What chance does Southern football have against a superhero and his sidekick?
The Jaguars will face Arkansas-Pine Bluff's "dynamic" duo Saturday in A.W. Mumford Stadium at 2 p.m. They aren't Batman and Robin, but quarterback Mekhi Hagens and wide receiver JaVonnie Gibson are easily the top pitch-and-catch combination in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
"Dynamic, both are very dynamic," Southern coach Terrence Graves said with emphasis when asked about the Lions' pair.
"Each is one of the best in the FCS," Graves went on. "Hagens is a dual threat guy who can throw it and run it. He commands, his team believes in him and rallies behind him. (Gibson) is as good as advertised. You've got to mix it up on him. You can't give him the same look twice. He's very athletic."
The test is all laid out for the Southern defense, ranked No. 1 in the conference in passing yards allowed per game (154.7). Hagens has completed 152 of 283 passes for 2,231 and 16 touchdowns with only five interceptions.
Gibson leads the (FCS) nation in receiving yards with 1,075 on 56 catches and has scored eight touchdowns.
Adding to the concern is a health issue. Southern played last week without its top cornerback, Rodney Johnson, who is questionable this week. Without him the Jaguars surrendered 243 yards passing to Bethune-Cookman's Cam'Ron Ransom.
Opponents have caught on to UAPB's game. Hagens has 332 yards and two touchdowns in the past two weeks combined, losses to Jackson State (41-3) and Alabama A&M (52-24). Gibson has 12 catches for 131 yards.
Second year coach Alonzo Hampton is beyond grateful to have the duo, but he also realizes teams are stacking the defense and that he's looking for Hagen's to spread the ball around more.
"We have to take what the defense is giving us," Hampton said. "We know Coach (Southern defensive coordinator Henry) Miller is a heavy pressure guy and they are going to play some man coverage. We've got to win our 1 on 1 battles. We need to protect the quarterback; we've got to run the quarterback. We have to do a lot of things to keep them off balance."
The Lions (2-7, 2-4) have other skill weapons with decent numbers. Running back BJ Curry has 332 yards and four touchdowns and has caught 12 passes for 114 more. Wide receivers Aramoni Rhome (18 catches, 283 yards, 2 TDs) and Daemon Dawkins (16-228-2) are Hagens' other favorite options.
Hampton said Gibson has been getting a lot of extra attention and opponents have dialed up their pass rush. Hagens has been sacked seven times in the past two games and the Lions have allowed 39 overall.
"We haven't been able to keep our quarterback upright the last two games," Hampton said. "We've got to get the ball out quicker this week.
"For the last couple of weeks, he hasn't been open," Hampton said of Gibson, who is from Opelousas, La. "People are starting to double and triple him, put a guy in front of him. We have other guys open, and Mekhi needs to drop the ball off to the other guys that are open. Nobody is going to let one person beat you. JaVonnie is a really talented football player."
Hampton, who served as a graduate assistant under Miller at UAPB, hasn't been able to get the Lions' defense to the same level as the offense. UAPB is 11th of 12 in points allowed (35.8) per game and yards (449.5). Alabama A&M rushed for 356 yards in last week's game.
Defensive lineman Anas Luqman has 2 ½ of the Lions 18 sacks and 6 ½ tackles for loss.
"I don't think there's any secret how Southern plays football; they're hard-nosed," Hampton said. "They want to run the ball. They don't do a lot of crazy things. They are very sound on offense, defense and special teams.
"There's a reason they're the best team in the west. They don't panic when they get down."