But just after 9:20 p.m. Saturday, when LaQuinton Evans ran a simple slant pattern, caught Jeremiah McGinty’s pass, broke a tackle and raced 73 yards for what appeared to be the game-winning touchdown, putting the Jaguars ahead 45-41 with 15 seconds remaining, Mitchell came totally unglued.
Mitchell, Southern’s first-year coach, takes pride in showing almost no emotion on game day (he is the exact opposite at practice, screaming with words of praise and disapproval). This time, he couldn’t help it.
Erupting with the rest of the SU bench, Mitchell sprinted up and down the sideline. Then he channeled his inner Tiger Woods, pumping his fist as he ran.
Near the 30-yard line, Mitchell spotted his defensive coordinator, O’Neill Gilbert. The two men engaged in a bear-hug for the ages, nearly tackling each other to the ground.
Already, in less than one year at Southern, they’d been through quite a lot.
Mitchell had promised a great offense with a potent ground game — one of the nation’s best, he predicted — and until Saturday, he had failed to deliver.
Gilbert had promised a physical, high-pressure defense. Instead, it leaked like a sieve, with missed tackles and blown assignments leading to scores of big plays.
Now, at long last, the Jaguars had their landmark win. A great win. A super building block for a first-year program.
Saturday night, with 15 seconds remaining, Mitchell and Gilbert had a team that persevered through too many penalties (16 in all) and missed chances (three of SU’s second-half possessions ended in Jackson State territory without a touchdown), then defied the odds.
Seemingly, Southern had not only defeated JSU but a very talented team, one that will probably win the Eastern Division.
Then, it all disappeared. A defensive meltdown allowed Richardson to score the third touchdown in the final 38 seconds, defying logic and any statistical pattern known to man.
This was, without doubt, a stunning and crushing defeat for Southern, one that will haunt players for years to come.
Clusters of them cast empty stares toward midfield. The ones that weren’t in shock were covered in tears.
Middle linebacker Corey Ray, a native of nearby Clinton, Miss., was completely inconsolable, even in the arms of family members after the game.