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Southern University isn’t your typical FCS school. Georgia’s Week 4 opponent has been to consecutive Southwestern Athletic Conference championship games, bringing home the SWAC title in 2013.
The Jaguars, like the Bulldogs, score points in bunches, led by the incumbent SWAC Offensive Player of the Week in quarterback Austin Howard. The conference’s No. 1 scoring offense has posted 50 points in each of the last two weeks with wins over Mississippi Valley State and Jackson State.
Both the Bulldogs and Jaguars rank No. 1 in their respective conferences in red zone defense.
If Southern wants to sting Georgia, it’ll have to do so the same way that South Carolina saw its (very) brief flashes of brilliance in Week 3 against the Bulldogs: on special teams.
The Jaguars have a gregarious kicker in Greg Pittman, whose numbers are average until you consider the freshman handles both kicking and punting duties and is constantly in head coach Dawson Odum’s ear about taking on bigger roles.
#UGA‘s Mark Richt has mentioned and given kudos to both the kicker and punter for #SouthernU
— Bulldawg Illustrated (@ecdawg_BI) September 22, 2015
But it’s return man Willie Quinn who is the heart of the unit and who should be the focus of Georgia’s attention. Mark Richt’s special teams defense is prone to big yardage, ranking No. 90 in the nation in kick return yards allowed (33.4 ypr). Georgia coughed up returns of 51, 28 and 27 last week against South Carolina.
The senior Quinn, who is also the team’s leading returning receiver (892 yards in 2014), has six career returns for touchdowns — the most recent coming in Week 2 against Mississippi Valley State with a 39-punt return and a 90-yard kick-return for scores.
“He is so quick, fast, (and has) good ball skills,” Georgia head coach Richt said during his weekly press conference. “He really is a dynamic player. He’s just not a big player, but he plays big. When you see him you’ll be like ‘that guy is a special talent.’ I think you’ve just got to guard him like anybody else, or at least try to.
“Morgan State had a back one year who was not very tall at all, and they started running zone plays and you literally could not see him in the gap, from what people would say, and I could see that. But he’s more on the edge, more on the perimeter, so I don’t think that will be an issue.”
PUNT RETURN
| Team/Player | Punt Return Avg. |
|---|---|
| Georgia | 6.7 ypr allowed |
| Willie Quinn | 21.5 ypr |
KICKOFF RETURN
| Team/Player | Kick Return Avg. |
|---|---|
| Georgia | 22.5 ypr allowed |
| Willie Quinn | 33.4 ypr |
UGA coach Mark Richt talked up offense for Southern (La.). Calls returner Willie Quinn "a stick of dynamite."
— Marc Weiszer (@marcweiszer) September 22, 2015
Fortunately for Georgia, the Bulldogs have their own dynamic return man in Isaiah McKenzie. As a freshman, McKenzie set the program record for punt return (2) and kick return (3) touchdowns in a single season. The sophomore has 111 punt return yards and a touchdown this year, as well as 42 kick return yards.
SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY JAGUARS CLOSER LOOK
Top player, offense: Lenard Tillery, RS Jr., RB — Tillery returns this season after posting 1,196 yards and 9 touchdowns last year. The redshirt junior leads the SWAC with 284 yards and 5 touchdowns rushing behind Southern’s big and experienced offensive line.
Top player, defense: Kentavious Preston, So., LB — Prior to last week, this spot belonged to Demetrius Carter. But the senior linebacker and the team’s leading returning tackler (101 tackles) was lost for the year after tearing his Achilles against Jackson State. Kentavious Preston has 19 tackles on the year, 2.5 tackles for loss and a sack. The defense is dinged up a bit with the loss of Carter and the graduation of Brian McCain and Arthur Miley, a trio that combined for 22 tackles-for-loss and 16.5 sacks in 2014.
Top player, special teams: Willie Quinn, Sr., WR/KR — Willie Quinn racked up 1,817 all-purpose yards in 2014, including 645 kick return and 289 punt return yards. The senior is already back at it this year, earning SWAC Special Teams Player of the Week honors in Week 2. Quinn spurned Louisiana Tech for a 100-yard touchdown return and 197 total return yards.
Chris Wuensch is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers South Carolina and Tennessee.
