GRAMBLING, La. | Turnovers, turnovers, turnovers that was the difference in Saturday's Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game as the Grambling State University football capitalized off seven mistakes and cashed them into 21 points in a 41-14 win over Alcorn State at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium.
 
"It was good to get out and play a game after taking last week off," Grambling State head coach Broderick Fobbs said. "We've got some bumps and bruises from tonight, but we're pleased to come out on top with a victory. We were able to make some big plays. We were able to run the ball and throw the ball effectively, but also too defensively we've been able to turn people over like we do, which has been truly amazing. All of that credit defensively goes to our defensive staff and our players so my hats off to them at this time. Also my hats off to our offense as well."
 
Grambling State (6-1 overall, 3-0 SWAC) led from start to finish in a matchup of SWAC Divisional leaders.
 
The Tigers wasted little time in scoring as Grambling State took the opening kickoff and marched 69 yards in just two plays as Devante Kincade connected with Martez Carter for a 57-yard completion. Two plays later, the senior quarterback went 17 yards into the endzone untouched to give Grambling State a 7-0 lead with 14:06 remaining in the first quarter.
 
Alcorn State (5-3, 3-1) answered early in the second quarter when De'Lance Turner scored on a 5-yard run to tie the game at 7 with 13:01 left in the first half.
 
The Tigers would close out the first half strong as Calif Samon caught a 53-yard pass from Kincade to give Grambling State a 14-7 lead with 11:15 remaining in the second quarter.
 
The Tigers took advantage of a fumble midway through the second when Ja'Quez Splond picked up the loose ball at the Alcorn State 25. Seven plays after the miscue, Grambling State cashed the turnover into points as Kincade connected with Marquise Kaigler for an 18-yard touchdown strike to extend the Tigers advantage to 21-7 with six minutes remaining in the first half.
 
Grambling State capped the 17-point second quarter with nine seconds left as Marc Orozco booted the first of his two fields, a 40-yarder, to give the Tigers a 24-7 halftime lead.
 
Orozco's 33-yard field goal with 5:12 remaining in the third quarter pushed the advantage to 27-7 and it appeared the score would remain that way until the fourth quarter, but Dedrick Shy had other ideas.
 
Noah Johnson's pass was intercepted by Shy at the Grambling State 48 and he returned it for the pick-six touchdown to extend the lead to 34-7 with 43 seconds left in the third.
 
Alcorn State answered the Grambling State score on its next possession as Turner bolted through the Tiger defense 47 yards for the score to cut the deficit to 34-14.
 
The Tigers added the final score of the day when Miguel Mendez booted a 48-yard punt and the ball bounced off the hands of Marquis Warford and into the endzone where Quintin Guice pounded on it for the touchdown as Grambling State cruised to a 41-14 victory.
 
Turning Point
Good teams win by not turning the ball over and Grambling State took advantage of seven Alcorn State mistakes.
 
The Tigers sacked Braves quarterbacks seven times and the defense surrendered 363 total yards to Alcorn State, BUT the turnovers played a huge factor.
 
With Grambling State leading 14-7 midway through the second quarter, Ja'Quez Splond registered a fumble recovery and seven players later the Tigers cashed it into seven points (21-7).
 
Dedrick Shy returned an interception back 52 yards for the pick six and Quintin Guice pounded on a loose ball fumble in the end zone.
 
Alcorn State gave up 21 of the 41 points on turnovers, which in turn was the difference in the game.
 
Inside the Numbers
· Devante Kincade was 17-of-26 passing for 268 yards and threw his first interception since the loss at Tulane.
· Devante Kincade threw a pair of touchdowns, with a 57-yard strike to Calif Samon.
· Martez Carter rushed for 115 yards on 25 carries (4.6 ypc.).
· Devante Davis finished with five catches for 76 yards, while Calif Samon added four catches for 68 yards.
· De'Arius Christmas led the way defensively with 14 tackles (seven solo, seven assisted), one sack and one forced fumble.
· Deontae Hatter finished with seven tackles, including one sack and added one interception.
· Lenorris Footman was 5-of-12 passing for 84 yards.
· Noah Johnson finished with three interceptions and was 8-of-17 passing.
· De'Lance Turner recorded 106 yards on 17 carries, including a pair of touchdowns.
· Michael Brooks registered nine tackles, including seven assisted, and one sack.
· Javen Morrison tallied seven tackles, including six solo stops and forced one fumble.
· Grambing State was 7-of-14 in third-down conversions.
· Alcorn State was held to 3-for-13 on third-down conversions.
· The Tigers were a perfect 3-for-3 in red-zone chances.
 
News & Notes
· Grambling State's first drive took less than a minute off the clock.
· The Tigers' second scoring drive lasted less than two minutes (1:49).
· Grambling State scored more than 40 points for the first time this season.
· The last time Grambling State scored more than 40 points was Nov. 26, 2016 (Bayou Classic – 52-30 vs. Southern).
· Grambling State came into the game ranked No. 17 in the FCS Coaches Preseason Poll and in the STATS FCS Top 25 Poll, No. 1 in the SBN Sports Network Black College Football Poll and No. 2 in the BOXTOROW Coaches and Media Poll.
· Grambling State wore its all-black jersey's on Saturday and the Tigers improved to 5-2 when wearing those jerseys during the Broderick Fobbs era.
· Broderick Fobbs improved to 5-1 all-time against Alcorn State, with his only loss coming in the 2015 SWAC Championship game.
· The Tigers have won the last three meetings over Alcorn State, including the 2016 SWAC Championship.
· Grambling State improved to 45-21-3 all-time against Alcorn State.
· The Tigers have won six straight after losing to Tulane to begin the season.
 
Up Next
Grambling State looks to keep its streak going on Saturday when Texas Southern comes to Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium for Homecoming and Senior Day. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
 
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