Southern has reached the part of the season where every healthy body matters, and Tuesday’s update at least gave the Jaguars something to work with. Champ Davis and Ckelby Givens were active at practice before Saturday’s trip to Texas Southern, a useful sign for a team trying to build on its first conference win of the season.
That does not mean either player is ready to be pencilled in just yet. Marshall Faulk made that clear by stopping well short of giving any guarantee, saying both players practiced while their game availability remains undecided. In other words, Southern has some reason for optimism, but no reason to assume the rotation is fixed before kickoff.
The timing matters because Southern enters the week at 3-4 overall after its Oct. 10 win over Prairie View A&M, then used the bye week for self-scouting and preparation. That is exactly how a team should use a breather: clean up the details, get healthier, and avoid wandering into the next conference game half-ready. Faulk said the group had a really good practice and stressed that readiness and preparedness will matter against TSU.
Why this matters for Southern
This is not just about two names on a practice sheet. It is about whether Southern can bring back more of the pieces it needs as the conference schedule tightens. The Jaguars are not in a position to waste opportunities, especially with a third trip to Houston coming up and a chance to stack a second conference win against a Texas Southern side that enters at 1-5 overall and 0-3 in conference play.
That record mismatch does not guarantee anything, of course. College football has a nasty habit of turning supposedly manageable games into uncomfortable afternoons, and Southern will know that better than most. But it is also true that Texas Southern’s numbers leave little room for Southern to be casual about this one. If Champ Davis and Ckelby Givens can go, the Jaguars get a little more flexibility and a little less guesswork.
Faulk framed the bye week in the right terms: self-scouting, preparation, and control of their own destiny. That is the kind of language a coach uses when he knows the season is still alive but also knows there is no room for drift. Southern has a chance to make this stretch count, and getting both players back into the mix would only strengthen that position. The final call, though, still belongs to game day.
For now, Southern has a useful update and not much more. Champ Davis and Ckelby Givens are back on the practice field, Texas Southern is next, and Saturday at 2 p.m. in Reliant Stadium will tell us whether that was merely encouraging or actually important.
