Labor Day Weekend was filled with intensity for the first Port City Classic featuring the Grambling Tigers vs. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. This game was one that many have been waiting for. When fans first heard about the two competing, excitement spread throughout the region.
Pre-game festivities were held outside Shreveport’s Independence Bowl.
From seeing Grambling fans wearing “BEAT TECH” shirts to seeing Tech’s red and blue bulldog gear, the feeling of being in the mist of the school spirits were impressive. Especially seeing people from other areas coming out to support the black and gold Tigers and the G-Men.
“Many predictions with explosive tension,” was all Percell Johnson, a sophomore psychology major, said about that ecstatic hype.
He described it to be “the Super Bowl at the beginning of the season or just like the BCS title between two different conferences.”
Inside the stadium, Grambling supporters dominated Tech supporters and filled up the seats to capacity, which caused some Grambling fans to sit beside Bulldogs.
Sprinting onto the field, both teams were amped up and ready for kickoff. The Tigers had only one thing in mind, and that was to finally beat Tech for the game.
Predictions ran through many minds and questions remained. Can Grambling beat Tech? Will Tech lose because it was their new head coach’s first game?
According to ksla.com, Compton’s 1-yard plunge in the first quarter gave Tech a 7-0 lead and his 2-yard scamper early in the second quarter increased the Bulldog’s advantage to 14-3.
Tech led 17-3 at the half before both teams traded field goals in an uneventful final 30 minutes of action.
In the next half of the game the score remains the same and the Tigers scored they’re next 3 points and so did Tech, making the score 20-6. This was indeed a disappointing lost to the G-men.
“Great opportunity and well played game” said Keshone Roberts, a junior, business management major, “I feel it was a great opportunity for the two schools to get together and unite being two schools very close but not too many forms of communication. It was like an icebreaker. “I also think that someone had lose if both teams won it, wouldn’t be a game. Maybe next year, it was only the first time.”
“We were always in the game” said Jeremiah Hernandez, a junior, Psychology major “we were just one play away from turning the game around. Both teams played hard and made mental mistakes. The won because they had fewer mistakes and took advantage of ours errors. But I think everyone saw that we could play with tech and that when we polish up some things, we’re going to be really good.”
The freshmen quarterback Anthony Carruthers performance was well played. To say he’s only a freshman, he played like a pro.
According to ksla.com, “(Anthony) Carruthers is a great guy and he is an athlete for sure,” said defensive lineman Matt Broha. “When we came into the game our number one concern was he scrambling out of the pocket and getting loose. We tried to put pressure on him all night. That’s what we were doing all night up front – putting pressure on him and trying to keep him in the pocket. He is definitely a tough guy to stop, and I think we did a good job.