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It's easy to see that Southern has been playing the best football in the SWAC for the past month.

The Jaguars have put together a four-game winning streak largely because of the near flawless play of quarterback Bryant Lee.

A week ago, Lee completed 18 of 34 passes for 305 yards and two touchdowns. He also had 21 carries for 116 yards and three rushing TDs in Southern's 45-14 victory over Texas Southern. He was named the conference co-offensive player of the week along with Alcorn State signal-caller Tim Buckley.

A sample of what Lee has done this season: 1,532 yards passing, 13 TDs, only two INTs. He has also scored three rushing TDs on 86 carries for 306 yards. The numbers don't lie. He has been a major player.

	HBCU football on ESPNU • Florida A&M at Southern Saturday, Oct. 18, 7 p.m. ET • Complete TV schedule • ESPNU TV schedule

"Bryant Lee started for us last year," Southern head coach Pete Richardson said. "He had an injury problem at the end of the year. I thought he really matured over the summer. He's been having an outstanding year as far as building the confidence in our football team. Of course, we have some outstanding wide receivers who are making some plays for him. Our offensive line is doing a fine job [so] any time he can be patient and set his feet and deliver the ball to where it needs to go."

Lee, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound junior, does have some good receivers in the Jaguars' passing attack: Juamorris Stewart (39 receptions for 627 yards, eight TDs), Del Roberts (26 catches for 222 yards, one TD) and Clevan White (19 receptions for 210 yards, one TD). Stewart is Southern's big-play receiver. He averages a league-best 16.1 yards a catch, and whenever Lee needs a first down, he knows where to find him.

Lee has a knack for hitting the open receiver. He demonstrated those skills extremely well last season when he connected on 199 of 303 passes for 2,326 yards and 23 TDs and only four interceptions. In spite of Lee's great talents, Richardson feels he has just scratched the surface in terms of his ability.

"He's still learning to use patience in the pocket," Richardson said. "He's made good decisions as to where to put the football. The big difference in him is he has the size and can run with the football. That's kind of deceiving to most people because they don't believe he can run. But he takes long strides and can run with the football."

Southern (4-2 overall, 3-0 SWAC) will host longtime rival Florida A&M (4-2 overall, 1-2 MEAC) at the A.W. Mumford Stadium in Baton Rouge, La., on Saturday (ESPNU, 7 p.m. ET). The Rattlers have won three of their past four games, including a 23-0 win over Winston-Salem State last week. FAMU coach Joe Taylor knows his defense will be tested when it faces Lee and the Jaguars' passing game.

"He's very efficient," Taylor said. "He releases the ball on time. He has great receivers. He has a great touch and a good grasp of the offense. It's going to be a real challenge for our secondary to maintain some coverage and don't fall asleep."

There's no way you can sleep on Bryant Lee.

HBCU notes

• Delaware State QB Vashon Winton was named the MEAC Offensive Player of the Week. Winton rushed for two touchdowns (16 carries for 102 yards) and threw for one score and 147 yards in the Hornets' 26-20 win over Bethune-Cookman.

• South Carolina State LB Marshall McFadden was selected the MEAC Defensive Player of the Week. McFadden had 15 total tackles, nine unassisted and three tackles for loss of eight yards in the Bulldogs' 24-23 win over Norfolk State. He had two sacks, too.

• Jackson State LB Marcellus Speaks was named the SWAC Defensive Player of the Week. Speaks had a game-high 13 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss in the Tigers' 21-10 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.

• Mississippi State will host Jackson State next season at Davis Wade Stadium on the Mississippi State campus. The historic matchup between the Bulldogs and Tigers is a one-year deal and will be the first time one of Mississippi's two SEC schools plays a historically black college. The game will also be the first meeting between SEC and SWAC schools.

• Alcorn State posted its first conference win of the season with a 35-21 victory over Mississippi Valley State.

• Grambling State and Southern held on to their rankings in the Sheridan Broadcast Network Poll this week. The Tigers and Jaguars remained No. 4 and No. 5 respectively in the Sheridan Poll, while Prairie View A&M moved up one spot to eighth.

• Tuskegee (6-0) remains No. 1 in the Sheridan Poll. The Golden Tigers have a 22-game unbeaten streak. Tuskegee quarterback Jacary Atkinson is 18-0 as a starter during this streak. Tuskegee will entertain Albany State (5-1) in a huge Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup.

Donald Hunt is a columnist for The Philadelphia Tribune. You can reach him at dhunt37261@aol.com.