Resilience
There was good, bad and plenty of ugly in Panther Stadium, but the Jaguars showed they truly don’t quit. They were on their heels all night after taking a 3-0 lead with a sputtering offense and a defense that looked dominant at times but made enough mistakes to keep it interesting. It’s a lot better to be a strong second half team than the alternative. In the end, Southern made a lot more big plays than Prairie View.
What a stand
Few defenses can allow a team first and goal at the 1-yard line in overtime and come out unscathed. The Jaguars defense rose up and pushed the Panthers backwards on four consecutive plays to preserve the overtime lead. The only factor that kept the home team in the game was the slippery running of quarterback Cam Peters. At times Southern was dominant defensively. This effort is one the players will talk about at all of their future team reunions.
Following Noah
Quarterback Noah Bodden wasn’t great but came through with just enough big plays, including an improbable 2-point conversion pass that tied the game in the waning minutes. He looked like a better leader outside of the stat sheet. No huge mistakes in the second half while banking on an improved running game and the defense’s stellar play. Even if C’Zavian Teasett comes back to take over the job, the position as a whole got much better.