Alabama A&M: Bulldogs, Jaguars collide in SWAC opener

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -Not so long ago they were considered among the elite programs in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.

Southern, under former coach Pete Richardson, won four championships in the 1990s, won another in 2003 and played for another one in 2004. Meanwhile, Alabama A&M, who joined the conference in 1999, won the title in 2006 under current coach Anthony Jones and has played for it on four other occasions, most recently in 2009.

The Bulldogs nor the Jaguars are expected to be in contention this season based on the league's preseason rankings.

A&M was picked to finish fourth in the Eastern Division preseason poll, while Southern, who is ineligible for the championship this season due to APR penalties, was picked to finish last in the West Division poll.

The rankings didn't sit too well with some of A&M's players when they were released in July. As a result, the Bulldogs have used the rankings as motivation as they visit the Jaguars tonight in the SWAC opener for both teams. Kickoff is at 6 from Mumford Stadium and the game can be heard on 90.9 FM.

"We're going to go out and show the SWAC that the preseason rankings don't mean anything," will linebacker Vernon Marshall said.

Since preseason practice began, the Bulldogs have closed practice by saying "SWAC Champs."

While the championship game is still three months away, A&M quarterback Deaunte Mason says today's league opener against Southern is the Bulldogs' championship game.

"We're taking every game as a championship game because that's what it takes to be No. 1 in the conference," Mason said. "We have to treat every game like it's a championship game."

A&M has won the last four meetings in this rivalry, including a 34-14 victory last season, but Jones knows the Bulldogs will get Southern's best tonight.

"We're going into a hostile environment," he said. "It's their home opener and their fans will be there. They're going to play hard and play physical. They've got some good athletes. It's going to be a tough football game and we've got to be ready to play."

Southern coach Stump Mitchell's team was dominated in last year's game and he knows his team better be ready for another slugfest tonight.

"They handled us pretty easily last year," Mitchell said. "We've just got to be able to match their intensity. It's a physical brand of football. It's been a physical brand of football since Coach Jones has been at A&M. And we have to be ready for that type of football game."