ryan Nettles (Hunter Hanson kick) (8 plays, 60 yards, 3:48)	TIE 7–7

3	11:45	SOU	Ladarius Skelton 8-yard rush (Cesar Barajas kick)br/>(7 play, 45 yards, 3:15)	SOU 14–7
	08:21	ALST	Michael Jefferson 14-yard pass from Ryan Nettles (Hunter Hanson kick) (8 plays, 70 yards, 3:24)	TIE 14–14
	00:15	ALST	Jacory Merritt 1-yard rush (Hunter Hanson kick) (3 plays, 5 yards, 1:22)	ALST 21–14

4	14:20	SOU	Gregory Perkins 59-yard pass from Ladarius Skelton (Cesar Barajas kick) (3 plays, 74 yards, 0:55)	TIE 21–21
4	12:20	SOU	Cesar Barajas 41-yard field goal (4 plays, 1 yard, 0:52)	SOU 24–21

Pregame line	Over/under
SOU −7.0	52

Statistics	Southern	Alabama State
First downs	12	22
Total yards	274	274
Rushing yards	139	125
Passing yards	135	149
Turnovers	3	3
Time of possession	23:44	36:16

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern	Passing	Ladarius Skelton	10/22, 135 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Ladarius Skelton	10 carries, 72 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Gregory Perkins	1 reception, 59 yards, 1 TD
Alabama State	Passing	Ryan Nettles	16/27, 149 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Ezra Gray	14 carries, 73 yards
	Receiving	Michael Jefferson	5 receptions, 47 yards, 1 TD

Arkansas–Pine Bluff

Arkansas–Pine Bluff at Southern

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Golden Lions	3	23	7	0	33
Jaguars	7	7	3	13	30

Date: March 6, 2021
Location: Ace W. Mumford Stadium
Baton Rouge, LA
Game start: 1:36 p.m. CST
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 33 minutes
Game attendance: 0
Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: N 12 MPH
Referee: Y. N. Meyers
Television network: ESPN3

Scoring summary

1	12:20	UAPB	Zach Piwniczka 35-yard field goal (8 plays, 37 yards, 2:30)	UAPB 3–0
1	01:07	SOU	Jarod Sims 23-yard rush (Cesar Barajas kick) (15 plays, 98 yards, 6:53)	SOU 7–3

2	12:42	UAPB	Skyler Perry 31-yard rush (Zach Piwniczka kick)br/>(3 play, 46 yards, 0:43)	UAPB 10–7
	08:02	SOU	Marquis McClain 13-yard pass from John Lampley (Cesar Barajas kick) (10 plays, 75 yards, 4:40)	SOU 14–10
	05:19	UAPB	Team Safety (0 plays, 0 yards, 0:00)	SOU 14–12
	02:38	UAPB	Josh Wilkes 14-yard pass from Skyler Perry (Zach Piwniczka kick) (7 plays, 60 yards, 2:41)	UAPB 19–14
	00:02	UAPB	Harry Ballard III 2-yard pass from Skyler Perry (Zach Piwniczka kick) (8 plays, 76 yards, 1:50)	UAPB 26–14

3	07:08	UABP	Skyler Perry 2-yard rush (Zach Piwniczka kick) (12 play, 70 yards, 5:19)	UAPB 33–14
3	00:56	SOU	Cesar Barajas 36-yard field goal (4 plays, 4 yards, 1:26)	UAPB 33–17

4	14:09	SOU	Jamel Byrd 17-yard punt returned (two-point conversion pass attempt failed) (0 plays, 0 yards, 0:00)	UAPB 33–23
4	07:12	SOU	Jarod Sims 9-yard pass from John Lampley (Cesar Barajas kick) (9 plays, 80 yards, 3:03)	UAPB 33–30

Pregame line	Over/under
SOU −11.0	56

Statistics	Arkansas–Pine Bluff	Southern
First downs	20	23
Total yards	411	426
Rushing yards	188	134
Passing yards	223	292
Turnovers	0	4
Time of possession	30:26	29:34

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Arkansas–Pine Bluff	Passing	Skyler Perry	22/37, 223 yards, 2 TDs
	Rushing	Skyler Perry	8 carries, 58 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Tyrin Ralph	7 receptions, 86 yards
Southern	Passing	John Lampley	20/33, 238 yards, 2 TDs, 3 INTs
	Rushing	Jarod Sims	11 carries, 55 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Brandon Hinton	3 receptions, 60 yards

At Texas Southern

Southern at Texas Southern

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Jaguars	9	14	14	14	51
Tigers	7	7	0	9	23

Date: March 20, 2021
Location: BBVA Stadium
Houston, TX
Game start: 7:30 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 15 minutes
Game attendance: 0
Game weather: 66 °F (19 °C) • Weather: Clear • Wind: ENE 11 MPH
Referee: Scott Johnson
Television network: AT&T SportsNet

Scoring summary

1	09:14	SOU	Ethan Howard 38-yard pass from Ladarius Skelton (Cesar Barajas kick) (8 plays, 70 yards, 3:21)	SOU 7–0
	08:00	SOU	Team Safety (3 plays, -19 yards, 1:08)	SOU 9–0
	00:26	TXSO	Jacorey Howard 3-yard rush (Richard Garcia III kick)br/>(14 play, 87 yards, 4:57)	SOU 9–7

2	13:32	SOU	Jerodd Sims 22-yard pass from John Lampley (Cesar Barajas kick) (5 plays, 73 yards, 1:43)	SOU 16–7
	02:28	TXSO	Ke'Lenn Davis 54-yard pass from Jalen Brown (Richard Garcia III kick) (5 plays, 76 yards, 1:02)	SOU 16–14
	02:13	SOU	Shykee Thomas 98-yard kickoff returned (Cesar Barajas kick) (0 plays, 0 yards, 0:00)	SOU 23–14

3	10:44	SOU	Jerodd Sims 14-yard rush (Cesar Barajas kick) (7 plays, 73 yards, 4:13)	SOU 30–14
3	03:51	SOU	Ethan Howard 18-yard pass from Ladarius Skelton (Cesar Barajas kick) (6 plays, 71 yards, 3:12)	SOU 37–14

4	12:41	TXSO	LaDarius Owens 5-yard rush (two-point conversion pass attempt failed) (7 plays, 76 yards, 2:12)	SOU 37–20
	10:16	SOU	Jerodd Sims 5-yard rush (Cesar Barajas kick) (5 plays, 54 yards, 2:17)	SOU 44–20
	07:01	SOU	Brandon Hinton 6-yard pass from John Lampley (Cesar Barajas kick) (4 plays, 28 yards, 2:11)	SOU 51–20
	04:18	TXSO	Richard Garcia III 34-yard field goal (9 plays, 42 yards, 2:39)	SOU 51–23

Pregame line	Over/under
SOU −11.5	57

Statistics	Southern	Texas Southern
First downs	24	22
Total yards	460	383
Rushing yards	258	102
Passing yards	202	281
Turnovers	1	2
Time of possession	32:51	27:09

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern	Passing	Ladarius Skelton	11/18, 174 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Ladarius Skelton	14 carries, 71 yards
	Receiving	Ethan Howard	2 receptions, 56 yards, 2 TDs
Texas Southern	Passing	Jalen Brown	21/37, 281 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
	Rushing	Jacorey Howard	14 carries, 59 yards, 1 TD
	Receiving	Ke'Lenn Davis	3 receptions, 85 yards, 1 TD

At Jackson State

Southern at Jackson State

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Jaguars	7	10	10	7	34
Tigers	0	7	0	7	14

Date: April 3, 2021
Location: Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium
Jackson, MS
Game start: 4:00 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 7 minutes
Game attendance: 22,000
Game weather: 68 °F (20 °C) • Weather: Sunny • Wind: 3 MPH
Television network: ESPN

Scoring summary

1	10:01	SOU	Devon Benn 1-yard rush (Cesar Barajas kick) (11 plays, 70 yards, 4:59)	SOU 7–0

2	12:43	SOU	Cesar Barajas 30-yard field goal (11 plays, 51 yards, 4:54)	SOU 10–0
	06:48	JSU	Daylen Baldwin 75-yard pass from Jalon Jones (Glenn Misiak kick)br/>(1 play, 75 yards, 0:11)	SOU 10–7
	00:08	SOU	Corey Williams 20-yard pass from John Lampley (Cesar Barajas kick) (5 plays, 54 yards, 0:37)	SOU 17–7

3	11:07	SOU	Cesar Barajas 49-yard field goal (7 plays, 28 yards, 3:00)	SOU 20–7
3	04:21	SOU	Devon Benn 20-yard rush (Cesar Barajas kick) (9 plays, 93 yards, 4:09)	SOU 27–7

4	14:55	JSU	Corey Reed Jr. 18-yard pass from Jalon Jones (Glenn Misiak kick) (13 plays, 82 yards, 4:26)	SOU 27–14
4	11:35	SOU	Ladarius Skelton 2-yard rush (Cesar Barajas kick) (1 play, 2 yards, 0:04)	SOU 34–14

Pregame line	Over/under
SOU −1.5	59

Statistics	Southern	Jackson State
First downs	26	16
Total yards	474	309
Rushing yards	294	66
Passing yards	180	243
Turnovers	2	1
Time of possession	42:49	17:11

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Southern	Passing	John Lampley	9/14, 116 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Jerodd Sims	17 carries, 79 yards
	Receiving	Ethan Howard	4 receptions, 54 yards
Jackson State	Passing	Jalon Jones	17/29, 243 yards, 2 TDs, 1 INT
	Rushing	Tyson Alexander	8 carries, 38 yards
	Receiving	Daylen Baldwin	3 receptions, 91 yards, 1 TD

Vs. Grambling State

Grambling State vs. Southern

	1	2	3	4	Total
Tigers	0	0	7	0	7
• Jaguars	14	14	14	7	49

Date: April 17, 2021
Location: Independence Stadium
Shreveport, LA
Game start: 1:30 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3 hours and 24 minutes
Game attendance: 11,312
Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C) • Weather: Cloudy • Wind: NNW 11 MPH
Referee: Y. N. Meyers
Television network: NBC Sports Network

Scoring summary

1	08:48	SOU	Ladarius Skelton 3-yard rush (Cesar Barajas kick) (12 plays, 75 yards, 4:46)	SOU 7–0
1	03:01	SOU	Craig Nelson 4-yard rush (Cesar Barajas kick) (10 plays, 57 yards, 4:55)	SOU 14–0

2	11:24	SOU	Travis Tucker 22-yard pass from John Lampley (Cesar Barajas kick)br/>(8 plays, 82 yards, 3:29)	SOU 21–0
2	00:11	SOU	Jerodd Sims 1-yard rush (Cesar Barajas kick) (5 plays, 78 yards, 3:11)	SOU 28–0

3	11:40	SOU	Ladarius Skelton 3-yard rush (Cesar Barajas kick) (6 plays, 69 yards, 3:11)	SOU 35–0
	09:01	GRAM	Raylon Richardson 13-yard pass from Elijah Walker (Garrett Urban kick) (7 plays, 75 yards, 2:39)	SOU 35–7
	03:22	SOU	Marquis McClain 5-yard rush (Cesar Barajas kick) (9 plays, 68 yards, 5:33)	SOU 42–7

4	13:46	SOU	Glendon McDaniels 5-yard rush (Cesar Barajas kick) (3 plays, 50 yards, 1:01)	SOU 49–7

Pregame line	Over/under
SOU −14.0	55

Statistics	Grambling State	Southern
First downs	13	19
Total yards	208	520
Rushing yards	143	232
Passing yards	65	288
Turnovers	0	0
Time of possession	25:51	34:09

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Grambling State	Passing	Elijah Walker	9/14, 65 yards, 1 TD
	Rushing	Lyndemian Brooks	9 carries, 71 yards
	Receiving	Raylon Richardson	3 receptions, 51 yards, 1 TD
Southern	Passing	John Lampley	8/11, 143 yards, 1 TDs
	Rushing	Ladarius Skelton	7 carries, 76 yards, 2 TDs
	Receiving	Ethan Howard	5 receptions, 80 yards

References

Stephenson, Creg (July 20, 2020). "SWAC becomes latest FCS conference to postpone 2020 football season to spring". AL.com. Retrieved July 21, 2020.
"Southern Football adds Nine on Early Signing Day". Southern University. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
"Southern Lands Seven New Players to add to 2020 Signing Class". Southern University. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
Visser, David (July 21, 2020). "SWAC Suspends Fall Football Season". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
Witz, Billy (June 17, 2020). "First Cancellations Emerge for Major College Football". The New York Times. Retrieved June 18, 2020.
Kelley, Kevin (June 20, 2020). "Southern to host Florida Memorial in 2020 and 2021". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved June 21, 2020.
"SWAC Releases 2021 Spring Football Schedule". swac.org. Retrieved August 18, 2020.
"2020 Southern Football Schedule". FBSchedules.com. Retrieved April 10, 2020.

v t e Southern Jaguars football
Venues	A. W. Mumford Stadium (1928–present) BREC Memorial Stadium
Bowls & rivalries	Grambling State: Bayou Classic Jackson State
Culture & lore	Lacumba The Human Jukebox Marching bands brawl
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
National championship seasons in bold

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