The TC Taylor era started with a bang, with a new-look Jackson State thoroughly dominating South Carolina State 37-7 in the SWAC/MEAC Challenge. New QB Jason Brown threw for 356 yards and 3 touchdowns en route to MVP honors for the game. JSU now looks to face an equally determined and talented FAMU squad, led by consensus pre-season SWAC Offensive Player of the Year Jeremy Moussa, on Sunday afternoon. Let’s take a closer look at the match-up, and some of the keys to victory for both teams.
Trench Warfare
While Jason Brown hitting pretty much every target he threw at was impressive, the dominance of both offensive and defensive fronts for the Tigers was even more impressive. At times, the SCSU defense looked completely helpless to prevent positive yardage at the point of attack. Defensively, JSU did the complete opposite, completely disrupting the run and pass game plan for South Carolina State, and generally making Corey Fields’ day a miserable one inside the pocket. FAMU’s offensive and defensive lines look to pose a significantly stiffer challenge. The defensive side of the ball, in particular, looks formidable. The defensive backfield may be just as stout, led by Redshirt Junior Kendall Bohler.
SWAC Triggermen
Jeremy Moussa was a known quantity last season, outside of a difficult performance against a then Primetime-led JSU squad. When he’s comfortable in the pocket and able to go through his progressions, he can be hard to stop. If the protection is there, FAMU puts up points. After one performance, it’s safe to say Jason Brown can be as efficient and as accurate as any other signal caller in the conference. Again, protection and read time factor into this, as South Carolina State’s pass rush was downright anemic at times this past week. If either offensive line plays up to their respective potentials, it could result in a mutually high-scoring affair.
X-Factors
JSU RB Irv Mulligan looks the part of a bonafide home run threat whenever he gets touches. Will he need to get more touches against this FAMU defense? Conversely, the running back room in Tallahassee is still a bit of an unknown quantity for folks outside of rattler circles. Can they add another dimension to an offense that can get a bit one dimensional at times? Adding that element may be the difference between a good offense for FAMU, and a great offense for the duration of the SWAC season.
Last year’s OBC was a dismantling for a program that doesn’t take too kindly to losing big. This year’s edition of the Classic looks to be a LOT more competitive, with just as much riding on the line for future Celebration Bowl aspirations. Can Jason Brown follow up the almost perfect debut with another strong performance? Will Jeremy Moussa take a huge step toward validating that pre-season MVP accolade? Will Irv Mulligan shine again as that homerun threat to keep FAMU’s talented defensive line and linebacking corps honest? Lots of questions are going to be answered this Sunday, with a leg up on the SWAC Eastern Division lying in the balance. As good as JSU looked against an outgunned SCSU Bulldog squad last week, I can’t shake the feeling that this will be the close, drama-filled game that we were supposed to see last season.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login