GRAMBLING, La. —
Kentucky State Football went toe-to-toe against Division I opponent Grambling, as the Tigers scored in overtime to edge the Thorobreds 37-31 under the lights of Eddie G. Robinson Memorial Stadium.
Kentucky State opened strong, marching 69 yards on 11 plays before quarterback
Denim Johnson capped the drive with a three-yard touchdown run.
Leland Gantz added the extra point for a 7-0 lead with 8:23 left in the first quarter.
The Thorobreds doubled their advantage later in the frame as Chad Elzy powered in from six yards out, making it 14-0 with 2:21 on the clock. Grambling responded early in the second quarter with a 23-yard field goal, trimming the deficit to 14-3.
The Tigers pulled closer midway through the second on a 12-yard touchdown pass to cut the Kentucky State lead to 14-10. Johnson and the Thorobreds answered, however, when he connected with John McCall for an 11-yard touchdown, pushing the lead to 21-10 with 2:13 remaining in the half. Grambling struck back quickly, finding the end zone on a 13-yard rushing score to make it 21-17 at halftime.
Grambling grabbed its first lead late in the third quarter on a 36-yard touchdown pass, giving the Tigers a 24-21 edge.
Kentucky State rallied in the fourth as
Torrence Bardell found
Darius Cyprian for a 33-yard touchdown strike to reclaim a 28-24 advantage with 7:18 to play. Gantz extended the lead to 31-24 with a 43-yard field goal at the 1:55 mark.
Grambling forced overtime in the final seconds of regulation, on a 17-yard rushing touchdown with just 10 seconds left to tie the game at 31-31.
In overtime, the game ended in heartbreaking fashion for Kentucky State when T. Raby scooped up a fumble and returned it 83 yards for the game-winning touchdown, sealing a 37-31 Grambling victory.
UP NEXT
The Thorobreds will continue road play against conference opponent Morehouse on Sept. 20. Kickoff is slated for 1 p.m. in Atlanta
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ABOUT THE SOUTHERN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETIC CONFERENCE (SIAC)
The SIAC is a NCAA athletic conference consisting primarily of historically black colleges and universities with headquarters in downtown Atlanta, Georgia. The SIAC includes 15 member institutions (Albany State University, Allen University, Benedict College, Central State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters University, Fort Valley State University, Kentucky State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Miles College, Morehouse College, Savannah State University, Spring Hill College, and Tuskegee University), which are located within a contiguous seven-state footprint (Alabama, Georgia, Florida, Kentucky, South Carolina, Tennessee and Ohio). The SIAC sponsors nine men's and seven women's sports and is a proud member of the NCAA Division II. For more information, visit
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