A week after a choppy performance on offense in a loss at Grambling State, Jackson State wanted to accomplish a couple of things in its SWAC opener versus Texas Southern.
The Tigers wanted to re-establish a rushing attack that had paved the way for the conference’s top-scoring team. They desired to cut down on turnovers. Almost as important, JSU coach T.C. Taylor wanted a bit more consistency from the quarterback position.
That list of to-dos was handled expertly by Jacobian Morgan.
The transfer quarterback accounted for two passing TDs and a pair of others on the ground in a 43-14 win over Texas Southern in Houston on Saturday night.
Jackson State (3-2, 1-0 SWAC) used 30 points combined in the third and fourth quarters to pull away for the win. The Tigers scored in just about every facet of the game, using a blocked punt for a safety and a 79-yard kickoff return from Travis Terrell Jr. in the fourth quarter to seal the win after Texas Southern (1-3, 1-1 SWAC) pulled to within two touchdowns at 27-14.
JaCobian Morgan finds the end zone
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Morgan, who went the distance for the Tigers, passed for 185 yards on 22 attempts with a pair of touchdowns while running for 96 yards on 12 carries and two touchdowns. Running back Irv Mulligan added 76 yards on the ground, while wide receiver Joanes Fortilien hauled in four receptions for 62 yards and a touchdown.
Reid Pulliam led the defense with seven tackles, while the Tigers racked up seven tackles for loss.
Jackson State’s opening drive lasted 5:24 and involved 13 plays covering 86 yards, ending with a Gerardo Baeza 26-yard field goal for the 3-0 lead. They added to the lead with another long drive in the second quarter, using 16 plays covering 69 yards and 8:16 on the clock, leading to another Baeza field goal.
The first touchdown came on a one-play drive following a turnover, resulting in a 33-yard touchdown pass from Jacobian Morgan to Tyquan Henderson for a 13-0 lead with 5:16 to play in the first half. The Tigers defense stepped up in the first half on a late Texas Southern drive when a fourth and two was stuffed by Esaias Guthrie on a quarterback draw.
The lead continued to grow in the third when Morgan went around the left end for a two-yard run to push the lead to 20-0 with 10:34 remaining in the quarter. The lead continued to grow on the arm of Morgan with a 16-yard touchdown pass to Joanes Fortilien, set up by a 44-yard pass from Morgan to Isaiah Spencer.
Courtesy: Jackson State Athletics
