Jackson State doesn’t need to fire Harold Jackson now: But it is clear that the football program has regressed under him. After Jackson State was soundly beaten by Southern 50-31 last Saturday, Harold Jackson’s career record as head coach stands at a mediocre 5-10. During this 15-game stretch, JSU has just one win against a team at or above .500, a 34-31 victory over current SWAC champion Alcorn State last November. And it does not look promising for the rest of the 2015 season. There isn’t a game on the schedule in which JSU should be a favorite.
We told you Winston Salem State was not a sure thing to win the CIAA: And the Rams entrenched at the bottom of the Southern Division with a 0-3 record is indicative of a football program that is in need of any offensive production. The Rams offense ranks 11th in the CIAA out of 12 teams. WSSU is averaging less than 8 points per game on offense.
Justin Johnson, who made his first career start last Saturday, was pulled in favor of Rashad Cooper with the hopes of providing a spark to a fledgling offense.
“Phillip Sims or Rudy Johnson or Kam Smith are not walking through that door,” head coach Kienus Boulware told the Winston Salem Journal. “That’s the kind of play we are all accustomed to from those guys. So he have to try to get back there.”
We were wrong about South Carolina State: We had an irrational belief that the run for Buddy Pough and Co. was over. North Carolina A&T, North Carolina Central, Bethune-Cookman and others were supposed to be permanent fixtures atop the MEAC. Three games into the season, the Bulldogs are tied for first place, and have looked impressive. SCSU is second in the conference in total offense (393 yards per game), No. 1 in total defense (16 points per game) and are winning games by an average of 12 points per game. Sorry, Coach Pough.
The Human Jukebox overshadows Southern’s football team ahead of matchup with Georgia: Once again the Jaguars have constructed a team that will contend for another SWAC championship. SU also features one of the most exciting players in all of college football in Willie Quinn. But tell that to the folks down in Athens, who seemly are more enthralled with the prospect of witnessing the famed Human Jukebox marching band than the game.
Georgia, as part of its agreement to play Southern, stipulated that the band show up “between the hedges.” The band performing inside one of college football’s most revered venues is tremendous exposure for the program and speaks to the reputation of the Human Jukebox has crafted in showmanship. But this entertainment will be purchased at the expense of the Jaguars be slaughtered by a loaded SEC team with national championship aspirations.
HBCUs — in the eyes of some FBS schools are — only good for two things: A sure win and renditions of “Neck.”
