SWAC Week 8 Review:
Charles Wells, SWAC Contributor | October 27, 2015
Saturday, October 24
Southern 40 Texas Southern 21
Lenard Tillery rushed for a career-high 198 yards with two touchdowns and Southern beat Texas Southern 40-21 in a game played earlier than scheduled due to heavy rain bands from Hurricane Patricia. Southern got off on the right foot, as Willie Quinn returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown which tied the all-time FCS record, for most kickoff return touchdowns in a career. TSU tied it after a fumble on a punt return set up a short field for Brad Woodard’s two yard yard run. Southern’s first offensive drive resulted in a three yard touchdown run by Tillery, and he added another a two yard plunge to put the Jaguars up 21-7 with 1:55 left in the first quarter.The Tigers responded, as Larry Clark III’s 54-yard touchdown catch and Malik Cross’ 18-yarder tied the game at 21 at halftime. In the third, the Jaguars added a short field goal by Gregg Pittman, and a blocked punt that resulted in a safety. Touchdown runs by Deonte Shorts and John West iced the win. The Tigers were held to 92 total yards, including -2 yards rushing.
Jackson State 37 Arkansas-Pine Bluff 3
Jackson State quarterback Jarin Morikawa passed for 333 yards on 25-of-40 attempts and three touchdowns as the Tigers topped Arkansas-Pine Bluff, 37-3, on homecoming Saturday at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium. It marked the second victory of the season for the Tigers while the Lions remained winless in the SWAC. Devin Fosselman caught all three touchdown passes from Morikawa, who was playing for injured starter LaMontiez Ivy. For the game, Fosselman hauled in six receptions for 175 yards. JSU running back Robert Johnson led all rushers with 100 yards on 18 carries. He also finished with a rushing touchdown. JSU opened the game with 24 unanswered points, taking a 24-0 lead at halftime. Fosselman got things going with a 48-yard pass reception, followed by a 20-yard field goal by Ryan Deising, a 42-yard run by Johnson and a 37-yard field goal by Deising. UAPB didn’t get on the scoreboard until Jamie Gillan kicked a 22-yard field goal in the third period, which would turn out to be the Lions’ only points. The JSU defense held UAPB to only 175 yards of total offense, 76 of which were on the ground.
Grambling State 49 Mississippi Valley State 14
Johnathan Williams completed 13 of 22 passes for 225 yards and two touchdowns to help lead Grambling State to a 49-14 victory over Mississippi Valley State on Saturday. Jestin Kelly added 159 yards on the ground on 18 carries for GSU. Chester Rogers finished with 118 yards receiving and Chad Williams had 80 yards and a touchdown for the Tigers. Grambling jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and took a 35-7 lead into the break after a 40-yard touchdown run by Martez Carter. A Dre’ Fusilier 14-yard run with 14:19 left in the game pushed the Tigers lead to 49-7. A Ruban Thurston Jr. 21-yard scoring strike to Tre Simms capped off the scoring for the Delta Devils (0-8, 0-6). Thurston Jr. finished with 180 yards passing with a touchdown and Thomas Stokes Jr. led MVSU on the ground with 118 yards rushing and a touchdown.
Week 8 Players of the Week
Offensive Player of the Week
Devin Fosselman, Jackson State, Wide Receiver
Fosselman had a career day in Jackson State’s 37-3 homecoming victory over the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Fosselman hauled in six grabs for 175 yards, scoring three touchdowns in the game as well. Fosselman’s 48-yard touchdown catch opened up the scoring for the Tigers, and the senior’s other scores came from 59 yards and 10 yards out.
Defensive Player of the Week
Daniel Brown, Southern, Linebacker
Brown was a menace for the Jaguars against Texas Southern, as the fifth-year senior made six tackles and four sacks in Southern’s 40-21 road victory against TSU. Brown was a driving force behind a strong pass rush for the Jaguars, as he accounted for half of the team’s sack total in the victory. Brown also forced a fumble that Southern recovered and turned into a field goal that gave the Jaguars a 24-21 advantage in the third quarter and set off a run of 16 unanswered points for them.
Special Teams Player of the Week
Willie Quinn, Southern, Wide Receiver/Return Specialist
Quinn accounted for 123 return yards in Southern’s 40-21 win at Texas Southern. The highlight for the senior speedster was a game-opening 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown that not only put Southern on the board, but also tied Quinn with Hampton’s Jerome Mathis’ career record for the most kickoff return touchdowns by an FCS player. Quinn, who has earned the SWAC Specialist of the Week honor three times this year, is one kickoff return touchdown away from breaking the record and is one kick return score of any sort from tying a season record for most return TDs by an FCS player.
Newcomer of the Week
Jarin Morikawa, Jackson State, Quarterback
Filling in for the injured LaMontiez Ivy, Morikawa ensured that Jackson State’s passing attack didn’t miss a beat. The sophomore ended up throwing for 333 yards – on 25-of-40 passing – and three touchdowns in the Tigers’ 37-3 homecoming win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
