The Bayou Classic in-state rivalry game always means something to the fans at Southern and Grambling. This year, with a shot at a record seventh appearance in the SWAC Championship Game on the line for Grambling, it means a little bit more.
That Grambling (6-4 overall, 5-3 Southwestern Athletic Conference) is in this position at all, after a 1-4 skid to open the season, only adds to the game’s multi-faceted storylines. The Tigers, under first-year returning coach Doug Williams, somehow bounced back to position themselves for that run to Birmingham, Ala. — needing now only to best Southern (4-4, 4-5) to punch their title-match ticket.
Thing is, though, Southern is equally resurgent. After posting a similarly ugly 2-5 record to start 2011, the Jaguars have won two of their last three — including a victory over Alabama State that all but knocked the defending East champs out of the championship game.
