Sports

Bite off the Big Apple

Grambling State University freshman quarterback Noah Bodden of Valley Stream, New York, made his debut on the gridiron on Saturday evening at Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium.

Bodden, who is 6’4’ and 218-pounds, was ranked the No. 1 quarterback recruit in the state of New York this past year.

He shocked his peers and fans with his decision on continuing his football tenure at the Grambling State University for the 2021 Fall season.

With three quarterbacks ahead of him, Bodden proved himself early that when the opportunity is given, he will deliver.

Bodden was able to pick up his first win and the team’s second win of the season with a 37-28 victory against the defending SWAC Champions, Alabama A&M.

In the match-up, Bodden went 16 of 34 passing for 191 yards, with three touchdowns and one interception.

“I knew it would be a big challenge for me and the team and I had a lot of eyes on me, but I also knew how good it would look if I came out and got a win in this environment,” Bodden said.

“It feels good to know my coaches and teammates trust me enough to put me in this position and have faith that I can do something special, it truly means a lot.”

Bodden prepares for each game the same way, whether he expects to play or not. He gets on the field about 45 minutes before the team goes as a team to warm up, and then he gets his feet and arms warmed up so that he’s familiar and comfortable with the atmosphere he will be playing in that day.

Going into Week 6 against Alcorn State University, Bodden feels as though the team can improve on making less mistakes and capitalizing on more drives.

“We showed in this past game that we have good athletes at every position, and we could score the ball. Now we just need to get better and build off of last week’s game.” Bodden said.

Because of his outstanding performance in Saturday’s game against the Bulldogs, Bodden was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Week.

“It’s an honor to be given this award and I’m blessed for it but this is a team award,” Bodden said.

“I couldn’t have done it without the team putting me in great positions to be successful.

“It was really a team effort.”

The Tigers football team will take on Alcorn State on Saturday, Oct. 9 in Lorman, Mississippi, at Jack Spinks Stadium for the Braves’ homecoming.

The contest between the Grambling State Tigers and the Alcorn Braves is a highly anticipated game as Alcorn won back-to-back championships in both 2018 and 2019, but decided to forfeit their season this past spring due to COVID-19 .

“I’m excited for the game and confident that myself along with the team will do well,” Bodden said.

“Which all starts with a great week of preparation for the game.”

Noah Bodden