NEW ORLEANS – In Saturday’s 2003 State Farm Bayou Classic, Grambling State University’s junior quarterback Bruce Eugene had two minutes and nine seconds to try and avert the Tigers’ absence from the 2003 Southwestern Athletic Conference Championships.
After throwing two incomplete passes from Grambling State’s 19-yard line and rushing four yards, Eugene received the nod from head coach Doug Williams to play on fourth down. The Tigers’ all-time leading passer only had to throw the ball six yards for a first down.
Instead, he threw the ball 19 yards to Erin Damon, Southern’s senior defensive back, sealing the Southern University Jaguars’ 44-41 victory. The Jags (11-1 overall, 6-1 SWAC), will represent the conference’s western division against eastern division winner Alabama State in the 2003 SWAC Championships.
“We knew we would have to play a full 60 minutes,” said Jags’ senior quarterback Quincy Richard. “You can’t take anything away from Grambling State, because they played to the end. But so did we. It was a true battle.”
And what a battle it was.
Southern scored on their opening possession for the ninth time this season when Richard ran three yards into the end zone just over three minutes into the game.
Only 13 seconds later, Eugene threw a 71-yard touchdown pass, the Tigers’ first play from scrimmage, to freshman wide-out Tim Abney, to tie the score.
Grambling State (9-3 overall, 6-1 SWAC) went on to score ten more points in the first quarter before Jags’ senior wide receiver Chris Davis caught a 14-yard pitch to bring the Jags within four. A failed point-after attempt by freshman kicker Montie Ackley was later redeemed by a 26-yard field goal that had the Jags trailing by one point. Southern got a few breaks when junior defensive back Gabe LaFrance intercepted one of Eugene’s passes and Tigers’ junior kicker Brian Morgan went wide left on a 47-yard field goal attempt, leaving the score 17-16 at the end of the half.
Richard had 228 passing yards in the first half, only one more than Eugene did. However, nine players scored in the second half of a shootout that ended with the Southern quarterback passing an additional 324 yards compared to Eugene’s 182 second half passing yardage.
Richard went on to finish the game completing 34 of 42 passes for a career-best 552 yards. He tied his single-game record of five touchdowns. Eugene finished the game passing 409 yards, completing 26 of 48 passes and led the team with 80 yards rushing.
Both quarterbacks suffered a sack and two interceptions Saturday.
In the third quarter, Ackley missed another PAT after Jags’ junior wide receiver Alfred Ard caught a 65-yard touchdown pass.
Grambling State managed to score twice in the quarter, including a 76-yard touchdown pass to sophomore tailback back Henry Tolbert, which was the longest pass of Eugene’s career. Morgan suffered another failed field goal attempt when senior defensive back D’Angelo Lewis blocked a 40-yard kick with 12:44 left in the quarter.
But when Ard caught hissecond scoring pass of the game with 14:45 left in the fourth quarter, a two-point conversion by junior quarterback Thomas Ricks put the Jags up 30-27 and they never looked back.
Ard ended the game with 144 receiv-ing yards with four receptions and two touchdowns.
“It was my goal to make it to the championships,” Ard said. “So it’s my job to go out there and catch the ball, so I did what I had to do.”
Two minutes later, senior wide receiver Drayton Bridges caught Southern’s fifth touchdown pass of the game, a 42-yard pass that put the Jags ahead by ten points and contributed to his four catches for 122 yards.
After Jags’ junior linebacker Taurus Morgan recovered a crucial fumble with 11:06 left in the game, Tigers’ junior defensive end Lennard Patton responded with an interception that resulted in a 45-yard touchdown return.
“I thought that it was going to go out of his reach,” Richard said. “But he managed to get a hold of it. I am just happy it didn’t cost us the game.”
Richard regained composure by throwing a 54-yard “floater” to Davis, who went in for the Jags’ final score.
In addition to the two touchdowns, Davis finished the game with seven catches for 128 yards.
Although Tigers’ sophomore running back Ab Kauuan 2-yard touchdown run put Grambling State within three, the Tigers’ title hopes were shot with Damon’s interception.
Eugene’s 409 yards were the most a single-passer had committed against the Jags this season. Senior defensive back Lenny Williams led the team with 12 tackles, while Morgan and junior defensive lineman Charles Lemons earned a sack apiece.
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Next Stop: Birmingham
December 2, 2003
Birmingham Senior running back Gerald Holmes stiff-arms a GSU defender on a 12 yard run. – Photo by Ryan Knight/DIGEST
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