By Nick Deriso, Monroe News StarGRAMBLING — Grambling State has built a 5-0 mark in the Southwestern Athletic Conference with an opportunistic defensive attack.
In fact, a league-best plus-eight turnover margin — which ties GSU with Alabama A&M — already includes 12 forced fumbles and 7 interceptions over the first six games.
Grambling had the same number of picks and just three more forced fumbles over the complete 11-game campaign in 2006.
There's a reason for the quick turnaround on takeaways, first-year GSU coach Rod Broadway says: Focus.
"We work on it every day," Broadway said. "We have a five-minute period each day where we work on takeaways — fumble recoveries, stripping the ball and interceptions. We work on all of those things."
In all, GSU would snatch four of five fumbles against Arkansas-Pine Bluff last week, while picking off two passes that led to 84 return yards in the other direction.
The result: A 30-24 win which, coupled with Southern's loss against Jackson State, put Grambling (5-1 overall; 5-0 in the SWAC) up by two the league race for the Western Division crown.
Most impressive was one stretch early in the third quarter when the Tigers held a slim 17-10 lead against Pine Bluff. Grambling would reel off three consecutive momentum-changing turnovers: DeMichael Dizer and Keefe Hall recovered consecutive fumbles, then Kenneth Anio picked off a pass.
The defense kept UAPB on its heels, even while Grambling's offense sputtered.
Anio also had a first-quarter takeaway last Saturday, though kicker Tim Manuel's subsequent 45-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left.
GSU quarterback Brandon Landers then gave the ball right back with his own interception between the Dizer and Hall fumble recoveries.
"We are plus-eight, but we are still turning ball over way too much," Broadway said. "We've had a chance to distance ourselves, scorewise, over the course of a couple of games, and we turned the ball over and let teams hang in there with us. That's the part that we've got to get corrected."
Up 14 points as the fourth period began, Landers saw another interception returned 50 yards to set up what would be UAPB's final score.
"That was a huge turnover," Broadway said. "They ran it back down to the 28-yard line and they were right back in the football game."
It was a scenario eerily similar to Grambling's late-game fade against Prairie View, another contest that saw takeaways lead to a razor-thin margin of victory. Landers had an untimely interception returned 24-yards for a touchdown to tie things up in the first possession of the fourth quarter at the State Fair Classic.
A penalty for an illegal shift saved Grambling last week, as a blocked kick had before in Dallas against Prairie View.
"Even though we are plus-eight," Broadway said, "we've got to protect the football a little bit better than we have been."
Yet another forced UAPB fumble, again by Dizer, led to Grambling's final touchdown — the deciding points of the game in Little Rock.
NEW ALL OVER AGAIN: Freshman Grambling running back Frank Warren has won his third player of the week honor from the Southwestern Athletic Conference.
Each time, he was named newcomer of the week.
Warren helped Grambling to a Saturday night win against Arkansas-Pine Bluff with 92 yards and two critical touchdowns on 17 carries. He ran for 14-yard, second-quarter TD to begin a rally after GSU fell behind 10-0 then completed the Tigers' scoring with an 18-yard blast on the way to a 30-24 victory.
Warren earned previous newcomer awards after victories over Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley. He is currently third in the SWAC with 528 yards, second with 110 attempts and fifth in the league for yards per game with 88.
Grambling teammate Tim Manuel was also named the SWAC's specialist of the week, after averaging 43 yards per punt, hitting a 45-yard field goal to pull GSU even with Pine Bluff and adding three extra points.
MOVING ON UP: With its fourth straight SWAC win, and fifth overall, Grambling moved from No. 25 to 23 in the Sports Network's poll of Football Championship Subdivision (formerly I-AA) teams.
GSU is the only SWAC team in the Top 25, though Alabama A&M appears at No. 28. Grambling's Saturday foe Jackson State follows at No. 37, with in-state rival Southern at No. 41.
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