BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Southern opened the 2026 college football season in Week Zero, but the Jaguars could not hold onto an early lead against Alabama State.
The Jaguars fell 30-17 Saturday at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, in the first game of head coach Marshall Faulk's tenure.
Southern came out firing offensively.
Mike Franklin gave the Jaguars an early spark in the first quarter, breaking loose for a 29-yard touchdown run with just over three minutes remaining to put Southern ahead 7-0.
The Jaguars continued to move the ball in the second quarter.
Facing third-and-14, quarterback Christian Johnson found DaeJawn Smith deep over the middle for a 41-yard completion to move the chains. The drive eventually resulted in another Southern touchdown.
The Jaguars took a 17-13 lead into halftime.
But Alabama State responded in the second half, taking control of the game and pulling away for the 30-17 victory.
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