Dec. 1, 2008
Final Stats
No need for the coin flip after all. Grambling State's Greg Dillon accounted for 287 yards and two touchdowns, and GSU (10-2, 7-0) clinched a spot in the Southwestern Athletic Conference title game with a 29-14 victory over Southern (6-5, 5-2) in Saturday's 35th Annual State Farm Bayou Classic.
Dillon was 9-of-13 for 151 yards, including an 11-yard scoring strike to Nick Lewis. Dillon also rushed for 136 yards on 26 carries, including his 14-yard score. His performance helped second-year coach Rod Broadway win his first Bayou Classic and his second SWAC West Division title.
If Southern had won, it would have forced a three-way tie between Grambling, Southern and Prairie View atop the SWAC West Division. A coin flip was tentatively scheduled Sunday to help decide the division winner in the case of a three-way tie, but Grambling negated the need for it by winning the division outright and will meet Jackson State in Birmingham on Dec. 13.
Southern jumped out to an early lead when Juamorris Stewart was on the receiving end of a Alvin Fosselman 1 yards plunge, to give the Southern Jaguars a 14-0 lead heading into the second quarter.
Grambling would close the margin with two second quarter scores, including a Nick Lewis scoring strike from Greg Dillon, after the Jags failed to convert a fourth down fake-punt attempt. GSU would go for two, but the conversion failed and the Jags took a slight 14-12 lead into the locker room at the half.
Warren Matthews relieved Lee but struggled on his first several series, throwing an interception that Keefe Hall returned 30 yards to the Southern 8. That set up Cornelius Walker's 4-yard touchdown run that gave Grambling a 22-14 lead with 12:44 to go.
Matthews drove the Jaguars to the Grambling 16 on Southern's next drive, but then was intercepted by T.J. McCord at the GSU three yard line. Grambling's Frank Warren added a 31-yard touchdown with 1:13 left to seal the win. Matthews was 8-of-15 for 96 yards and three interceptions.
Offensively for SU, Juamorris Stewart led all receivers with 174 yards on nine catches and one score. Clevan White finished with five catches for 65 yards. Bryant Lee led the SU rushing attack with 24 yards. Lee who left the game in the second quarter with a knee injury, finished with 184 passing yards and one touchdown. He completed 12 of 17 passes.
Defensively for Southern, Johnathan Malveaux led the team with a game-high 13 tackles (7 solo, 6 assists). Glenn Bell finished with 12 tackles (8 solo, 4 assists), as well as two tackles for losses, to go along with one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and two sacks. Gary Chatman accounted for 8 tackles (4 solo, 4 assists), one sack and three tackles for losses.
