Southern enters every game expecting to win.

That mentality applies to other Southwestern Athletic Conference teams and in its upcoming matchup against No. 22 Houston (1-0) at 6 p.m. on Saturday at TDECU Stadium in Houston.

“All of that FBS, FCS, it doesn’t matter,” coach Marshall Faulk said at Tuesday’s SWAC coaches call. “We got a game to play. They’re a target. We’re trying to get a win. They’re trying to get a win. Best team gonna win.”

Southern (1-1) is a 51.5-point underdog and currently 0-18 against FBS programs all-time. While the history and prognosticators don’t think too highly of the team’s chances of winning, Faulk has motivated players another way.

The Pro Football Hall of Fame running back told them this game is an opportunity for players with sights on moving to the FBS level to showcase themselves. This was discussed even in their recruiting pitch.

“If they want some eyes on them, they go out there in this game, and they show up, and they show out and make a name for themselves,” Faulk said at Wednesday’s virtual media availability. “As well as for this university, representing us and being the best player possible, which makes us the best team possible.”

Southern has seen players make the jump from the Southwestern Athletic Conference to the FBS in recent years. Former cornerback Rodney Johnson transferred to Louisville for his senior year after the 2024 campaign. After last season, wide receiver Darren Morris transferred to Boise State for his redshirt senior year, and safety Treylan James moved to LSU as a redshirt junior.

Faulk said this game is an opportunity for those without eligibility next year who want to play football in the NFL or other leagues. This applies to star defensive end Ckelby Givens. The graduate student wants to improve his stock before his second shot at the NFL. He went undrafted and received an invitation to Buffalo Bills rookie camp last year.

Not many in FCS football consistently get to the QB like Ckelby Givens.

The Southern star is just relentless.

After 2 games, the 6-2, 245lb edge rusher is tied for 1st in the SWAC in sacks (3) and 1st in tackles for loss (5).

There’s a 3-way tie for 2nd in TFLs: 3.5 pic.twitter.com/8XzFLReVzO

— Toyloy Brown III (@TJ3rd_) September 10, 2026

“Whether that’s the NFL for the seniors,” Faulk said, “or some of these guys who are going to want to hop in the portal come January, this is an opportunity for them to let people know that they stack up. And for them to see that they do stack up, like we’ve been telling them.”

While Faulk wants his players to capitalize on this chance individually, he still knows the priority is preparing the Jaguars collectively versus a Big 12 opponent. Returning players like redshirt sophomore cornerback Ty Lee remember what it was like last year when Southern lost 56-7 at Fresno State.

Lee, who had a team-high seven tackles and a pass breakup in Southern’s 34-15 home-opening win against Kentucky State, shared what he learned from that environment with new players.

“The noise,” he said. “I know Fresno is really loud compared to a lot of the other games we played. So I already told a lot of the freshmen it’s going to be loud. They’re going to be hyped. Just at the end of the day, it’s football.”

One freshman who will get his first taste in this type of setting is running back Champ Davis, who had his first receiving touchdown last week. The Omaha, Nebraska native said the team understands how tough the opponent will be and that it has to go “the extra mile” in practice

“We know we have a hard one this game, but we know what we have coming ahead of us, and we’ve been working very hard,” Davis said. “So we’re ready.”

Houston, which was fourth in the conference last year, is coming off a 33-20 home win against Oregon State, accumulating 533 yards of offense and averaging 7.4 yards per play. The Cougars are led by Willie Fritz, who previously coached at Tulane from 2016-23. He replaced Southern assistant head coach Curtis Johnson, who led the Green Wave from 2013-15.

Faulk understands the opposing offense is prolific, but he said he’s more concerned about Houston’s defense, which had four sacks for a loss of 39 yards.

“As worried as I am with their offense, it’s more their defense,” Faulk said. “They really got after Oregon (State) and made it hard for them to move the football.”

Faulk believes his defense has a chance to have a standout moment, as it saw with linebacker Tayton James’ interception returned 85 yards against Kentucky State. However, “Offensively, we can’t start slow the way that we have,” the Jaguars coach said.

Against Kentucky State, their first offensive touchdown came with seven seconds remaining in the second quarter. In the Jaguars’ 30-17 loss to Alabama State in Birmingham in the opener, they found the end zone for the first time at the 3:25 mark of the first quarter and were scoreless in the second half.

Faulk was encouraged by a spirited practice on Wednesday at the Elite Training Academy in Baton Rouge. The team practiced at a different facility due to the campus power outage, which was resolved on Thursday, the school announced.

Southern’s coach doesn’t view the power outage as an excuse for a worse effort on Saturday. Faulk said Houston’s coach won’t allow his team to take the Jaguars lightly for any reason. Faulk is familiar with the program from his time as the running backs coach of Colorado when Houston beat the Buffaloes 36-20 at home in 2025.

“I understand how physical they are,” Faulk said. “They’re a really good football team. They’re well coached, they’re disciplined. That’s the kind of game that you look forward to. I want my team to go out there and understand that we got to rise up and compete against an FBS school. Once the whistle blows, nobody cares that it’s FCS and FBS. It’s just kids out there playing football, having fun.”