Sports

Tigers look to down UAPB, hope for win three

The Grambling Tigers will take on the UAPB Golden Lions. The Gramblinite

After a big home win against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs, the Grambling Tigers are looking to keep the momentum going.

After having a week off, the the GSU team will head to the University of Arkansas-Pine Bluff to take on a tough 5-2 Golden Lions team.

UAPB is also returning to action after a bye week. In their last game they notched a 32 point win against Mississippi Valley State.

Last year’s matchup saw the Tigers get a win in overtime. However, the teams have both significantly changed since the last matchup.

Without some of their key defensive and offensive players, the Tigers have been working out which play styles work best.

The Golden Lions on the other hand seem to have figured out how to win their games, only falling against a tough Texas Christian team and a shocking loss to the Southern University Jaguars.

Besides those, the five wins the team has picked up leaves them two spots ahead of Grambling in conference play.

Against AAMU, the Tigers defense showed its ability to work consistently, forcing a defensive touchdown for the third week in a row.

The struggles lie in the offense, who is still trying to figure out the best scheme to pair throwing downfield and running more efficiently.

GSU quarterback Coach Kendrick Nord discussed the use of all three quarterbacks in the G-Men’s last game. 

“We are just trying to do what’s best for the team,” he said. “Trying to get the offense in a rhythm. It’s just us testing out our firepower.”

The Tiger defense will face a test against a team throwing on average for over 280 yards per game and rushing for just under 170 yards.

UAPB’s leading rusher Taeyler Porter has over 700 yards on the season and averages nearly 100 yards per game.

If the Tiger defensive line does not repeat its trend of stopping the run in the last two victories, it will prove difficult to keep the Golden Lions from running all over them.

With questions as to different quarterbacks starting for Grambling, the offensive plan is now flexible enough to throw UAPB’s defense in a loop attempting to prepare for any of the three Tiger quarterbacks to come in.

The Golden Lions have a quarterback duo of Shannon Patrick, who averages 200 yards in the air a game, and Skyler Perry, combining for 17 touchdowns between the pair.

Each teams defenses will have to cover the air if the offensive lines give the quarterbacks and their dangerous receivers a chance to convert plays through passes.

Both teams enter the game on a two game winning streak searching for three in a row. For the Golden Lions, a win will push their chances of reaching the Conference finals much higher.

For Grambling, a win will prove their adjustments during the season have worked and get them closer to being at .500 for the first time this season.