Grambling State in Bayou Classic vs. Southern
Grambling State Ready To Avenge 2007 Defeat in Bayou Classic vs. Southern
Oh, they were disappointed.
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They were embarrassed. They just about cried. The Grambling State Tigers admitted final year’s State Farm Bayou Classic was one of the most depressing times of their football careers.
They don’t ask for another letdown like persist year’s 22-13 loss to Southern. When properties face the Jaguars in the Bayou Classic today at the Superdome, they hope for happier times.
After last season’s showdown in which the Tigers entered through a perfect highest in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, they notice themselves in a similar situation today.
Grambling State (9-2, 6-0 SWAC) can clinch the outright SWAC Western Division title in a win and be given a spot in the SWAC championship game.
The Tigers just recently pray history does not repeat itself.
“It was sad walking going back to the locker room, ” Grambling State heart Revay Smith said. “Not going to get the trophy and (not) getting to walk on that core stage and beat Southern was hard. We don’t want it to end the way it did go on year.”
In fact, Grambling State players do not fancy their season to end at all. The only guarantee the Tigers own on durable this season is to beat Southern, something properties have done only 3 times in the beyond 15 years.
A win by Southern (6-4, 5-1) may form a three-way tie for first place between the two schools and Prairie View, forcing a coin toss to decide that team is able to play Eastern Division winner Jackson State in the championship game.
In larger number of words, the Tigers said, it might bring regarding more and more disappointment.
“That was hurtful last year, ” Grambling State quarterback Greg Dillon said. “But presently is a entire different situation. Last year we had already clinched the division, and we got going to the championship. The game wasn’t on our minds like it is this year. Right now, we either win or go home. We got our mind set on winning.”
The Jaguars are in no mood to returning down, though.
Like Grambling State, the Jaguars entered the season with arrogant goals of winning the conference title. And properties suffer played themselves into position to play a much bigger role such a season as opposed to the spoiler role properties played survive year.
Southern, that is led by former Hahnville standout quarterback Bryant Lee, has shook off back-to-back losses — in conjunction with its alone SWAC defeat, 24-23 to Prairie View — to beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Alabama State, setting the evolution for the Bayou Classic.
Southern Coach Pete Richardson said his team has not had any trouble getting keen to play Grambling State.
“We outstandingly haven’t erected any changes as far as preparation with what we do on offense, defense and special teams, ” Richardson said. “The only occurence we have to do is settle them down while properties are excited about now game. This game is large for us because a lot of them came to Southern University because of this game. And a championship is on the line. Our goal is to get to who championship game, and I think properties are going out to be ready to play.”
Perhaps the key for the Jaguars serves to be to protect the football. Grambling State leads the SWAC provided a plus-20 turnover margin. Its defense has made 23 interceptions and recovered 12 fumbles.
Meanwhile, the Tigers’ top-ranked defense ought to limit Lee, who has passed for 2,326 yards and 23 touchdowns with simply thre interceptions.
“This is a big game, a elevated game, ” Grambling State Coach Rod Broadway said. “I get hit up all the bit (by fans asking), ‘Are you more than likely to win the Bayou (Classic)? Are you going to win?’ For all of our fans all over the state, all over the country this is a big event for them. This is a big event for our football team.”
That was not always the state of affairs for Broadway, who coached in his beforehand Bayou Classic last year. He said his committe is poised to thwart another letdown their year.
“They understand likely a lot a greater number of than I did last year the importance of this game, ” Broadway said. “I tried to system it as just another game, and all games are big games. But presently game has a tiny bit of more weight than recently an additional big game. This game is a big game. Hopefully, we will be prepared, and we serves to play well.
“For us it is pretty simple how we need to do, we just need to win. If we win the ballgame, next we are in. No ands, ifs, buts roughly it, (if Grambling wins) we could go undefeated in the league. We’ve been right here two years, and we have lost one regular-season league game. And hopefully, we can continue that streak.”
Source: http://blog.nola.com/tpsports/2008/11/grambling_state_ready_to_aveng.html
