In what was classified as a business trip against an FBS opponent on the road, Southern might have discovered a valued asset.
Though the Jaguars were thoroughly outplayed in a 56-7 loss at Fresno State, one bright spot was the performance of backup quarterback Ashton Strother.
Southern University head football coach Terrence Graves praised Strother, a transfer from Coahoma Community College, who joined the team late in fall camp but quickly proved himself as a competitor.
“Well, I tell you what, Ashton’s a pleasant addition,” Graves said. “We lost a quarterback right before camp for some personal reasons, and we were down. Because of relationships our coaches have with others, we were able to bring him in. He came in late, but he came in with the right attitude.”
Strother, a junior, completed 9 of 14 passes for 127 yards on Saturday against the Bulldogs. His first drive resulted in a 1-yard rushing touchdown as he led a nine-play drive for 75 yards.
Cam’Ron McCoy, a Jackson State transfer, played briefly and went 1 for 4 with four passing yards against Fresno State.
Jalen Woods, the starter coming into the regular season, did not play due to a concussion.
Graves noted Strother’s energy and willingness to learn stood out from the start.
“He wants to learn, he’s a competitor, and he does the little things that you want to see as a coach,” Graves said. “And we put him in the game on Saturday, and it was like, ‘Hey, I’ve got my shot. Let me go and try to lead this team to victory.’”
Strother, who had only weeks to grasp Southern’s offense, showed poise in his first real action.
“It feels good, you know, got kind of those first-game jitters out of the way,” Strother told The Advocate after the game. “But now, we got to get back to Baton Rouge and protect home.”