GRAMBLING, La. | It's a family affair- filled with tradition, lineage and most importantly football between two conference rivals as Grambling State University gears up to take on Southern University in the 44^th Annual Bayou Classic. Kickoff in the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans is slated for 4 p.m.
 
The Bayou Classic will air live on the NBC Sports Network and Grambling State will broadcast the game on the Grambling State Sports Radio Network. The game can be heard in Ruston (KPCH 99.3 FM) and in Monroe (KJMG 97.3 FM). The Tigers' broadcast crew of Santoria Black, Ossie Clark, Leon Thomas and Nick Harrison will call all of the action.
 
The stakes are extremely high for the latest installment of this rivalry between Grambling State and Southern as the 2017 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) Western Division seat is up for grabs. The winner of Saturday's game will move on to represent the division and play in the SWAC Football Championship game against SWAC East champion Alcorn State.
 
"Southern University is a historic program and has always been a successful program. A very skilled team that has always been well-coached," Grambling State head coach Broderick Fobbs said. "It's definitely a heck of a football team. A very worthy opponent that has been successful this year."
 
Both teams enter Saturday's game coming off of an open week. The Tigers (9-1 overall, 6-0 SWAC) have won their last nine games played, including five on the road. Southern (7-3, 5-1) is riding a six-game winning streak after only suffering one conference loss to Alcorn State.
 
What to Watch For
* Grambling State is seeking its 10th consecutive win.
* The Tigers are looking to avoid a conference loss, which last occurred at the 2014 Bayou Classic when Grambling State lost to Southern, 52-45.
* Southern is anticipating their sixth conference win after defeating Alabama A&M, Jackson State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern.
 
Grambling State- Southern Connections
* The Bayou Classic series is tied at 32 between the schools.
* Tigers' head coach Broderick Fobbs is 2-1 against Southern.
* Grambling State won the last matchup, 52-30, in 2016.
* The Tigers' 2016 Bayou Classic win advanced the team into the SWAC Football Championship game against Alcorn State.
* Separated by 215 miles, this will be the 65^th installment of the rivalry.
 
Football Facts
* Grambling State dropped down one spot to No. 12 in the latest FCS Coaches Top 25 Poll and remained at No. 13 in the STATS FCS Top 25 Poll.
* The Tigers remained in the top spot in the SBN Sports Network Black College Football Poll and in the Urban Media Today Black College Football Poll.
* In the BOXTOROW Coaches and Media Poll, Grambling State kept its position at No. 2 behind North Carolina A&T State.
* Grambling State is ranked first in the conference in 17 categories, including total defense, fumbles recovered and winning percentage.
* The Tigers are ranked No. 1 in the conference and nation in team sacks.
 
Inside the Numbers
* Despite two separate open weeks, De'Aumante Johnson continues to hold the No. 1 spot in the SWAC in interceptions per game and has since the Tigers' 31-20 victory over Clark Atlanta.
* Kicker Marc Orozco ranks No. 1 in the conference in field goal percentage (seventh nationally), No. 1 in scoring (13th nationally) and No. 2 (sixth nationally) in field goals per game.
* Martez Carter is ranked No. 3 in the SWAC in all-purpose yards.
* Devante Kincade leads the conference five categories: passing efficiency, passing touchdowns, passing yards/game, total offense and yards/pass attempt.
* De'Andre Hogues is ranked No. 2 in the SWAC in fumbles recovered.
* De'Arius Christmas has been in the top five ranking in the conference in tackles for loss since Grambling State's fifth week of football, where he currently holds the No. 3 spot.
* La'Allan Clark continues to lead the SWAC in forced fumbles and sacks (10th nationally).
 
Awards and Accolades
* Devante Kincade and De'Arius Christmas have been named 2017 STATS FCS Award Finalists.
* Kincade, who was selected a finalist for the Walter Payton Award, ranks second on the team with 192 rushing yards and three touchdowns
* Christmas, who was named a Buck Buchanan Award Finalist, leads the team with 71 tackles, including 37 solo stops.
 
Random Facts
* Grambling State's offensive coordinator Eric Dooley is an alum of Southern University and was a member of the Jaguars' football coaching staff as the wide receiver's coach.
* Tigers' linebackers coach Terrence Graves spent 15 years at Southern as the co-defensive coordinator and then later on as the defensive coordinator.
* Seven Grambling State players on the roster are from New Orleans - Alexander Blunt, Darrell Clark, Ronald Evans, Albion Ford, Najee Gordon, William Jefferson and Dedrick Shy.
* This will be the second time this season that Grambling State will play in New Orleans; the Tigers began their season opener on the road against Tulane.
 
About the Bayou Classic
* The Bayou Classic is the annual college football game between Grambling State and Southern.
* Grambling State's 43-6 victory in 1980 ranks as the largest margin of victory in the Bayou Classic, while Southern's 1935 victory (64-6) is the largest margin in the all-time series.
* The first game was played in 1974 at Tulane University in New Orleans.
* Since 1990, the Bayou Classic has been held the final Saturday in November at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome.
* The series itself originally began in 1932.
 
Follow Grambling State Athletics
For complete coverage of Grambling State Athletics, please follow the Tigers on social media at @GSU_Tigers (Twitter), /gramblingstateathletics (Facebook), @gramblingathletics01 (Instagram) or visit the official home of Grambling State Athletics at gsutigers.com.
 

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