By: Brian Howard
GRAMBLING, La. | The Grambling State University football team wraps up its three-game Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) homestand on Saturday afternoon as the Tigers play host to Arkansas-Pine Bluff during Military Appreciation Day, Senior Day and Homecoming. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. from Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium.
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Grambling State (2-6 overall, 1-4 SWAC) broke a five-game losing streak last week with a 35-6 rout of Alcorn State at home. The Tigers took advantage of two Alcorn State turnovers, along with a blocked punt, as GSU took a 28-0 lead into the half. With GSU leading, 14-0,
Myron Stewart put an exclamation mark on the first half with a 68-yard pick six touchdown.
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Arkansas-Pine Bluff (2-6, 0-5) made a change last week as Don Treadwell took over head coaching duties as the Golden Lions dropped a 27-6 road decision to Florida A&M. The Rattlers celebrated homecoming by sacking quarterback Skyler Perry three times and forcing one interception. Arkansas-Pine Bluff will roll into Grambling State riding a six-game losing streak after opening the season with wins over Lane College and North American University.
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Saturday's game will be streamed live ESPN+ as Santoria Black and Ken Moore 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.
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Grambling State head coach
Hue Jackson said the Tigers made some key plays early on against Alcorn State, which provided the spark they needed to earn the home victory.
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"We were happy to come away with a win," Jackson said. "I think our players deserved, our coaches deserved it. They worked extremely hard. I thought our defense played extremely well and I thought our offense made some plays in crucial moments that we needed, especially early that got us get the lead."
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ABOUT THE GAME
- Grambling State and Arkansas-Pine Bluff will be meeting for the 47th time
- Saturday's game will feature Military Appreciation Day, Senior Day and Homecoming
- GSU will honor 22 seniors (20 football student-athletes) prior to the start of the game
- The Tigers will honor the 1992 and 2002 championship teams at halftime
- For Grambling State football player Sammy White will receive his Black College Football Hall of Fame ring during Saturday's ceremonies
- Saturday's game will mark the second consecutive week the Tigers will be on ESPN+
- With last week's loss, UAPB has officially been eliminated from the SWAC West Division crown
- The Golden Lions were predicted to finish fifth in the West Division standings
- The Tigers were chosen to finish fourth in the SWAC West Division standings
GRAMBLING STATE NEWS & NOTESÂ
- The Tigers are coming of a 35-6 victory over Alcorn State last Saturday
- Grambling State took advantage of turnovers and cashed them in
- The Tigers scored on offense, defense and the special teams accounted for a blocked punt
- With the win, Grambling State snapped a two-game losing streak inside Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium (Bethune-Cookman and Florida A&M)
- Also with the win, GSU remains mathematically alive for a berth in the SWAC Championship game, but will need help in the form of Prairie View A&M and Southern losing, along with winning the remaining games (UAPB, Texas Southern and Southern)
- Lewis Matthews continues to be a dominating force on defense, with 75 total tackles, including 41 solo stops
- Sundiata Anderson added to sack total last week, with 2.5 sacks, and now has 5.5 sacks this season
- The Tigers are averaging 23.6 points and 284.5 total yards per gameÂ
WHERE THEY RANK NATIONALLY
- The Tigers ranked tops in the country and in the conference in blocked punts
- Grambling State is second in the SWAC and fourth in the FCS in defensive touchdowns
- GSU is number one in the conference and seventh in the nation in fumbles recovered
- Marquis Britten ranks tops in the conference and eighth nationally in fumbles recovered
- Donald Johnson III ranks first in the conference and fourth in the FCS in punt returns for a touchdown
- Lewis Matthews is second in the SWAC and 21st nationally in total tackles
- Matthews is also first in the conference in solo tackles
ARKANSAS-PINE BLUFF NEWS & NOTES
The Golden Lions are coming off a 27-6 loss last week at Florida A&M
Arkansas-Pine Bluff is riding a six-game losing streak, after opening the season 2-0, with those victories coming over Lane College and North American University
UAPB made a change in coaches, as Don Treadwell was named interim head coach prior to the game against FAMU
Saturday's game will mark the second consecutive week the Golden Lions are an opponent for homecoming
Skyler Perry paces the offensive attack, throwing for 860 yards, with four touchdowns and four interceptions
Kayvon Britten has carried the ball 133 times for 784 yards and 12 scores
Defensively, Grant Ewell Jr. has registered 44 total tackles, including 15 solo stops
Nathan Seward leads the team in interceptions, with three
Arkansas-Pine Bluff is averaging 26.1 points and 315.8 total yards per game
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WHERE THEY RANK NATIONALLY
- The Golden Lions are second in the conference and fourth in the nation in defensive touchdowns
- UAPB also ranks fifth in the FCS, first in the SWAC, in fewest penalties and fewest penalties per game
- Maurice Lloyd is fourth in the FCS and first in the conference in kickoff returns
- Lloyd is also first in the conference and seventh nationally in kickoff returns for a touchdown
- Kayvon Britten ranks tops in the SWAC and eighth in FCS in total touchdownsÂ
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
- Grambling State leads the all-time series, 31-13-2
- GSU owns the longest winning streak in the series at 11 games
- The series began in 1951, an Arkansas-Pine Bluff 25-13 win
- The Tigers dropped both contests in 2021 (Spring and Fall)
- The Golden Lions exploded for a 48-21 victory at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium on March 20, 2021
- UAPB held off a late GSU rally for a 33-26 win on November 6, 2021
HONORING ITS SENIORS
- Grambling State will recognize 22 seniors (20 football seniors) prior to Saturday's game
- The Tigers will honor: Lawrence Asiedu, Noah Bean, Marquis Britten, Rey Estes, Wesley Green, Jimmy Iles, Phillip Lee, Bryan Powell, Lyndon Rash, Joshua Reed, Cameron Richardson, Jalon Sheffield, Myron Stewart, Blake Thomas, Demarcus Tinsley, Garrett Urban, Brendan Vaughn, Maurice Washington, Greg White and Bertrell Williams
WHAT FANS ARE ENCOURAGED TO WEAR
- The Gameday color for Grambling State fans is … wear BLACKÂ
LOOKING AHEAD TO WHAT'S NEXT
- Grambling State takes to the road next week with a trip to Houston, Texas to face Texas Southern
- Texas Southern takes on Jackson State, before playing host to Grambling State
- GSU is 47-18-3 all-time against TSU and will roll into Houston riding a seven-game winning streak in the series
- The last time Texas Southern picked up a win over Grambling State was during the 2013 season, a 23-17 victory
- Tickets are on sale by visiting the Texas Southern athletic website at: tsusports.com or click hereÂ
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.
