By: Curtis Ford
GRAMBLING, La. | After taking the week off to regroup following a 45-24 homecoming loss to Alabama A&M, the Grambling State University football team is arching forward and prepping for an important Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) contest versus Bethune-Cookman on Saturday afternoon at Harris-Williams Field at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium.
Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast live on HBCUGo.
Grambling State (3-4 overall, 2-2 SWAC) enters the game boasting one of the best offenses in the SWAC. The Tigers currently rank second in the conference is scoring offense, posting 31 points per game. Starting quarterback
Myles Crawley is still one of the best signal callers in the SWAC, ranking second in passing yards (1,593) and touchdowns (12).
Defensively, GSU wants to shake off a rough showing two weeks ago against AAMU. In that game, the Tigers surrendered 336 rushing yards with 196 coming by way of Bulldogs quarterback Xavier Lankford.
Bethune-Cookman comes into Saturday's game with a 1-6 overall record and an 0-4 mark in SWAC play. The Wildcats are led by first year head coach Raymond Woodie.
Last week, BCU fell to Southern 28-18 at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla.
Offensively, the Wildcats rank eighth in the SWAC in scoring offense, averaging 18.1 ppg. BCU also ranks eighth in scoring defense, surrendering 30.4 ppg.
Bethune-Cookman's passing game is led by QB Luke Sprague. Sprague has thrown for 544 yards, four TDs and two interceptions this year while completing 65.26 percent of his passes.
Jimmie Robinson leads the BCU ground attack, running for 273 yards and two touchdowns on 82 carries.
Defensively, Dearis Thomas paces BCU with 67 total tackles with eight tackles for loss.
Grambling State currently leads the all-time series with Bethune-Cookman 8-5.
ABOUT THE GAME
- Grambling State welcomes Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opponent Bethune-Cookman to Grambling, La. for Senior Day.
- GSU is seeking revenge from last season's 36-19 loss at BCU
- Grambling State leads the overall series with Bethune-Cookman 8-5. BCU has won the previous four meetings.
- GSU looks to keep pace in the SWAC West Division title race with a victory over the Wildcats on Saturday.
ABOUT GRAMBLING STATE
- Grambling State fell to Alabama A&M 45-24 on Oct. 14. The Tigers led 24-17 early in the third quarter, but 28 unanswered points for the Bulldogs sunk the Tigers on Homecoming
- The GSU surrendered 336 rushing yards to the Bulldogs in the loss. The Tigers allowed 463 total yards
- Offensively, Grambling State gained 373 yards of offense
- The Tigers rank second in the SWAC scoring offense (31.0 ppg). Myles Crawley is the second leading passer in the conference with 1,593 yards and 12 touchdowns.
- Lewis Matthews lead the GSU defense with 67 total tackles, which is fifth most in the SWAC.
ABOUT BETHUNE-COOKMAN
- Bethune-Cookman is coming off of a 28-18 loss to Southern in Jacksonville, Fla.
- BCU gained 280 yards of offense in the game. The Wildats gave up 338 yards.
- Bethune-Cookman currently sits in sixth place in the SWAC East Division with an 0-4 confernce mark. The The Wildcats are 1-6 overall.
