Grambling State uses ground game to pound Texas Southern in seesaw SWAC victory

Grambling State gets its first conference win as Texas Southern remains winless

Grambling State and Texas Southern took turns on the scoreboard Saturday in their Southwestern Athletic Conference clash. Neither team put up points without a response from the opponent. Back and forth they went, first the hosts scoring and then the visitors from Texas scoring, in a one-possession contest entering the final quarter.

But Grambling’s punishing ground attack ground paid off during the Tigers’ game-clinching drive, making head coach Hue Jackson seem prophetic.

“I like our offensive line, what we’re doing, and where we are right now,” Jackson said prior to Grambling’s 35-23 victory. “I think those guys kind of know each other a little bit better. We have a good group of guys who are starting to gel.”

The O-line solidified against Texas Southern, paving the way for sophomore halfbacks Chance Williams (174 yards) and Floyd Chalk IV (88 yards). Chalk had a pair of 1-yard touchdown runs, the first to open the scoring and the latter to conclude matters with 4:41 left in the game.

Still missing its injured starting quarterback, Andrew Body, Texas Southern didn’t flinch in falling to 0-4 overall (0-2 in the SWAC). Sophomore Jace Wilson threw touchdown passes to AJ Bennet, Eyan Means, and Jyrin Johnson to keep TSU close throughout. He led his team on a 7-play, 77-yard scoring drive midway through the fourth quarter, bringing the score to 28-23.

“We’ve seen Jace grow within our scheme with the more reps he gets,” head coach Clarence McKinney said Monday during the SWAC media call. “He had an opportunity to perform at a high level this past weekend. He had a few drops that normally our guys wouldn’t do, but Jason’s taken the baton from Andrew so far and become the leader of the team. He’s done some things that we knew he could do, and he’s done some things that we didn’t expect him to be able to do. We’re just excited about having him continue to improve each week.” 

Unfortunately for Texas Southern, the defense couldn’t stop Grambling from progressing down the field when it mattered most. 

McKinney warned that stopping the run would be mandatory. “I think Grambling is one of the explosive teams offensively in our league,” he said in his own prophetic statement before the game. “We have our work cut out for us.” The results weren’t pleasing as Grambling racked up 477 yards of total offense, including 282 yards on the ground. 

Junior quarterback Myles Crawley completed 14 of 23 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns to grad student Lyndon Rash. Crawley wasn’t tasked with carrying the load offensively, but he did his share when not making handoffs.

On Grambling’s 90-yard touchdown drive just before halftime, Crawley was sharp during the two-minute drill. He connected on 4 of 5 passes for 69 yards, including a 17-yard scoring toss to Rash. Crawley was 3-for-5 combined on Grambling’s other scoring drives, although one possession consisted of a 41-yard touchdown to Rash. On the game-deciding drive, Crawley completed his lone attempt, a 37-yarder on third down from Grambling’s 13-yard line. 

TSU is back in action Saturday as it hosts Lincoln University (Calif.) for homecoming. Grambling (2-2, 1-0) looks to extend its two-game winning streak on Saturday when it faces Prairie View A&M in the State Fair Classic. Prairie View has won both games in conference play and leads the wide-open West division that Grambling seeks to conquer in Jackson’s second season at the helm.

“I think the culture is definitely changing,” Jackson said before the game. “I think the expectation of winning is there. Our guys understand that the work has to be put in, week in and week out. I think we’re starting to hit our stride. You know, we gotta go win this West division.”

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