LAS VEGAS — In a wild finish fitting for the city that never sleeps, HBCU football fans were treated to a game that was made for Vegas as Grambling State stunned Jackson State 26–24 in the inaugural Las Vegas HBCU Classic at Allegiant Stadium. For the second straight year, Grambling State pulled off an improbable victory against the reigning SWAC and Celebration Bowl champions — this time overcoming the loss of its starting quarterback in the final minutes.
Jackson State (5–2, 3–1 SWAC) looked poised to control the game early. Quarterback Jacobian Morgan engineered a crisp opening drive capped by his own 7-yard touchdown run, and kicker Donovan Warren added a field goal to push the Tigers ahead 10–0 by the end of the first quarter. Grambling State (5–3, 2–2 SWAC) struggled to move the ball early, punting on its first two drives and losing a fumble near midfield.
But as has often been the case in this renewed HBCU rivalry, momentum shifted fast. Quarterback C’Zavian Teasett — steady all night — ignited the Tigers with a 59-yard strike to Covadis Knighten just before halftime to cut the deficit to 10–6. A last-second field goal from Theodore Caballero made it 10–9 at the break.
Teasett played his best football after halftime, finding tight end Alex Frazier for a 26-yard touchdown that extended Grambling State’s lead to 23–10 early in the fourth quarter. The junior finished 16-of-26 passing for 232 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions before disaster struck. While scrambling late in the fourth quarter, Teasett was hit hard and was carted off the field after being unable to move.
Backup A’Myne Darensbourg, a redshirt freshman, entered under immense pressure with the game on the line. Jackson State had stormed back behind quarterback Jared Lockhart, whose 62-yard bomb to Nate Rembert and a one-yard keeper put the reigning champions ahead 24–23 with just over two minutes to play.
The Vegas Miracle
From there, Grambling State delivered a drive worthy of the Las Vegas lights. Starting from its own 35, Darensbourg calmly completed a third-down pass to Barron Miles Jr. to move the chains. With time winding down, kicker Josh McCormick — who hadn’t attempted a field goal all night — nailed a 44-yard game-winner with 21 seconds left, sending the black-and-gold sideline into a frenzy.
Grambling finished with 365 total yards to Jackson State’s 448 but won the turnover battle and controlled critical moments. Tre Bradford led the ground game with 58 yards on 11 carries, while Knighten added 96 receiving yards and a touchdown.
HBCU football leaves its mark on Vegas
The inaugural Las Vegas Classic lived up to its billing as a showcase for HBCU excellence, pageantry, and pride. With over 29,000 fans in attendance and two iconic programs trading haymakers until the final seconds, it proved that Grambling State and Jackson State remain standard-bearers for the culture — and for thrilling football drama in any setting.