GRAMBLING, La. --Grambling State's young gunslingers came out firing while the defense did the rest as the Tigers blanked Concordia College 44-0 Saturday before a crowd of 7,182 at Robinson Stadium.

The Tigers (2-4) started a little sluggish, struggling to move the ball until starting quarterback hit Mario Louis on a 70-yard scoring strike at the 4:32 mark of the first quarter for a 7-0 advantage.

GSU took over in the second stanza, scoring on a one-yard run by Dawrence Roberts and a 10-yard pass from Rivers to Damian Jefferson. The G-Men also took advantage of a pair of botched punts by the Hornets as Tyree Hollins scored on fumble recovery in the end on a botched snap before a second botched snap resulted in a safety as Cliff Exama jumped on the ball.

"We needed this kind of game and this kind of win," GSU coach Doug Williams said. "The offense got things going, but the defense was as strong as usual and it was great to see them hold on for the shutout, because Concordia had some opportunities. Hopefully this is the kind of win we can build on and keep things moving forward as we return to conference play.

GSU built on its 30-0 halftime advantage as Naquan Smith returned an interception seven yards for a score before D.J. Williams entered the game to releive a banged-up Rivers and hit Louis on a 59-yard scoring strike.

"D.J. is still struggling with turf toe and that's something he might have to deal with all season long," Doug Williams said. "Frank got hit in the leg and was limping, so we let D.J. go in there. He's not 100 percent, but that was a good pass he hit Louis on for the score."

On the night, Rivers hit on 7-of-16 passes for 169 yards while Williams went 1-of-4 passing.

The Hornets actually outgained GSU 285 yards to 250, but three inteceptions, two fumbles and the botched punt snaps led to the scoring onslaught for the Tigers.

After the game, Rivers said he knows how important Louis, who had four catches for 140 yards and the two scores, is to GSU's offense.

"He just makes plays," Rivers said. "You put the ball out there and you know he's going to get it. When you need a big play, you know who to look for."

GSU (1-3 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference) jumps back in league play next Saturday with a 2 p.m. homecoming contest against Mississippi Valley State at Robinson Stadium.

"We still have a lot of work to do, but we need to build on this win," Doug Williams said. "There's plenty of season still left, and we want to keep things moving forward and getting better. Hopefully this was only the start."