BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) -- Southern quarterback J.C. Lewis threw for 287 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Jaguars to a 31-14 victory over Mississippi Valley State Saturday night.

The Jaguars (2-0, 1-0 Southwestern Athletic Conference) had a slim 17-14 halftime advantage, but the defense shut down Valley quarterback Aries Nelson, the SWAC's preseason offensive player of the year.

Southern receiver Juamorris Stewart scored on a 65-yard touchdown pass from Lewis to give the Jaguars a 24-14 lead with 10:42 left in the third quarter. Gerard Landry scored off a 44-yard flea-flicker from Lewis to increase the lead to 31-14 with 2:02 left in the third quarter.

Southern's combination of offense and defense proved too much for Valley (1-1, 1-1), projected to be one of the Eastern's Division's leading contenders.

Johey Hargrett rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns for Mississippi Valley. He scored on a 2-yard run and a 5-yard run.