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Oct. 14, 2007
BATON ROUGE, La. - The Jackson State University football used a solid ground game and a strong defensive effort to defeat the Southern University Jaguars 32-26 in Southwestern Athletic Conference action Saturday night at A.W. Mumford Stadium. Jackson State recorded 489 total yard of offense while holding Southern to 360. The Tigers opened the scoring at the 5:26 mark in the first quarter when Jimmy Oliver connected with Jaymar Johnson for an eight-yard touchdown strike. The score capped a 79-yard drive. Eric Perri converted on the extra point kick to give JSU a 7-0 lead. Southern quickly struck back, as Darren Coates hauled in a 31-yard touchdown pass from Bryant Lee. Josh Duran's kick tied the game at 7-7 at the 3:09 mark. Both teams lit up the scoreboard in the second quarter. At 13:30 in the second quarter Jackson State reclaimed the lead on a 27-yard Eric Perri field goal. Southern claimed its first lead of the game on a Lee to Gerard Landry 30-yard touchdown strike with 11:36 remaining in the first half. Duran's kick made the score 14-10. At the 3:38 mark JSU took a 17-14 lead when Chris Johnson caught a five-yard touchdown pass from Oliver. The Jaguars scored the final points of the second half as Landry caught his second touchdown pass from Lee. Southern took a 20-17 lead into halftime. Jackson State took control in the second half. At the 7:29 mark Jaymar Johnson caught his touchdown pass of the game when he hooked up with Oliver for a 21-yard strike to make the score 24-20. Perri scored the final points of the third when he made a 37-yard field goal, extending JSU's lead to 27-20. Perri opened the fourth with a 27-yard field goal, giving JSU a commanding 30-20 lead. Southern scored the last touchdown of the game when Nick Benjamin caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from back-up quarterback Warren Mathews.
Jackson State sealed the game when Sam Washington sacked Mathews in the Southern end zone for a safety. Oliver had an up and down day for JSU. He completed 21 of 31 pass attempts for 308 yard and three TDs. He also threw three interceptions, two of which led to Southern scores. Erik Haw rushed for his second consecutive 100+ yard game of the season. He finished with 135 yards on 23 carries. Chris Johnson led all receivers with five receptions, 160 yards and a TD. Marcellus Speaks led the JSU defense with 11 tackles and tackle for a loss. Willie Williams followed with seven tackles. Clevan White led the Southern ground game with 21 yards. Bryant passed for 254 yards and three TDs before leaving the game with a sprained ankle. Coates finished with a team high 110 receiving yards. Brian Lewis led Southern's defense with 11 tackles. |
