2 weeks Ago
Nebraska interim head coach Mickey Joseph watches from the sideline as his team plays against Minnesota during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 5, 2022, in Lincoln, Neb. (AP Photo/Rebecca S.
Gratz) Grambling gave first-year coach Mickey Joseph his first road victory with a thrilling 35-28 overtime victory at Texas A&M-Commerce on Saturday. The Tigers (2-1) tied the game with 1:18 remaining on a 27 -yard touchdown pass from Myles Crawley to Nicholas Howard to cap a 75-yard drive. LSU transfer running back Tre Bradford ran 3 yards for the go-ahead TD in overtime, then Patrick Marshall iced the victory with an interception of quarterback Ron Peace , one of four picks by the Grambling defense.
“It was a tough environment to play in,” Joseph said. “We asked them to give us 60 minutes and they gave us 60 minutes and a little more. We asked them at halftime not to look at the scoreboard and the clock and just play, and they did it.
We’re proud of the boys, but we’ve got some things to clean up.” Grambling was outgained 419-247 but won the turnover battle 6-3 with a pair of fumble recoveries to go with the interceptions. The first recovery was by Blake Anderson , who returned the ball 35 yards for Grambling’s first touchdown.
Crawley completed 14 of 30 passes for 125 yards, including a 10-yard scoring throw to Jacoby Bellazar . Bradford led Grambling with 70 yards rushing on 15 carries. His 41-yard TD run in the second quarter tied the game at 21-21.
“It was a time to show some grit and a time to show that the game’s not over until there are zeroes on the clock,” Joseph said. “They played hard, but we’ve got to play better coming out of the half and I have to do a better job of getting them ready.” Scoring battle Bethune-Cookman fell behind quickly against Western Michigan but fought back to put points on the board in a 59-31 loss.
The big star for Bethune-Cookman was kickoff return man Darnell Deas , who returned two for touchdowns of 95 and 98 yards. The plays happened less than one minute apart on the game clock. He went 95 yards with 46 seconds left in the first half and then took the second-half kickoff 98 yards for a TD.
Quarterback Cam'Ron Ransom got the other two TDs for the Wildcats with runs of 3 and 2 yards, each capping a 75-yard drive. Ransom completed 10 of 14 passes for 116 yards without an interception. The Bethune-Cookman defense allowed 677 yards, and the offense mustered only 255 yards but still controlled the time of possession 33:45-26:15.
Struggling Injury-ravaged Alabama State (1-2) continues to struggle on offense, falling in a mild upset to Samford 12-7. The Hornets, who have lost their top two quarterbacks to injury, had only 209 yards of offense. Freshman quarterback Zach Sims completed 9 of 23 passes for 106 yards.
The only score for the Hornets came in the first quarter on a 14-yard run by Marcus Harris . Samford had 305 yards and won the game on a 1-yard run by Damonta Witherspoon in the third quarter. Alabama State had zero turnovers but converted only 5 of 16 third-down tries.
This week Southern at Prairie View; Jackson State at Grambling; Alcorn State at McNeese State; Texas Southern at Lamar; Florida A&M at Troy; Alabama A&M at Austin Peay; Central Arkansas at Arkansas-Pine Bluff; Mississippi Valley State at Nicholls State; Clark at Bethune-Cookman..
