Huntsville Times
GRAMBLING, La. - Alabama A&M's offense, which entered Saturday's game averaging 45 points and 519 yards, misfired throughout the first half against Grambling.
The Bulldogs went three-and-out on their first possession, failed to get a first down on their second possession after getting a first down at the GSU 27 and had to settle for a 37-yard field goal by Jeremy Licea, and went three-and-out on their third possession.
A&M finished the first half with five first downs and 101 yards in total offense, including 21 on the ground. Three of those first downs came on A&M's last possession of the half.
Execution a problem
A&M tailback Ulysses Banks, held to 37 yards on 12 carries, blamed the A&M downfall on "execution. We just didn't execute. And we had our defense out there too long. You can only have them on the field so long. They can only do so much. They're not Superman. They try to be, but we had them on the field too long.
"They (Grambling) did the same game plan, they did the same thing we saw on film. We just didn't execute. They didn't do anything different than what they do to anybody else. And it worked."
Landers loosens up
Grambling quarterback Brandon Landers had a big first half against Alabama A&M.
Landers, who entered the game 0-2 against the Bulldogs, completed 13-of-16 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown to lead the Tigers to a 17-6 halftime lead. Four players caught passes for the Tigers.
Luke looks tight early
Alabama A&M quarterback Kelcy Luke didn't look sharp in the first half against Grambling. Luke was 1-for-5 for 7 yards on the Bulldogs' first three possessions and never appeared to be comfortable early on. He finished the first half 10-of-19 for 80 yards and was sacked once.
And the Oscar goes to ...
Bad enough that Grambling State was already beating Alabama A&M straight-up with conventional football. The Tigers tacked on their third TD when they had a bunch-up third-and-short alignment.
After a quick snap and some Oscar-worthy acting among the Tigers, as if there were a fumble, wide receiver Reginald Jackson came out of the scrum with the football and ran unmolested for 24 yards and a score. "It was like hurry, hurry, hurry to the line. The quarterback hid it some way to a guy ducked down behind the line. The offense ran one way and he went the other. It's easy to see from the sidelines, but on the field it wasn't that obvious," said linebacker Carlton Rice.
Grambling gobbles yards
Alabama A&M had a hard time slowing down Grambling in the first half Saturday night.
The Tigers went 66 yards in 11 plays on their first possession of the game to take a 7-0 lead. Tim Manuel kicked a 29-yard field on Grambling's third possession to give the Tigers a 10-3 advantage and the Tigers scored again on their first possession of the second quarter as Cornelius Walker scored on a 2-yard run to cap a six-play, 73-yard drive to take a 16-3 advantage.
Grambling finished the first half with 194 yards in total offense. A&M entered the game allowing only 278 yards per game.
Busy night for Licea
Licea, who made only four field goals last season, has three this year after hitting a pair in the first half against Grambling.
Licea, who made three field goals in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game to help Alabama A&M beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff in December, hit a 37-yarder midway through the first quarter to pull the Bulldogs within 7-3. He made another one from 36 yards out near the end of the first half as A&M pulled within 17-6 at intermission.
Jones praises Grambling
Alabama A&M coach Anthony Jones has been up for the Grambling job twice in the last four years. Although Jones didn't get the job on either occasion, that hasn't diminished his affection for one of black college football's top programs.
"I've always had a lot of respect for Grambling," he said. "The Grambling name has its own legacy. We're trying to build our name into something similar to what they've built over the years. We want people to respect our program throughout the country."
Good to be home
This was the first home game and only the third Grambling will play at Robinson Stadium this season. The Tigers have a long history of playing neutral-site games, especially from the days of legendary Eddie Robinson. Now, it's an essential budget matter for Grambling and most other SWAC teams to play "classic" games to draw larger crowds.
Grambling has future games in Dallas against Prairie View and in Little Rock against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, as well as the annual Bayou Classic in New Orleans against Southern.
In the 12 neutral-field games last year, SWAC team drew an average of 33,457, according to announced crowd reports. Meanwhile, average SWAC home attendance was 11,593. Nearly 45 percent of those who watched an SWAC team in '06 were attending a neutral-site game.
Reggie Benson and Mark McCarter
The Bulldogs went three-and-out on their first possession, failed to get a first down on their second possession after getting a first down at the GSU 27 and had to settle for a 37-yard field goal by Jeremy Licea, and went three-and-out on their third possession.
A&M finished the first half with five first downs and 101 yards in total offense, including 21 on the ground. Three of those first downs came on A&M's last possession of the half.
Execution a problem
A&M tailback Ulysses Banks, held to 37 yards on 12 carries, blamed the A&M downfall on "execution. We just didn't execute. And we had our defense out there too long. You can only have them on the field so long. They can only do so much. They're not Superman. They try to be, but we had them on the field too long.
"They (Grambling) did the same game plan, they did the same thing we saw on film. We just didn't execute. They didn't do anything different than what they do to anybody else. And it worked."
Landers loosens up
Grambling quarterback Brandon Landers had a big first half against Alabama A&M.
Landers, who entered the game 0-2 against the Bulldogs, completed 13-of-16 passes for 135 yards and a touchdown to lead the Tigers to a 17-6 halftime lead. Four players caught passes for the Tigers.
Luke looks tight early
Alabama A&M quarterback Kelcy Luke didn't look sharp in the first half against Grambling. Luke was 1-for-5 for 7 yards on the Bulldogs' first three possessions and never appeared to be comfortable early on. He finished the first half 10-of-19 for 80 yards and was sacked once.
And the Oscar goes to ...
Bad enough that Grambling State was already beating Alabama A&M straight-up with conventional football. The Tigers tacked on their third TD when they had a bunch-up third-and-short alignment.
After a quick snap and some Oscar-worthy acting among the Tigers, as if there were a fumble, wide receiver Reginald Jackson came out of the scrum with the football and ran unmolested for 24 yards and a score. "It was like hurry, hurry, hurry to the line. The quarterback hid it some way to a guy ducked down behind the line. The offense ran one way and he went the other. It's easy to see from the sidelines, but on the field it wasn't that obvious," said linebacker Carlton Rice.
Grambling gobbles yards
Alabama A&M had a hard time slowing down Grambling in the first half Saturday night.
The Tigers went 66 yards in 11 plays on their first possession of the game to take a 7-0 lead. Tim Manuel kicked a 29-yard field on Grambling's third possession to give the Tigers a 10-3 advantage and the Tigers scored again on their first possession of the second quarter as Cornelius Walker scored on a 2-yard run to cap a six-play, 73-yard drive to take a 16-3 advantage.
Grambling finished the first half with 194 yards in total offense. A&M entered the game allowing only 278 yards per game.
Busy night for Licea
Licea, who made only four field goals last season, has three this year after hitting a pair in the first half against Grambling.
Licea, who made three field goals in the Southwestern Athletic Conference championship game to help Alabama A&M beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff in December, hit a 37-yarder midway through the first quarter to pull the Bulldogs within 7-3. He made another one from 36 yards out near the end of the first half as A&M pulled within 17-6 at intermission.
Jones praises Grambling
Alabama A&M coach Anthony Jones has been up for the Grambling job twice in the last four years. Although Jones didn't get the job on either occasion, that hasn't diminished his affection for one of black college football's top programs.
"I've always had a lot of respect for Grambling," he said. "The Grambling name has its own legacy. We're trying to build our name into something similar to what they've built over the years. We want people to respect our program throughout the country."
Good to be home
This was the first home game and only the third Grambling will play at Robinson Stadium this season. The Tigers have a long history of playing neutral-site games, especially from the days of legendary Eddie Robinson. Now, it's an essential budget matter for Grambling and most other SWAC teams to play "classic" games to draw larger crowds.
Grambling has future games in Dallas against Prairie View and in Little Rock against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, as well as the annual Bayou Classic in New Orleans against Southern.
In the 12 neutral-field games last year, SWAC team drew an average of 33,457, according to announced crowd reports. Meanwhile, average SWAC home attendance was 11,593. Nearly 45 percent of those who watched an SWAC team in '06 were attending a neutral-site game.
Reggie Benson and Mark McCarter
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