BATON ROUGE - Many struggles Southern faced against Jackson State were issues in previous games. The special teams group was one that is costing the Jags points this season.

Through the first five games this season, Southern is averaging 34.45 yards per punt, and against Jackson State, they did not have a punt of at least 50 yards. They averaged 29 yards per punt in that game. 

Southern is also 11-of-16 in extra point attempts, putting them last in the SWAC in that category. An extra point attempt is a 20-yard kick.

The group of kickers has become unreliable for Southern. As a result, the coaching staff has started to elect to run a play on fourth down instead of punting and attempting a two-point conversion instead of an extra point. The Jags converted one of their two fourth down attempts against Jackson State, and were successful on their only two-point conversion attempt after missing an extra point earlier in the game.

Head coach Marshall Faulk expressed his frustrations after the Boombox Classic by calling the special teams play "atrocious."

In Tuesday's press conference, Faulk elaborated a bit more on the group.

"And if my punter's not punting well, we're playing with all four downs. I don't care where we're at on the field, and if my kicker's not, if he's not kicking extra points, I'm damn sure not trying field goals. We're gonna go for it (two-point conversion). That's just, hey man, that's where we're at right now. Our kicking our kickers, I'm not gonna placate with you guys. They suck right now. I'm talking, and I don't know where it came from. I don't know why this is the case," Faulk said.

He later added that he knows the kicking group is capable of more, "...If they could not do it, they would not be here. We've watched them kick all summer, all spring, you know, and and fall camp."

Southern's next test is a matchup with Arkansas Pine-Bluff on Saturday for homecoming. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m.