By GSU Sports Information
THE GAME:
When: Saturday, Sept. 1
Where: Alcorn State, Miss.
Stadium: Jack Spinks
Press Box No.: (601) 877-6520/6521
Kickoff: 6:00 p.m.
Series Rec.: GSU leads 36-18-3
Last GSU Win: 46-19, 2005
Last ASU Win: 21-14, 2006
Current Win Streak: ASU, 1
Biggest Margin of Victory (GSU): 53-0,1957
Biggest Margin of Victory (ASU): 34-6, 1996
Longest Winning Streak (GSU): 10 (1955-67)
Longest Winning Streak (ASU): 3 (1968-70) & (1991-93)
THE COACHES:
Rod Broadway (North Carolina ‘77)
GSU Record:………………..………..0-0 (1st year)
Overall:………………………..…...33-11 (5th year)
Broadway vs. ASU..……….………………..…..0-0
Dr. Johnny Thomas (Alcorn State ‘78)
ASU Record:…..…………..…..46-53 (10th year)
Overall:…………………………...46-53 (10th year)
Thomas vs GSU:….….…………………………...2-7
TELEVISION:
N/A
RADIO:
This weekend’s contest will be broadcasted by the Grambling Sports Radio Network (three stations) with KPCH Radio 99.3 FM in Ruston, La. serving as the flagship station. The radio crew consists of Santoria Black (pbp), Eric Lydell (sideline) and Ossie Clark (color commentator).
INTERNET:
Streamed live on
www.amistadradiogroup.com
THIS WEEK’S GAME
The Rod Broadway era officially gets underway on Saturday evening as the Grambling State Tigers travel east to the state of Mississippi for a match-up against the Braves of Alcorn State.
Saturday’s match-up also marks the first time since 2004 that both teams will open the season against each other after back-to-back December contests.
In 2005, both teams were scheduled to open the season against each other but the traditional opening month match-up was moved due to the effects Hurricane Katrina. Last year’s meeting was scheduled late in the year as GSU opened the 2006 season against Hampton in the MEAC/SWAC Challenge in Birmingham, Ala.
ABOUT THE TIGERS
Grambling State enters the 2007 season under the direction of new head coach Rod Broadway. The Tigers feature an abundance of youth on the roster in addition to 33 letterwinners and 13 starters.
Despite finishing 3-8 in 2007, the Tigers were picked to finish second in the SWAC West during the annual preseason poll in addition to four preseason All-SWAC Selections.
Leading the way for GSU offensively is 5-10 senior wide receiver Clyde Edwards and quarterback Brandon Landers.
Edwards is a third team preseason FCS All-American and is within several receiving records at GSU. Landers, a 6-0 junior from Monroe, will start at quarterback for the second consecutive season and looks to improve on a 2006 season that saw him throw for more than 2,000 yards.
On the offensive line, three starters return and they’ll be charged with providing protection for a very young backfield that features a depth chart which lists one redshirt and five true freshmen in the backfield.
Defensively, GSU returns seven starters under the scheme of defensive coordinator Cliff Yoshida. Preseason All-SWAC defensive back Zaire Wilborn leads the way along with defensive lineman Jason Banks, linebacker John Scroggins and rover Jeffrey Jack.
On special teams, Tim Manuel returns as the team’s punter and kicker for the third consecutive season. Due to the graduation of several specialists in 2006, GSU will feature several new faces returning punts and kicks in 2007.
ABOUT THE BRAVES
Alcorn State returns 16 starters (eight offense and eight defense) from a 2006 team that finished tied for second in the SWAC East with a 6-5 (5-4 SWAC) overall record.
Under the direction of 10th-year head coach Johnny Thomas, ASU was picked to finish third in the east and return four preseason All-SWAC selections.
Offensively, both of ASU’s top passers in Chris Walker and Tony Hobson return from 2006 and will have wide receiver Nate Hughes (40r) on the outside to throw to. In the backfield, senior Vernardus Cooper is back at running back and will have All-SWAC senior Justin Telemaque leading the way on the offensive line.
On defense, seniors Antonio Cooper and Lee Robinson will be expected to step up their play in 2007 while the secondary returns three starters.
FOUR TIGERS NAMED PRESEASON ALL-SWAC
The Grambling State University Tiger football team placed four players on the 2007 Preseason All-SWAC Football Team.
Named to the All-SWAC First Team were the tandem of Clyde Edwards and Zaire Wilborn. Edwards, a 5-10, 175-pound senior from Houston, Texas, finished as Grambling State’s top wide receiver with 56 receptions for 789 yards and 11 touchdowns. This marks the second preseason honor for Edwards as he was named to the College Sporting News 2007 Division I Football Championship Subdivision Preseason All-American Team.
Wilborn, a 6-2, 200-pound three-year letterwinner from Houston, Texas, played both defensive back and linebacker for the Tigers in 2006 and concluded the season as the second-leading tackler on the team with 80.
Earning second team honors for the Tigers were the duet of quarterback Brandon Landers and punter Tim Manuel.
Landers finished as the SWAC’s top passer with 2,138 yards and 17 touchdown passes last season. Named as the SWAC’s Player of the Week on two occasions in 2006, the Monroe, La. native ranked 35th nationally in total offense with 205.5 yards per game and 44th with a pass efficiency rating of 124.13.
Manuel, a New Iberia, La. native who serves as Grambling State’s kicker and punter, is the top returning punter in the SWAC with an average of 41.9 yards per punt. He also connected on 6-of-10 field goals and finished second on the team in scoring with 47 points.
THE LAST TIME
The last time Alcorn State defeated GSU in a season opener occured in 2004 by a score of 34-23 in GSU’s home opener and the debut for then-GSU interim head coach Melvin Spears. Prior to that, the last time both teams met in a season opener was a 37-22 victory by GSU in 2001.
FIRST-YEAR DEBUTS
Since former head coach Doug Williams took control of the program in 1998, Grambling State head coaches are 1-1 in head coaching debuts versus Alcorn State.
With both games played in the friendly confines of Robinson Stadium on campus, Williams blanked Alcorn State 11-0 in 1998 while former head coach Melvin Spears lost 34-23 to the Braves in 2004.
HISTORY NOT WORTH REPEATING
Grambling State’s 3-8 finish in 2006 marked its worst record since the 1997 season when the Tigers finished the season 3-8.
Losing seasons are rare as Grambling State hasn’t loss more than six games in a season since identical 3-8 seasons in 1996 and 1997. GSU has only posted eight seasons since 1950 with a losing record.
BROADWAY IN SEASON OPENERS
In season openers, head coach Rod Broadway is 3-1 with two shutouts. He has combined to outscore opponents 167-37 in season openers.
OPENING UP IN STYLE
Dating back to 1950, the Tigers are an impressive 41-15-1 (73%) in season openers with a 4-4 record since 2000.
BROADWAY IN SEPTEMBER
The month of September has been generous to head coach Rod Broadway as he’s 14-2 in the month.
Broadway posted back-to-back 3-1 September records in 2003 and 2004 before netting consecutive 4-0 campaigns in 2005 and 2006.
SPINKS JINX?
Since opening Jack Spinks Stadium in 1992, Alcorn State has proclaimed a “Spinks Jinx” as the Braves were pretty stout at home against their opponents.
However, Grambling State is one of few teams who’ve overcome the jinx as they’re 4-2 in the stadium.
CLYDE’S TIME TO GLYDE
Senior wide receiver Clyde Edwards is quietly closing in on several marks as he closes out his career at Grambling State.
The senior from Houston, Texas is tied for 11th among SWAC All-Time receiving leaders with an 11-touchdown performance last season and currently ranks 13th among the SWAC’s career receiving leaders with 2,412 yards. In addition, he has caught at least one pass in 26 consecutive games dating back to his freshman season and enters the 2007 season ranked as the 7th best receiver in the Football Championship Subdivision by The Sports Network.
An honor student in the classroom (3.9 GPA), here are the records Edwards is within reach of:
Needs 771 yards to surpass Scotty Anderson (3,182) as Grambling State’s all-time leader in receiving yards.
Needs 11 touchdowns to surpass Anderson (35) as the Tigers’ all-time leader for career receiving touchdowns.
Needs 54 receptions to become GSU’s all-time leader in receptions. Tramon Douglas leads with 193.
EDWARDS VS. ALCORN STATE
Against Alcorn State, Clyde Edwards has caught seven receptions for 120 yards and one touchdown. He also posted two tackles at defensive back during the 2006 campaign.
TWO IS BETTER THAN ONE REMIXED
While most teams in collegiate athletics struggle to find one quality quarterback, Grambling State had success at times last season with the quarterback tandem of Larry Kerlegan and Brandon Landers.
A senior from LaMarque, Texas, Kerlegan is the team’s top returning rusher with 30.7 yards per game in addition to throwing for 633 yards and seven touchdowns with no interceptions.
However, while Kerlegan may see time at quarterback, he’ll also spend time at wide receiver as the coaching staff made it a point during practices to find a spot on the field for the talented senior.
For the season, the tandem combined for 145-of-284 passes with 24 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. They’ve also rushed for 310 yards and two touchdowns.
Grambling State was 1-5 when Landers starts on the season and is 2-3 in appearances off the bench while the team was 2-2 with Kerlegan starting and 0-3 in relief appearances.
ASU’S TWO-HEADED QB MONSTER
While GSU went back-and-forth with their quarterback situation this season, ASU encountered the same thing with Chris Walker and Tony Hobson.
Walker played in nine games with five starts while Hobson saw action in seven games with six starts. Walker threw for 1,233 yards and 10 touchdowns while Hobson passed for 669 yards and four touchdowns.
As a starter, Hobson holds a 3-3 record with Walker holding a 3-2 record. Hobson started the first six games of ASU’s season before giving way to Walker the past five games.
The quarterback situation at ASU was still up for grabs entering summer camp so it won’t be a surprise if both quarterbacks see playing time on Saturday.
ANOTHER JUNIOR HIGH?
For the past several Grambling State wide receivers that have posted incredible numbers, their junior year on the field has proven to be the most productive. Similar to Henry Tolbert’s 1,391-yard performance in 2005, senior Clyde Edwards caught a career-high 56 receptions and 11 touchdowns in 2006.
As a junior in 2005, Tolbert had a breakout campaign which saw him catch 74 passes for a total of 1,391 yards and 19 touchdowns. In 2002, then-junior Tramon Douglas had an outstanding season as he caught 92 passes for 1,704 yards and 18 touchdowns.
With Edwards headlining a young group of receivers this season, don’t be surprised if a receiver pops out of nowhere to have a productive junior campaign.
AN UNFRIENDLY PIT
Defensive back Zaire Wilborn enters the 2007 campaign as the team’s top defensive player.
The senior from Houston, Texas, known as “Pit Bull” to teammates, had a strong junior campaign as he posted a career-high 16 tackles in his hometown on Sept. 16 and was named SWAC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 1 for his performance against Prairie View A&M.
He concluded the season as the Tigers’ second-leading tackler with 80.
HEAD COACH ROD BROADWAY
Grambling State‘s Rod Broadway, formerly of North Carolina Central University, is the ninth head football coach in school history. Broadway was recently selected as the 2006 “Sheridan Broadcasting Network Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year” and his North Carolina Central team was voted as the 2006 Sheridan Black College National Champions.
A native of Oakboro, N.C., the 28-year veteran of the coaching ranks wasted no time in putting his stamp on the NCCU program by posting three consecutive winning seasons of eight or more games after a 4-6 record in his inaugural campaign.
In the 2006 season, Broadway made history as he led the Eagles to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Division II’s Southeast Region, a No. 1 ranking in the SBN Poll and back-to-back CIAA titles for the first time since the 1953-54 seasons. In addition, the Eagles also fielded the CIAA’s top-ranked offense (345.1 ypg) along with the 15th ranked defense in NCAA Division II (250.7 ypg). Broadway’s 2006 team also featured four players who earned SBN All-American honors including the SBN’s Offensive Player of the Year in freshman quarterback Stadford Brown, 12 All-CIAA selections, 10 Daktronics All-Southeast Region honorees and two Associated Press Little All-Americans.
He closed out his four-year career at NCCU with a decorated resume’ that includes multiple honors by the Pigskin Club of Washington D.C., Inc., a 33-11 overall record, back-to-back CIAA titles, two consecutive appearances in the NCAA Division II Playoffs, a 16-game regular season winning streak and a 29-4 record over the past three seasons. In addition, Broadway also collected the school’s first-ever victory over a Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) opponent with a victory over Southern University in 2006.
Prior to his tenure at NCCU, Broadway honed his skills on the NCAA football’s highest level as the defensive line coach of the University of North Carolina (2001-02), University of Florida (1995-00), Duke (1981-94) and East Carolina (1979-80).
As an assistant coach at North Carolina, Broadway helped the Tar Heels to a No. 15 national ranking in total defense and an appearance in the Peach Bowl. While at Florida, he served as a member of Steve Spurrier’s staff and helped the Gators attain four SEC Championships, six bowl appearances and one national championship in 1996. Broadway’s defensive units at Florida led the SEC in sacks from 1996-99 with the 1997 team setting a school record for rush defense with 70.7 yards per game.
A 1977 graduate of the University of North Carolina, Broadway played on the defensive line from 1974-77 and helped lead Carolina to the 1974 Sun Bowl and the 1977 Liberty Bowl. Among the honors he earned were the team’s “Outstanding Freshman” in 1974 and “Most Outstanding Senior” along with All-ACC honors in 1977.
EXCELLENCE OFF THE FIELD
Two members of the Tiger football team are playing the 2007 season with their degrees already in hand.
Playing the season as graduate students are tight end Tim Abney and defensive back Brandon Logan. Abney earned a degree in business management in 2006 and is pursuing another bachelor’s in marketing while Logan earned a business degree in 2006 and is pursuing a master’s in sports administration.
HONORING GSU LEGENDS
The past two years saw Grambling State lose two of its biggest athletic program ambassadors in former head football coach Eddie Robinson and former Sports Information Director Collie J. Nicholson. The Tigers will wear a patch on their jerseys honoring Coach Robinson this season and donned the letters CJN in honor of Nicholson last season.
Coach Robinson, who passed away on Apr. 3, 2007, spent 57 seasons consistently fielding stellar football teams and guiding his young charges to successful lives both on and off the gridiron. His unprecedented 408 college football victories set the NCAA’s benchmark for wins in Division I. Coach Robinson retired with an overall record of 408 wins, 165 losses, and 15 ties.
More than 200 of his players went on to play in the National Football League, including Super Bowl XXII MVP quarterback Doug Williams, who would ultimately succeed Robinson as Grambling's head coach in 1998.
Coach Robinson finally relinquished his reigns to the Tigers following the 1997 season, but his contribution to the game will be remembered forever. Also during the same year, he was officially inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Nicholson, the former SID who helped make Grambling State a household name, was fresh out of the Marines following a three-year stint during World War II, joined the Grambling State University staff in 1948 under former president Dr. Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones.
During his 30-year tenure at Grambling State, Nicholson put the Grambling State name on the map as he helped arrange for the band and football team to appear in venues across the world. He also arranged for the first-ever televised game between two black colleges on ABC in 1968 and was the brainchild of the highly successful Bayou Classic between Grambling State and Southern.
In addition, Nicholson’s legacy was honored at Grambling State in the summer of 2006 as the pressbox at Robinson Stadium was renamed in his honor. He passed away in Shreveport, La. on Sept. 13, 2006.
RADIO
Fans can follow the Tigers’ progress under first-year head coach Rod Broadway all season long in Ruston on KPCH 99.3 FM (flagship), KSYB 1300 AM in Shreveport, La. and KTGV 105.1 FM in Jonesville, La. with the pregame show beginning one hour before kickoff.
Santoria Black serves as the voice of the Tigers. Ossie Clark will handle the color commentating duties and Eric Lydell patrols the sidelines.
In addition to the weekly broadcasts, the Grambling State University Coaches Show airs live on ESPN Radio 97.7 FM beginning at 7:00 p.m. each week.
The show, which will feature Broadway and an assortment of special guests, will broadcast live from various locations on the I-20 corridor throughout the season.
Fans who can’t attend the live event can log on and listen to the show live via the World Wide Web at www.espn977.com.
Saturday’s game will be broadcasted live on the Grambling Sports Radio Network with ESPN Radio 99.3 FM in Ruston, La. serving as the flagship station.
BET YOU DIDN’T KNOW THAT
Doug Williams was the first African-American quarterback to start in the NFL’s Super Bowl.
Grambling State was the first historically black college to play a game on national television. (ABC in 1968)
Running back Paul “Tank” Younger was the first player from a black college to make it in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams in 1949.
Junious “Buck” Buchanan was the first Grambling State football player to be drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Grambling State has four players inducted in the NFL Hall of Fame (Willie Brown, Junious (Buck) Buchanan, Willie Davis and Charlie Joiner).
There were five head football coaches at Grambling State before Eddie Robinson assumed control from 1945-1997.
Grambling State entered the SWAC in 1958.
Grambling State has had five name changes since being founded in 1901. From 1901 to 1904, GSU was known as the Colored Industrial and Agricultural School. In 1905, the name was changed to North Louisiana Agricultural and Industrial School before being changed to Louisiana Negro Normal and Industrial Institute in 1928. In 1946, the school was known as Grambling College before changing to its present name of Grambling State in 1974.
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