HOUSTON — Southern was clobbered 77-6 by No. 22 Houston on Saturday at TDECU Stadium. Here are three takeaways from the game:
Expected annihilation
It’s almost impossible for a player, coach or fan not to be affected by a loss as brutal as the one the Cougars handed the Jaguars. Southern didn’t appear intimidated by the environment, but it was simply outmatched every way possible in terms of ability. As ugly as this result is, this was expected. If Southern remained scoreless when Houston had its third-team defense out, then that would’ve been a surprising new low for the team.
Southern third-string QB
Props have to be given to Wyatt McCauley. The sophomore made his Southern debut and made the most of it. The third-string quarterback was the biggest reason the Jaguars didn’t have zero on the scoreboard. McCauley threw a gorgeous deep pass to freshman wide receiver Wydell Clark for a 79-yard touchdown with 4:49 left in the third quarter. While against a likely third-string defense, McCauley’s touchdown was an impressive moment.
Nonexistent ground game
Southern wants its offensive identity to be running the football. If it did do anything well on offense, one would hope there might be a breakaway run at some point. Instead, the Jaguars ended the night with negative six yards on 22 attempts. Their offensive line was outmatched, and their tailbacks couldn’t create holes on their own. The leading rusher was sophomore Amariyon Asberry with six yards on three attempts.