TROY, Al. (BRPROUD.com) – Southern’s defense unraveled against Troy’s air raid offense, both schematically and in discipline. Two Jaguars were ejected for targeting: safety Chase Foster and defensive end Lyston Barber. Meanwhile, Troy finished with 292 passing yards and two touchdowns through the air.
“They were able to get the ball down the field, move with tempo, pretty much everything we expected. We had a little communication issues on one or two plays, but for the most part, we just have to execute, and block, tackle and a little bit better than what we did tonight,” interim head coach Jason Rollins said.
Rollins added the two ejections were questionable, and the second removal, where Barber left the game, the ref explained it was a bang-bang call, which led to the official throwing the flag.
The Jaguars allowed 454 total offensive yards, and the 55-3 loss became Southern’s largest margin of defeat in a season opener since 2018, when TCU beat the Jags 55-7. However, the last two years where the Blue and Gold dropped the season opener, the team finished the season in the SWAC Championship game.
“We take this one as a lesson, not a L, and we going work from this. From here on out, it’s just grind,” defensive tackle Davin Cotton said.
“We just keep doing what we doing. We follow our coach, Coach Rollins: great leader, great guy, great leader, great coach. We follow him. We do everything he says, and we just got his back 100%,” junior tackle Ja’Tyre Carter added.
“Everything that we want to, and what we want and what we’re working for are still out in front of us. What we have to do is regroup, get back on that field, and correct what we did wrong, and go to work and keep building,” Rollins concluded.
The Jags make their return to A.W. Mumford Stadium next weekend, when the team will host Miles College. Alabama State beat the Golden Bears 14-13 in their season opener.