Grambling State, Alcorn State set for pivotal divisional football matchup

Grambling State University will host old rival Alcorn State in a showdown in Louisiana this Saturday. Alcorn State head football coach Cedric Thomas and GSU head coach Mickey Joseph discussed their upcoming matchup and the history of the rivalry during a coaches meeting.

“The football field is still 100 yards and 53 and a third, you know we still get six points for scoring touchdowns and one point for extra points, so we just have to play our brand of ball. I’m only concerned about us,” Thomas said.

The past 13 games between the two programs, Grambling State has won eight times, with the longest win streak being six straight wins.

The two programs, separated by 153 miles, had their first meeting on September 11, 1976, with Alcorn State winning 24-0. According to their website the largest attended game was on Sept. 3, 1994, when GSU hosted Alcorn State with an attendance of 25,347.

“I know the tradition of that program; those kids are hard-nosed players. Coach Thomas does a really good job of coaching, but they have a lot of pride, “Joseph said.

The Tigers lost their Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opener to Prairie View A&M (PVAMU), 36-34, in a five-overtime marathon at the 99th State Fair Classic at Cotton Bowl Stadium.

“We’re pissed off right now, and we’re going to play pissed off,” Joseph said.

In that game, quarterback Myles Crawley threw for 286 yards and two touchdowns, completing 29 of 48 passes. The Tigers’ offense recorded 386 total yards, with only 100 rushing yards shared among five players. Only running backs Tre Bradford and Dedrick Talbert managed to reach the end zone.

Despite the offensive struggles, the 15-time Black College National Champion and 26-time SWAC Champion Tigers are powered by their defense, which forced five turnovers and scored two touchdowns in a win against Jackson State. This marked the fourth consecutive game that GSU registered a takeaway and the third game in a row that the defense scored a touchdown.

Redshirt-junior linebacker Andrew Jones led the GSU defense with 11 total tackles, including three solo tackles and one tackle for loss. He currently leads the conference with 49 total tackles this season. The defense faced a tough loss, giving up the game on a pass interference call that set PVAMU up for a one-yard rush to win.

For the Braves, finding success in their running game will be crucial, with dual-threat quarterback and conference rushing leader Xzavier Vaughn at the helm.

The 6-foot-6 quarterback from Beaumont, Texas, had an impressive showing against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, accounting for 374 of the team’s 528 total yards. He threw for 217 yards and a touchdown on 19 completions and rushed for 157 yards with two rushing touchdowns.

Vaughn has eight total rushing touchdowns this season and three passing touchdowns. Running back Jacorian Sewell, ranked fourth in the conference, ran for 111 yards and a touchdown last game, bringing his season total to 475 rushing yards.

When asked about Vaughn’s performance, Thomas credited making him the starter as a key factor in his development.

“He’s getting better and getting comfortable. Once we made him the official starter, he didn’t have to look over his shoulder. The guys really embraced him. He’s just settling in.”

Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium and will be broadcast on ESPN+.