By: Brian Howard
GRAMBLING, La. | The Grambling State University football team got into the win column for the first time in the Hue Jackson era last week, but the Tigers turn the page to a very familiar opponent this week and look to string together back-to-back wins for the first time since the 2019 season.
In a battle of Tigers, Grambling State and Jackson State renew their rivalry on Saturday in Jackson, Miss. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. from Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.
After opening the season with a loss at FBS Arkansas State, Grambling State shook off an early touchdown by Northwestern State in the Shreveport Classic last week. GSU responded with 41 unanswered points in taking a 41-7 lead into the half. Grambling State was in cruise control in the second half before picking up a 47-21 victory over the Demons.
Jackson State, which has yet to yield a touchdown through two games, opened the season in convincing fashion by blowing out Florida A&M, 59-3, in the Orange Blossom Classic. Fast forward one week later, the Tigers picked up a 16-3 win in the Southern Heritage Classic over Tennessee State.
Saturday's game will be streamed live ESPN3 and broadcasted later on ESPNU. Tiffany Greene and Jay Walker 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 Santoria Black, Ossie Clark, Brandon Lagarde and T. Lay Collins will call all of the action.
Grambling State head coach Hue Jackson said during his weekly press conference that as soon as the clock hit zero against Northwestern State, he put that victory behind himself and moved on to this week's opponent.
"As soon as I walked off the field, me celebrating that victory was over with," Jackson said. "It's going to be a tall challenge on Saturday against Jackson State. That's the way this conference is. They are one of the really good football teams in this conference. They are on the schedule and I think our players are really looking forward to playing them."
ABOUT THE GAME
- Grambling State and Jackson State will be meeting for the 71st time
- GSU is 8-2 over the 10 meetings against JSU
- The last time Jackson State defeated Grambling State at home was in 1999 (31-6)
- JSU head coach Deion Sanders is 1-0 against GSU, with the one win coming in the Spring of 2021
- Saturday's game will be the home opener for Jackson State and the W.C. Gordon Classic
- Jackson State enters the game ranked No. 11 in the STATS FCS Top 25 and in the FCS Coaches Poll
- While the two programs are members of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), the game is a non-conference game
- Jackson State is the defending SWAC champions
- JSU has won 10 straight conference games and 11 consecutive games over SWAC opponents, dating back to the Spring 2021 season
GRAMBLING STATE NEWS & NOTES
- Grambling State will reach the halfway point of its season-opening six-game road swing
- Of the six straight road games Grambling State will play to open the season, two are in neutral sites and in both cases, GSU is the home team
- Grambling State gave head coach Hue Jackson his first collegiate win last week over Northwestern State
- Quarterback Quaterius Hawkins was named the SWAC and Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) Offensive Player of the Week
- Hawkins tossed touchdown passes of 83, 20 and 71 yards in the second quarter of GSU's 47-21 win over Northwestern State
- Kicker Garrett Urban has scored at least one point (field goal or extra point) in 10 straight games, which dates back to last season
- Maurice Washington played at Trinity Christian in Dallas, where the offensive coordinator was Deion Sanders and the quarterback was Shedeur Sanders
JACKSON STATE NEWS & NOTES
- Jackson State enters off a 16-3 victory over Tennessee State
- For the second consecutive week, JSU has not allowed a touchdown
- In fact, Jackson State has surrendered just six points through two games
- The JSU defense continues to be a force, recording 12 sacks
- Nyles Gaddy, Alejandro Mata and Sy'veon Wilkerson earned SWAC honors
- The game with Grambling State will be the 2022 home opener
THREE KEYS TO THE GAME
- Grambling State must protect the quarterback
- GSU's needs to win the turnover battle
- The Tigers must avoid mental mistakes
ALL-TIME SERIES HISTORY
- Grambling State leads the all-time series, 47-22-1
- The series dates back to 1952 season, where the game ended in a 13-13 tie
- Grambling State has outscored Jackson State, 1,721-1,447 in the series
- There have been 18 games decided by seven points or less, with GSU holding a 13-5 record
- GSU's largest margin of victory came in 1969 (62-12)
- JSU's largest margin of victory was in 1996 (52-0)
- Jackson State won the last contest, 33-28, in Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium in the Spring of 2021
WHAT FANS ARE ENCOURAGED TO WEAR
- The Gameday color for Grambling State fans is … wear BLACK
LOOKING AHEAD TO WHAT'S NEXT
- The Tigers will play one final non-conference game on the road before entering SWAC play
- Grambling State opens its conference slate in Daytona Beach, Fla., by visiting Bethune-Cookman next Saturday
- Kickoff from Daytona Stadium is set for 1 p.m. (Central)
- The conference opener will be streamed live on ESPN+
- Grambling State and Bethune-Cookman have met 12 times, with the Tigers holding an 8-4 record
- Bethune-Cookman enters riding a three-game winning streak over GSU, dating back to the 2014 season
- The Wildcats won the 2021 contest, 31-14, at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium
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.
