Grambling State [3-7, 2-5 SWAC] vs. Southern [6-4, 4-3 SWAC]
Date/Time	Saturday, November 26, 2022 | 1:00 PM  | Gameday
Location	New Orleans, Louisiana | Caesars Superdome
Event	49th Annual Bayou Classic
Tickets	Purchase Tickets Here
TV/Streaming	NBC Sports/Peacock
Radio	The Peach KPCH - 99.3 FM [Ruston]
Live Stats	gsutigers.com or click here
Grambling State	Game Notes
Southern	Game Notes
All-Time Series	Southern leads, 39-34
Bayou Classic Series [since 1974]	Series tied at 24
First Meeting	Southern 20, Grambling State 0 [1932]
Last Meeting	Grambling State 29, Southern 26 [2021]
Longest Series Winning Streak	Grambling State - 9
Current Winning Streak	Grambling State - 1
Social Media	Twitter | Instagram | Facebook
Grambling State Gameday Fan Color	Black

GRAMBLING, La. | The Grambling State University football team has an opportunity to play spoiler on Saturday when the Tigers meet rival Southern in the 49th Annual Bayou Classic, presented by Proctor and Gamble, in a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) showdown. Kickoff in this historic rivalry game is set for 1 p.m. at the Caesars Superdome.

In a year that saw Grambling State fall short in the SWAC West Division standings, Southern sweated out many scenarios last weekend. In fact, at one point, Texas Southern held a direct path to the SWAC Championship game against fifth-ranked Jackson State. 

But once the dust settled last weekend, Southern controls its own destiny in the annual rivalry game. A win secures a spot in the SWAC Championship game. A loss means Prairie View A&M, which lost at Mississippi Valley State, ends up meeting Jackson State on Dec. 3.

Grambling State (3-7 overall, 2-5 SWAC) enters its rivalry game after a week off as the Tigers fell 41-7 to Texas Southern on Nov. 12. GSU has won two out of its last three games heading into its final regular season game of the season.

Southern (6-4, 4-3) was also off last week to prepare for the annual rivalry game. The Jaguars are coming off a 27-7 home win on Nov. 12 against Mississippi Valley State. That victory snapped a two-game losing streak, with losses to Jackson State and Florida A&M. 

Saturday's game will be streamed live NBC Sports/Peacock as Chris Lewis and Anthony Herron, along with sideline reporters Lewis Johnson and Corey Robinson, will have the call. 

Grambling State will broadcast and stream the game on the Grambling State Sports Radio Network. The game can be heard in Ruston and Dubach on the flagship station, The Peach (KPCH-99.3 FM), KNNW 103.1 FM in Columbia and Monroe and KEDG 106.9 FM in Alexandria and Pineville. The Tigers' broadcast crew of Ossie Clark and Chyelle Flowers will call all of the action.

Grambling State head coach Hue Jackson said the Tigers had a week off to rest and heal injuries, as well as focusing on areas the team need to improve on.

"Obviously we are excited about getting back to playing football. It's obviously one of the biggest classics that there is, with a game played in New Orleans at the Bayou Classic," Jackson said. "The players are excited, the coaches are excited. We got back to work yesterday (Monday) after having a some down time. We've seen some areas we need to focus on, to get better at. That's our number one goal. Our number two goal is to continue to work extremely hard and to get ready for this game."

ABOUT THE GAME 

• Grambling State and Southern will be meeting for the 74th time overall and 49th time in the Bayou Classic
• Southern leads the all-time series, 39-34, but the Bayou Classic is all tied at 24
• The game will be broadcasted/streamed live on NBC Sports/Peacock
• Southern is looking to capture the Bayou Classic for the fourth time in five years
• Grambling State is seeking back-to-back Bayou Classic victories for the first time since winning three straight from 2015-2017
• This will be GSU head coach Hue Jackson's first Bayou Classic
• Southern head coach Eric Dooley has been a part of this game many times, as a former G-Men
• Dooley is also looking to remain perfect as a head coach against Grambling State (currently 4-0 while the head coach at Prairie View A&M)
• With the win, Southern will move on to the SWAC Championship game against Jackson State … A loss means Prairie View A&M advances to the title game
• Southern was chosen to win the SWAC West Division in the preseason predicted order of finish
• The Tigers were chosen to finish fourth in the SWAC West Division standings

GRAMBLING STATE NEWS & NOTES  

• The Tigers are coming off a 41-7 road loss to Texas Southern on Nov. 12
• Grambling State is 1-1 this season in neutral site games, winning the Shreveport Classic over Northwestern State, but falling in the State Fair Classic to Prairie View A&M
• Lewis Matthews is just three tackles shy of 100 for the season 
• Sundiata Anderson is a force on defense with 7.0 sacks
• Offensively, Maurice Washington paces the ground game with 540 yards, along with seven touchdowns
• Garrett Urban has now scored at least one point (field goal or extra point) in the last 18 games, dating back to the 2021 season
• The Tigers have used four quarterbacks this season - Julian Calvez, Quaterius Hawkins, Chance Amie and Amani Gilmore
• Julian Calvez is projected to start under center during Saturday's rivalry game
• GSU is averaging 23.2 points per game
• The Tigers are balanced on offense, 146.5 rushing and 148.5 passing

WHERE THEY RANK NATIONALLY

• The Tigers are tops in the nation and conference in blocked punts allowed
• GSU is ninth nationally and fifth in the SWAC in 
• Lewis Matthews ranks 12th nationally and tops in the conference in solo tackles
• Matthews is second in the SWAC and 20th in the FCS in total tackles
• Donald Johnson is fifth in the FCS and tops in the SWAC in punt return touchdowns
• Marquis Britten ranks first in the SWAC and 13th nationally in fumbles recovered
• Lyndon Rash also is first in the conference and 38th in the FCS in yards per reception

SOUTHERN NEWS & NOTES 

• The Jaguars are coming off a 27-7 home victory on Nov. 12 against Mississippi Valley State
• Southern led 20-0 at the half before cruising to the win
• With the victory, SU snapped a two-game losing streak
• Besean McCray is the engine that makes the Jaguar offense go
• McCray is 113 of 187 passing for 1,544 yards, with 13 touchdowns and eight interceptions
• As a runner, McCray has 549 yards and six touchdowns
• Jalan Campbell paces the defense with 63 tackles
• Corione Harris is one of the best in the country with four interceptions
• Tahj Brown has recorded 6.5 sacks as the Jaguars have posted 37 on the season
• Southern is about as balanced as it comes on offense, averaging 206.8 yards rushing and 206.2 yards passing
• The Jaguars convert nearly 43 percent on third down

WHERE THEY RANK NATIONALLY

• The Jaguars rank eighth in the FCS and second in the SWAC in third down conversion percentage
• Southern is sixth in the nation and second in the conference in first downs (defense)
• The Jags are second in the SWAC and seventh in the FCS in rushing defense
• SU is ninth nationally and second in the conference in team passing efficiency defense
• The Jaguars rank second in the FCS in team sacks and team tackles for loss
• Southern is fourth nationally in total defense
• Corione Harris ranks 14th nationally and second in the conference in interceptions per game
• Trey Laing is 17th in the nation and third in the SWAC in tackles for loss
• Besean McCray is tops in the conference and 18th nationally in yards per pass attempt

THREE KEYS TO THE GAME

• Grambling State must protect the quarterback
• GSU's needs to win the turnover battle
• The Tigers must avoid committing a ton of penalties 

ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY 

• Southern leads the all-time series, 39-34
• The Bayou Classic, which began in 1974, is all tied at 24
• Since 1974, Grambling State has outscored its rivals, 1,264-1,192
• The longest win streak in the series belongs to Grambling State - Nine Games
• Southern won the first meeting, 20-0, in 1932
• Grambling State rallied to win the 2021 game, 29-26, as Garrett Urban booted a game-winning field

WHAT FANS ARE ENCOURAGED TO WEAR

• The Gameday color for Grambling State fans is … wear BLACK

FOLLOW GRAMBLING STATE ATHLETICS
For complete coverage of Grambling State athletics, please follow the Tigers on social media at @GSU_Tigers (Twitter), /GramblingStateTigers1901 (Facebook), @gramblingathletics (Instagram) or visit the official home of Grambling State Athletics at gsutigers.com.

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