Courtesy of GSU Athletic Communications
Grambling State overcame a pair of 14-point deficits and scored the final 10 points of the game Saturday night to knock off No. 22 Jackson State, 45-38, in a Southwestern Athletic Conference showdown at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium.
Quarterback Jacobe Robinson accounted for five touchdowns, and D’Shaun Ford scored on a 1-yard run with 1:36 remaining as Grambling handed Jackson State its second straight loss after a 5-0 start to the season.
The win improved Grambling to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in SWAC play, while Jackson State fell to 5-2 and 2-2.
In front of 15,434 fans, Grambling overcame an early 14-0 deficit and trailed 21-7 in the second quarter before rallying to tie the game by halftime.
The two teams then traded blows in the second half, with Grambling building an 11-point fourth-quarter lead before Jackson State responded with back-to-back touchdowns to regain the advantage.
Trailing 38-35 with just over nine minutes remaining, Grambling put together the game’s decisive scoring drive, capped by Ford’s 1-yard touchdown run that gave the home team a 42-38 lead.
The Grambling defense then came up with one of the biggest plays of the night as Marcellius Johnson intercepted Jackson State quarterback Caron Tyler and returned the ball 24 yards to give the Tigers possession deep in Jackson State territory.
Theodore Caballero connected on a 24-yard field goal with 1:01 remaining to push Grambling’s lead to seven points, and the defense held on Jackson State’s final possession to secure the victory.
Robinson completed 17 of 21 passes for 212 yards and four touchdowns while adding 52 yards rushing and another score. Tyson George was his favorite target, hauling in eight passes for 93 yards and a touchdown.
Ford added 71 yards rushing and a score as Grambling finished with 438 yards of total offense, including 201 on the ground.
Jackson State wasted little time taking control early.
Li’Darious Pryor scored on a 25-yard run to open the scoring before Justin Foster returned a Grambling fumble 11 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 advantage.
Grambling answered late in the opening quarter when Robinson connected with George on a 5-yard touchdown pass to cap a 75-yard scoring drive.
Pryor’s second rushing touchdown, this one from 16 yards out early in the second quarter, restored Jackson State’s 14-point advantage at 21-7.
But Grambling responded with two unanswered touchdowns before halftime.
Robinson scored on a 6-yard run before finding Nae’Saan Dickerson on a 5-yard touchdown pass with 22 seconds remaining in the half to tie the game at 21-21.
Jackson State regained the lead on a 48-yard field goal in the third quarter, but Grambling answered with an 11-play, 62-yard drive that ended with Robinson’s 9-yard touchdown pass to Patrick Williams II.
The Tigers extended their advantage to 35-24 early in the fourth quarter when Robinson connected with Lantavious Murphy on a 54-yard scoring strike.
Jackson State wasn’t finished.
Tyler found Jency Riley Jr. for a 7-yard touchdown before Pryor scored his third rushing touchdown of the night on a 3-yard run, putting Jackson State back in front 38-35 with 9:19 remaining.
That set the stage for Grambling’s late-game heroics.
Defensively, Johnson finished with seven tackles and an interception, while Louis Foster also intercepted a pass. Donte Hookfin recorded three tackles for loss, including a sack.
Grambling’s defense finished with two sacks and two interceptions, including the fourth-quarter takeaway that helped seal one of the Tigers’ biggest victories of the season.
