Texas Southern Ends SWAC Losing Streak With Last-Second Field Goal

Texas Southern broke its conference losing skid on Saturday.

The Tigers defeated Southern 24-21 during homecoming at Reliant Stadium in Houston. This result snapped a five-game losing streak for the team, which finished the season with a 2-5 record and a 1-3 mark in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. The Jaguars also finished 3-4 overall and 1-3 in conference play.

The game remained close until the final minute. Southern tied the score with 4:24 left on the clock. Texas Southern then moved 36 yards on the ensuing drive. Freshman kicker Miguel Arana kicked a 46-yard field goal as time expired to secure the win.

Head coach Cris Dishman took over defensive play-calling for the first time this season. He told reporters that his players were excited to be back in the win column. “Is this win satisfying? Yes, it is,” Dishman said. “Every time you win, you got to be satisfied with it. You know, I'm not much of a dancer, so I can't dance. But those guys are in (the locker room) dancing and having fun, and I'm happy for them.”

Quarterback Cam’Ron McCoy, who previously played for Southern, led the offense. He passed for 42 yards and ran for 71 yards and a touchdown on 16 attempts. He did not commit a turnover. Dishman said the team is now focused on its next game against Grambling at home. “We still have a lot of games ahead of us to win,” he said. “It's just one of the games that we have to win, and we won this one. Now we got to go on to next week and win.”

Florida A&M coach Quinn Gray addressed a mass shooting outside Bragg Memorial Stadium during a Monday conference call. The incident left 11 people injured after the Rattlers lost a homecoming game to Arkansas-Pine Bluff 31-28. Gray stated that the team’s thoughts were with the affected families. “Our prayers and our thoughts are with those families affected by the violence that happened this past weekend, and ultimately we have to find a way to make sure that you know we stop with the senseless hurting of ourselves as a community,” Gray said. “Nothing good comes from this situation.”

Police in Tallahassee arrested a 15-year-old boy for the shooting. He faces 11 counts of attempted second-degree murder and possession of a firearm by a delinquent. Gray noted that the age of the suspect was a tragedy in itself. “To know that a 15-year-old kid has been arrested and ultimately allegedly responsible for what happened is a tragedy in itself,” Gray said. “That 15-year-old kid probably needs to be on somebody's football team, basketball team or doing something constructive with his time.”

Bethune-Cookman defeated Jackson State 24-21 in another Week 8 upset. The Wildcats, who improved to 5-3 overall and 3-1 in the SWAC, ended a five-game losing streak against the Tigers. Jackson State remains 6-2 overall and 3-2 in conference play. Tyler Jefferson threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Rickie Shaw with 36 seconds left. Jackson State missed a 49-yard field goal at the end of the game. Linebacker Stephen Sparrow recorded 11 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup. Jackson State gained only 33 yards on 36 rushing attempts.