By: Brian Howard
GRAMBLING, La. | The Grambling State University football team will seek its first win of the season on Saturday as the Tigers meet Northwestern State in a renewal of the Shreveport Classic. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. from Independence Bowl Stadium.
The Tigers kicked off the 2022 season last week with a 58-3 loss on the road against Arkansas State. Grambling State fell behind early and could not slow down the Red Wolves through two and a half quarters. Kicker Garrett Urban provided the lone points, a 30-yard field goal, in the third quarter.
Northwestern State also was on the road last week, falling to No 2 Montana, 47-0. The Demons finished with 16 total first downs and were held to just 36 yards rushing on 33 attempts (1.1 yards per rush). The passing game, led by quarterback Miles Fallin, produced 183 yards in the air, along with a pair of interceptions and was sacked four times.
Saturday's game will be streamed live on HBCU League Pass+. 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 you make the biggest adjustments from Week 1 to Week 2 and the Tigers are eager to get back on the football field and compete against a very good Northwestern State team.
"We are very excited about this week's game," Jackson said. "Obviously it is in Week 2 of our season. We are close to home, but not exactly at home, but we are fired up about playing in the State of Louisiana. We can't wait to get back on the field and get last week behind us. Obviously, things didn't go the way we wanted to last week, but we are excited about this week and the opportunity to play in the Shreveport Classic."
ABOUT THE GAME
- Grambling State and Northwestern State will be meeting for just the sixth time in the series
- Remarkably, the Tigers and Demons will be meeting for the first time in the Shreveport Classic
- The Shreveport Classic was also known as the Red River State Fair Classic
- Grambling State enters the Classic with a 15-3-1 record
- Northwestern State will be making its 63rd appearance and holds an 18-4-1-3 mark in the Classic
- GSU holds the best winning percentage in the Classic (.816) in those programs who have appeared more than four times in the game
- The Tigers last played in Shreveport in 2015 and 2016, with GSU defeating Texas Southern, 41-15, and Alabama State, 21-0, respectively
- The Demons were predicted to finish fifth in the Southland Conference preseason poll
- The Tigers were chosen to finish fourth in the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) West Division poll
GRAMBLING STATE NEWS & NOTES
- Grambling State is making its second of six consecutive times on the road
- Of the six straight road games Grambling State will play to open the season, two are in neutral sites and in both cases, the Tigers are the home team
- The Tigers dropped their sixth straight road game, dating back to last season, with a 58-3 loss at Arkansas State
- GSU, however, won its last neutral site game, a 29-26 victory in the Bayou Classic to end the 2021 season
- Quarterback Quaterius Hawkins was tabbed the starting quarterback by GSU head coach Hue Jackson
- Linebacker Lewis Matthews was named the SWAC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday
- Kicker Garrett Urban has scored at least one point (field goal or extra point) in nine straight games, which dates back to last season
NORTHWESTERN STATE NEWS & NOTES
- The Demons opened the season last week with a 47-0 loss to #2 Montana
- Northwestern State will be facing a SWAC opponent for the second consecutive season, having fallen 13-10 at Alcorn State last September
- The Demons are 16-12 against SWAC opponents, having faced six of the 12 current members of the conference
- Against Montana, 12 different players caught at least one pass
- John Daigle notched the lone sack for the Demon defense
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, 3-2
- The series dates back to 1974, a game played in Shreveport as Grambling State edged Northwestern State, 14-13
- The Tigers took two straight in the series, winning 38-17 in 2009 and 23-10 in 2017
- The Demons won the last contest in 2018, 34-7, in Natchitoches
WHAT FANS ARE ENCOURAGED TO WEAR
- The Gameday color for Grambling State fans is … wear GOLD
LOOKING AHEAD TO WHAT'S NEXT
- The Tigers will play one final non-conference game on the road before entering SWAC play
- GSU visits Jackson State and even though the two programs are conference foes, the game will not count in the conference standings
- Grambling State will make the short trip to Jackson, Mississippi for a 1 p.m. game and the contest will stream live on ESPN+, with a tape delay on ESPNU later that Saturday night
- GSU currently holds 47-22-1 all-time series record, but Jackson State halted Grambling State's five-game win streak in the series with a 33-28 victory in the spring 2021 matchup at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium
- GSU last won at Jackson State in 2019, a 44-21 win
- Fans can purchase tickets at the GSU Ticket Office or click here
FOLLOW GRAMBLING STATE ATHLETICS
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