UAPB faces Southern, lots of unknowns, in return

It’s been 468 days since the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff last played a football game. It’s been even longer since the Golden Lions beat Southern University.

UAPB will put an end to at least one of those droughts today and have a chance to stop the other when it takes on the Jaguars at 1:30 p.m. inside A.W. Mumford Stadium in Baton Rouge.

The game serves as the season opener for UAPB, which will play a six-game spring schedule after the Southwestern Athletic Conference opted out of a fall season over health and safety concerns pertaining to covid-19. The Golden Lions were slated to host Texas Southern a week ago but were forced to postpone the game until April 24 due to issues related to the winter storm that swept through the state.

Today’s matchup marks the debut for UAPB Coach Doc Gamble. The Ohio native joined the Golden Lions staff in 2018 as an assistant before taking over as head coach in April after Cedric Thomas resigned.

It’s been a long wait for both Gamble and his team, but he noted it’s been well worth it.

“It’s finally here,” he said. “It’s something that we all have been looking forward to. For the guys, it’s like, ‘Now, it’s time to go play somebody.’ Because of that, the intensity has changed. We’ve been practicing pretty good, but it’s a little different during game week.

“There’ll obviously be a few butterflies and things like that, but the opportunity to go play some football is here. And we’re looking forward to it.”

UAPB has six preseason all-conference performers on its roster, led by wide receiver Harry Ballard and offensive linemen Mark Evans and Atondre Smith. But it’s been a while since any of Gamble’s players have saw game action so he’s not certain how they’ll react on the road against the two-time defending SWAC West champions.

The Golden Lions haven’t played a meaningful snap since Nov. 23, 2019, when they beat Texas Southern in the season finale. That victory gave UAPB a 6-5 record and it’s first winning mark since 2012.

Southern has won the last seven games against UAPB by an average of nearly 22 points. The Golden Lions trail in the overall series 41-112, with their last victory coming in 2012. The Jaguars, who opened the season with a 2421 victory over Alabama State on Feb. 26, beat UAPB 31-7 in their last meeting on Sept. 28, 2019, and return a host of players from that group.

First-team all-SWAC running back Devon Benn, who ran for 94 yards the last time the teams met, is back, as is second-team defensive lineman Jordan Lewis, who had four sacks and five tackles for loss to take home the conference’s Defensive Player of the Week honors last week. The Jaguars also have Pine Bluff native Ladarius Skelton back for his third year as the team’s starting quarterback.

“He knows how to win,” Gamble said of Skelton, who’s accounted for 514 yards of offense and seven touchdowns in two previous meetings against UAPB. “He’s won everywhere he’s been, at every stop. He can hurt you with his arm and his legs so that’s the first thing that jumps out at us. He’s just a heck of a player.”

Southern Coach Dawson Odums mentioned said Skelton did a good job last week in the opener.

“At that position, you’ve got to make good decisions,” Odums said. “The ball touches your hands every play, and if he makes good decisions and throws the ball on time, we’re going to have a chance. I thought he picked up where he left off the last time we were out [in 2019]. As he goes, so will our offense.”

Odums said there will be quite a bit of intrigue today, primarily because he isn’t sure what to expect from UAPB.

“I really don’t have any idea exactly what they’re going to do because again, the last time we played them was 2019,” he said. “They had a totally different staff. Is it going to be some similarities? We’ll find out [today] offensively and defensively.

“Unpredictable season, unpredictable game. Mentally, you’ve got to be ready for adjustments.”

One thing Odums isn’t expecting to see from an experienced Golden Lions team is the same two-quarterback system they used under Thomas. Quarterback Skyler Perry split snaps with Shannon Patrick last season, but the junior is the unquestioned starter for UAPB this year.

“I was joking with him earlier this week, asking him was he either upset that he’s not at Southern or Grambling State or did he look forward to playing those schools,” Gamble said of Perry, who’s from Louisiana. “This means a little bit more to him. He played the entire game against [Southern] as a true freshman and shared the quarterback duties the last time.

“Now, it’s about what he’s going to do this time. He’s going to have to show up and show out.”

Gamble also revealed that sophomore Omar Allen will get the starting nod at running back.

Gamble