Late touchdown lifts Grambling State past Alabama A&M

GRAMBLING, La. — Alabama A&M could not recover from a late punt return as Grambling State picked up a 13-10 Southwestern Athletic Conference victory Saturday over the Bulldogs on Saturday at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium.

Alabama A&M’s defense forced a turnover on downs to stop Grambling State’s opening drive and the Bulldogs went right to work at its own 46. AAMU moved the ball to the Tigers’ 9 before getting a 27-yard field goal by David Faulk, giving the Bulldogs a 3-0 advantage with just under 10 minutes to play in the opening quarter.

After a Grambling State punt, AAMU quarterback JD Davis II connected with a wide open Donovan Payne over the middle for a 43-yard touchdown as the Bulldogs extended their lead to 10-0 with 3:52 remaining in the first quarter.

A Davis interception led to the first points for Grambling State as the Tigers moved the ball to the AAMU 21 before Josh McCormick booted a 38-yard field goal, closing the gap to 10-3 with just over six minutes left in the half.

Grambling State (6-3 overall, 3-2 SWAC) put together one final drive before halftime as Wilburn Smallwood’s tackle on third down forced another McCormick field goal, this time from 30 yards, as the Bulldogs went into the break leading 10-6.

The Tigers caught a break late in the third quarter when Johnny Schifano’s 40-yard punt bounced off an AAMU player to set the ball up at the AAMU 17, but the Bulldogs got a block on a McCormick 35-yard field goal attempt to snuff out the GSU scoring attempt.

However, a special teams play did give the Tigers their first lead of the day when Robert Cole’s eighth punt, a 45-yarder, was returned 64 yards by Delano Franklin for a score as Grambling State took a 13-10 lead with 7:39 remaining.

The Bulldogs had one final opportunity but were forced to punt the football with 3:32 remaining and Alabama A&M never got the ball back.

CHECKING THE BOX SCORE

• Alabama A&M finished with 175 total yards, with 123 coming through the air
• The Bulldogs recorded 10 first downs
• JD Davis II went 12 of 18 passing for 123 yards, with two interceptions and one score
• Ryan Morrow rushed 11 times for 41 yards
• Myles Parker caught four passes for 35 yards
• Robert Cole punted the ball nine times for 341 yards, averaging 37.9 yards per punt
• Jalen Wright paced the defense with 12 tackles, with five solo stops
• Grambling State finished with 143 total yards, including 92 through the air
• The Tigers registered nine first downs
• Hayden Benoit went 9-for-13 passing for 91 yards, with one interception
• Andre Crews rushed 15 times for 38 yards
• Keith Jones Jr. had 25 yards on four receptions
• Johnny Schifano punted the ball eight times for 299 yards

• Bryce Cage and Jamal Jordan each had six tackles

NEWS & NOTES

• The Bulldogs fell to 9-23 all-time versus Grambling State
• The Tigers’ win snapped a three-game losing streak to Alabama A&M
• The Bulldogs surrendered a punt return for a score for the first time since Sept. 21, 2024 at Austin Peay
• For the 14^th straight game, the Bulldogs put points on the board in the opening quarter
• David Faulk is 5-for-5 on field goals this season after taking over the kicking duties on Sept. 27 at Bethune-Cookman
• AAMU fell to 2-5 in games that begin before 6 p.m.
• The Bulldogs surrendered 143 total yards, the lowest output an opponent has had this season

UP NEXT
The Bulldogs return to Louis Crews Stadium for back-to-back home games, starting  Saturday when Prairie View A&M visits The Hill. Kickoff against the Panthers during Salute to Service Day is set for 2 p.m. and streamed on SWAC TV.