"Impose our will."

That has been Southern coach Marshall Faulk’s message to his team each week, and for the second consecutive game, the Jaguars did just that.

Southern demolished Bethune-Cookman 45-17 on Saturday at A.W. Mumford Stadium, earning back-to-back victories for the first time in two seasons. The Jaguars last won consecutive games on Nov. 30, 2024, when they defeated Grambling in the Bayou Classic after clinching the SWAC West title with a win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff the previous week.

Faulk’s group excelled in every phase of the game, including special teams, converting a season-best 42-yard field goal. It accumulated 381 yards on the ground and outgained Bethune-Cookman 492 to 294. The only weak area was that it ended with 17 penalties for 100 yards.

Southern (5-5, 3-3 SWAC) blew out Florida A&M by 28 points last week.

Trey Holly showed from the start why he’s the best running back in the SWAC and the first 1,000-yard rusher at Southern since Lenard Tillery in 2016.

On his second touch of the game, he blasted off for a 31-yard rush up the right side. His next explosive play was a 44-yard touchdown carry up the middle to give his team a 17-3 lead with 14:03 left in the second quarter. Southern’s offensive line, both times and throughout the game, was connected and used its size to create the holes Holly needed to get downhill.

Holly used his stout 5-foot-7, 192-pound frame to avoid being tackled for a loss all game. He finished with 16 carries for 206 yards and two touchdowns.

The Jaguars' offense was electric, taking a 31-3 lead at halftime.

Offensive play-caller and senior adviser Fred McNair mixed the usual Holly run plays with a few instances of him in the wildcat formation. This was something that the Jaguars used multiple times in their win last week at FAMU.

McNair also dialed up more fun plays for other weapons.

Arguably Southern’s most creative play was a 21-yard jet sweep for a touchdown by Wydell Clark. The freshman ran toward the left sideline, shed a tackle around his hip and launched himself into the end zone. Clark also received a sturdy lead block from tailback Champ Davis.

Davis later got injured during a run up the middle, where he got bent backward on a tackle at the line of scrimmage. This was his second game back from a shoulder injury.

Clark was featured again for a 21-yard receiving touchdown. Southern quarterback Christian Johnson threw to the far side of the field to the left sideline. Clark made the contested catch by the 14-yard line, stayed in bounds to turn upfield and kept moving after a near goal-line tackle by a Bethune-Cookman safety. This gave Southern a 24-3 advantage with 8:50 remaining in the second quarter.

Another freshman who shined was running back Macario Dade. With Bethune-Cookman struggling to contain the edge, Dade burst down the right sideline for a 70-yard touchdown run. The 5-foot-6 freshman entered the game with just nine rushing attempts this season.

Southern’s quarterback kept his offense crisp as he had a second straight efficient passing performance for 111 yards and two touchdowns on 8-of-13 passing.

Johnson, a Hutchinson Community College transfer, continues to avoid turnovers as he still only has one interception on the year.

Southern expected to see a reflection of itself when it faced Bethune-Cookman since it also relies heavily on its top tailback: Rashon Brown.

The redshirt freshman entered the game with 174 carries, which is second in the SWAC after Holly. Brown seemed poised for a special game when he ran for 64 yards on Bethune-Cookman’s first play of the day.

After Southern limited its opponent to a 25-yard field goal on the drive, Brown wasn’t as much of a factor on offense. The Jaguars defense moved energetically all over the field to keep the Wildcats from moving the ball effectively.

When Bethune-Cookman couldn’t keep up with Southern’s firepower, they didn’t want to use as much precious clock to gradually advance the ball with its ground game.

The need to pass led to an eventual interception by Southern cornerback Landon Carter, who returned it 18 yards to the opposing 20-yard line.

Bethune-Cookman returned its starting redshirt junior quarterback, Tyler Jeffeson, who missed his first game last week. The Florida A&M transfer faced pressure as a passer and threw several passes off the mark.

He also had a moment of frustration. Running back Deanwar Johnson bumped into him, expecting a handoff instead of the quarterback run that happened on fourth-and-3 from the 50-yard line. The blunder led to a swarm of Jaguars on the stop for no gain.

Bethune-Cookman’s first touchdown score came on a 10-yard touchdown pass to Deanwar Johnson on the left side with 1:35 remaining in the third quarter. Southern committed an uncharacteristic eight penalties during the Wildcats’ scoring drive, including two offsides penalties on the extra-point attempt.

Southern entered the game best in the SWAC with only 47 penalty yards per game

The Wildcats’ last score was a two-yard rushing touchdown shortly after Southern tailback Dillon Compton fumbled it seven yards from his team’s end zone. Southern inserted freshman quarterback Vashaun Coulon in the game with 6:12 remaining.

Faulk’s penultimate game of the season is against Alcorn State at 2 p.m. Saturday at home.