JACKSON, Miss. — The Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game between Southern and Jackson State was in the hands of backup quarterbacks for both teams.
Zy McDonald brought a lot more magic off the bench for the Tigers than C’Zavian Teasett did for Southern, sparking the Tigers to 24 unanswered points to reverse momentum in a 41-13 victory at Veterans Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Southern (8-5) was doing well with Teasett, who started the game because Jalen Woods was in concussion protocol from an injury suffered in the Bayou Classic. His 1-yard TD run gave the Jaguars a 10-3 lead late in the first half, but it all unraveled after that for the upset-minded Jaguars.
McDonald’s 36-yard run set up Emari Matthews' 2-yard run with 1:15 left before halftime to tie the game, and the Tigers kept their foot on the gas coming out of the locker room to secure their 20th SWAC championship and third in four seasons. The Tigers (11-2) move on to play South Carolina State in the Celebration Bowl for the Black national championship.
Southern had held Jackson State to 76 yards until the tying TD drive and 284 after that. The Jaguars contributed to their own demise with four turnovers.
“We knew what Zy McDonald is and was, it was just execution,” Southern coach Terrence Graves said. “When you call the defense, offense and kicking game, guys have got to execute. We knew what he was going to do and how they were going to do it. It was them executing more.
“You can’t turn the ball over. That gives the other team momentum."
Teasett had a good first half but was ultimately pulled after throwing an interception in the fourth quarter. His running sustained Southern drives as he led the Jaguars with 83 yards, not counting sack yardage.
Irv Mulligan’s 2-yard TD run made it 17-10 in favor of Jackson State to start the third quarter, and a fumble by Jaguars wide receiver Tyler Kirkwood set up a 45-yard field goal by Gerardo Baeza. McDonald provided the crushing blow with a 23-yard touchdown run to make it 27-10 with 2:15 left in the third quarter.
"That (Kirkwood fumble) takes the wind out of your sails," Graves said. "You have to gather yourself and get so anxious you press. At the end of the day, you have to protect the football.”
Southern tried to rally with a 38-yard field goal late in the third quarter to make it 27-13, but the Jaguars crumbled as the game wore on and gave up two more TDs, one after Kendric Rhymes muffed a punt at the Southern 10-yard line and another after a partially blocked Southern punt.
Southern led 10-3 when the Tigers took over at their own 16 with 1:54 left in the first half. But the Southern defense got burned multiple times on the 84-yard drive that took six plays.
Jackson State starting quarterback Jacobian Morgan threw a screen pass to Ja’Naylon Dupree, who picked up 21 yards. Morgan, who was hit hard on the play, left the game shaken up. McDonald then ran for 12 yards on a draw play, completed an 11-yard pass and got loose on a 36-yard run. A penalty moved the ball to the Southern 2.
Matthews scored two plays later to not only take the lead away from Southern but also the momentum. The Southern defense had played well to that point. Horacio Johnson had an interception to stop one drive, and the Jaguars sacked Morgan three times in the first half.
“We knew he was a running quarterback,” Southern linebacker Derrick Williams said of McDonald. “They didn’t get away from their scheme. They were still trying to run the ball. We were well prepared. We came out and didn’t keep the same level of intensity. We have to work on finishing.”
Jackson State got on the board first on a 42-yard field goal by Baeza with 3:43 left in the first quarter. A Morgan fumble and a sack by Williams stalled the drive.
Southern tied it on the next possession on a 38-yard field goal by Joshua Griffin. Teasett connected on a 27-yard pass to Dupree Fuller to put Southern at the Jackson State 19 before the 11-play drive stalled.
Teasett finished 11-of-21 passing for 127 yards and one interception. Darren Morris had six catches for 61 yards, and Dillon ran nine times for 41 yards.