LaDarius Owens: 'Talented Running Back' Is Leading The SWAC
HOUSTON — Texas Southern has had a challenging year. First, they experienced a setback, losing quarterback Andrew Body for the remainder of the season, then suffering two overtime defeats against their division rivals from Prairie View and Southern in the SWAC East. The team has had few positive moments, but LaDarius Owens has been exceptional this season.
Despite Texas Southern's 2-6 record, Owens has been consistently impressive on offense. Coach Clarence McKinney can rely on him to deliver a strong performance, especially over the past four weeks.
TSU RB LaDarius Owens; Credit - TSU Athletics
"He's a really talented running back," Coach McKinney told the media. "He's one of the better running backs in our league, and it's a league full of really good running backs. I want to say he's the leading rusher in the league at this point. Hopefully, we can keep them going, but he's extremely talented. A lot of people see what he does with the ball in his hands running the ball, but he's done a tremendous job for us in protection. He's also done a great job for us catching the ball out of the backfield."
The senior tailback currently leads the conference in rushing with 949 yards, averaging 118.6 yards per game. Additionally, the TSU rusher ranks 6th in rushing among all FCS players and is the top running back in all HBCU conferences. It's an impressive feat, considering last season's HBCU rushing champion, Jada Byers from Virginia Union, is averaging 113.5 yards with a total of 795 yards this season.
Last week in Baton Rouge, Owens grounded out his fourth-straight 100+ yard game. Against Bethune-Cookman, he amassed 305 total yards (163 rushing, 142 kickoff returns) and three touchdowns, contributing to the team's 34-31 win. Against the Jaguars, the 5-9 and 180-pounder rushed the football 36 times, totaling 244 yards versus a stout Southern defensive front. Ultimately, the Jaguars would defeat the Tigers 23-17 in overtime.
On Saturday, Owens and his team will face Jackson State, who have Irv Mulligan, the No. 2 rusher in the SWAC. For Texas Southern to pull off the upset, they will need him to have another dynamic effort, hopefully eclipsing the 1,000-yard mark on the season.
This Saturday, Owens and the TSU Tigers will be going up against the Jackson State Tigers at Veterans Memorial. JSU is a team that features Irv Mulligan, the second-highest rusher in the SWAC.
"It's gonna be a challenge." Jackson State coach TC Taylor noted. "We're going to have to figure out ways to stop him. And the thing about it can be time-consuming when they have the ball when the guy like that is chopping up yardage on the ground. So we got to find ways to stop him."
For Texas Southern to create the upset, they must rely on Owens to give an outstanding performance and surpass 1,000 rushing yards for the season.