Grambling Defense Comes Up with 5 Turnovers, Tigers Cruise Past JSU 41-20

GRAMBLING, La. | In front of a crowd of 19,085, the Grambling State University football team sailed past Jackson State for a 41-20 victory at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium on Saturday night. The story of the night was the opportunistic defense for GSU (3-1). Grambling State's defensive unit forced five turnovers and scored two touchdowns in the win. It was the fourth consecutive game that GSU registered a takeaway and the third game in a row that the defense scored a touchdown. GSU's defense which leads the nation in interceptions, takeaways, and defensive touchdowns, surrendered 438 yards of total offense. JSU (2-2) put up 279 passing yards, with touchdown passes of 70 and 66 yards. Andrew Jones , who was named the SWAC Defensive Player of the Week earlier in the week, had another big game making a team-high 11 total tackles with six solo stops. He also registered a sack and with 2.5 TFLs. Offensively, Grambling put up 271 yards of offense. Myles Crawley completed 16-of-28 passes for 167 yards and a touchdown. His top target was Javon Robinson who made five receptions for 44 yards. Ke'Travion "Bull" Hargrove led the GSU ground attack, rushing for 81 yards and two TDs on 12 carries. As a team, Grambling ran for 104 yards. Grambling State got things started quickly driving 77 yards in eight plays on its first drive to take a 7-0 lead with 12:01 on the clock. The score was set up by a pair of big gains by Hargrove. On first and 10 from its own 34-yard line, a 36-yard run put Hargrove moved the into JSU territory and the 30-yard line. Hargrove caught a short pass that he turned into a 20-yard gain, giving GSU 1st and goal at the 10-yard line. On 3rd and goal, Hargrove carried the ball into the end zone for a 7-yard score. After forcing a Jackson State punt, Grambling's JR Waters caught a 22-yard TD pass from Crawley, giving GSU a 14-0 cushion heading into the second quarter. Leading 14-13 with 57 seconds remaining in the first half, GSU's Caleb Lee-Collins stepped in front of Cam'Ron McCoy's pass and turned it into a 22-yard pick six, giving GSU a 21-13 lead a halftime. JSU cut the lead down to 21-20 on a 66-yard touchdown throw from Jacobian Morgan to Ja'Naylon Dupree with 3:23 left in the third quarter. On Jackson State's next drive, Morgan fumbled on JSU's 4-yard line and Patrick Marshall fell on top of it in the end zone for another GSU touchdown, making it 28-20 with 42 seconds left in the third. Grambling State forced another turnover on Jackson State's ensuing possession when Brenden Barley picked off Morgan at the JSU 38-yard line. It was Barley's nation-leading third interception of the season. GSU converted that turnover into points when Hargrove scored a 1-yard TD to put GSU ahead 35-20 with 13:19 remaining in the game. Kicker Reed Harradine wrapped up the scoring by drilling field goals of 29 and 32 yards.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

UP NEXT Grambling State gears up for a State Fair Classic showdown and its Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opener versus Prairie View A&M on Sept. 28. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at the Cotton Bowl and will be broadcast on ESPN+.