By T. Scott Boatright
The Grambling State University football team faces another tough test as the Tigers play a noon game today at Bethune-Cookman University in a game that will air on SWAC-TV.com.
B-CU stands at 5-5 overall and 3-3 in the Southwestern Athletic Conferences East Division while Grambling is 4-5 and 2-4 in the SWAC West.
Grambling State will be without 14 players who have been suspended from the GSU football program for their involvement in a postgame altercation that started seconds after Arkansas-Pine Bluff defeated the Tigers 35-32.
It was the second large brawl the Tigers have been in over the past two seasons. Last year Grambling State and Bethune-Cookman started fighting as the two teams entered the field to start the seconds.
Grambling State coach Mickey Joseph addressed the issue in his opening statement of this week’s SWAC Virtual Press Conference that aired on Monday.
“We’re sorry that it happened, that’s not what we’re teaching over here,” Joseph said. “I’ve got to do a better job of getting my kids to channel their emotions after an emotional loss. It happened. I’m embarrassed about it. We’re sorry for the second time.
“It won’t happen again. It won’t happen again because we had a long talk with the kids about how we need to handle things when they feel like somebody is disrespecting them and that they should just walk away and take the high road. It’s an unfortunate incident. We’re sorry it happened. It wasn’t the right thing. We didn’t want it to end like that. We wanted our seniors to go out with a win (in their last home game at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium) and they didn’t.”
Joseph said he doesn’t dodge questions when asked about changes coming for Grambling State’s future.
“We spoke to the staff and I spoke to the team,” Joseph said about knowing his Tigers are out of the SWAC title hunt with two games remaining. “Anytime you’re in a situation like this in the life of athletics, there’s always going to be some changes because you have to go back to the drawing board to see where it went wrong.
“I don’t dodge questions. We’ve got to face it. We’ve got to get these kids back feeling good about themselves and finish these last two games strong and end up with another winning season. But after that I’ll have to sit down with the athletic director (Dr. Trayvean Scott), and the president and the GM and figure out what direction we need to head in. I know what direction I need to head in. I just need to have confirmation from my people. The ultimate thing is that the decisions are made with the upper powers, with the president and athletic director, and we all have to be on the same page.”
Joseph also said he wasn’t concerned with his own personal job security.
“I do expect to be back, but you can’t stop somebody if they’re going to fire you,” Joseph said. “If they’re going to let you go, they’re going to let you go. I’ve been there before. But right now, I’m here for these boys. I’m here for these young men and making sure they’re better guys than when they came through the door. “ I don’t lose any sleep over losing a job because I’m an educated black man, I’m a hell of a football coach, and I’m an even better father to my kids. It’s life. Life is more important than losing a job. Jobs come and go but life doesn’t. I don’t lose sleep on that. I really don’t. But I do want to be back here at Grambling. I really do,”
Joseph was not asked about much, and nothing at all about Bethune-Cookman, during that press conference.
Bethune-Cookman’s offense has averaged 214.8 yards per game rushing, ranking 12th nationally at the FCS level. They have done so thanks to the legs of Rashon Brown, who has recorded nine rushing scores on the year (3rd SWAC, 24th FCS). The aerial attack has not enjoyed the same success, with B-CU sitting in the bottom-10 nationally in passing offense, passes had intercepted, completion percentage, passing yards per completion, and passing efficiency.
Defensively,Bethune-Cookman’s success on the season has largely been because of the Wildcats’ ability to rush the quarterback. B-CU is undefeated on the year (5-0) when recording three or more sacks as a team. The team is also 5-0 when DE Isaiah Washburn records at least one sack. The Cats rank 22nd in the country in sacks per game as a team (2.40).
The Tigers rank fifth in the SWAC in points and yards per game. They are especially strong in the passing game, sitting fourth in passing yards per game and third in yards per attempt.
Jacobe Robinson leads the Tigers with 962 passing yards and 10 touchdowns with only two interceptions and threw for 203 yards and a score in the team’s loss to the Golden Lions.
Sophomore D’Shaun Ford tops the Tigers’ running back by committee corps with 74 rushing attempts but is averaging just 3.7 yards per carry, while freshman Jamarion Parker is coming off his best game of the season with 14 carries for 116 yards against the Golden Lions.
But Grambling has struggled defensively this season, allowing the most yards and second-most points per game in the SWAC. They allowed nearly 700 yards of offense in their early loss to Alabama A&M.
