By T. Scott Boatright
It’s been four years since the Grambling State football team has won four straight games.
But the Tigers will be looking to do just that when they take on Alcorn State at 2:30 p.m. today at Spinks-Casem Stadium in Lorman, Mississippi.
The last time Grambling won four straight was in the 2019, when the Tigers reeled off five straight Southwestern Athletic Conference victories in a season they finished at 6-5 overall.
And the last victory of that five game streak came over Alcorn State in Grambling as the Tigers topped the Braves 19-16 at Eddie G. Robinson Stadium.
After losing their first two games this season, GSU (3-2, 2-0 SWAC) has now won three straight after defeating Prairie View A&M 35-20 in the Texas State Fair Classic at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
That victory snapped a five-year losing streak against Prairie View, and that’s something GSU coach Hue Jackson hopes to build on as his G-Men prepare to take on Alcorn State.
“We were able to get those five long, hard years behind us,” Jackson said. “That was a big game for us, but obviously we have a lot more big games ahead of us. I was excited for our team, our fans — for all of our supporters. We’re looking forward to getting some more hardware this year, but we know we have a lot of hard work to do.”
Jackson said his Tigers aren’t getting caught up in the win streak they have going.
“It was our next game,” Jackson said of the win that kept his Tigers unbeaten in the SWAC. “I don’t think we get too high about it or too low about it. We have to understand what it is we’re chasing and what we’re trying to accomplish. That’s the most important thing.”
Alcorn State enters the game at 2-3 overall and 1-1 in the SWAC, but Jackson knows the Braves have a little added momentum heading into today’s game.
“It’s their Homecoming and I’ve heard a lot about the environment at Homecoming there,” Jackson said. “They’re a tough, physical football team. They’re well coached. I have tremendous respect for their head coach —- he’s been in the league quite a while. It’s going to be a tough game and it’s one the road, so we’ve got to pack for a good football team and go play.”
Grambling is averaging 33.8 points per game, thanks in large part to a balanced offense featuring the rushing of sophomore running backs Chance Williams and Floyd Chalk IV along with the aerial attack of junior quarter Myles Crawley, a transfer from Alabama A&M.
Crawley has completed 93-of-54 passes (60.4%) for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns with only one interception.
“He’s living up to expectations and exceeding in some areas, too,” Jackson said about Crawley. “I’ve been very happy and pleased with his play. He’s done a great job of not just playing quarterback, but leading the football team.
“So to watch him go to the defensive players and tell them, ‘Hey, get me a stop. Get me the ball back so we can continue to make plays. That’s what coaches look for. Obviously he’s throwing the ball well. He’s throwing touchdowns and all of that is great. But he’s been first class — a true leader of this football team and I’m very appreciative of that.”
Senior Lyndon Rash has hauled in five of those touchdown passes, including two each in the Tigers’ past two games.
“I think what you see is that all summer (Rash) and Crawley were just throwing the ball,” Jackson said about that aerial touchdown tandem. “And I think you see that connection. They just have it. You feel that when they’re playing. It’s like, make sure Rash is in that spot, because those men, the time they spent in the summer getting to know each other at a higher level, I think we’re seeing the fruit of that right now.”
Jackson believes his coaching staff has played a crucial role in his team’s surge, but he also sees some things he believes the Tigers need to improve on.
“I think we do a great job of planning,” Jackson said. “I think the strategies around a lot of that. Then I think our players understand what we are trying to accomplish and that all starts with the quarterback. He has to have a great understanding and then it all trickles down the offensive line and everybody else.
“But I think we’ve done a good job thus far. I wasn’t as happy as everybody else about the scoring last week. We were done there early and we shot ourselves in the foot that took us out of the scoring zone. So we left some opportunities on the field last week that we need to get better at.”
Another thing Jackson wants to see his team improve on is stopping the plethora of penalties that have become a trend for Grambling, costing the Tigers 85 yards on Saturday.
“We’re leaving seven first downs out there,” Jackson said. “Offensively we had (nine) penalties last week and that’s got to stop. At some point in time, this is going to shoot us in the foot. We have to do everything we can to work through that. That’s definitely something we need to improve at.”
