Grambling Climbs Out of 14-0 Hole, Beats Jackson State
Jacobe Robinson accounted for five touchdowns and Grambling needed every one of them. Grambling beat Jackson State 45-38 after spending the first quarter looking at a 14-0 deficit.
The hole was partly self-made. Li'Darius Pryor ran 25 yards for the opening score, and then Justin Foster returned a fumble 11 yards for a touchdown, which is how you go down two scores with no offense required. Grambling lost two fumbles in total and still won, so file that under things that usually do not happen. Robinson hit Tyson George from five yards out with 16 seconds left in the first quarter, ran one in himself, and found Nae'Saan Dickerson with 22 seconds left in the half to make it 21-21.
Jackson State went back ahead on a 48-yard Andrew Ivaniciuc field goal, and Grambling answered with a Robinson to Patrick Williams II touchdown, so it led 28-24 going into the fourth. A 54-yard strike to Lantavious Murphy made it 35-24. Then Grambling went quiet and Jackson State did not: Jency Riley Jr. caught a seven-yard touchdown from Caron Tyler, and Pryor scored his third rushing touchdown from three yards out to put Jackson State up 38-35 with 9:19 left.
That was the last Jackson State score. D'Shuan Ford ran in from the 1 with 1:36 to play, and Theodore Caballero kicked a 24-yard field goal 35 seconds later for the final margin. Jackson State ran for 244 yards on 44 carries and still lost, partly because Tyler threw two interceptions on 10 attempts and Grambling collected two sacks.
Grambling moves to 2-1 and Jackson State falls to 3-1. Fantasy-wise this was a Robinson afternoon: 17 of 21 for 212 yards, four passing touchdowns, a rushing score, and a season high that left his previous three games (9.9 points a game) far behind. Pryor, with three rushing touchdowns for the losing side, was the consolation prize.