UAPB 'Believed' In Comeback To Defeat Texas Southern

The Texas Southern Tigers season finale gave us more questions than answers regarding the direction of the football program.

HOUSTON - In the embattled season of Texas Southern football, the penultimate chapter closed out with a 35-34 loss to Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Tigers finished the season at Shell Energy Stadium exactly how they started 2023, with a 4th-quarter collapse after leading most of the contest. "Offensively, we started really fast, and we didn't keep that same intensity throughout the game," Coach Clarence McKinney told reporters in his postgame interview. "We didn't play as hard. They made an adjustment. We weren't ourselves offensively."

Texas Southern dominated the Golden Lions, outscoring them 31-7 by halftime. Although the Tigers outgained UAPB 270 to 109 total yards in the first half, the problems from Texas Southern began in the passing game during the 2nd quarter. In the first quarter, quarterback Jace Wilson threw 9 of 10 for 78 yards. However, he tossed only 52 yards at 50% in the second quarter. The Owens-Howard-Wilson combo rushed for 127 yards in the first stanza yet grounded out just 13 yards in the second. 

Nov. 19, 2023; UAPB defeated the Texas Southern Tigers 35-34 in the 2023 season finale.; Credit: Kyle T. Mosley, HBCU Legends

UAPB was startled early but recollected themselves before intermission, running 23 plays, scoring a touchdown, and holding the football for 14:19 minutes. A failed Golden Lions' goal-line attempt ended with a 96-yard scoop-six by the Tigers defensive back Canary Simmons.  

After TSU celebrated the historic career of their all-time leading rusher LaDarius Owens at the half, the Tigers began to sleepwalk in the 3rd quarter. 

HBCU Legends asked Coach McKinney about any adjustments Arkansas-Pine Bluff made to throw the Tigers off their game. "It wasn't an adjustment that they made. It was our lack of intensity. So offensively, we didn't come out with the same intensity that we started the game. It's hard just to turn the switch on and play at a certain level. You got to have that mindset, that mentality once the game starts throughout the game and to finish the game. We had it at the start of the game. We didn't continue to have a killer instinct during the game, nor did we finish the game.

Nov. 18, 2023; Clarence McKinney; Credit: HBCU Legends, Kyle T. Mosley

Nov. 18, 2023; Clarence McKinney; Credit: HBCU Legends, Kyle T. Mosley

On the opposite side of the field, Coach Alonzo Hampton believed his team and quarterback Mekhi Hagens would respond with renewed energy in the second half. "I've been telling the kids all year, we just got to stay in the fight and don't break," Hampton told reporters. "I've stood up there every Saturday, every halftime meeting, saying the exact same thing. I truly believe." He believed, and his Golden Lions trusted their coach.

Hagens mounted the comeback for UAPB, scoring 28 points in the second half, 22 of those in the fourth quarter. The signal caller completed 15 out of 27 passes for 193 passing yards and a touchdown. The Golden Lions' defense also "put in work," as they held TSU to 3 second-half points, limiting them to convert just 6 of 16 third downs. Defensive back Grant Ewell had a game-high 15 tackles and 2 TFLs, while linebacker Rico Dozier added 10 tackles on the afternoon for UAPB. 

"Ol' Mo," as the legendary broadcaster Keith Jackson would call the game's momentum, swung the direction of the Golden Lions when they were down 34-21. Defensive lineman Cameron Roetherford blocked the Tigers' punt attempt, lateraled to Elijah Jenkins, and 30 yards later, scored a touchdown. The score was 34-21, and TSU maintained their lead.  

Nov. 18, 2023; Texas Southern Tigers senior running back LaDarius Owens celebrated for becoming the football program's all-time leading rusher. Credit: Kyle T. Mosley, HBCU Legends

FCS: Nation's No. 2 Rusher 'Is SWAC'

Things went from bad to worst. The sure-handed and reliable Owens fumbled at the TSU 46-yard line. "I feel like the ref made a bad decision," Owens told HBCU Legends. "I was the only one at the bottom of the pile. I came up with the ball. I had the ball and gave it to the ref, put it in his hand. I don't know what happened. The ref just made a bad call." 

Hagens went for the knock-out punch. He drove his team to the five-yard line, then rushed for the game-tying score by leveling the Tigers' defender at the goal line. Dean Sarris booted the extra point to give the Golden Lions the 35-34 advantage with 1:46 left on the game clock. "All year long, we never quit in the game. We didn't just get the victory," Coach Hampton noted. 

Texas Southern had 3rd and 3 at their 43-yard line. Instead of giving Owens or Howard the football, offensive coordinator David March called a pass play that was well-defended by UAPB. Next, Owens was stopped short on fourth down by a yard of getting the first down. Game over. The Golden Lions won, 35-34.

Nov. 19, 2023; UAPB defeated the Texas Southern Tigers 35-34 in the 2023 season finale.; Credit: Kyle T. Mosley, HBCU Legends

Texas Southern's "Ocean of Soul" - Nov. 18, 2023 at Shell Energy Stadium, Houston, TX.; Credit: HBCU Legends, Kyle T. Mosley

Nov. 18, 2023; Texas Southern Tigers senior running back LaDarius Owens celebrated for becoming the football program's all-time leading rusher. Credit: Kyle T. Mosley, HBCU Legends

The future of the Texas Southern and Arkansas-Pine Bluff programs could be heading in opposite directions. Hampton won two games with his team and is poised to improve for next season. Coach McKinney's Tigers lost another heartbreaker as his contract is said to expire on Dec. 15. In two recent conversations with Dr. Kevin Granger, the Vice President of Athletics, he informed HBCU Legends that Coach McKinney and the football program will be evaluated at the end of the season. 

Coach McKinney gave the media his impressions of being the Tigers' head coach, saying, "I appreciate this opportunity. I don't take for granted to be the head coach of Texas Southern University Tigers. Growing up in the neighborhood, always hearing the band as a kid. Coming over and playing on the field during those times I was a kid, and playing a little tackle football. It's a special moment for me to be the head coach at TSU."

Dr. Granger will commence with his analysis of the football team. Several football players met with Granger on Friday to discuss the program and Clarence McKinney's importance. Was it enough to re-sign him to a contract extension? We shall see.

Texas Southern Players Met With Dr. Granger On Coach McKinney, Program's Future