By Curtis Ford, Grambling State Associate AD for Athletic Communications
GRAMBLING — The Grambling State Tigers lost another heartbreaker last Saturday.
Noah Kiani’s 27-yard field goal with 7 seconds left in the game lifted Alcorn State to a 17-15 victory at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium.
The Tigers were playing for the first time since falling to Prairie View A&M on Oct. 4 in the State Fair Classic in Dallas.
Grambling State fell to 3-3 overall and 0-2 in the Southwestern Athletic Conference. SWAC West leader Alcorn State improved to 4-3 and 3-0.
GSu was plagued by missed opportunities on offense. The Tigers struggled to convert trips to the red zone into touchdowns, scoring two field goals and one touchdown on four possessions.
Grambling State quarterback Myles Crawley was 16-for-28 for 149 yards and one interception. The Braves snapped Crawley’s four-game streak of throwing at least one touchdown. Crawley was also sacked four times.
GSU found some success on the ground, rushing for 157 yards. The Tigers had three running backs run for over 50 yards. Tre Bradford led the way with 58 yards on 11 carries. Dedrick Talbert added 52 yards a touchdown on 11 attempts and Bull Hargrove toted the ball for 50 yards on nine touches.
Defensively, Grambling State gave up 335 yards of total offense. Linebacker Andrew Jones led the Tigers with 11 total tackles with five solo stops. Blake Davis nabbed an interception in the second quarter. He finished with eight total tackles.
Alcorn State got on the scoreboard first with Jacorian Sewell broke loose for a 65-yard touchdown run, giving the Braves a 7-0 lead with 6:21 left in the first quarter.
Reed Harradine gave GSU its first points of the day when connected on a 30-yard field goal on the Tigers’ ensuing drive. Harradine made it a 7-6 game when he knocked 22-yard field goal with 10:53 remaining in the second quarter.
ASU stretched its advantage to 14-6 when quarterback Xzavier Vaughn found Stemarion Edwards for a 75-yard score with 9:32 remaining until halftime.
Grambling State pulled within two points of Alcorn State 38 seconds left in the third quarter when Talbert capped a 12-play, 63-yard drive with a 3-yard run. The two-point conversion attempt failed, making it a 14-12 game.
Harradine gave GSU its only lead of the game when he drilled a 44-yard field goal with 10:53 to go in the contest.
Alcorn State starting quarterback Xzavier Vaughn 10-for-18 for 149 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Jacorian Sewell ran for 102 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries.
Grambling State looks to shake off the loss and prepare for Homecoming versus Arkansas-Pine Bluff next Saturday. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on HBCUGo.