Therriault leads Jackson State Tigers Air Raid

Tigers' new quarterback sparks long-awaited offensive resurgence

Jackson, MS - Casey Therriault took the snap. He stepped right, left, backpedaled, moved forward. Jackson State's new quarterback eluded one would-be sack, then another - all the while keeping his eyes peeled in search of an open receiver.In what became a pattern Saturday during Jackson State's 32-17 win over Delta State, Therriault found that open man.

"He's a special quarterback," Jackson State coach Rick Comegy said. "I'm not going to sit up here and call him average. He's special."

Therriault threw for 404 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Tigers to their first season-opening victory since 2006. In front of an announced crowd of 12,655 at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium, Therriault helped...

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Statement: Delta State at Jackson State

Delta State is considered a dark-horse contender for the NCAA Division II national championship.

The 24th-ranked Statesmen can make a huge statement on Saturday at 4 p.m. against Jackson State at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium in Jackson. The Statesmen are no strangers to facing Football Championship Subdivision teams. The Statesmen (5-5 last year) shocked the Tigers 27-15 in their last meeting three years ago. Jackson State, however, recovered and eventually won the SWAC championship. Delta State reached the D-II quarterfinals.

“We’re excited and ready to go,” Statesmen coach Ron Roberts said. “Last year left a bad taste in our mouths. We have a good nucleus of guys ready to erase that and compete. We’ve got our work cut out for us.”



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Jackson State Tigers AD open to DSU rematch

- David Brandt

Jackson State athletic director Bob Braddy said he would "absolutely consider" playing Delta State again next season, despite a 27-15 loss to the Division II team on Saturday at Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium.

On top of the loss, Jackson State also paid Delta State $25,000 to make the short trip to Jackson for the game.

"We think it's a really good game, but we'll have to sit down with Delta State's athletic director (Jeremy McClain) and see what we want to do," Braddy said. "We were disappointed, but not embarrassed to lose to Delta State because we know they've got a quality football program."


Braddy said the only drawback on Saturday had nothing to do with the product on the field. Instead, it was a small Delta State crowd following that appeared to be less than 1,000 people.

The announced attendance for the game was 12,667.

McClain said he thought the Statesmen fans would travel better in the future.

"I think some of our fans kind of had a 'wait and see' approach," McClain said. "But I think once this builds into a bigger rivalry, it'll be a great game for both teams."

SPEAKS A BRIGHT SPOT

In his first game in a Jackson State uniform, middle linebacker Marcellus Speaks finished with a team-high 10 tackles.

But the junior transfer from Delta State wasn't pleased with the loss or his performance.

"It hurt to lose to my old team, plus I missed way too many tackles," Speaks said. "I may have had 10, but I should have had 20 if I had wrapped up a little better."

SEASON TICKETS ARE UP

Braddy said about 6,000 football season tickets were sold for the season, a marked increase from the approximately 2,500 sold last season.