Champ Davis and Ckelby Givens were back on the field with the rest of Southern's Jaguars on Tuesday, but their status for Saturday's game against Texas Southern is still unresolved. Marshall Faulk said both players were active at practice after the bye week, yet it remains up in the air whether either will be cleared to play.
The timing matters because Southern is heading into its third trip to Houston this season, and the Jaguars need to know who will be available before they face Texas Southern in Reliant Stadium at 2 p.m. on Saturday. Southern is 3-4 after its Oct. 10 win over Prairie View A&M, the first conference victory of the season, while Texas Southern enters at 1-5 overall and 0-3 in conference play.
Faulk said the team had a really good practice and spent part of the bye week on self-scouting, the kind of work that usually comes before a sharper, more detailed game plan. That preparation now has to account for two players whose return could change how Southern lines up, especially with Champ Davis still being evaluated after an AC sprain and Ckelby Givens waiting on the team doctor's assessment after a concussion.
That is the part Southern cannot settle yet. Davis' availability depends on how he feels, while Givens must clear a medical check before the staff can decide anything final. Faulk said the Jaguars need readiness and preparedness to take on Texas Southern, and that leaves Saturday's lineup dependent on one more round of evaluation rather than on what happened at Tuesday's practice.
The next answer comes at game time, and for Southern it may shape whether the Jaguars can turn a promising practice week into a cleaner finish in Houston. If Davis and Givens are cleared, Southern gets two more pieces back. If not, the Jaguars move ahead without them and keep the focus on a conference game they still need to handle.
