Southern three and out for Oct. 14, 2012

What we learned

• Southern is capable of putting together a complete, drama-free victory after all. The Jaguars struggled in should-win games against Mississippi Valley State and Alcorn State, but this was the sound beating Texas Southern was asking for.
• The depth chart was hiding a few playmakers. Little-used running back Terence Clayton provided a huge spark with his 30-yard touchdown run, and backup wideout William Waddel made one of the plays of the game with a 46-yard score.

Trending now

The best trend is that nothing is trending. There really weren’t any similarities between the Southern team that lost to Alcorn and the one that showed up Saturday night. The key now is to take what went right against Texas Southern (a consistent offense, a decent running game, a fast start, limited mistakes) and apply it to next week’s showdown with Arkansas-Pine Bluff, which will determine who holds first place in the Southwestern Conference’s West division.

Final thoughts

A huge night and a happy homecoming for Southern, with plenty to build on before what could be their biggest game of the year. But the Jaguars have to get back to work this week and avoid another letdown.

Mike McCall