By: Deja Harrison, Sports Information Staff
GRAMBLING, La I The Grambling State University football team will kick-off its first game of the season on Saturday night as the Tigers take on Sun Belt Conference opponent the University of Louisiana-Monroe. Kick-off from Malone Stadium is set for 7 p.m.
Grambling State will broadcast the game on the Grambling State Sports Radio Network. The Tigers' broadcast crew of Santoria Black, Ossie Clark, Leon Thomas and Nick Harrison will call all of the action. The game can be heard in Ruston (La.) (KPCH 99.3 FM – the Peach) and will be streaming online at www.gsutigers.com. Additionally, the game seen live on ESPN3.
The Tigers are coming off a 6-5 overall, 4-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) season. The Warhawks went 6-6 last year, and were 3-2 at Malone Field.
Grambling States Geremy Hickbottom will start his junior season in his second year as the starting quarterback. Last season he played in 11 games completing 145-of-259 (55.98) of his passes. Additionally, he fired 16 touchdowns to nine interceptions. Hickbottom also led the team in rushing yards averaging 45.45 yards per game with eight touchdowns.
The Warhawks return senior quarterback Caleb Evans whom started in 12 games and went 231-of-374 (61.76) on passing attempts. Evans had 16 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions last season.
What to Watch For
> Grambling State is seeking its first season-opening victory since the 2011 season (21-14 win over Alcorn State)
> Grambling State has a new offensive coordinator Mark Orlando who's been at several SWAC schools including Prairie-View A&M, Southern University and Alabama State
> Louisiana-Monroe will be seeking its second consecutive season-opening win. Last season they outlasted Southeastern Louisiana, 34-31
Grambling State- Louisiana-Monroe Connections
> This will be the fourth meeting between the two teams
> Louisiana-Monroe holds a 3-0 series advantage over the Tigers
> Grambling State is 42-26-1 all-time in season openers, with the last victory coming in 2011
> This will be Grambling States first game against Louisana-Monroe under Head Coach Broderick Fobbs.
> The two schools are only separated by 38 miles
>The Warhawks and Tigers first met in 2007 with Louisiana-Monore earning a 28-14 victory. The last time these two teams met was in 2013, with ULM capturing a 48-10 win
Football Facts
> ESPN ranked Grambling State 25th among the top 50 football programs of all time
> Grambling State was predicted to finish third in the SWAC
Up Next
After a trip to Malone Stadium, the Tigers visit Louisiana Tech on Sept. 7. before having the first of two open weeks on Sept. 14. After the open week, the Tigers will have a three game road slate before their 2019 home opener on Oct. 12 against Alabama A&M at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium.
Tickets Still Available
Season tickets and single-game tickets are on sale at the GSU Ticket office and fan are encouraged to visit www.gsutigers.com or call the ticket office to purchase tickets. For more information on purchasing season tickets, call
(318) 274-2625 or
(318) 274-2629.
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.
