G-Men host Jackson State in marquee SWAC matchup
GSU junior Nick Howard (88) scores a touchdown in the Tigers’ home opener on Sept. 7. Howard and the offense welcome Jackson State to town on Saturday. Photo courtesy of GSU
GRAMBLING – If Grambling State (2-1, 0-0 SWAC) is going to restore order in the Southwestern Athletic Conference like it hopes, taking down one of its biggest rivals, Jackson State, would be a strong start in getting there.
The Tigers have their chance this weekend in one of the program’s most anticipated home games in recent memory as Jackson State comes to Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium Saturday at 6 p.m. in front of an expected sellout crowd.
No one will win a SWAC title or make the Celebration Bowl based solely on Saturday’s outcome, but GSU head coach Mickey Joseph knows this is the biggest measuring stick yet of where the G-Men stand early in his tenure.
Are they ready to make a statement against a program that, in recent years, has had far more success in the SWAC? Even Joseph is anticipating the matchup, feeling both teams can match up evenly on paper.
“They’re very talented under the center and they’re very talented in their receiving core. They look like us and we look like them,” Joseph said. “It’ll be a good week to go good on good with the receivers and the DBs because I think you’re going to see the same thing on Saturday. We got our work cut out for us, but we understand what we’re going against.”
Jackson State (2-1, 0-0 SWAC) has won the last two meetings in the series, most recently a 66-24 win in 2022 in Jackson, Mississippi. The last time GSU beat Jackson State was 2017 — a 36-21 win.
The series has been an indication of where the programs have turned in recent years, with the G-Men searching for consistency in leadership and talent to return to the top of the league while JSU has won two SWAC titles in the last three years.
But through three games this fall, GSU may have a defense ready to challenge anyone, including Jackson State.
In the Tigers’ 35-28 comeback win over Texas A&M-Commerce last week, GSU forced six takeaways, including four interceptions. Heading into Saturday, the Tigers now have the most interceptions (7) and total takeaways (10) in the FCS.
If the G-Men want to win, forcing JSU quarterback Jacobian Morgan — with just a single interception through three games — into trouble will be key.
“We gotta continue playing defense the way we’re playing defense,” Joseph said. “ Forcing takeaways, we stress that. Coach (Jason) Rollins, coach (Del-Lee) Collins, coach (Jay) Smith, and coach (Deaumante) Johnson stress knocking the ball out, breaking on the ball when you get that opportunity.
“And we’re big on catching interceptions – catch the ball. A lot of people say DBs can’t catch. No, everybody can catch it. We just gotta see the ball in, see the catch and make the play when we need to make the play. We’re going to continue to try to play defense that way and continue to get takeaways. I’m proud of the guys on the defensive side of the ball,” he added.
On the other hand, GSU needs its quarterback, Myles Crawley, to play up to his Preseason SWAC Player of the Year billing.
In his last outing against Commerce, Crawley finished 14of- 30 passing for 125 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions — even benched for three plays to send a message.
He only had 8 interceptions in 11 games last year and already has 3 through three games. Joseph said the brief benching wasn’t a lack of faith in Crawley. It was a wake-up call to remind him the Tigers will go as far as he takes them.
“He knew. I’m open with Myles. We have a great relationship,” Joseph said. “ I told him, ‘You’re struggling right now and if you’re struggling, we’re struggling calling plays because we don’t know what you like right now.’ Everybody was struggling. Coach Joseph was struggling. Coach ( Eric) Dooley was struggling. Myles was struggling. But we couldn’t take coach Joseph and Dooley out of the game. So, Myles had to come see it from the sideline and I think that was good for him because it lit a fire underneath him.
“Myles is like anyone else on this team. If you’re struggling, you’re coming out of the game. He came back and fought, and he did a good job.”
Grambling State (21) hosts Jackson State (2-1) on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium. The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
