SU success may hinge on experience
Stump Mitchell walked toward a lectern inside the Smith-Brown Memorial Student Union, his face covered by a thick, mostly white beard. In a rare sight, he smiled.
Wednesday night, as he prepared to introduce Southern’s latest signing class, an even rarer sight developed: The crowd greeted him with a standing ovation.
Say what? This for a self-described unpopular guy, who led SU to a 6-16 record over the past two seasons?
This for a guy who enters what everyone — including Mitchell himself — considers to be a make-or-break year?
Yes. The man got a standing ovation.
Before we go too far, it’s important to remember a few things here.
First, Wednesday’s crowd included some of Southern’s most loyal backers — men and women who spend boatloads of time and energy raising money for the program.
Second, this was a night to celebrate. In one sense, college football’s National Signing Day is similar to the first week of baseball season: Even the lousiest teams have the right to feel as if this is their year.
And now that another group of freshmen is on the way, what happens now?
Now, it’s back to work.
It’s on to spring practice, to summer workouts, and then to preseason camp.
Between now and the Sept. 1 season opener at New Mexico, they have plenty to determine what must happen next. The coaches have to ensure that at least one of the top two quarterbacks, Dray Joseph and J.P. Douglas, is more accurate.
If one of them emerges as a clear-cut starter, fine. If both quarterbacks are sharper, great. If neither of them improves, duck.
The coaching staff must also figure out who among the new defensive tackles can play right away.
They’ll try to fortify the running game, and, of course, they’ll try to get the most out of their new kicker, Greg Pittman.
But upon further inspection, Southern’s greatest gains might come naturally, if only because the team has another year to grow.
The Jaguars went into last year’s Bayou Classic — a 36-12 loss to Grambling, in case you forgot — with 12 underclassmen in their starting lineup. Eight of them were freshmen.
This fall, if a late bloomer emerges (à la Jordan Miller), or if a talented transfer lands at their doorstep (à la Jamie Payton), the Jaguars could easily have 16 or more upperclassmen in their starting lineup.
That’s important. In the Southwestern Athletic Conference, age and experience count for something.
Don’t believe it? Consider this: Each of the past four SWAC champions — Grambling (2008), Prairie View (’09), Texas Southern (’10) and Grambling again (’11) — had at least 16 upperclassmen among their 22 offensive and defensive starters.
In other words, even if these latest signees arrive with talent aplenty, the Jaguars will only win if their veterans grow and excel.
Mitchell’s future at Southern depends on them.