GRAMBLING, La. – Jackson State used a late defensive stand to upend Grambling 33-28 Saturday in its SWAC opener.
Grambling was at the JSU 1-yard line and senior linebacker Aubrey Miller, Jr. jarred the ball free and All-American Keonte Hampton recovered it with 1:04 remaining to secure the win.
Jackson State handed Grambling its first home loss at Eddie Robinson Stadium since 2015. It was JSU’s first win over Grambling since 2012.
“Those type of statistics are great for the kids, great to get them going and get them fired up,” a jovial Deion Sanders said after the game. I believe the last time that Jackson State won here they were teenagers … just phenomenal.
“They love those types of things but they feed on those things and challenges them to go out and do their thing.”
JSU put up its second 400-yard plus offensive game and sophomore Tyson Alexander had his breakthrough performance. The DeSoto, Texas native rushed for a career-high 186 yards and one touchdown. He also added a long of 53 yards, which was also a career-high.
Sophomore quarterback Jalon Jones accounted for 222 yards of total offense and four touchdowns. Jones went 12-for-18 for 180 yards and rushed for 42 yards.
Senior wide receiver Warren Newman grabbed four receptions for 54 yards and a touchdown and junior Daylen Baldwin came down with two receptions for 75 yards, including a 64-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter.
Miller and Hampton were a two-man wrecking crew on defense for Jackson State. Miller recorded 17 tackles while Hampton added 15 tackles. Miller’s 17 tackles were the most since Hampton had 15 stops against Mississippi Valley State in 2019.
Jackson State (2-0) captured its first statement win in the Deion Sanders era and put the rest of the conference on notice.
“You know like back in the day when they used to call (the) roll and you had to raise your hand and say ‘here’ … we’re here,” said Sanders. “We are here.”
Jackson State athletics contributed to this report
[…] Also see: ‘We are here’: Jackson State puts SWAC on notice in 33-28 road win at Grambling State […]