TIGERS CLAWING BACK
McKinney looking for first victory after winless 2019 season, COVID-shortened 2020
How is the rebuild going?
Tigers coach Clarence McKinney inherited a program in 2019 that had gone 8-25 under Michael Haywood. Under McKinney the Tigers are 0-13 on the field but have improved, restocking the roster and upgrading the talent. This year’s freshman class increases depth across the board, specifically the defensive line and the secondary.
Following an 0-11 season in 2019, TSU played two football games in the spring of 2021 after the SWAC opted out of a traditional fall schedule in 2020. TSU lost by one point to Prairie View A&M, 20-19, before ending its abbreviated season with a 51-23 defeat to Southern.
Did a shortened spring football season set the Tigers back?
Texas Southern was scheduled to play six football games, but four were canceled due to COVID-19 protocols. On the surface it appeared the situation was detrimental to the Tigers but they made the best of it, using the time to work on fundamentals.
Coach McKinney viewed things as a regular spring football offseason with the benefit of playing two actual football games. During this time the players got a better understanding of schemes, and by playing only two games, the Tigers are relatively healthy entering the fall season. A point of emphasis in the spring was tackling and execution.
Who are some of the star players?
Though picked to finish last in the SWAC Western Division, there is talent. Defensive end Michael Badejo is coming off a second-team All-SWAC season after collecting 44 tackles, seven for loss. Receiver Jonathan Giles, who played at Texas Tech and LSU, contributed in the spring.
The deepest and most competitive position is running back where LaDarius Owens, Jacorey Howard and Dominic Franklin will get the bulk of the carries. Anchoring the offensive line is Nathaniel Hines, moving to center from left tackle. Linebacker Julian Marcantel is a former All-SWAC selection. Richard Garcia III led the conference in field goals (11) in 2019.
Has Jalen Brown emerged as the starting quarterback?
It’s a young quarterback room and Brown (6-2, 220) appears to be McKinney’s best option at the position based on his performance in the spring as a true freshman. Despite a 51-23 loss to Southern, Brown came up big, throwing for 281 yards in his first college game. Brown is big, athletic and checks off all the boxes for intangibles. True freshman Andrew Body (6-1, 183) will compete for playing time. The Tigers lost experience at the position when Devin Williams, who started last spring’s opener at Prairie View, and grad transfer Thaddeus Peyton left the program.
How does the fall schedule shape up?
For a team that has lacked wins in recent years the Tigers are playing an ambitious out of conference schedule, playing FBS opponents Baylor and Rice on the road in September. It will be the first time the Tigers will have played a Big 12 football opponent and the first meeting with the crosstown Owls.
The first of TSU’s four games at BBVA Stadium is Sept. 4 against rival Prairie View A&M in the Labor Day Classic. The Tigers’ homecoming is on campus at Durley on Oct. 2 against North American University. TSU plays Southern in a SWAC game at Globe Life Park in Arlington on Oct. 9.