By: Grambling State Athletics
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Date | Saturday, September 26th
Time | 6 p.m.
Location | Dallas, Texas (Cotton Bowl Stadium)
TV | ESPN+
Stats | https://gsutigers.com/sidearmstats/football/summary
Radio | GSU's official radio station, KGRM 91.5 FM | Simulcast on KPCH 99.3 The Peach
Game Day Color | BLACK
DALLAS, Texas | The Grambling State University football team opens Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) play Saturday when the Tigers face Prairie View A&M in the 101st State Fair Classic at the Cotton Bowl. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. CT. and will stream on ESPN+.
Saturday's matchup continues one of the most recognizable rivalries in HBCU football,marking the 78th all-time meeting between GSU and PVAMU. Grambling State leads the all-time series, 52-24-1. Prairie View A&M won last year's meeting 28-13. The Panthers also defeated the Tigers 36-34 in five overtimes in 2024.
Grambling State's most recent victory over Prairie View A&M came in 2023, when the Tigers earned a 35-20 victory.
GSU enters the contest 2-1 overall after opening the season with victories over Clark Atlanta and Central State before falling to TCU in its most recent game.
The Tigers will face a Prairie View A&M team that enters the contest 1-3 overall and 1-0 in conference play. The Panthers opened SWAC play with a 52-14 victory over Texas Southers. PVAMU dropped games against two nationally ranked FCS opponents, No. 4 Tarleton State and No. 9 Stephen F. Austin, and one FBS foe, Baylor.
Through three games, Grambling State is averaging 34.7 points and 447 yards of total offense per game.
The Tigers have rushed for 604 net yards and passed for 737 yards while producing 14 touchdowns. Grambling State is averaging 201.3 rushing yards and 245.7 passing yards per game.
Quarterback
Reginald Johnson has directed the Tigers' passing attack, completing 47 of 60 attempts for 581 yards and two touchdowns. Johnson is completing 78.3% of his passes and has a 167.34 passing efficiency rating.
Johnson has also contributed 12 rushing yards through three games.
Wide receiver
Jordan Bride leads Grambling State with 14 receptions for 221 yards, averaging 15.8 yards per catch. His 221 receiving yards lead the Tigers, while
Tyson George has added 15 catches for 160 yards and a touchdown.
Byron Eaton Jr. has been another important contributor for the Tigers. Eaton has rushed for 79 yards and a touchdown while recording five receptions for 79 yards and two touchdowns.
In the running game,
Tony Phillips Jr. leads the Tigers with 101 rushing yards on 10 carries, including a 75-yard touchdown run.
D'Shaun Ford has added 83 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.
Grambling State has shown the ability to move the football both on the ground and through the air. The Tigers have produced 1,341 total yards through three games, averaging 6.9 yards per play. Grambling State has converted 43.6% of its third-down opportunities and has scored on nine of 14 trips inside the red zone.
The Tigers also have been effective at controlling the clock, averaging 32:33 in time of possession per game.
Prairie View A&M enters the matchup averaging 323.5 yards of total offense per game, including 207.3 passing yards and 116.3 rushing yards. The Panthers have scored 23.8 points per game.
For PVAMU, quarterback Tevin Campell leads energizes the offense leading them in passing and rushing yards. Campbell has completed 65-of-111 for 717 yards and five touchdowns. On the ground, he's run for 168 yards and two TDs on 46 carries.
Defensively the Tigers have allowed 32 points per game through three contests but have held opponents to 172.3 rushing yards per game. Grambling State has also recorded four sacks and has forced three fumbles.
Linebacker
Lonell Cunningham and defensive back
Jalen Guillard lead the Tigers with 14 tackles apiece. Guillard has also recorded four pass breakups and two forced fumbles through three games.
NOTES
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
Date Site Result
- Sept. 27, 2025 Dallas, Texas Prairie View A&M 28, Grambling State 13
- Sept. 28, 2024 Dallas, Texas Prairie View A&M 36, Grambling State 34 (5 OT)
- Sept. 30, 2023 Dallas, Texas Grambling State 35, Prairie View A&M 20
- Oct. 1, 2022 Dallas, Texas Prairie View A&M 34, Grambling State 14
- Sept. 25, 2021 Dallas, Texas Prairie View A&M 24, Grambling State 10
GRAMBLING STATE AT A GLANCE
- Grambling State opened the season with consecutive victories over Clark Atlanta and Central State before facing TCU in Fort Worth
- The Tigers defeated Clark Atlanta, 49-7, in the season opener, then followed with a 48-26 victory over Central State.
- Against Central State, Grambling State produced 644 yards of total offense, including 361 rushing yards, while converting 9 of 12 third-down opportunities.
- The Tigers entered the TCU game averaging more than 560 yards of total offense per game through their first two contests.
TIGERS OPEN SWAC PLAY
- The State Fair Classic marks Grambling State's first Southwestern Athletic Conference game of the season.
- The Tigers were scheduled to open conference play against Prairie View following a bye week after the TCU contest.
- Grambling State's 2026 schedule features eight games against SWAC opponents, beginning with Prairie View A&M and continuing with Alcorn State, Jackson State, Alabama A&M, Texas Southern, Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Bethune-Cookman and Southern.
TIGERS SHOW BALANCE
- Grambling State demonstrated significant offensive balance during the opening two games of the season.
- Through the first two contests, the Tigers accumulated more than 1,100 yards of total offense and produced 14 offensive touchdowns.
- The rushing attack accounted for 10 touchdowns during that stretch.
- Against Central State, GSU rushed for 361 yards on 40 attempts, averaging 9.0 yards per carry and scoring six touchdowns on the ground.
- Six different Tigers scored rushing touchdowns against the Marauders.
- Tony Phillips Jr., Jamarion Parker and Byron Eaton Jr. each provided explosive plays in the victory. Phillips broke free for a 75-yard touchdown run, Parker scored on a 40-yard run and Eaton Jr. had a 58-yard touchdown run.
JOHNSON PROVIDES STABILITY AT QUARTERBACK
- Reginald Johnson has provided a productive presence at quarterback for the Tigers.
- Johnson made his Grambling State debut in the season opener against Clark Atlanta and completed 15 of 17 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown.
- He then started against TCU and completed 14 of 20 attempts for 190 yards and a touchdown.
- Against TCU, Johnson connected with Jordan Bride for a 62-yard completion that helped set up Grambling State's lone touchdown of the game. Johnson later found Byron Eaton Jr. for a 7-yard touchdown pass to cap a 91-yard scoring drive.
BRIDE PROVIDES BIG-PLAY ABILITY
- Wide receiver Jordan Bride has been one of Grambling State's primary receiving threats.
- Bride recorded seven receptions for 72 yards against Clark Atlanta and followed with four receptions for 79 yards against TCU.
- His 62-yard reception against the Horned Frogs represented one of Grambling State's biggest offensive plays of the night.
PHILLIPS JR. PROVIDES IMMEDIATE IMPACT
- Tony Phillips Jr. has made an impact in multiple phases for the Tigers.
- Against Clark Atlanta, Phillips opened the scoring with an 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.
- He also contributed offensively, including a 75-yard rushing touchdown against Central State.
- His ability to create explosive plays in the return game and from scrimmage gives the Tigers an additional weapon entering the State Fair Classic.
DEFENSE LOOKS TO REBOUND
- Grambling State's defense opened the season by limiting Clark Atlanta to 224 yards of total offense.
- The Tigers held the Panthers to 94 rushing yards and forced Clark Atlanta into a 1-for-13 performance on third down.
- Jalen Guillard led Grambling State with five tackles and forced a fumble, while Markeis Sykes recorded a sack.
- Against TCU, Louis Foster led the Tigers with seven tackles, while Jaydon Scott recorded Grambling State's lone sack.
- The Tigers will look to establish their defensive identity again as SWAC play begins.
PRAIRIE VIEW A&M AT A GLANCE
- Prairie View A&M opened the season with a 49-30 loss at Tarleton State before defeating Texas Southern, 52-14.
- The Panthers then dropped consecutive games to Baylor, 44-3, and Stephen F. Austin, 31-10.
- Against Stephen F. Austin, Prairie View A&M was outgained 420-267.
- The Panthers managed one touchdown in the contest, a late 2-yard touchdown run by Kaeden Smith.
PANTHERS' DEFENSIVE PLAYMAKERS
- Malachi Williams is among Prairie View A&M's key defensive contributors.
- Williams recorded six tackles, three tackles for loss and three sacks during Prairie View's 52-14 victory over Texas Southern, earning SWAC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
- The Panthers also recorded three interceptions against Baylor, with Williams, Harrison McKinley and JJ Davis each recording an interception.
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