Football Preview: Jackson State
SWAC.org
JACKSON STATE
2012 RECORD: 7-5 (7-2 SWAC) / East Division Champion
KEY LOSSES:
Rico Richardson - WR
Stephen Capler - OL
Zion Pyatt - OL
Jonathan Smith - OL
Joseph LeBeau - DL
Jonathan Billups - DL
STARTERS RETURNING:
Offense: 8
Defense: 7
Special Teams: 2
Jackson State, the reigning East Division champion, has experience on its side in its quest to return to the championship game. In 2012, The Tigers won five consecutive games down the stretch and contended for the SWAC title after winning the division as a result of a tiebreaker over Alabama State.
JSU return 51 lettermen, including eight starters on offense and seven on defense.
Senior quarterback Clayton Moore developed into the offensive leader and guided the Tigers to five consecutive wins down the stretch. He passed for 1,863 yards and 11 touchdowns, and he rushed for an additional 633 yards scoring 11 touchdowns on the ground.
Wide receiver Zachary Pendleton, tallied 33 receptions for 457 yards, and is expected to become Moore’s primary target. DeSuan McKenzie and Tobias Singleton, each recorded 15 catches. The duo will have to fill a void with the departure of SWAC Offensive Player of the Year Rico Richardson.
The secondary is the strength of Jackson State’s defense. All-SWAC cornerback and preseason Defensive Player of the Year, Qua Cox, had a conference best, five interceptions. Cox also received several honors in the preseason as he was named a Sports Network FCS Preseason All-American and was placed on the outlet's Buck Buchanan Award watch list. He also garnered CFPA Watch List honors.
Safety Cameron Loeffler is among the top tacklers in the conference. Loeffler led Jackson State with 84 tackles while amassing 4.5 sacks. Sophomore defensive end Teddrick Terrell is expected to be the leader on the line following the departure of All-Swac defensive end, Joseph LeBeau. Terrell had 37 tackles, including 10 tackles for loss, in 2012. Senior Todd Wilcher and John McNabb anchor a solid linebacker corps.
Preview Courtesy of Roscoe Nance
2013 PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Clayton Moore - QB
Tommy Gooden* - RB
Rakeem Sims* - RB
Zach Pendleton - WR
Jordan Arthur* - OL
Todd Wilcher* - LB
Tedderick Terrell* - LB
Qua Cox* - DB
Cameron Loeffler* - DB
* Denotes - named to 2013 Preseason Team