By: Curtis Ford, Associate AD for Athletic Communications
DALLAS, Texas | The
Grambling State football team is set to open Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play versus rival Prairie View A&M in the 100
th State Fair Classic at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas on Saturday night. Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on SWAC TV
GSU enters to game 3-1 overall, while PVAMU comes into the contest 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the SWAC.
GAME PREVIEW
This will be the 77th all-time meeting between GSU and PVAMU. Grambling State leads the series 52-23-1. The Tigers and Panthers began meeting in the State Fair Classic in 1985. PVAMU has won six of the past seven meetings.
Saturday's game will also be the first Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) game of the season for the G-Men.
Last season, GSU and PVAMU played a five-overtime thriller that saw the Tigers fall 36-34.
GSU enters Saturday's contest after defeating East Texas A&M 31-28 last weekend. The Tigers erased an early 14-0 deficit to scoot past the Lions to snag the win.
The Tigers gained 321 yards of offense in the victory. Starting QB
C'zavian Teasett completed 14-of-26 passes for 179 yards and a touchdown. The Grambling State defense surrendered 352 yards but forced an interception and registered two sacks on the night.
Prairie View A&M beat Northwestern State 27-24 last Saturday in Prairie View, Texas.
PVAMU outgained Northwestern State 494-320, including a 346-164 advantage on the ground.
The Panthers are led by head coach Tremaine Jackson, who is in his first year leading the PVAMU football program. Jackson sports 42-14 career record with head coaching stints at Colorado-Mesa and Valdosta State.
MORE NOTES
RABY LEADS THE SWAC
Grambling State defensive back
Tyrell Raby has burst onto the scene in his first season starting for the Tigers.
Raby currently leads the SWAC in interceptions with two INTS.
Raby also has a fumble recovery that was returned for an 83-yard touchdown is GSU's 37-31 win over Kentucky State.
OFFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT
The Grambling State offense have improved upon its offensive woes from last season.
Currently, the Tigers rank second in the SWAC in scoring offense, averaging 30.8 points per game.
Last year, GSU scored just 11 passing touchdowns during teh season. Through Grambling State's first four games, the Tigers have seven passing TDs
BALANCED RUN GAME
Grambling State features a five running back rotation in the offensive backfield.
Byron Eaton Jr., Tre Bradford, Andre Crews, Tony Phillips Jr. and
Clyde McCelendon Jr. have all been used extensively in the offense.
Eaton leads the Tigers with 175 yards and two touchdowns on 27 carries.
As a unit, Grambling State ranks third in the SWAC in rushing offense. The Tigers average 171.5 yards per game.
TEASETT EMERGES
Replacing two-starter
Myles Crawley is
C'zavian Teasett and
Ashton Frye.
Teasett, a transfer from Southern Univeristy
Teasett emerged as the starting QB and has completed 56-of-93 of his passes (60.2%) with six TDs and one INT
NEW FACES ON COACHING STAFF
Grambling State fans can expect to see a plethora of new coaches roaming the sidelines for the Tigers this season.
GSU welcomes
Erik Losey (Offensive Line),
WIllie Mack-Garza (Safeties),
Reggie Moore (Wide Recievers),
Aaron Tiller (Defensive Line),
Wyatt Anderson (Tight Ends) and
Alan Ricard (Special Teams) to the staff this season.
All of the new coaches bring Division I FCS experience to Grambling State this season.
THE STATE FAIR CLASSIC TURNS 100
The 2025 State Fair Classic marks the 100th game in the history of the Classic.
Grambling State has particpated in the game since 1985. GSU is 28-12 in the State Fair Classic since joining.
Praire View A&M joined the State Fair Classic in 1929 and has particpated all but two SFC's since then. The Panthers did not participate in 1990 and 1991.
Langston and Wiley played the first State Fair Classic in 1925. That game ended in a 0-0 tie.
SOLID DEFENSE
Grambling State returns what's expected to be one of the most stout defensive units in the SWAC . The Tigers return a welth of experience to that side of the ball
Defensive back
Blake Davis, an preseason ALL-SWAC selection, brings experience and playmaking ability to the secondary this season. Davis made 41 total tackles with 3.5 TFLs, three interceptions, two sacks, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick. Also roaming the secondary is
Quintin Talley, who is entering his fourth season at Grambling
Defensive End
Bryce Cage brings a menacing presence to the defensive line. Cage, who was named the Bayou Classic MVP for GSU last season, registered 49.0 tackles in 2024, with 11.0 tackles for loss and 4.0 sacks.
Isaac Washington moves from defensive end to defensive tackle this season.
Last year, he was a force at a defenisve end, making 28.0 tottal tackles with 6.0 TFLs and 2.0 sacks.
The Linebacking corps features experience with
Jamal Jordan,
Marcellius Johnson,
Josh Darling and
Brenden Barley bring game experience into 2025.
Jamal Jordan, a sophomore from Shreveport, La., broke out of his shell near the end of the 2024 campaign. He earned SWAC Freshman of the Week honors, while Barley showcased his big play ability with 39.0 total tackles and tying for a team-high three interceptions.
PRESEASON RECOGNITION
Grambling State football players racked up preseason honors during the offseason.
The Tigers had four players earn spots of the Preseason All-SWAC Teams. Defensive end
Bryce Cage and punter
Johnny Schifano earned spots on the first team, while defensive back
Blake Davis and offensive lineman
Tahj Martin garnered second team recognition
Cage, Davis and Schifano also landed on national preseason watch lists.
Cage earned a spot on the Stats Perform FCS National HBCU Player of the Year watch list.
Davis was named to the Aeneas Williams award watch list, which is awarded to the nation's best HBCU defensive back.
Schifano was named to the FCS.
Punter of the Year watch list.
REPRESENTING "THE BOOT"
Grambling State roster features 50 players from the state of Louisiana.
THE TRANSFER PORTAL
GSU roster features 33 players who've transferred or had previous Division I FBS and FCS experience.
SWAC PREDICTIONS
Grambling State was picked to finish fifth in the SWAC West Division in the preseason projections. Southern was predicted to come in first and we followed by Alcorn State, Prairie View A&M and Texas Southern. Behind GSU was Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
