HOUSTON — Southern looked sharp to start, lost control after a first-quarter blocked field goal and clawed back only to lose in devastating fashion.

Coach Marshall Faulk couldn’t care less that his team outgained Texas Southern by 54 yards or had 87 fewer penalty yards. He doesn’t care about any of the categories the Jaguars won because the team dropped to 3-5 overall and 1-3 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference after a 24-21 loss on Saturday at Reliant Stadium.

“Man, games aren't won based on stats,” Faulk said. “The only stat that matters is the score, and we did not win in the scoring department.”

Before Faulk called a timeout to try and ice Tigers kicker Miguel Arana, who made the eventual 46-yard game-winning field goal, Texas Southern used a timeout with just one second remaining after a 3-yard carry. Faulk explained why he didn’t have to ask the official to review whether the clock stopped properly.

“It was first down. The minute (it’s) first down, clock stops,” Faulk said. “So as the clock stopped, he didn't have to go down. The minute that he crossed and went down, clock stopped there. So, and regardless of what I say, what I understand from the referees is that it was reviewed.”

Southern linebacker Tay James, who had a team-high 10 tackles and two sacks, explained how he felt emotionally after a close defeat.

“I ain't gonna lie, it hurt,” he said. “But the only thing we could do is just look forward. Keep building our days and finish out the season.”

Southern defensive leader Ckelby Givens, who came back after missing two games with a concussion, said it’s not surprising that his teammates are down but echoed how his team can’t dwell on the loss.

“I mean, obviously you're not feeling good after a tough loss,” said Givens, who had six tackles. “But I mean, we just got to keep going. Got to keep picking it up, and so on to FAMU.”

Consistency is something Southern has failed to achieve as it remains without consecutive wins since the 2024 season. Faulk was asked how he can get his squad over that hump.

“Working on it, that's it,” Faulk said. “I mean, I can't sprinkle a little fairy dust on them and then boom, we're consistent. Nah. You know, in practice, how you show up, what you do, just being consistent. That's the only thing I know. Choosing the hard over the easy way out. That's how you grow in the consistency department, and that's what we preach, and that's what we teach.”

A consistent struggle that has plagued the team has been an inability to rely on its kicking unit. The team started to unravel after sophomore kicker Nathan Zimmer had his 37-yard field goal attempt blocked with 2:05 left in the first quarter. That lapse gifted Texas Southern the field position it needed to march 53 yards to the end zone.

“I don't know if it changed the momentum, but it was just a scoring opportunity for us,” Faulk said. “When you look at it, because they then got the ball and went down and scored, it's a 10-point swing. It's not just they scored, but they took three off the board for us. Those are tough.”