After months of preparation, the 2023 Bear Football program is anxious to continue pushing forward into the new season and get off on the right foot. In order to do so, they must overcome the adversity of a two-and-a-half-hour road trip to Moorhead Thursday and the Mississippi Delta Trojans.
 
"I'm feeling pretty good about going into this game," Southwest head coach Cliff Collins said. "We prepared and we had a great fall preseason camp. The guys are just ready to get on the road and hit someone else, play someone else and see somebody different."
 
Last year, the Bears opened the 2022 season with a 50-0 win at home over Delta, but Collins knows that in order to pull out a season-opening win again this year, his team needs to rise to the challenge.
 
While studying the Trojans, a few things stood out to Collins.
 
"They are going to come with a lot of energy," he said. "They are going to be ready to go. It is going to be their home game, the opener. They are going to be fired up. They have some newcomers on their team. I expect them to come out ready to play and we have to be ready to roll."
 
Another aspect about the game that stands out is it will be the first time in Collins' head coaching career that he opens a regular season on the road.
 
"I didn't think about that but it is just the first game of the season," he said. "I just want to keep everything rolling. I have been perfect in opening games here at Southwest and I want to keep that trend going and get a win on the road. Our whole goal is to be 1-0 and why not this week."
 
Among the new faces who will see their first action in navy and cardinal are quarterback Jordan Mills who missed all of last season with a knee injury and freshman running back Jalen Williams who shined at Mangam (LA) High School last season leading the state in rushing.
 
The receiving corp is mostly experienced with four players returning for their sophomore year, all logging extensive playing time last year. The offensive line, arguably, boasts the most experience with four starters from last year all returning.
 
On the other side of the ball, the defensive line is just as experienced with three key contributors from last season in Jaden Hamlin, Jameer Lewis and James Kate III all expected to lead the bunch.
Collins added that he knows that it all starts up front in the trenches and he feels good about where his offensive and defensive line are heading into Week 1.
 
"Everything starts up front, you are either going to win at the line of scrimmage offensively or defensively," he said. "If we control the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football, we will be successful."
 
In addition to this being Collins' third year at the helm, there are some firsts for some of his assistants. Coach Trevor Stigers takes over the full-time role of Defensive Coordinator while Dominique Sullivan moves up to Offensive Coordinator. Among the new faces is Quentin Saulsberry who is the Offensive Line Coach, Brinson Johnson who leads the receivers and Jalon Thigpen and Stephon Huderson who is in charge of the linebackers and running backs, respectively.
 
Collins said that kicking off the season with a win is the ultimate goal this week.
 
"It is big, it is very big, it is important, it is a must," he said.
 
The Bears and the Trojans kick off at 7 p.m. in Moorhead. The game will be streamed live on BearTV.