HOUSTON — Southern and Texas Southern meet Saturday at Reliant Stadium in a SWAC West game that also serves as Texas Southern’s 99th homecoming. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. CT. The game streams on SWAC TV, and gates open at noon.
Southern (3-4, 1-2 SWAC) has not played since a 28-14 win at Prairie View A&M on Oct. 10.
Texas Southern (1-5, 0-3) is also coming off an open date. The Tigers have lost five straight games.
The game is the first meeting between head coaches Marshall Faulk and Cris Dishman. Both played in the NFL. Faulk, a Pro Football Hall of Famer, is in his first season at Southern. Dishman is in his third season at Texas Southern.
Series History
Southern leads the all-time series 14-4, according to the Houston Chronicle. Texas Southern has won two of the past three meetings.
Keys to the Game
- Fourth-quarter defense: Texas Southern has led late in SWAC play and lost. Dishman’s move to defensive play-calling aims to close games.
- Holly vs. the Tigers’ front: Southern’s offense runs through its running back. Containing Holly forces Johnson to carry more of the load.
- Ball security: Johnson has one interception in 140 attempts. McCoy has three in 143.
- Standings: A Southern win moves the Jaguars to .500 in league play. A Texas Southern loss drops the Tigers to 0-4 in the SWAC, with Grambling State and Alabama State next.
Homecoming at Reliant Stadium
Texas Southern is playing no games at Shell Energy Stadium this season because of scheduling conflicts. Five of its six home games are at W.W. Thorne Stadium, an Aldine ISD venue in north Houston.
The Southern game moved to the home of the Houston Texans. The 72,000-seat stadium returned to the Reliant Stadium name in August after 12 years as NRG Stadium. The game was originally scheduled for Oct. 17 and was pushed back one week.
Texas Southern’s Ocean of Soul and Southern’s Human Jukebox will meet in the halftime show.
Southern: Two Weeks to Build on Prairie View
Southern opened the Faulk era with a 30-17 loss to Alabama State in Birmingham. The Jaguars beat Kentucky State 34-15, lost 77-6 at Houston and beat Louisiana Christian 50-31. They dropped back-to-back SWAC games at Jackson State (35-17) and at home against Arkansas-Pine Bluff (41-10) before winning at Prairie View A&M.
Running back Trey Holly carries the offense. He leads the team with 673 rushing yards and six touchdowns on 139 carries and ran for 121 yards at Prairie View. Quarterback Christian Johnson has completed 78 of 140 passes for 935 yards, eight touchdowns, and one interception. He threw for 207 yards against the Panthers. Daejawn Smith leads the receivers with 21 catches for 262 yards and two scores.
On defense, lineman Ckelby Givens has four sacks. Defensive back Tay James leads the Jaguars with 49 tackles.
Southern arrives in Houston days after Faulk disclosed that he has Parkinson’s disease. On “The Caring Neurologist” podcast, released Oct. 21, he said he has managed the condition for about 18 months. He has continued coaching this season.
Texas Southern: Close Losses, Five-Game Skid
Texas Southern opened with a 42-30 win over North Carolina Central. Losses followed to Prairie View A&M (52-14), UTEP (51-10), Alcorn State (43-40 in overtime), Florida Atlantic (66-10) and Mississippi Valley State (38-34).
The two most recent SWAC losses were within reach. At Alcorn State, the Tigers rallied from 22 points down in the second half before losing in overtime. Against Mississippi Valley State, they led by 10 points with about five minutes left and gave up 24 points in the fourth quarter.
Dishman will call the defensive plays Saturday for the first time in his three seasons at Texas Southern.
Quarterback Cam’Ron McCoy has completed 81 of 143 passes for 1,107 yards, seven touchdowns and three interceptions. Running back Athean Renfro Jr. has 531 yards and five touchdowns on 99 carries. Roriyon Richardson leads the receivers with 21 catches for 258 yards. Defensive lineman Jordan Thompson has 4.5 sacks, and linebacker Donovan Jones has 48 tackles.
The slide follows the program’s best season in a generation. Texas Southern finished 6-5 overall and 5-3 in the SWAC in 2025, its first winning season since 2000. Southern finished 2-10 and 1-7 last season.
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