Courtesy of Grambling Athletics
GRAMBLING, La. | Grambling State used a 14-point fourth quarter to sprint past Alabama State 24-23 on Saturday afternoon at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium in an epic HBCU football contest in the SWAC.
| Statistics | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
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GSU (5-5 overall, 2-4 SWAC) trailed 23-10 heading into the final period but outscored the Hornets 14-0 in the fourth quarter to secure the win. Alabama State had a chance to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, but kicker Brandon Gilliam missed a 28-yard field goal in the closing moments of regulation of the thrilling HBCU football contest.
Grambling State gave ASU (5-4, 4-2 SWAC) a heavy dose of its run game, racking up a season-high 171 yards with three touchdowns. Senior Keilon Elder stepped up big in his final game at Robinson Stadium, sprinting for 104 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.
Starting quarterback Deljay Bailey went 6-for-12 for 76 yards with an interception.
Defensively, Andrew Jones led the charge racking up 14 total tackles with seven solo stops and 2.0 tackles for loss. Freshman linebacker Jamal Jordan also came up big, making eight total tackles with one forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
The first points of the afternoon came via the big leg of Reed Harradine. Harradine drilled a 50-yard field, tied for his longest of the season, with 7:56 left in the first quarter to give the Tigers a 3-0 lead.
Alabama State responded with a 45-yard field goal by Gilliam with five seconds left in the opening period.
Grambling State drove 72 yards in 10 plays on the ensuing drive with Elder finishing it off with a 9-yard touchdown run to give the Tigers a 10-3 lead with 11:14 to go until halftime of the SWAC matchup.
The Hornets tied the game once again with a 4-yard QB keeper by Kareem Keye, making it 10-10 with 7:39 until halftime. Grambling State seemingly regained the lead on a kickoff returned for a touchdown by Elder, but a holding call nullified the score.
After forcing GSU to punt, ASU took its first lead of the game, 17-10, with 3:21 remaining in the half on a 1-yard run by Keye. The Hornets added a field goal just before the half to carry a 20-10 lead into the break of this HBCU showdown.
Gilliam extended ASU’s advantage to 23-10 with a 22-yard field goal with 6:22 left in the third quarter.
With Grambling State facing 4th and 2 at the Alabama State 6-yard line with 13:47 to go in the fourth quarter, Tre Bradford burst through the middle of the Hornets defense for a touchdown to make it a 23-17 game.
Alabama State’s Rhoody Jean-Louis came up with an interception at the GSU 47-yard line with 9:13 left in the HBCU football contest, but freshman linebacker Jamal Jordan gave immediately gave the Tigers the ball back after strip sacking Keye an recovering the ball at the Alabama State 43-yard line.
After moving the ball to the Hornet’s 14-yard line, running back Dedrick Talbert toted the ball 14 yards to the end zone for the go-ahead TD, giving the Tigers a 24-23 lead with 6:19 to play.
Alabama State began its final drive of the day at its own 20-yard line. The Hornets quickly marched down the field, setting up the potential game-winning field goal. Gilliam wasn’t able to knock his fourth field goal of the day through the uprights, missing the 28-yard attempt wide right with 53 seconds remaining.
Keye completed 16-of-28 passes for 280 yards. He added six rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Marcus Harris II led the Hornets on the ground, running for 68 yards on 16 carries.