Grambling vs. University of Pittsburgh

Grambling State Sports Information

After an impressive season-opening win against Alcorn State last week in Mississippi, the Grambling State Tigers return to the drawing board for a huge test against Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and BIG EAST member Pittsburgh.

Saturday’s game will mark the first time in nearly 40 years that Grambling State will return to the steel city. The Tigers will square off against the Panthers in Heinz Field, which is also the home of the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers.

LAST WEEK’S RESULT: GSU 31, ALCORN STATE 10, SEPT. 1, 2007

In a debut that couldn’t have been scripted any better, the Grambling State Tigers dominated all three facets of the game as the Tigers rolled past Alcorn State 31-10 in the debut of GSU head coach Rod Broadway on Saturday night in Jack Spinks Stadium on the campus of Alcorn State University.

After two possessions, GSU wasted no time on its third series of the first quarter as junior quarterback Brandon Landers hit a streaking Reginald Jackson for 44 yards to score the first touchdown in the Broadway era. In the second quarter, Landers connected with Clyde Edwards on a 4-yard score. The PAT by Tim Manuel was good and GSU upped its lead to 14-0. After a fumble recovery late in the half, GSU moved ahead 17-0 after a 22-yard field goal by Manuel with 24 seconds left in the half.

Ahead 17-0 entering the second half, the Tigers picked up where they left off of Jackson’s 69-yard touchdown pass for a 24-0 lead. ASU added a field goal with 5:41 left in the third quarter to find the scoreboard but the Tigers once again responded with a 16-yard touchdown pass from Landers to Edwards. ASU added a late touchdown in the final quarter but it was too little too late.

Offensively, GSU netted 479 yards (303 P, 176 R) of total offense while ASU finished with 255 (155 P, 100 R). Freshman Frank Warren rushed for 143 yards on 30 carries while Landers was 19-of-36 for 303 yards and four TDs. Jackson had a career-high 198 yards on six receptions and two touchdowns.

ABOUT THE TIGERS

Grambling State opened a lot of eyes last weekend after dismantling the Alcorn State Braves 31-10 before more than 16,000 spectators in Alcorn State, Miss. In addition, the Tigers also debuted new offensive and defensive schemes and had plenty of success on both sides of the ball en route to capturing their first season opener since 2005.

After one week of play, the offensive stars for Grambling State were senior wideout Reginald Jackson, freshman running back Frank Warren and quarterback Brandon Landers. Defensively, linebacker John Carter led the way with six tackles while defensive end John Scroggins and defensive back Brandon Logan posted four each.

Under the direction of first-year 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 2006, the Tigers were picked to finish second in the SWAC West during the annual preseason poll in addition to four preseason All-SWAC selections.

ABOUT THE PANTHERS

Pittsburgh opened the 2007 season with a 27-3 victory over Eastern Michigan in non-conference action last Saturday at Heinz Field. Although the Panthers walked away with the win, they suffered a huge loss on the field as starting quarterback Bill Stull suffered a thumb injury that required surgery.

As a result, the Panthers will rely on a green quarterback but whomever assumes the position will have an experienced offensive lineup to work with as the Panthers return eight starters from the 2006 campaign. Defensively, six Panther starters are back from last season.
Under the guidance of former NFL head coach Dave Wannstedt, Pittsburgh was picked to finish sixth in the BIG EAST this season after finishing sixth with a 6-6 record in 2006.

BIG EAST Ties

Saturday’s contest marks GSU’s first-ever match-up against an opponent who’s a current member of the BIG EAST conference. However, it won’t mark the first time GSU has played a team with BIG EAST ties as they’ve battled current member Louisville and former member Temple in the past.

While a member of Conference USA in 2000, GSU traveled to the state of Kentucky to meet Louisville in Papa John’s Cardinal Stadium. The Cardinals won 52-0 against former head coach Doug Williams.

Grambling State holds a 1-1 record against former BIG EAST member Temple. GSU lost the inaugural match-up 31-30 in 1976 in Philadelphia before winning the rematch 35-32 in 1977 during the Mirage Bowl in Tokyo, Japan.

PLAYING UP

This marks the fourth time in five years that Grambling State will face an opponent from the Football Bowl Subdivision ranks. Last year, GSU played eventual Conference USA champion the University of Houston and fell 42-22. In 2005, GSU ventured to Seattle, Wash. and took on Washington State at Qwest Field en route to a 48-7 defeat. During the 2003 campaign, GSU opened the season on national television (ESPN2) against San Jose State in the Literacy Classic. The Tigers lost 29-0 on the road.

Pitt won’t be the only FBS program GSU will face in 2007 as they’ll battle in-state foe and Sun Belt Conference member Louisiana at Monroe on Nov. 10.

GSU vs. FBS OPPONENTS

While the world buzzed about fellow FCS member Appalachian State’s win over FBS power Michigan last weekend, GSU has also had success playing larger opponents in the past. GSU defeated Temple in 1977 and holds a 2-0 record versus Oregon State of the Pac-10 Conference.
However, Pittsburgh has done its part when it comes to FCS opponents. The Panthers sport a 6-0 all-time record against FCS teams and average 45.2 points in those six games along with two shutouts. Only Villanova in 1998 (48-41) and Furman (41-38 OT) in 2004 have come close to beating the Panthers.

RETURN TO THE STEEL CITY

Thirty-six years have elapsed since Grambling State played in the city of Pittsburgh. On Sept. 12, 1970, the Tigers battled Morgan State University in Three Rivers Stadium in the Renaissance Football Classic. GSU was successful as they won 38-12.

ALMOST LIKE HOME

While some teams get caught up in the hoopla of playing in an NFL Facility, it’s almost second nature to Grambling State as the Tigers are guaranteed of playing in at least one NFL venue per year.

Annually, GSU plays in the Louisiana Superdome in the State Farm Bayou Classic against rival Southern University on Thanksgiving weekend. In 2005, GSU played at Qwest Field in Seattle, Wash. against Washington State in addition to Reliant Stadium in Houston versus Southern.

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 nine seasons since 1950 with a losing record.

BROADWAY IN SEPTEMBER

The month of September has been generous to head coach Rod Broadway as he’s 15-2 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.

GATOR REUNION

Tiger head coach Rod Broadway and current Pitt receivers coach Aubrey Hill were on the same staff at the University of Florida from 1996-98.

Broadway served as the Gators’ defensive line coach while Hill was a graduate assistant. Together, they were apart of a staff headed by Steve Spurrier that helped Florida win the 1996 national championship.

In addition, both coaches also made stops in the Atlantic Coast Conference at Duke. Broadway was at Duke from 1981 to 1994 while Hill coached at Duke from 1999 to 2003.

CLYDE’S TIME TO GLIDE

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 27 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 739 yards to surpass Scotty Anderson (3,182) as Grambling State’s all-time leader in receiving yards.

Needs 9 touchdowns to surpass Anderson (35) as the Tigers’ all-time leader for career receiving touchdowns.

Needs 51 receptions to become GSU’s all-time leader in receptions. Tramon Douglas leads with 193.

Grambling State University Tiger Marching Band