By: T. Scott Boatwright
GRAMBLING, La. | It came down to one play to determine the winner of Grambling State University's Spring Black and Gold Football Game Saturday afternoon at Eddie G. Robinson Stadium – the last one.
And the Gold Team stopped the Black Team on a two-point conversion on that final play to escape with a 28-27 win in a contest that featured significantly more offense than the one second-year head coach Hue Jackson saw in his scoreless first Spring Game with the Tigers last April
"I'm appreciative of the fans who came out, I'm appreciative of the two honorary coaches we had in Mike Zimmer and Marvin Lewis, and I'm glad the way the game went." Jackson said. "We came out injury free, the end came down to a two-point conversion attempt – You can't ask for any better than that."
Zimmer, former head coach of the Minnesota Vikings, oversaw the Gold team while Lewis, who was head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals from 2003-18, handled those duties for the Black Team.
Leading 14-7 at halftime, the Black Team stretched that lead to 21-7 midway through the third quarter on a short scoring scamper by freshman quarterback Myles Crawley, but Gold Team quarterback Julian Calvez countered with a short touchdown run of his own that pulled it back to a one-score game at 21-14.
The Gold Team had a chance to tie things up late in the third quarter, but on the first play of the fourth quarter Calvez was intercepted in the end zone, turning the ball over to the Black Team.
After forcing the Black Team to punt on the ensuing series, the Gold Team tied things up with 7:30 remaining, running back Keilon Elder bust through a hole and put on the afterburners, racing 81 yards to paydirt to make it 21-21.
Quarterback Quaterius Hawkins drove the Black Team down near the Gold 20-yard line, but a pair of consecutive sacks backed the Black out of scoring range as they punted from the Gold 34, downing the ball at the Gold 5.
After a four-yard run on first down, redshirt transfer quarterback Amani Gilmore, a transfer from North Texas, hit a streaking Antonio Jones in midstride down the right sideline and the sophomore receiver never looked back to turn in a 91-yard scoring reception to put the Gold Team on top 28-21 with 1:25 left on the clock.
But Hawkins steadily directed the Black team 65 yards down the field on the ensuing series, hitting senior receiver Lyndon Rash on a 24-yard scoring strike with 29.2 seconds remaining.
That's when Jackson decided it was do or die for the Black Team and called for the two-conversion.
Hawkins's fire a pass out to tight end Cavadis Kinghten in the right flat, but Knighten was stopped around the three with his helmet flying off to ensure the play was called dead.
At that point Jackson knew he had seen enough and called it a game.
Jackson praised the play of Jones, who made several solid catches, after the game.
"He's been phenomenal," Jackson said. "He's had a great camp. He's done it every day. I can't say I'm surprised, but he has taken that challenge of making the jump to the next level of his abilities and you can see that really happening."
"Lyndon Rash had a good day. I'm glad he's on our football team. Rashon Dickerson, a new player for us, had a great game. (Julian) Calvez – he's always going to make plays and it was great to see Miles Crawley play as well, too."
Jackson didn't give one of his quarterbacks a definitive starting nod after the game – Hawkins and Calvez shared significant action behind center in nearly all games last season with Hawkins starting the first half of the season before Calvez took over the starting role the second half of the 2022 campaign.
"I think that's still a competition," Jackson said of his quarterback depth chart. "Obviously Calvez is the returning starter, so if people want it they're going to have to take it from him. He ain't going to give it away, I can promise you that. That's what makes it fun. I think we have talent on our football team and I think that talent is competing against each other, which is only going to make everybody better.
"So we have some real competition going and I'm fired up about that. Then I look at the defensive side – Sundiata Andrson is just a terror. We tried to double team him and make his life hard out there and he fought well through it. Lewis Matthews, Ryan Fields, Chris Daigre, Quincy Mitchell – there's just so many of our guys I can now talk about where I couldn't a year ago because I really didn't know them and they didn't know me. I know what they're capable of now. And I know they give us a chance to become a better team."
All in all, Jackson said he felt it was a successful spring he hopes sets up a better season for his Tigers in 2023.
"We're trending forward. We didn't score in last year's (spring) game. So there was about an eight-touchdown difference," Jackson said.
"I'm excited about where we're headed and I'm excited about what we're doing. I have a big vision and can see what we have to do and where we need to go, and that's my job – to lead it that way. And I think we're going to get there."
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